RingRite+ Support Tips
RingRite+ Support Tips
2150 W. 6th Ave.
Unit D
Broomfield, CO 80020
800-245-9933
303-465-0651
303-465-0237 fax
If you experience problems installing or using a RingRite+, this page may assist you in troubleshooting. Note, however, that these support tips are not intended to serve as a substitute for the RingRite+ manual. If you do not have a manual, please contact Call Management Products at (303) 465-0651 to obtain a replacement manual.
For an Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) version of the RingRite+ manual, click here.
The RingRite+ can be installed so that it controls all of the telephone equipment on a phone line, or it can be installed on any wall jack to control only the equipment that is connected to it. In order for the RingRite+ to direct calls to different devices, the phone line that is connected to it must be equipped with a distinctive ringing service from your local telephone company.* Please read the "Installation" section in the RingRite+ User's Manual before attempting to use your RingRite+.
* Distinctive ringing services are called different names by different telephone companies. For example, USWest calls this service Custom Ringing. The service is called IdentaRing by Bell Atlantic, RingMaster by Bell South, Ringmate by NYNEX, Multi Ring by Ameritech, Personalized Ringing by Southwestern Bell, Smart Ring by GTE, etc.
The RingRite+ directs incoming calls to the devices that are connected to it, based on the ringing pattern of the arriving call. Calls with a standard ring are directed to the "1 Ring" port. Calls with any double-ring pattern (e.g., short-ring, short-ring, pause or long-ring, long-ring, pause) will be directed to the "2 Rings" port. Calls with any triple-ring pattern (e.g., short-ring, long-ring, short-ring, pause) will go to the "3 Rings" port.
Note: If you have telephones connected to other wall jacks on the same phone line, rather than being connected to the RingRite+, these phones will ring with all of the ringing patterns. In this case, you should listen to the ringing pattern to determine what type of call it is before you decide whether or not to answer it. For example, if your distinctive ringing number is for a fax machine, then when a fax call arrives, you will hear a double-ring pattern and will know not to answer the call; when you let it continue to ring, your fax machine will answer it.
RingRite+ comes from the factory set to perform in 99% of common applications. However, in some instances, it may be necessary to change the DIP Switches that control how RingRite+ provides RINGING to its ports, or the way it provides EXCLUSION. These DIP Switches are shown in the following diagram:
| Exclusion Settings | Switch 1 |
Switch 2 |
|
Normal Exclusion - when any device is using the line, any other device attempting to use the line will receive busy tone and will not interrupt the call in progress. This is the factory default setting. |
ON (CLOSED) |
ON (CLOSED) |
|
Exclusion Disabled During Ringing - while a call is ringing in, it can be answered from any RingRite+ port (though it will only ring the "1 Ring" port); at all other times, the unit operates as in Normal Exclusion Mode. |
ON (CLOSED) |
OFF (OPEN) |
|
Emergency Override - the "1 Ring" port can terminate any call in progress by going off-hook for 4 seconds; then, this port is free to place a call (by hanging up and then going off-hook again). |
OFF (OPEN) |
ON (CLOSED) |
|
Exclusion Disabled - any device can access the line at any time by going off-hook; doing so allows the device to join any call in progress; incoming calls are still directed only to the right port. |
OFF (OPEN) |
OFF (OPEN) |
| Ringing Settings | Switch 3 |
Switch 4 |
|
Normal Ringing - absorb & analyze the first ringing burst, then pass subsequent ringing bursts to the appropriate port. This is the factory default setting. |
ON (CLOSED) |
ON (CLOSED) |
|
Single Ring to Device - absorb & analyze the first ringing burst, then pass only one ring per burst to the appropriate port; this mode works with older phone equipment that does not interpret distinctive rings correctly. |
OFF (OPEN) |
ON (CLOSED) |
|
Early Ringing - pass through the end of the first ringing burst to the "1 Ring" port; with all other ringing patterns, absorb the first ringing burst; this allows calls with a single-ring pattern to be answered as soon as possible. |
ON (CLOSED) |
OFF (OPEN) |
|
Analyze Two Ring Bursts - absorb the first TWO ringing bursts & analyze the second one; then, pass subsequent ringing bursts to the appropriate port; this works in areas where the first ringing burst from the phone company is unreliable. |
OFF (OPEN) |
OFF (OPEN) |
For more information on changing the RingRite+ DIP Switches, see the User's Manual. Please note that one version of the manual has an error in the DIP Switch settings shown for "Single Ring to Device" and "Early Ringing." The settings shown above are correct.
Will Phone Company Services such as Voice Mail and Caller ID work with the RingRite+ installed? The RingRite+ does not in any way interfere with phone company services, so Voice Mail, Call Forwarding, 3-Way Calling, etc. will still work with the RingRite+ in place. However, in most cases, the RingRite+ will not pass through Caller ID signals to the devices that are connected to it. If you wish to have a device receive Caller ID signals, connect this device directly to a wall jack, rather than connecting it to the RingRite+. If this is not possible, set the RingRite+ DIP Switches to the "Early Ringing" setting as described above; in some cases, this will allow Caller ID signals to be passed through to the "1 Ring" port.
How Does Call Waiting from the Phone Company work with the RingRite+ installed? The RingRite+ does not direct call waiting signals to its three ports. Instead, the Call Waiting signal will go through to whichever port is involved in the current call. There is no way to connect this call to a different RingRite+ port. Instead, the caller will need to hang up and call back in when the line is free, in order to reach the correct port on the RingRite+.
A caller is dialing my distinctive ringing phone number, but they're going to the "1 Ring" port on the RingRite+: The distinctive ringing service from the phone company is not coming through properly, either at all or not on the first ringing burst. If possible, have the phone company correct the problem. If this is not possible, set the RingRite+'s DIP Switches to the "Analyze Two Ring Bursts" setting as described above.
The RingRite+ is not splitting calls to the different ports; all calls are ringing to all ports:
1) It is possible that the RingRite+ is not plugged in or is not connected to the correct power transformer. Make sure that it is connected to the 20 VAC transformer that comes with the unit and that this transformer is plugged into a standard electrical outlet that supplies 100 - 130 VAC 60 Hz voltage.
2) The line voltage on the telephone line that is connected to the RingRite+ may be too low. Have the telephone company fix the line.
My answering machine, which is connected to the "2 Ring" port on the RingRite+, is answering calls too quickly: Some answering machines interpret double-ring or triple-ring distinctive ringing patterns as being multiple rings (2 rings or 3 rings, respectively). This causes the answering machine to answer the call too soon. To prevent this, set the RingRite+'s DIP Switches to the "Single Ring to Device" setting, so that it passes only a single ring from each ringing burst through to the devices that are connected to it. This way, the answering machine will only see one ring for each ringing burst, so it will answer calls at the correct time.
Some of the telephone devices on the line do not ring:
1) If the devices that are not ringing are connected to other wall jacks (not to the RingRite+), then the total ringer equivalence ("REN") of all of the devices on the line may exceed the phone line's capacity. Add up the "REN" values printed on all of the devices you have connected to your phone line. If this value exceeds the REN capacity for your phone line (usually 5.0), then you may need to remove some of the devices or connect them to the RingRite+ instead of to other wall jacks.
2) If the devices that are not ringing are connected to the RingRite+, then the RingRite+ is probably not receiving power or is not connected to the correct power transformer. In this case, the REN value of the devices that are connected to the RingRite+ will be placed onto the phone line, and this value may be too high for the phone line. Make sure that the RingRite+ is connected to the 20 VAC transformer that comes with the unit and that this transformer is plugged into a standard electrical outlet that supplies 100 - 130 VAC 60 Hz voltage.
When my phone line is in use, anyone else trying to call me receives a busy signal: This is normal. The RingRite+ directs incoming calls to the correct device, so that each device answers only the appropriate calls. However, the phone line can still only be used for one call at a time. Additional callers will receive a busy signal from the telephone company, or they will go to telephone company Voice Mail.
People calling my fax number go to Voice Mail when my phone line is busy: This is a function of the telephone company's Voice Mail service. Many local phone companies are capable of directing some of the distinctive ringing numbers on a phone line to Voice Mail, while giving callers to the other distinctive ringing numbers a busy signal. Contact your local phone company to see if this option is available in your area.
My fax machine or modem rings with some calls but does not answer / receive faxes:
1) If this is occurring, make sure your fax machine or modem is set to answer all calls on the first ring.
2) As a test, connect the fax machine or modem directly to the wall jack (i.e., not through the RingRite+) and see if it is able to answer calls that way. If not, then the problem is in the fax machine or modem, rather than in the RingRite+.