Why is a captioned landline phone dead while home internet still works?
Answer
When internet works but a captioned phone has no dial tone, the phone line, analog adapter, or CapTel service path is usually at fault—not the broadband connection itself.
Before you start: stop right away if…
- Do not share account numbers with unexpected callers claiming they can restore CapTel service for a fee.
Follow these steps
Confirm the CapTel unit has power
Verify the phone’s power supply is seated and any status lights match the normal pattern in the CapTel guide.
You should see: The phone is powered, or a power-supply problem is found.
Test the wall jack with another phone if possible
Plug a basic corded phone into the same jack or adapter port. If that phone also has no dial tone, the line or adapter is the issue rather than the CapTel handset alone.
You should see: Dial tone is present on a test phone, or both phones are dead on that jack.
Restart the voice adapter or ONT voice path once
If your voice rides on fiber or VoIP equipment, power-cycle only the voice adapter or the ISP gateway once, wait for voice lights to stabilize, then retest dial tone.
You should see: Dial tone returns, or voice lights show a persistent fault.
Check CapTel service indicators
Review any on-screen CapTel status and captions service indicators. If the handset has dial tone but captions fail, contact CapTel service support specifically.
You should see: The failure is classified as line dial tone versus captions service.
Contact the phone provider and CapTel support
If there is still no dial tone, ask the phone or ISP voice provider for a line test, and inform CapTel support if their service path is also involved.
You should see: A line repair or service ticket is opened.
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Extra tips
What to look for: No dial tone on the CapTel phone, normal internet browsing on other devices, and any status lights on a phone adapter or optical network terminal voice ports.
Before you change anything: Confirm whether voice is true copper phone service or voice-over-internet through your ISP. Have another corded phone available for a jack test if possible. Avoid unrelated modem resets that drop internet unnecessarily more than once.