The Caller ID system is automatically included if you use CenturyLink’s Small Business or Home Phone bundle at no extra cost. If you use the Basic Phone package, however, you will pay a fee ranging between $6 and $10 depending on your frequency of usage.
The Caller ID service from CenturyLink is usually included with their Price for Life packages, although the recent discontinuation of the package means that you will need to pay a small monthly fee to use it. We will outline some things about it that you should know if you want to join the service, as well as any things to keep in mind after using it, especially considering the issues with cyber and phone security.
What is Caller ID?
This is a feature included in most phone plans that helps you recognize and mark unfamiliar callers that you want to avoid answering. This will particularly help if you are dealing with robocallers, as well as screening inbound calls for spam and blocked users.
To gain access to the service, all you require is a standalone Caller ID box or a Caller ID-enabled phone. Regardless of what you use, you can see the time, date, and phone number of all your incoming calls on the device’s screen while using it. if you want specifics on allowing these notifications, it helps to consult your owner’s manual.
How you can use Caller ID
Using the feature is quite easy, and only requires a few steps. These are:
- When the phone rings once or twice, your screen will show the phone number and name of the person calling you
- If you fail to answer the call in most instances, the device will automatically store the caller’s information in its memory as well as the call log.
Tips to troubleshoot messages from your Caller ID
In many instances, the Caller ID functionality will show you the phone number and name of any incoming callers. In some cases, depending on the specific type of Caller ID unit you are relying on, you may also see the time of the call and the date.
Sometimes, though, Caller ID may not work as intended and you only see a message rather than a phone number. The good news is that this is a normal occurrence, and it is due to the method the incoming phone number was transmitted through. Some of these messages are in the table below.
Message you may see | Why this is the case |
|---|---|
Unavailable, Unknown, or Out of Area | The incoming call lacks the necessary information to identify the caller. It can also mean that the call is made or sent through equipment that fails to support Caller ID functionality. These instances include: Calls from call centers and large businesses Calls from cellphone networks Calls originating from operator assistance, such as pay phones, some international calls, collect, and credit card billed calls. |
Private or Anonymous | This means the incoming caller has blocked their number and his or her name from the system, and also stopped it from displaying on your Caller ID. To stop this, you can use the Anonymous Call Rejection functionality to prevent the calls from ringing in your home. |
Code1 or Error | When using Caller ID, it is good to know that the display unit is sensitive. Therefore, it is common to get this message when there is some trouble on the line when your phone is sending or receiving data, such as if there is a power surge. If this is a recurring problem on all your calls, ensure you check your owner’s manual to solve it. |
No Data Sent | Within the first two or three rings, Caller ID should show you who the caller is. However, if you pick the phone before the second ring, the app will show you that there is ‘No Data Sent’. |
OOOO or 8888 | Means that you will need to adjust your Caller ID unit. If you get it, ensure you get further instructions by referring to your owner’s manual. |
Spanish or English content | Refer to the manual to adjust the language preference. |
Other methods of troubleshooting Caller ID equipment issues
If you implement these methods and they fail to solve troubleshooting issues, these are some problems you may notice and methods you can implement to solve them:
If your display shows the wrong data
- If your phone display is cutting off incoming numbers or names, it is likely due to them being too long to fit on your screen. As a rule, Caller ID displays a maximum of 15 characters.
- If you notice old numbers on Caller ID, chances are your ID is full, as it can only store a limited amount of numbers. If this is the case, try to delete some of the older numbers.
- If a business name fails to show up, it is likely a major company with one main number and some ‘secondary’ numbers.
- Your equipment may be trying to save space if you notice you cannot see multiple numbers from people who have called you several times. This may appear on your display as a phone number with parentheses that indicate the number of times the person has called, such as 205-OOO-OOOO (9).
If the display is blank
- Recharge your device
- Sometimes, this may happen if there are a lot of items connected to your phone line like satellite receivers, phones, and alarm systems, which cause the load to be too big. Unplug some things if this is the case and see if it solves the problem.
- As a last resort, do a factory reset on your Caller ID device, although this will erase all your saved phone numbers.
Conclusion
The Caller ID feature from CenturyLink is quite easy to use and set up, as long as you pay a nominal fee to do so.
FAQs
How much does it cost for caller ID?
If you use the Small Business or Home Phone bundle, it is free, while Basic Phone bundle users pay between $6 and $10 monthly fee.
Is caller ID free on landlines?
No, it is not. You will need to pay a nominal fee to use the service on a landline phone.
Does CenturyLink have cell phones?
No, they do not offer cellphone services, although they have backup options with nationwide calling.
How much is CenturyLink landline service?
They have two packages: the $24.25 monthly Basic Home Phone, and the $60 monthly Home Phone Unlimited.
How much does CenturyLink home phone cost?
If you bundle it with other services, it costs $36 monthly, while using it on its own costs $45 monthly.