Step 1: Locate your modem and unplug it briefly.
Most modems are about 6 inches tall standing upright. Modems look like this (front and back views):
Your modem may be slightly different, or be white instead of black, but what they all have in common is three (sometimes four) wires on the back of the modem of which:
- One might be a USB cable (if present, square-ish jack)
- One will be the power connector (round jack)
- One will be the coaxial cable (round threaded jack) that comes from the wall
- The remaining wire will be an Ethernet cable (rectangular jack) that likely connects to your router or a switch.
Quick cord identification guide
Of the two connections with round plugs, the power cord is usually the smaller of the two. It disconnects by simply pulling it out. Unplug the power connector, wait a few seconds (10 or so) and plug it back in.
Do the same for your router, in step 2 below.
Step 2: Locate your router and unplug it briefly.
Routers typically look something like this: (Basically, if it has antennas, it is probably your router.)
On the back you should see a WAN port which is likely connected to the Ethernet port of your modem and four or more ports with numbers above them. All of these ports will be rectangular and the power cord should have a round connector. Unplug the power connector, wait a few seconds (10 or so) and plug it back in.
Wait about 3 minutes or so and try either dialing an outbound call or have someone place a test call to your phone system to see if that resolved the problem.
If your problem persists, you may need to reboot your PBX system. (Show me how).
