Panasonic: Troubleshooting Cordless Handset Signal Strength
Signal strength issues may result in a number of unsatisfactory call conditions such as static, one-way audio, calls not being able to dial out, phone not ringing on inbound calls, or calls dropping.
To determine the cause follow the troubleshooting steps below:
If the following steps do not resolve the issue, please visit the Panasonic Troubleshooting Guides to find the troubleshooting article for your specific device.
Test for Common Causes
- Ensure that your device's batteries are fully charged and your device is powered on.
- Ensure that your cordless base station is plugged into the network securely and receiving power.
- We recommend performing a Layer 1 step and disconnecting both the ethernet cable and power cable or just the ethernet cable if the base station is operating off of POE.
- Wait for 15 seconds and plug the power and ethernet cables back into the device and allow it to power on and re-access the internet.
- If after 2-5 minutes the device cannot access the internet, please refer to network troubleshooting steps in the guide for your make/model device.
- Make sure the base unit is not being stored inside a metal box or network cabinet that may be interfering with the radio signals. The line of sight between the base unit and the area where the cordless phone is being used should not have anything dense blocking signals such as walk-in freezers, solid brick walls or ovens.
- If these obstructions are present, please move the base unit where it can provide a better line of sight for wireless signal strength.
- Use a longer CAT-5e patch cable and possibly a power extension cable to move the base unit within reason.
- Tap the phone firmly against the palm of your hand to make sure the batteries remain in place and the phone does not power off. Loose batteries and connections can lead to diminished performance as well as the phone "dying" during calls.
Test Signal Strength from your Handset
- With your phone on, walk through your building and note any changes in signal strength.
- Walk slowly to give the signal meter time to refresh. Walking through your building too quickly will result in dragging signal with you through areas that may be impacted if you stand still during calls.
- If you find places in your building where signal strength is negatively affected or there are known hotspots where call quality is particularly affected, not any obstacles that may be blocking your wireless signal.
- Move these obstacles or the base station for a better line of sight and see if the issue is resolved by noting signal strength on the display as well as the performance of calls in that same location.
- If you are finding that the range of your cordless handset does not reach parts of your building due to walls, floors & ceilings, distance from the base unit or anything else that can't be resolved using the above methods, then we may recommend a range extender.
- The standard range from the base unit is a 100" radius.
- A repeater or range extender will act as a satellite to your base unit and extend your signal broadcast area 2x - 3x further and bridge the signal through floors, ceilings, and walls and around other objects that may be impacting performance.
Submit a Trouble Ticket
- If the above troubleshooting was not able to resolve your call quality and performance issues, we suggest creating a ticket with your helpdesk in order to have your network administrator address possible network issues such as firewall settings, poor internet speeds, cellular backup failover, etc.
- There may also have a damaged or defective device. Submit a ticket with your helpdesk for the best replacement options.
- You may qualify for free device replacement if you have the Asset Protection Plan.