Do I have to leave my phone plugged into the test jack???

Question

I don't understand how this works. The test jacks are in my living room coat closet, so do I have to leave my phone plugged into those? Or do I plug them into one of the jacks on the back of my modem?? If I have to leave the phone in the closet that is super inconvienent since the cords are barely long enough. HELP!!

Answer 1

xloriricex wrote:
I have FiOS digital voice. My phone has a dial tone and works when I leave it plugged into the test jacks, but I can't figure out where else I would plug it in.
It seems that what you are calling "test jacks" are the (usually) two RJ-11 jacks inside the ONT.  "RJ-11" is the standard 4-wire phone jack, and "ONT" means "Optical Network Terminal" which is where the Verizon fiber is connected to your networks and devices.  These jacks are not for testing but are used to connect telephone devices and networks to the fiber optical network.
If you do not have other locations where RJ-11 jacks exist then the only location that will give telephone service at present is at the ONT.  The jacks in the rear of the router are used for Internet connections only, and are referred to as "RJ-45."  They have nothing to do with your telephone service.  Note that an RJ-11 plug will actually fit and connect using an RJ-45 socket, but the reverse is not possible.
You have at least two options.  You can run cables from the ONT to selected locations and fit RJ-11 jacks.  This usually means running concealed cables and may take a bit of doing.  This can be done by a regular user, but usually involved some specialized techniques and tools.
Alternatively you can connect a wireless base station in the closet at the ONT, and then use the "slave" units for regular service.  Let us know if this sounds like a good idea or if you have additional questions.