No Caller Information - works sometimes

Questions, problems, and other issues for Ascendis Caller ID that aren't covered by the other forums.
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tbeckman
Posts: 16
Joined: Tue Jul 19, 2005 5:02 pm

No Caller Information - works sometimes

Post by tbeckman »

I have a external us robotics (usb) faxmodem 5633. I will call the house from my cell phone... at first I got "No Caller Information"... I ran the repair modem utility... the first time I ran it said I wasn't getting any caller id info... but restarted and did again... this time it said I was and I clicked the repair button. I was then getting the caller ID info for several calls and then it stopped again. Now I noticed that sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I call the house from my same cell phone and from work and even though the caller id came through once... for my call to the house... it doesn't always. Anyone experience anything like this? Can the modem loose it's settings? Thanks.
Bill Root
Site Admin
Posts: 1025
Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2004 1:29 pm
Location: Perrysburg, OH
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Re: No Caller Information - works sometimes

Post by Bill Root »

Hello tbeckman,

Generally, a modem that sometimes returns caller information and sometimes doesn't indicates one or more of the following:
1) The modem is flaky (because of a design flaw, or failing components)
2) The modem drivers are flaky
3) The phone line is flaky
4) The computer is going to sleep and recovery from sleep does not work or is flaky

If your computer never sleeps, then #4 is not the case. If your computer is configured to sleep, you can disable it for a couple of days to see whether it fixes the problem.

You can eliminate Ascendis Caller ID and other software as potential sources of problems by performing your tests using HyperTerminal or a similar terminal program:
http://www.ascendis.com/callerid/help/h ... l_test.php

Several people have reported problems with this modem:
http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B0 ... r_redirect

However, it looks like the bad reviews are from before 2005. It could be that the modem works well with recent computers.

Some of the problems mentioned are related to powering the modem from USB. I can't tell whether that only caused the blue screen and crashes reported, or whether it could cause the problem you described.

If testing in HyperTerminal confirms the problem, I suggest trying the latest modem drivers from US Robotics if you haven't already.

If #2 is the problem, you may be able to reduce the problem frequency by telling Ascendis Caller ID to access the modem directly:
http://www.ascendis.com/callerid/help/b ... g_tapi.php
or by enabling "Reopen device when call ends" on the same page.

Finest regards,
Bill Root
Ascendis Software
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