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This guide is made to help users with limited knowledge of networks but can be helpful for any knowledge level of users. While NocTel provides this guide to help troubleshoot common networking problems VoIP users face, we highly recommend no matter how small your business is that you have your network installed and managed by someone skilled in networking and network administration.

Support Scope and

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Limitations

Please note that NocTel’s Technical Support department does not provide customer network support. Internal network support and upkeep is the responsibility of the client customer and not covered under NocTel’s Service Level Agreement. If NocTel identifies the root cause of an issue is related to a client’s internal network, those issues must be addressed by the client’s internal IT or Network administrative staff. There is an additional charge of $185.00/hr. for any networking support completed by NocTel support staff. 

First Glance Checklist

Before seeking NocTel Support's assistance with a handset in an inoperable state, please perform the follow actions to the best of your ability and knowledge:

1. Does the phone power on? 
2. Check your Internet connection.
3. Reboot your phone and network equipment.
4. Check phone cables to make sure they are properly connected to the switch and not damaged.
5. Have a certified person professional check your network equipment for any issues.
6. Check the NocTel Status page for outage notices

Each of these steps will be covered in more depth below.

A Brief but Important Word from Your Friendly IT Person!

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Does that count as 3 words? Maybe it the first time you have heard that or the 100th, but whenever anything weird or out of place is happening with a piece of technology REBOOT IT! Technology just sometimes needs a good kick in the pants to clear out the issue and resetTechnology and electronics have a pretty solid reputation of being reliable and generally self-correcting when undesirable events occur. Sometimes self-correction doesn't always work and you're left with a device that appears to be operating normally from the outside, but in practice is not. When this occurs the simplest course of action to try to correct is to just reboot the device.

Rebooting the affected equipment is always a good place to start. With VoIP phones and devices, you may need to reboot the device and the router. If you are a small business with an entry-level business or consumer grade router, rebooting your router is a good step if a reboot of the phone/device didn’t correct the issue.  Larger organizations may need to consult their network staff to inquire about any recent changes or service interruptions on the corporate network.

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If the phone is connected correctly to a PoE switch but still not powering on, try connecting the phone to another PoE port on the switch. If no devices connected to the PoE switch are powering on, the jack, patch panel, jumper, and switch will need to be checked that it is functioning properly and can provide enough power for all devices connected to it. 

Seeing the display panel and buttons on the handset light up are not sufficient to qualify that the handset has powered on fully. Pay special attention to see if the handset is simply cycling repeatedly through its startup menus and boot steps or if the handset actually displays the button options on the screen.

STEP 2: Check the Internet Connection!

Unlike standard phone services NocTel is a Hosted VoIP service that you connect to over the Internet. Internet access is supplied by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) to your office over a fiber, cable, or DSL connection. If your connection with your ISP is not functioning properly, then your VoIP services cannot work.

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If using another workstation connection isn’t possible we recommend having a network or IT team member test the device with a new cable at a working connection on a PoE switch. 

Also consider tracing a suspect cable across its entire length. It may very well be the cable isn't damaged or faulty - someone may have actually unplugged it from the other end without your knowledge.

STEP 4: Local Network Issues

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NocTel uses the following ports and they may need to be open on your router/firewall or not blocked by your ISP. 

F: Has your ISP made a change to your modem, gateway or service?

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