‘Call Failed’ error when making calls

[Retired-George]

This issue has the following symptoms:

For version 1 Sure Signal (the one with four lights on the front):

• Lights one, two and four are all solid
• Incoming calls, texts and internet all work correctly
• When making a call on a registered phone, the error ‘Call Failed’ or similar is displayed

For version 2 Sure Signal (the one with 3 lights on the front):

• The power and system lights are both solid
• Incoming calls, texts and internet all work correctly
• When making a call on a registered phone, the error ‘Call Failed’ or similar is displayed 

For version 3 Sure Signal (the plug in version):

• The power, internet and service lights are all solid and the in use light is either solid or flashing
• Incoming calls, texts and internet all work correctly
• When making a call on a registered phone, the error ‘Call Failed’ or similar is displayed

Troubleshooting steps:

Check for planned maintenance:
Planned maintenance can cause periods of downtime, so check the forum for any planned maintenance. If there is, this will be announced at the top of the Sure Signal forum.

Reset your Sure Signal:

For versions 1 and 2:

1. Hold in the reset button until all lights go solid
2. Pull the power lead out with the reset button still pushed in
3. Continue to hold down the reset button and reconnect the power lead
4. Wait for all lights to come on and then release the reset button

For version 3:

1. Locate the button on the base of the box next to the Ethernet ports.
2. Press and hold the button for approximately 30 seconds.
3. Once the lights come back on, release the button.

The Sure Signal will be back online in around 1 hour.

If you’re still unable to make calls, there may be a compatibility issue with your Sure Signal and your location information (also known as SAC/LAC compatibility).

A SAC (Service Area Code) connects to a mast and is used to determine the rough location of where a call’s made. It's needed for the emergency services to know where a call was made from.

As a Sure Signal can be used anywhere in the country, it doesn't automatically come with a SAC. The SAC is generated based on the postcode you enter when registering your Sure Signal and it's created based on the nearest cell to your location.

In order for calls to be made, they must go over an MSC (Mobile Switching Centre). If the MSC doesn't hold the SAC for your area on its database, the call will fail.

The MSCs should now hold all SACs for Sure Signal calls. For anyone who is still affected please post in this thread and we can look into it further.

Thanks,

Jenny

[dewidaniels]

Lee,

My experience has been exactly the same as yours.  Before upgrading to iOS 4.3.5, I could repeatably reproduce the problem with my SSv1.  If I hadn't used my iPhone for a while, the first call would always fail, then callback would always work.  I've had iOS 4.3.5 installed a few days now.  I've only had two failed calls in that time, while many calls have connected first time.

Dewi

[vinsup]

Guys,

The V2 Of VSS has now synced and is operational, BUT the 'call failed' problem still exists and calls are not coming through either. And yes, it is 4.3.5 on my iPhone.

[LeeBr]

Further update - I reproduced the result with my wife's iPhone4 with the same results - that phone was on 4.3.4 and was having the call connection issues when connected to the VSSv1.

Upgrading the phone to 4.3.5 seems to have fixed the issue.

Still a bit worried about it in case Apple change something back in the next patch and also, given the intermittent behaviour, it's hard to say for sure unless we know what's caused the problem and it has actively been resolved.

Best regards

Lee

[jcurtis]

My iPhones are on 4.3.5 and have the problem every day, both "called failed" on outbound and callers going direct to VM inbound.  That is when the iPhones/iPads actually flip over to use the SureSignal box at all - most of the time they don't which is also documented within this thread.

[Retired-BenJ]

Hi Guys

Thanks for the feedback, I will pass this on to our support teams.


Thanks

BenJ

eForum Team 

[gfendle]

Six failed calls so far today, no sign of a fix. I'm on the latest iOS and have been for a while. Farce.

[gfendle]

So sick of this now. Is there the slightest chance of ant demonstrable evidence that someone is actually trying to fix this, or like previous problems in the past will the blame be shifted elsewhere?

It's bad enough that we have to pay twice to actually use a VSS in the first place but it's quite riduculous that there is point blank refusal, once again, to deal with something that isn't affecting enough customers that Vodafone should even care about it.

[Retired-Trev]

 Hi Guys.

Just to let you know I do not have any more information at this moment in time. All the examples have been passed over to our support teams and we request updates into this issue on a daily basis.  As soon as we can have any further information I will update the thread.

Regards

Trev

eForum Team 

[nicholasreeves]

I've been following this thread, as I too am having exactly the same issues - namely, outbound calls always fail the first time (but work quite straightforwardly on 2nd and subsequent attempts) and then, much more frustratingly, once the outbound call is connected, more often than not the call is dropped, and Sue Signal resets itself. The only way I have found of quickly recovering the call is to unplug Sure Signal and hope that the very weak reception that I have without it is sufficient for me to make the call. Like so many others who have posted here, all of this is enormously frustrating - when Sure Signal and my iPhone 4 do work it is an excellent service. Does anyone have any idea how much longer we will all have to wait for this problem to be resolved?

[gfendle]

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@nicholasreeves wrote:

Does anyone have any idea how much longer we will all have to wait for this problem to be resolved?

---

No. Nobody does. None of the staff, who told us the issue had been identified over three weeks ago. Nobody here does.

Face it, it's another of those issues that isn't affecting enough people for Vodafone to care or do something about it. They'll say they care, they'll say they're working on it, but all evidence, once again, points to the contrary.