Right in the middle of a phone conversation, our phone system died. We get our phone through a cable company and the service has been fine. When I called for help, I got an automated voice that tried to tell me how to troubleshoot. I am not a good troubleshooter. I am more of a trouble cusser. Our service is related to our internet modem and to the special phone modem. I located the phone modem, up in the ceiling of the basement. There were supposed to be lights lit on it but there weren't. There was supposed to be a re-set button but the only button I could find up there in the dark did nothing when I pressed it.
The power cord had a tag on it, warning not to unplug the modem. After listening to the troubleshooter, I unplugged the power cord, waited 20.037 seconds and reconnected. Nothing. I called again, using my cellphone and powered past the automated helper. Got a person. He said a repairman would be here between 8 and 9 AM.
The repairman arrived. I took him downstairs and showed him the modem up in the ceiling. He climbed up and slid the modem off of its holding screws. He looked it over. He climbed down and turned on the lamp connected to the same power outlet the modem used. The lamp didn't turn on. He got down and moved weights and boxes out of the way. He said,"Oh, it's a GFIC plug."
You may have those plugs in your kitchen or bathroom.
This is the box that gets installed in the wall. See the red and black buttons between the top and bottom outlets. They are part of a little system designed to disconnect the power in case of a power surge or other electrical anomaly. The repairman pushed "Reset". Phone modem immediately lit up. The lamp lit up. Just push here.
All the while, our cellphones worked. Our internet connection and our computers worked. Still, it is surprising how much we want our telephones, the everyday landline and the cordless phones and my desk model all matter, especially where there is a repair that needs to be described and scheduled.
The power cord had a tag on it, warning not to unplug the modem. After listening to the troubleshooter, I unplugged the power cord, waited 20.037 seconds and reconnected. Nothing. I called again, using my cellphone and powered past the automated helper. Got a person. He said a repairman would be here between 8 and 9 AM.
The repairman arrived. I took him downstairs and showed him the modem up in the ceiling. He climbed up and slid the modem off of its holding screws. He looked it over. He climbed down and turned on the lamp connected to the same power outlet the modem used. The lamp didn't turn on. He got down and moved weights and boxes out of the way. He said,"Oh, it's a GFIC plug."
This is the box that gets installed in the wall. See the red and black buttons between the top and bottom outlets. They are part of a little system designed to disconnect the power in case of a power surge or other electrical anomaly. The repairman pushed "Reset". Phone modem immediately lit up. The lamp lit up. Just push here.
All the while, our cellphones worked. Our internet connection and our computers worked. Still, it is surprising how much we want our telephones, the everyday landline and the cordless phones and my desk model all matter, especially where there is a repair that needs to be described and scheduled.
