Home Phone FAQs

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• Home Phone FAQs
• Home Phone Troubleshooting FAQs

Learn about home phone services and how to fix common home phone issues from setting up your voicemail to dealing with no dial tones with our home phone frequently asked questions. You can view past bills, set up Auto payment, set up your eBill, and view your current bill status using the My Shaw App. Download the My Shaw App on the Apple App Store or get it on Google Play for your Android device.

Home Phone FAQs

Here are some frequently asked questions about our home phone services.

• Where can I find a list of Home Phone services? How much is a home phone per month?

  Visit our home phone plans page to see which service option is best for you.

• Do your home phone packages include long distance rates? How much are long distance plans?

  Long distance options vary by package. We offer a variety of long distance and international calling plans. For additional details you can use our International Long Distance rate calculator here: https://www.shaw.ca/home-phone/long-distance/

• What is the difference between Rogers Voice and Rogers Home Phone?

  Rogers Voice is bundled with our Rogers Xfinity Internet plans and the service is delivered through an Rogers Xfinity Gateway (formerly known as a Fibre+ Gateway).

  Rogers Home Phone service is delivered through a Digital Phone Terminal.

  There may also be different home phone features included, depending on which phone plan you subscribe to. Visit our home phone plans page to see which service option is best for you.

• What is a Digital Phone Terminal?

  Your Home Phone (landline) service is delivered to your home through a Digital Phone Terminal (DPT). The DPT is the heart of your home's phone service and needs to be properly connected into your household wiring in order for it to be able to provide a reliable and functional Home Phone experience.

  You may be eligible to receive your Home Phone service through an Rogers Xfinity Gateway (formerly known as a Fibre+ Gateway). This provides the convenience of Self Connecting your Phone service, if you wish.

  Visit Understanding your Digital Phone Terminal to learn more about Digital Phone Terminals.

• How do I set up my voicemail?

  Note that not all home phone plans will include Voicemail by default, so please consult our information on phone packages at Shaw.ca to see what is included with yours. Follow these steps to setup Voicemail for first-time use:

  1. Dial *98 (star 98) on your home phone
  2. You will be asked to enter your PIN, which by default is the last six digits of your account number (found on your bill).
  3. Once you have entered your default PIN, you will be asked to setup a custom PIN for future use. This pin must be between 4-16 digits in length.
  4. Enter your new PIN followed by the pound (#) key, and then re-enter it to confirm your selection
  5. Your Voicemail mailbox has now been set up.

  For additional details see: Setup and access your Voicemail service

• How do I block unwanted or fraudulent calls from coming to my home phone?

  We offer a spam call blocking feature which can be activated on your home phone service. You can activate this feature any time from the My Shaw website.

  To learn more about spam call blocking and how to use it, read How To: Use spam call blocking.

• How do I block phone numbers on my home phone?

  There are a variety of options to block calls with your home phone. To use the Anonymous Call Blocking feature:

  1. Use star code *77 for activation
  2. Use star code *87 for deactivation

  For additional call blocking options please see: Star Codes / Value Added Features

• Can I set up call forwarding with my home phone?

  Yes, to activate call forwarding:

  1. Wait for a dial tone
  2. Dial *72 you will hear a stuttered tone
  3. Once the dial tone returns to normal, dial the number to which you would like to forward your calls. When the number rings:
     • Answer the call to the selected number to confirm the forward
     • If the line is busy, or there is no answer, hang up and repeat the above steps

  To disable call forwarding:

  1. Wait for a dial tone
  2. Dial *73
• Do long distance charges apply when call forwarding or starting a 3-way call with my home phone?

  Long distance charges may apply depending on both your phone package and the number that you are forwarding or connecting to.

Home Phone Troubleshooting FAQs

Troubleshoot your home phone issues with these tips:

• How do I reboot my home phone?

  There are certain instances where you may need to reboot your Digital Phone Terminal (DPT), please see: How to power cycle a Digital Phone Terminal for how to reboot your DPT.

  If you have your phone service through an Rogers Xfinity Gateway:

  Reboot the Gateway by disconnecting the power cord for 10 seconds. Plug it back in, then wait for the light on top of the Gateway to turn solid white.

• I'm not getting a dial tone on my home phone.

  If you have confirmed that your home phone service is working correctly on other phones in your home and that only a single phone is without a dial tone, please see: How to troubleshoot no dial tone on a single phone.

  If you are not getting a dial tone on all of or multiple phones, please see our guide on Troubleshooting No Dial Tone on all Phones.

  In some cases you may need to perform a simple pin-hole reset of your Digital Phone Terminal to restore a working dial tone. To do this please see: How to perform a DPT pin-hole reset.

  Note: If you have home phone service through an Rogers Xfinity Gateway, we recommend this step be taken only as a last resort, or on the advice of a Technical Support agent, as it will also reset your internet connection and custom settings.

Related readings

• Digital Phone Terminal wiring guide
• Voicemail Support Resources
• My Shaw Home Phone features