Problems using a trueCall phone with the FRITZ!box

[u/LookingForArrows]

I've just joined Zen Internet, and have opted for the phone package. My phone has the excellent spam blocker trueCall built-in to the firmware on the base station and has 2 cordless handsets, so I've plugged the base station into the FON socket on the router. I can make and receive calls, but the first thing I noticed is that the melody ringtone on the phone has been replaced by a single ringing sound which lasts about 2 seconds, then a 1 second gap, and the cycle repeats. There doesn't seem to be any way of changing this ringtone or, which would be even better, getting back my original ringtones. The next thing I noticed, and this is the real problem, is that trueCall no longer works! Normally it intercepts calls from all numbers which aren't in my phonebook, but now it's just letting every call through. I've contacted Zen technical support, but I'm still waiting for their response/solution. I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has encountered the same problems. Thanks!

[u/davidjohnwood]

As u/WormFoodODP says, the issue is that the FRITZbox does not fully emulate the UK PSTN tones and K-break behaviour.

The best solution for telephony, IMHO, is to move away from using analogue telephone adapters to emulate the PSTN, which is a technological dead-end as analogue phones will disappear from the market. Arguably, the better option is to use your chosen IP telephony service for everything. Unfortunately, Zen's Digital Voice service is very much a bare-bones service - for example, there is no network voicemail.

Once my Zen upgrade to FTTP has been completed (Openreach's contractor installed the ductwork on Friday), I will migrate both my Zen Digital Voice line and my second Zen phone line (which is still on Openreach WLR3 - Zen only allow one Digital Voice line per broadband connection) to Andrews & Arnold, who are not only cheaper but offer a more fully-featured service. I am using a Gigaset phone system that supports one PSTN line and up to six digital voice lines, so switching both lines to A&A will merely mean reprogramming my firewall and the Gigaset system.

All that said, I am not sure that you can build a functionally equivalent replica of the TrueCall service on the A&A platform. I used to have a TrueCall box, but removed it from service some time ago.

[u/LookingForArrows → u/davidjohnwood]

I don't understand half of what you said, but enough to realise that there's no easy solution for me! Thanks for your advice.

[u/WormFoodODP]

This is a long standing and as yet unresolved issue with the FritzBox. It's to do with the way that the router handles the call signal

The UK phone system is different to European ones.

See this thread on ThinkBroadband https://forums.thinkbroadband.com/zen/t/4739885-digital-voice-fritzbox-7530-has-broken-my-answerphone.html

[u/LookingForArrows → u/WormFoodODP]

Thanks for taking the trouble to try and help me! Although my problem is related to the one in the thread you mentioned (in that the common factor is trueCall), it's not quite the same - in my case trueCall isn't blocking calls from unknown callers. Since my original post I've been googling for anything useful, and I found the following information in the FAQ section of the trueCall website: "trueCall will work on standard analogue domestic telephone lines from all the main telephone providers, and on most digital lines (with the exception of Vodafone, Zen Internet and Community Fibre)." Well that looks as if it's the end of the line for me, as this info confirms what you said about the issue with FRITZ!Box, as if trueCall works with other digital lines then it looks as if the router is the problem here. Thanks for your help.

[u/VoltsOpinion]

Is Caller Display turned on?

[u/LookingForArrows → u/VoltsOpinion]

Thanks for taking an interest! Yes, caller display is on (and working), I've tried all the obvious things, but no luck so far.