Vanity - Verizon/Fios Box Beep Problem

[Jamestown1630]

Our Verizon 'box' is driving us nuts.

Early today, it began loudly beeping every three minutes.

When this happened in the past, we either found a loose connection and fixing that solved the problem, or just removed the battery until we could replace it.

This time, we have tried everything - looked it up and watched videos, etc.; but nothing we've done has stopped the beep. (Our situation doesn't even seem to 'fit' the advice we're seeing - our 'low battery' light has never gone on.)

A couple of times today, we've seemed to hear another unit's box beeping somewhere in the apt. building, too; but not as often as ours. The only unusual thing that has happened lately is that we lost power for about 15 minutes during a storm on Thursday.

Now that fireworks are already going off all night here in the 'barrio', the addition of the constant screech-beep is driving us nuts.

Has anyone else experienced this, and know of a solution? We don't even need the backup, but it will take us days to get another battery, if that's the only solution.

Thanks for any advice that anyone may be able to give,

JT

[airedale]

Mine didnt come on. But both times over the years when the obnoxious beeping starts it’s been the battery. I got FIOS to replace the first one after pointing out that I didnt buy the device I paid them monthly and no where on their site did it say I had to buy and replace battery. It did this last time.

[CJ Wolf]

the backup is for when the power goes out. I assume you have a land line, they converted it to VOIP which requires the power, unlike the old land line with the low voltage which could run in a black out over the copper lines.

Your back up battery has gone, you don’t need it unless the power goes out and unless when the power goes out you actually still rely on the “land line” which is not longer a land line. So disconnect it and feel safe. they do the backup battery because of the laws for 911.

Alternatively you could use a 12 or 9 volt transformer to plug it in, (check what kind of battery it is) splice wires and directly power the battery connections which will fool the trigger that causes that sound. If the power goes out there wouldn’t be any alarm or phone, cause no power.

And yes Verizon sucks and I have had to deal with this before. Fixed it myself, I don’t have time for idiots on the phone.

[mabarker1]

And while everything Power Cycles,,,Check all your Smoke Detector Batteries...

(I'm Petunia and I approved this message.)

[Fresh Wind]

Did you try calling Verizon?

LOL! The only way you can get help from Verizon is by agreeing to a service upgrade that will cost you more money.

[Enlightened1]

Yes... And that was before we knew it was a low battery for sure.

Everything these days are like a computer and they lock up when crap happens.

Power cycling your equipment resolves the trouble in 90% of instances.

[Svartalfiar]

I recently had a tech at my house for other issues, but asked him about your issue since the mother-in-law’s box is beeping too.

First off, if you’ve gotten a new ONT (the outside fiber box) within the past couple years, they should have replaced the old power supply with a non-batteried one.

Otherwise, the issue is almost definitely the battery. You may not get the low battery light, but the only thing that should cause the beeping is a bad battery, or if the unit is running on battery power,but that wouldn’t last more than a couple days before dying.

If you call your provider (I assume it’s Frontier or Verizon), they should be able to replace the battery, or replace/upgrade the ONT/power supply.

[Wuli]

If you have not - due to the problem - replaced the back up battery in the Fios system box, I would do that. They do not seem to be able to be recharged forever.

[Jamestown1630]

Oh, Boy; do we feel STUPID and embarrassed.

This morning my husband woke up with an idea. He looked up under the eaves, about a foot upward from the closet where the Fios box is - and found something.

He had an old weather-watching set, with a monitor that communicates with a component inside to tell us temp, humidity, etc.

It quit working years ago, and we forgot it was there. Today, he found it and took it down - and that’s what was making the noise. It sounds exactly like the Fios box when it needs a new battery - except that it goes off every 3 minutes.

Husband said I shouldn’t tell you all this, because he’ll look like an idiot. But we didn’t even know that thing was still up there.

Peace and quiet for hours now! And we appreciate the time and effort everyone took to try and help us.

(We’ll slink off somewhere now, and succor our collective ego. But in a few hours, I may ask you if it’s ‘legal’ to call the cops on people throwing off fireworks all night...beginning a week before the 4th.)

Thanks again.

[CJ Wolf]

Love it. He found it, not an idiot. I cant tell you how many beeping smoke alarms I got wrong first. lol, thanks for sharing the result. I wondered.

[Jamestown1630]

He’s very good at finding loose connections - which is the only time our smoke detector goes off, unless he’s cooking very exuberantly.

Finding hidden, utterly forgotten things? Not so much :-)

[sschaloc]

Guess I’m lucky...
Sorry about the tooth :-(
and the dishwasher.
(does the woo-hoo-flu effect electronics?)

Guess you are down to the pillow method until you can get a new battery, or a properly functioning unit.

Good luck.

[Jamestown1630]

It got fixed - it wasn’t the Fios thingie after all.

Thanks for your sympathy.