Phone Troubleshooting | Midco Phone Support

Troubleshooting

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Phone Troubleshooting

Have questions on your Midco digital phone service? We have answers for everything from power outages to loss of dial tone.

It is important to us that your safety is guarded in the event of a power outage.

  • Most cable fed customers have a complementary battery pack within the device to provide several hours dial tone in the event of a power outage.1
  • Fixed wireless and Midco Fiber Internet customer equipment does not have an internal battery. However, you may purchase an external battery pack by contacting Midco to provide several hours of backup power.1
  • You may also purchase a 24-hour battery backup for your phone service equipment for extended dial tone access. Battery backups can be purchased at APC, Amazon, Batteries Plus, Best Buy, or by contacting us
  • During a power outage, if you have a battery backup, it's recommended that you limit phone use, so the dial tone is available for emergencies.
  • During a power outage, if you have a battery backup, it's recommended that you limit phone use, so the dial tone is available for emergencies.
  • In the event of a power outage, DO NOT touch the batteries, connections or equipment, as this can affect the battery life. If the batteries are removed during a power outage, dial tone will be lost until the power is restored, even if the batteries are replaced. Once power is restored, the batteries will begin charging again.

As with all of Midco services, we monitor the quality of our service 24/7. We respond immediately to any and all service interruptions.

If you don’t have a dial tone, check the following:

  • Make sure none of your telephones are off the hook.
  • If using a cordless phone, check that the battery is charged.
  • Check for lights on the front of your telephone modem (eMTA, ONU or ATA). If you don’t see any lights on the (eMTA, ONU or ATA), make sure it is not plugged into an outlet controlled by a light switch or a power strip that may have switched off.
  • Unplug any devices connected to a telephone jack including answering machines and fax machines and then check each phone jack for a dial tone with a corded telephone to see if it is isolated to a single phone or jack.
  • Plug a corded telephone into port 1/2 on your (eMTA, ONU or ATA). to check for dial tone. If you have dial tone at the (eMTA, ONU or ATA)., the issue may be related to your internal wiring.

If you still do not have a dial tone after performing the above steps, please call us from a different phone at 1.800.888.1300 or use our chat or social media contact options.

If you are receiving a “dial 1” message when you try to call a local number using redial on your phone, it’s because the caller ID feature only displays numbers in a ten-digit format. When you use redial, your device will try to dial the full ten-digit telephone number. You are receiving the message because local calls do not require the area code.

To avoid this message, either manually dial the seven-digit local number or check with your caller ID manufacturer to see if it is possible to remove the area code before redialing.

Your telephone may be set for pulse and not tone. Adjust your phone to set it for tone.

Need More Help?

1 Not available in all areas. Most Midco phone modems do have a battery backup.