We have had similar issues about Caller ID not working properly on our phone sets (Panasonic KX-TG2382, which are 9 years old). We recently switched from old landline to U-Verse Voice, and "Incoming Call" is all that is displayed on the phones when it is ringing. If we have the TV on, Caller ID shows up there, but for no longer than 2 rings. Our phones do record the called ID after the call has ended, but that's no help when we're trying to figure out who is on the line when the call comes in. Any help would be most appreciated!

I do not have U-voice (have POTS) - Did you look in your voice options? You can turn CID on TV off/on. Maybe you can set duration to display on TV. If not it is a feature that should be added.

I looked up your panasonic model & it did not find it. Doesn't it display on your phone?

Mine displays & talks. I also have a caller list where it decodes the tel number to display/say what I enter ( I think u-voice has a similar list)
Put your friends and family on the list with first names & you will know when they call.

at&t caller ID process is really deficient. They claim to forward caller ID to an e-mail, but do not. They do not include the critical name info - by design - something about security.

Prior to switching from POTS to U-Verse voice, the Caller ID displayed on all phones in the set (3 cordless). Now the display only shows "Incoming Call", even on the phone in the base unit. I will contact tech support during the coming week and discuss it with them. I have seen other posts regarding this same issue and have to believe they have at least heard about it -- whether they'll admit it is yet another question. Another possibility is that our 9-year old phone system just doesn't have the capability of processing the U-Verse signal. I'm also conisdering connecting an old-style stand-alone caller ID display unit upstream from the base unit to determine whether it can detect the Caller ID info in the header. Interestingly, until recently, I had a fax machine also connected on the same line, and its screen display did show the CID on every call. However, it has no memory capacity to store call history, so that was of no use for reviewing received calls.

TraderBill - When trouble shooting it generally a good idea to swap components as you suggest with trying other CID decoders.

Here is my current theory - at&t is inserting the text "incoming call" to get your attention on the TV. They are then using the same (TV) message on the tel line to feed standard CID decoders. Your phone thinks "incoming call" is the complete message or it cannot handle the size of all the data.

Seems like the CID on the phone line should not contain the incoming call alert - violation of CID standards.

I will ask my son to check this out on his u-voice/ fairly new Panasonic phones.

 

I had another thought - for analysis - turn of the TV dispaly & see if "incoming call"is still sent to your phones.

TraderBill - My son got back to me. Turns out he has older Uniden phones & the caller ID works fine. Be interesting to se how it works on other decoders.Is there someone you could borrow one from?

I just finished a rather lengthy online chat session with U-Verse Tech Support (att.com/uversesupport) and the technician checked the CID settings at their end & all were apparently correct. A test call from my cell to the home phone did not show CID. The tech did indicate during the chat that some older telephone equipment may not work properly with U-Verse. I asked if AT&T had a listing of phone systems that do work properly, and he indicated that compatible equipment is available at the AT&T stores (why am I not surprised?). I will probably have to check that out. As we use three cordless phones throughout our home, I don't see much of a choice -- if the base unit isn't reading CID, the remote handsets won't, either. I apprecaite your suggestions and efforts to help me solve this problem.

TraderBill - sounds like you are resigned to an upgrade. Good time to do it. DECT technology for the wireless - incredible options.

I suggest Panasonic at costco for selection,price and returnablity ( should it not work with u-voice).

I needed a new phone & happened to buy a five set panasonic. Love the call list, the voice CID, the block list. Some features overlap u-verse features, but there is a limit on how many numbers you can put on the list, so, it essentially doubles the number of numbers you can put on the list for the feature.

Just saw a set today maybe 4 phones $100 reduced to $80

Aviewer - Thanks for the suggestions. My guess is that any equipment sold at AT&T retail stores is going to have a hefty markup. We are Costco members, so that will be a great place to start looking -- after Christmas! We had ended our landline service due to its higher cost, plus we had custom ring tone for a fax machine (which is now no longer in use) and an alarm system. Our alarm company gave the go-ahead for U-verse and, with practically unlimited long distance on our cell phones, there was no sense keeping POTS with long distance service. U-verse phone has cut our cost by about 50%. For that kind of ongoing savings, I don't mind upgrading our phone system. Again, your suggestions are greatly appreciated and I hope you have a wonderful holiday season and a safe and happy new year. I'll report back after we change out the equipment as to whether CID is working properly again.

I think this is a recent problem.  We've had U-Verse voice for more than a year with the same telephone sets and only recently has the Caller ID started to become sporadic.  Works fine on the TV display every time but wondering what happened with the last software update if that's what it was.

Do a reset of your RG by unplugging the ac cable for 30 seconds and then reconnect it.  After it reboots if you have a cell phone call your phone or ask someone to call you.

TraderBill - Just got the Costco coupon book in the mail. The Panasonic 5 set telephone is on sale for $90 starting Jan 5. Probably the same (regular) price for the 3 set version. Maybe you can find two more locations. Love that voice caller ID.

Aviewer: Thanks for the suggestions. I have ordered a Panasonic KX-TG7643M with DECT 6.0 technology (base station with handset and two remote handsets), with bluetooth connectivity, voice CID, and the feature that transitions a cell call to the base unit whenever the cell call is made within range of the stationary set. Reviewers of the product indicated it worked well with VOiP applications. (For background, we are located in San Antonio, one of AT&T's strongholds and where their corporate offices were until a couple of years ago when they relocated to Dallas, so one would think their technology here would be showcase quality). We will have the new phones within a couple of days and I will report back as to how they are working.

I received and installed the new Panasonic system today and all functions seem to be working as expected. CID registers every inbound call and they appear in the CID history. Apparently there is a difference between older cordless sets and newer ones where VOiP is concerned. What's kind of fun now is that the voice-announce for incoming calls reads the CID, so we now hear "Call from Toll Free Call" or the name of the originating caller, which is convenient in that we don't have to look at the handset's screen each time a call comes in. This set also has the capability to link to bluetooth, to both our cell phones, and to upload cell phone contact directories -- separate directories for each cell phone. I will probably not post any more in this thread unless the original CID problem arises again.

Glad to hear aviewer's suggestion made you a satisfied customer.   Enjoy!

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TraderBill wrote:
I received and installed the new Panasonic system today and all functions seem to be working as expected. CID registers every inbound call and they appear in the CID history. Apparently there is a difference between older cordless sets and newer ones where VOiP is concerned. What's kind of fun now is that the voice-announce for incoming calls reads the CID, so we now hear "Call from Toll Free Call" or the name of the originating caller, which is convenient in that we don't have to look at the handset's screen each time a call comes in. This set also has the capability to link to bluetooth, to both our cell phones, and to upload cell phone contact directories -- separate directories for each cell phone. I will probably not post any more in this thread unless the original CID problem arises again.

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TraderBill - Glad the new phones work with CID & you are finding the new features to be a boon.

Add your friends and family to the call list with only first name. That will over ride the CID name. When they are visiting have them call you from their cell phone & watch the look on their face.

Also, you can call everyone on the call list without needing to enter the number each time. Just look up the listing & hit send.

Both u-voice and the phones have call block capability. U-voice may be a little better. But, the phone is easy to set. Once a call is received you can bring up the number and block it with two or three button pushes. After that, incoming calls will ring only once. Also, it doubles the number of numbers you can block.

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aviewer wrote:
TraderBill - Glad the new phones work with CID & you are finding the new features to be a boon.

Add your friends and family to the call list with only first name. That will over ride the CID name. When they are visiting have them call you from their cell phone & watch the look on their face.

Also, you can call everyone on the call list without needing to enter the number each time. Just look up the listing & hit send.

Both u-voice and the phones have call block capability. U-voice may be a little better. But, the phone is easy to set. Once a call is received you can bring up the number and block it with two or three button pushes. After that, incoming calls will ring only once. Also, it doubles the number of numbers you can block.

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That alone make the phone worth it.  Does it block the "Unavailable 1" calls?

oufanindallas - I looked in the manual & it has the ability to block calls that do not include a number. I do not know if this would catch the "unavailable 1".

Seems like call blocking is like the arms race - each side keeps escalating/reacting. There is no perfect solution. You may block a call you should not or vice versa.

It does have a powerful block for sleeping - silent mode - the good part is you can set the time for it to return to normal so you do not forget.

The phone version blocking is probably not as good as the u-verse version. You do get a partial or full ring. But, it does not go on.

You can use the phone as an intercom. You can also use it as an alarm clock.

will have to look into that phone system, tnx aviewer!

I have a 10 yr. Old uniden cordless phone/answering machine and my cid stopped working on the phone display but was still working on the TV.( have uverse phone TV. Internet.) The tech. Checked and somehow the voicemail feature became activated on the phone which apparently overrides the answering machine and will not allow people to leave a message on the answering machine, Only voicemail, and although the tech. Said when  the voicemail is on  it will override the answering machine,it  should not effect the caller id display on the phone. But when he told me how to turn off the voicemail feature online the caller id display on the phone went from saying incoming call and not displaying/ storing the number to showing the number calling and storing it in the log. And  the answering machine now accepts messages again. Just thought everyone should know.

 

rwalter - Very strange about the caller ID. Maybe the voicemail was answering before it came through. What usually happens is the voice mail answers before the machine. You probably do not want to try to juggle two machines.

I know it is hard to change, but there are advantages to using the voice mail. It will take the message if you are talking on the phone or ig you are having a power failure. Also, it is easy to get your messages from another phone if you are away

Check the number of rings before it answers.

You can set the check for calls to go directly to the messages and not require a password when you call from your home phone. If your phone has a VM button/setting ( like mine does) your messages are just one push away.

So here's my story.

Activated U-Verse voice Feb 3. Already had U-Verse TV and Internet. With U-Verse voice, caller ID on phones worked about 10% of the time (but always worked on TVs).  Switching out the RG from a 3800 to a 3801 brought the success rate up to about 33%. Totally unpredicable -- no discernable pattern. Techs have been out five times. They are stumped. Not the house wiring, not other equipment on the line, not anything anyone can figure out. I am using a Panasonic cordless phone system that is several years old, but not an antique either. With POTS, Caller ID worked 100% of the time.

Last week, when calling in, I was accidentally connected to the wrong department, and wound up, completely by accident, talking to a guy who actually seemed to know a lot about the topic. He told me, that for some reason, the U-Verse caller ID signal (which is created by the RG -- not at the switch and then brought into the house over the outside lines as with POTS) is not totally compatible with a lot of Panasonic phones. He mentioned Panasonic without knowing that is what I have. He said he didn't know why, but that it would probably be addressed in a future firmware upgrade, but he didn't know when that would happen either.

This is all very annoying. The U-Verse voice web site states uncategorically that if you have a phone with a caller ID display, then the caller info will display on the phone if you have U-Verse voice. Period. It doesn't say it will display unless you have a Panasonic phone, in which case it will display some of the time.

My phone system is a very good one -- the best they offered at the time -- and with seven handsets. It would cost me easily over $200 to replace. I am not willing to do that. (And there is no assurance even a new system would work -- plenty of stories on line about folks who had similar problems and rushed out to buy a new AT&T branded phone system, and even that would not work).

Very disappointed in AT&T -- view this really as a deceptive trade practice. I have had to be here present for FIVE visits. A waste of my time, and a waste of AT&T's money as well, which we then pay in higher rates.

So now,  I will have to be home for a sixth time tomorrow so that I can convert back to POTS. If anyone has any last minute brilliant insight that would avert going back, let me know. Thanks.

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Randyite wrote:

Last week, when calling in, I was accidentally connected to the wrong department, and wound up, completely by accident, talking to a guy who actually seemed to know a lot about the topic. He told me, that for some reason, the U-Verse caller ID signal (which is created by the RG -- not at the switch and then brought into the house over the outside lines as with POTS) is not totally compatible with a lot of Panasonic phones. He mentioned Panasonic without knowing that is what I have. He said he didn't know why, but that it would probably be addressed in a future firmware upgrade, but he didn't know when that would happen either.

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I have Panasonic DECT 6.0 phones and U-verse voice.  I have no issues with caller ID displaying on my phones.

Randyite: I understand your frustration, not only with the sporadic Caller ID issues, but with having to be available for multiple service calls (see my earlier posts in this thread in December of last year). We replaced our older Panasonic phones with a new Panasonic system featuring the DECT 6.0 technology and the Caller ID problem went away. I know it's a tough decision to make to spend the money on new phones, (we did it, too), but perhaps that needs to be weighed against what it costs in time and money to be available for a service call. While AT&T's line technicians are good at what they do, I found their experience and understanding of telephone hardware varied greatly. There are many good phone systems with the DECT 6.0 feature, so you have a variety of choices of models and prices. You may want to look at AT&T's web site for phone equipment which they offer for sale, and for which they indicate the equipment is designed to work with U-Verse.

We have at&t DECT 6.0 (sl82318.) Worked perfectly with regular old POTS, only works about 35% of the time with Uverse. I've noticed a lot of talk about some systems & models not being compatible with Uverse, I would hope that ALL at&t products would be made compatible before other products (just makes more business sence, right?) Having said that, anyone know if my particular at&t product fell through the compatibility test? It's extremely aggravating to own an at&t product, running through an at&t system, fail to work 100% of the time.

Add me to the list of users with sporadic U-Voice caller ID.  I bought new DECT phones (Uniden) thinking my older sets were the problem.  They were not.  I am probably right around the 35% working vs. not working ratio like others.  Comes through 100% of the time on all TV's.  This is very frustrating, as it worked 100% of the time on the phones when we had POTS. 

 

AT&T - please get this fixed!!!

 

P.S.  To add further frustration, my U-Voice is totally down right now.  Never had that happen before.  RG status page lists the following:

 

Status: Registering
State: Idle

Registration Status

Timestamp:	2012-03-16T09:01:33-05:00
Registration Server Address:	eastag.ims.uverse.att.net
Last Registration Message:	FAILED: NETWORK ERROR
Retry Interval:	2110

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jphaus wrote:

 

Add me to the list of users with sporadic U-Voice caller ID.  I bought new DECT phones (Uniden) thinking my older sets were the problem.  They were not.  I am probably right around the 35% working vs. not working ratio like others.  Comes through 100% of the time on all TV's.  This is very frustrating, as it worked 100% of the time on the phones when we had POTS. 

 

AT&T - please get this fixed!!!

 

P.S.  To add further frustration, my U-Voice is totally down right now.  Never had that happen before.  RG status page lists the following:

 

Status: Registering
State: Idle

Registration Status

Timestamp:	2012-03-16T09:01:33-05:00
Registration Server Address:	eastag.ims.uverse.att.net
Last Registration Message:	FAILED: NETWORK ERROR
Retry Interval:	2110

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There was a nationwide outage of U-verse voice this morning.  That issue now seems to be resolved.

Caller ID works only sporadically for me, too...just this weekend, I have bought and returned three different brands of phones (including AT&T phones) thinking one would finally work.  In approximately 20 test calls from my cell to home phone, Caller ID worked once.  I have chatted, restarted the Gateway, etc.  What is most surprising is that the AT&T phones didn't work.  Is there a fix in the works for this?