In this blog, we’re going to share with you how we were able to fix our Verizon landline no dial tone problems.
We worked on a few solutions and came up with a list of the most effective ones that really helped us get our service back.
With over 140 million subscribers, there are a lot of you that are going through the same ordeal.
Here’s how we did it.
To fix your Verizon landline, you want to make sure your phone is connected to the wall jack and power outlet. You can also test out different phones on the same jack. Lastly, if nothing seems to work, you want to verify your line by plugging your phone directly into the NID or ONT jacks in your phone box.
Why Do I Get No Dial Tone Verizon Landline
Let’s first take a look at the different sources that this error can come from.
We recommend checking your hardware and connections as these are the usual causes when your landline has no dial tone.
Here are all the different problems that you’ll likely encounter when you get dial tone issues with your landline:
Service Outage
Outages can be caused by a major fault or even minor maintenance activities.
Some of them can cause total loss of your dial tone for a certain period. You’ll need to wait until Verizon resolves the outage.
Faulty Hardware
The problem can be from one of the phones inside your home. There are instances when a single device can cause dial tone loss for your entire home.
Connection Issues
Cables and connectors can become loose or malfunction, causing your landline to have no dial tone. You’ll need to get your connections sorted out to fix the issue.
Problem With the Outdoor Line
The outdoor connection is just as important as the cables and wires inside your home. If there are problems here, it can cause a dial tone loss on your phone.
These are the problems that could have impacted your landline.
We can now proceed to the troubleshooting steps so you can get your dial tone restored and start using your phone.
How to Fix Verizon Landline No Dial Tone
Before we go ahead and attempt the different solutions that will fix your landline, you want to make sure that the receivers are on the hook.
Your phone should be in a neutral position allowing calls to come in.
Leaving your phone off the hook for a long time will cause your phone to lose the dial tone until you put it back on the hook again.
Now that you’re sure that your landline can take calls, here are the other solutions you should work on to fix your dial tone:
Solution #1: Check That Your Phone is Plugged into the Wall Jack
The first thing you need to look at is your phone’s connections.
The connectors are secure with a locking mechanism that should keep them in place for a long time.
However, there are instances when you can still knock it out of the wall jack. They can go brittle or soft, and they don’t lock as well.
You want to make sure that your phone is connected to your wall jack so the signal from Verizon can reach your landline.
Here’s how to know if your phone is still plugged into the wall jack:
- Find the phone cable that’s connected to your phone.
- Trace it and look for the other end attached to the wall jack.
- Check the connectors and make sure they still lock in place.
- Pull them out and plug them back in.
Note: If it’s only a loose connection, you should be able to hear your dial tone right away.
Solution #2: Make Sure Your Phone and Modem are Powered
If you have a Fiber-based phone, you want to make sure that your devices are powered correctly.
Most newer systems will need your landline and phone modem plugged into a wall outlet.
Here’s how to know if your devices are powered properly:
- Find the power cable of your landline and modem.
- Trace the cords to the power outlet.
- Make sure that the connections are not loose.
- Tighten them and insert them into the outlet correctly.
Note: If your landline does not need to be plugged into the wall outlet, make sure the modem is.
Solution #3: Try Using a Different Phone on the Same Connection
Now that you’ve tested your connections, you can start to suspect that there’s something wrong with your current landline.
It can be malfunctioning, and that’s causing it not to have a dial tone. You can confirm this by using a different phone and plugging it into the same wall jack.
Here’s how to test if your landline is broken:
- Get a spare phone or a different one.
- Bring it to the location of the phone that has no dial tone.
- Plug the new landline into the wall jack of your current phone.
- Check if you can hear a dial tone.
Tip: If you can hear a dial tone, you’ll need to replace your current phone with a different one.
Solution #4: Power Cycle Your Fios Devices
If there’s still no dial tone after changing up your landlines, you want to refresh the connection of your system.
This is the solution you need to look out for if your Verizon Fios landline no dial tone.
Here’s how to power cycle your Verizon Fios system:
- Unplug your Fios router from the wall outlet.
- Do the same for your phone and other devices.
- Leave it unplugged for up to 5 minutes.
- Plug your Fios router in and allow it to acquire a signal.
- Check your phone if you can hear a dial tone.
Note: This only works for Verizon Fios since their phone is incorporated into their fiber optic network, and the router controls all the signals.
Solution #5: Disconnect Your Devices One at a Time
If you still can’t hear the dial tone, the issue is likely a hardware malfunction.
One of your devices is not working, and it’s causing the loss of signal inside your home. There is a process on how you’ll be able to find the culprit.
Here’s how to isolate the faulty hardware:
- Disconnect one of your phones from the jack and power outlet.
- Check for a dial tone in another phone in your house.
- If you can’t hear a dial tone, disconnect it.
- Repeat these steps with other devices until you hear the dial tone.
- Reconnect the machine one by one until you lose the dial tone again.
Note: The last device that you plugged in that caused the loss in dial tone is going to be the faulty phone and will need replacing.
Solution #6: Plug Your Phone Directly to Your NID or ONT
After performing Solution #5, and you still have no dial tone, the source of the problem is likely your external phone box.
You can still check this by bringing a phone outside and testing the NID or ONT ports on the box.
Here’s how to check your NID and ONT ports:
- Get your phone and bring it to your phone box.
- Plug your phone directly into the NID or ONT slots.
- Listen for a dial tone.
- Contact Verizon if you don’t hear a dial tone.
Note: If you have a traditional landline, you can plug it into the NID slot since the ONT one is for fiber optic connections.
At this point, after trying all the solutions and nothing is working, you’ll need to contact Verizon’s technical support team.
They should be able to help you if your phone box needs fixing by their technicians.
Read Next: How to Block Restricted Calls on Verizon?
Bottom Line
Now that you know the reasons and how to fix the Verizon landline no dial tone issue, you should be able to restore it successfully.
Simply follow our detailed solutions, so you don’t have to mess around with landlines that are not working.
Kevin has over five years of experience working in various Tech startups and providing Technical solutions. He has contributed to many Tech publications and websites. Check out more about him here.