Q: Number of rings set to 5, keeps ringing through greeting at home end

[Erft]

Hi there,

I don't know how long this has been going on, but I have certainly noticed it since I changed my landline/VoIP phone's ringtone in December 2025.

I have the number of rings set to 5.
—The caller hears 5 rings, and is then sent to the greeting, and at the end of the greeting, they get the beep and leave a message.
—At MY end I hear 8 rings. The caller is sent to the greeting at 5 rings, so if I pick up the phone just after the 5th ring, I get dial tone, I can't answer the call. But if I don't answer at all, the phone keeps ringing for 8 rings, and stops precisely at the point that the beep plays and the caller clicks over into voicemail.

I've called myself with my cellphone, to test. 8 rings at the home end, only 5 at the caller's, phone stops ringing at my end exactly when the caller starts to leave a voicemail.

I'm wondering if this new, if anyone else is finding this, and if there's anything much that I can do about it (or should). Now that I know what it's doing, it's not really a huge problem (except the ringtone is annoying), but I'm still curious.

Thanks.

[Liptonbrisk]

Freephoneline isn't still ringing you during the voicemail greeting, which is proven by you getting a dial tone and not being able to answer the call after 5 rings; the call has been diverted to voicemail instead. The caller’s leg is already in voicemail, and the remaining rings you hear are most likely your cordless phone/base continuing to play ring bursts (cordless systems can do extra/partial ring bursts due to cadence/processing delays).

Moreover, I can't reproduce what you're describing when using Fongo Mobile or regular cellular services as the calling sources.
Nothing has changed: my ATAs and IP phones do not show "ringing" in their call status screens anymore as
soon as FPL's voicemail greeting kicks in. When the voicemail greeting is reached, I have no active call.
In fact, you don't either as shown by you having a dial tone when you answer the phone after the 5th ring, despite your phone still ringing.

Freephoneline diverts the caller into FPL's voicemail system at your configured Rings Before Voicemail value (5 rings), but your phone can only stop ringing when the ATA itself stops alerting—that is, when the ATA's SIP call leg is torn down (commonly via CANCEL for an unanswered call). If the caller is already hearing the greeting but your handset keeps ringing, the most likely explanation is, again, that your cordless base/handset continues generating ring bursts (possibly due to a specific ringtone selection that is designed to play longer) after the ATA has already stopped alerting/ringing its phone ports, or the handset is too far from the base (weak signal can delay reaching a handset).

Check whether the SPA122 is actually ringing after 5 rings:

1. Plug a corded, analog phone into the PHONE 1 port on the SPA122. Disconnect any cordless phones.

2. Access your ATA.

a) Dial ****
b) Then dial 110#
c) Enter the IP address you hear into a web browser.

If the IP from 110# doesn't work in a browser, try Method A (LAN access) below instead. Many SPA112s have WAN web access disabled by default.

d) Login to your ATA.
e) Always choose the admin login and advanced view menus when available.

If that doesn't work, then look at Method A and then Method B below.


Method A: LAN Access (Recommended First-Time Setup)

Prerequisite: USB-to-Ethernet adapter if laptop/PC lacks Ethernet port

a. Connect an Ethernet cable from the computer to the yellow ETHERNET port on the SPA122.

b. Ensure the computer is set to obtain an IP address automatically (DHCP).

c. Open a web browser and navigate to http://192.168.15.1.

d. Log in with default credentials. Username is admin, and Password is admin (case sensitive).

e. If the page doesn't load, manually set the computer's IP to 192.168.15.2 with subnet 255.255.255.0, then revert to automatic after configuration.

f. Change the default admin password (Navigate to Administration tab--> Management --> User List). This step is mandatory before Remote Management will function.

g. Navigate to Administration --> Management --> Web Access Management.

h. In Web Access Management, set
i) Admin Access to Enabled
ii) Web Utility Access to HTTP or HTTPS (HTTPS is more secure)
iii) Remote Management to Enabled
iv) Remote Management Port: Enter desired port (default 80)


i. Click "Submit" to save all settings.




Method B: WAN Access via IVR (After Method A Completed)

Please note this critical requirement: the default admin password must be changed via Method A before IVR code 7932# will function; otherwise, it returns "invalid option".

a. Connect an analog phone to "Phone 1" (grey port).

b. Press **** (four stars) to enter the IVR menu.

c. Dial 7932# followed by 1 to enable WAN access to the admin web server.

d. Dial **** (four stars) again to re-enter the IVR menu.

e. Dial 110# to hear the IP address announced.

f. Enter the IP address you heard into a web browser (include port if changed from default 80, ex. https://203.0.115.50:80).

g. Log in with the new admin credentials set in Method A.

h. Select Advanced view in the upper right for full configuration options.





3. Navigate to Voice tab--> Information, and watch Line Status → "Call 1 State" during a test call. This field shows "Idle" when the line is not in use.

4. Repeat your cellphone test, and take note: when the caller starts hearing your voicemail greeting, does "Call 1 State" immediately return to "Idle", or does it show a ringing (or alerting) status until the voicemail beep (to leave a message) is heard?


Anyway, temporarily connect a corded phone directly to the SPA122, and repeat the test. If the corded phone stops ringing when the caller hits the greeting, then the issue is the base/cordless handset behaviour (and nothing to do with Freephoneline). When testing with a cordless phone, try moving the handset closer to the base during the test to rule out weak RF signal causing delayed ring-stop. Or just try testing directly from the base only. DECT handsets/bases can behave oddly when link quality or registration is flaky.

I was just going to type "it's your phone system" since the call isn't even active when you pick up the phone, but if you want a fuller explanation, I've provided it. I doubt your ATA's phone ports are actually ringing after the call is transferred to the voicemail greeting; the ATA won't have an active call. And if the ATA isn't ringing its phone ports while your phones are still ringing, the problem does not involve Freephoneline.