Depending on whom you ask, the telephone is one of the world's greatest or worst inventions. Most people, however, agree that it is both. It can bring you the friendly voice of a loved one or that of a rude stranger at 2 a.m. It can deliver useful Web pages or annoying faxes. Sometimes you wish it would break--of course, then you would have to fix it!

How Does It Work?

A telephone is a low voltage transmitter and receiver for distributing and reproducing sounds over a distance. A call from a fixed telephone goes through a series of local and main exchanges that route it to the called telephone. The call may be transmitted over metal cables, radio links, fiber-optic cables, or a combination of these components. All together, it's called a telephone system. A cellular (mobile) portable telephone (see the Cellular Telephone Fix-It Guide) connects by radio signals to a nearby base station, then through telephone lines.

What Can Go Wrong?

The telephone itself may be defective. The modular jack may be defective. The phone lines inside the house, which are your responsibility, may be defective; the lines outside the house, which are the telephone company's responsibility, may be defective.

Fix-It Tip

Check your telephone bill. You may or may not be paying a small monthly charge for wiring service. If so, the telephone company will service all wires in your home's telephone system including those inside the walls and to the jack. If you're not paying for this service the company's not responsible for inside wiring.