Anyone know anything about VoIP phones etc?

[finyuk2005]

Hi there
broadband contract is up for renewal, they want 90 quid a month! Dad phoned and got them down to 35 quid, only problem is they want to send a new router, and to change over to wireless DECT phones, basically to do away with the landline.
The router they will send is a Technicolour DGA0122, it should not be too hard for me to use that as a modem only and have that in front of my Ubiquity router and the rest of the network,

My question though is how to sort the phones out!
That router provides 2 FXS POTS ports, which i gather from googling it, allows you to plug a regular analog telephone in and it will work as normal, which is fine for in the office as router will be in there, but what about the other 3 phones in the house?
Can you plug a cable from the FXS port on the router into the phone socket on the wall and will that power the rest of the house phone sockets? As that is the master socket, as in where the phone line and thus the internet comes from the exchange, will that just work? or do you have to separate the master socket from the rest of the house?

sorry for the stupidly long story! but i am confused and really cant be bothered having to faf about with the network again
I cant just use wireless phones either, too many 3 foot thick stone walls in this house!! they just dont work!
To get internet to every room in the house has taken 5 access points and 400+ feet of network cable!!

cheers for any insight!

 

[voipio]

How are the other three phones in the house connected at present, and are they conventional wired phones? Are they all effectively connected to extension sockets on one copper phone line? Is the copper line to remain in place as the DSL connection to the router, on the new contract, or is the property going to receive fibre to the premises? If the incoming line is to remain as copper, then keep the microfilters connected, and it should be possible to use the existing phones as they were before.

BT certainly want to do away with copper phone lines, but the worst thing we did was to unwrap and start using the supplied DECT phone (our router contains a DECT base station). This was the signal for BT to disable our copper phone line, and transfer the number to the VOIP service over FTTP. We still have copper and fibre to the premises. The copper line continues to be connected to an exchange and will still give a dialling tone, but we cannot use it to make phone calls, although it can still be used to dial 999. BT could set the copper line up again to use as a regular phone line, but with a different number, and a separate contract, but that was starting to get a little expensive. Only recently, a tree fell on the lines and both copper and fibre went down. The copper line is still dead (although it proved more resilient than fibre in previous service outages, when our neighbours were still able to use their phones, but we were stuck). It may be, that connecting any phone equipment to the FXS POTS ports on the new router will have the same effect i.e. telling BT to turn off the analogue phone line.

 

[julianf]

We have a friztbox router.

We previously had 1 phone bass station plugged into the master socket, and then the rest of the phones were wireless from this bass station.

Now we have 1 phone bass station plugged into the back of the fritz box routet, and then the rest of the phones were wireless from this bass station.


There is zero difference in operation at all.

Well, there is one single difference - my mobile now also has an app on it, so it can connect up to the same system, via wireless, to the fritz box. So my mobile can now answer the landline when I'm in the garage (which has Internet, but is out of range of the normal phones)


Really, there no difference with the other phones at all. Sure they go off in a power cut, whilst, previously, I could have plugged in an old wired handset, but it's not like I ever bothered doing that anyway, as I'd just use my mobile.

 

[MetalMonkey]

All new broadband contacts should now only be supplying VoIP as they will be switching off the PSTN lines in 2025.

Should be one port per phone.
You can buy additional ATA devices for extra phones and hook them on to the data network, but you will need to configure this to work with you router.
Or you could buy a wireless VoIP handset if you already have wifi in every room.

The master socket will still be where the VDSL comes in and connects to the router, the traditional phone wiring will be redundant.

 

[finyuk2005]

looks like i might need to look into wireless phones that can use my existing network, that would be the best option as I know its reliable around the house,
Getting fibre would be a nice thing, the old copper phone line from the village has been dug through and repaired that many times over the years the internet is definitely slower in wet weather!
I hate change, every time we switch provider it seems to much up my network so i have to reconfigure it, but by that time i have lost the password, so pretty much have to start again

cheers for your thoughts!

 

[OJCar]

With the VOIP system not taking Exchange Battery, is there any mileage in having the router and base station on a UPS so you can make phone calls in a power cut?
Or is that pointless ?
(Usually in a power cut we lose the mobile phone signal as well).

 

[DickyDoDah]

A UPS is a good idea especially if you have no mobile signal as we do. I believe that BT will supply one for free in certain circumstances. The exchange has backup batteries so will stay up for some time. My line is still analogue but I do have my router and DECT base station on a small UPS. It's main purpose though is to cleanly shutdown my media server during power cuts.

this should do it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Konnected-UPS-Backup-Battery-Raspberry-White/dp/B08JTVY87T/ref=asc_df_B08JTVY87T/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=658771697263&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14133387628449982036&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007061&hvtargid=pla-2063925782137&psc=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw-KipBhBtEiwAWjgwrGXHaV7H5CJQmc7w6IN-5joIVl4AeOgboa3Qj253AKg--DfBJ1ylehoCXVYQAvD_BwE

 

[voipio]

Bear in mind that currently supplied BT routers use 5.5x3.0mm power connectors. The above, Amazon-listed UPS, only provides for 5.5x2.1 and 5.5x2.5mm power connectors.

 

[OJCar]

Thank you for your replies.

I will be using a larger UPS than the Amazon example as I will be moving the main computer onto UPS as well,
( so it can be shut down in a controlled manner ).
The UPS can also provide filtering/smoothing for when I'm on the back up generator as I want to use a Forward Conversion (On Line) type.

 

[voipio]

This UPS is quite handy for plugging in several wall wart power supplies:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/APC-BACK-UPS-BE850G2-UK-Uninterruptible-Protected/dp/B0828G42KN

It uses a 12V 7Ah sealed lead acid battery, and kept router, fibre ONT, and separate DECT phone base running for several hours during a recent power cut. You might need to consider something meatier to run a PC as well, for any reasonable length of time.

 

[finyuk2005]

A lot of modem/router or phones wall warts are 12v, so i guess if you could be bothered you could wire them direct to a battery and have a small trickle charger, basically a diy UPS without the efficiency loss of going from 12v dc to 240v ac and back to dc

 

[Domdom]

VOIP can be done with mobile apps over WIFI. We’re starting to replace PABX units at work with VOIP phones, or the software version on a PC, and some vendors are now providing a mobile app. The advantage is that the number goes wherever your PC or mobile phone is. I dare say BT will also be offering it soon enough.

 

[finyuk2005]

I found this that would work quite well i think,

Fanvil Linkvil W611W Portable WIFI Phone

i just need to find out what find of service they will provide for the phone part, as that phone wants a SIP protocol

they say they will provide one DICT phone that will plug into the FXS socket on the modem they provide which will do for the office, but i was hoping to get 2 wifi phones for elsewhere in the house, so need to find out if that would work

 

[ukracer]

VOIP can be done with mobile apps over WIFI. We’re starting to replace PABX units at work with VOIP phones, or the software version on a PC, and some vendors are now providing a mobile app. The advantage is that the number goes wherever your PC or mobile phone is. I dare say BT will also be offering it soon enough.

I am interested in what you say here but don't fully understand it. I am on virgin so some of this thread is redundant.
My wife is disabled so we liked a "normal" phone.
But virgin switched that of but still charge for it.
Anyway we have 2 mobiles one on Vodafone gets the better signal at home . The EE is not so good. ( that's my wife's phone)
Knows where the green button not a lot else .

So I have been thinking about voip but all this talk about DECT AND FRIZTBOX has me confused..
I have used voip years ago to be able to divert my landline to my mobile but forgot how I did it.
I think it was software on a PC using 3CX.

I am too old now so need a simple solution so my wife is in contact at all times.

 

[Domdom]

I am interested in what you say here but don't fully understand it. I am on virgin so some of this thread is redundant.
My wife is disabled so we liked a "normal" phone.
But virgin switched that of but still charge for it.
Anyway we have 2 mobiles one on Vodafone gets the better signal at home . The EE is not so good. ( that's my wife's phone)
Knows where the green button not a lot else .

So I have been thinking about voip but all this talk about DECT AND FRIZTBOX has me confused..
I have used voip years ago to be able to divert my landline to my mobile but forgot how I did it.
I think it was software on a PC using 3CX.

I am too old now so need a simple solution so my wife is in contact at all times.

I would not worry. Yes, the tech is changing, but if all you want is a standard phone to keep working, the providers will supply a media converter to allow this. They all have to maintain some kind of backwards compatibility or we will have tens of millions of existing handsets going to landfill.

Apologies for the source But this is the very basic version without all the techie jargon.

Are landlines being phased out? Changes to landline telephones | Age UK

Landline aren't being phased out, but the UK’s telephone network is being upgraded, which means that landline services are changing. Find out more with Age UK.

www.ageuk.org.uk

 

[ukracer]

I would not worry. Yes, the tech is changing, but if all you want is a standard phone to keep working, the providers will supply a media converter to allow this. They all have to maintain some kind of backwards compatibility or we will have tens of millions of existing handsets going to landfill.

Apologies for the source But this is the very basic version without all the techie jargon.

Are landlines being phased out? Changes to landline telephones | Age UK

Landline aren't being phased out, but the UK’s telephone network is being upgraded, which means that landline services are changing. Find out more with Age UK.

www.ageuk.org.uk

Not sure if I have explained myself correctly.
If I am forced to use voip or digital connection I don't really want to be paying for a separate analogue phone line we won't be using..

 

[Domdom]

Not sure if I have explained myself correctly.
If I am forced to use voip or digital connection I don't really want to be paying for a separate analogue phone line we won't be using..

OK, the analogue system is being turned off. Ultimately nobody will have the service. What you pay now for combined broadband and phone will turn into a bill for broadband, and possibly a VOIP phone line. How the providers intend to offer and charge for this is not yet known. BUT, there is no reason to believe that BT would charge for the analogue phone as well as the replacement VOIP service. The old will be turned off and replaced with the new, and in theory your bill won’t change.
.

 

[ukracer]

OK, the analogue system is being turned off. Ultimately nobody will have the service. What you pay now for combined broadband and phone will turn into a bill for broadband, and possibly a VOIP phone line. How the providers intend to offer and charge for this is not yet known. BUT, there is no reason to believe that BT would charge for the analogue phone as well as the replacement VOIP service. The old will be turned off and replaced with the new, and in theory your bill won’t change.
.

But I am with virgin. I don't want to pay for a separate phone line . Just broadband.
I pay for broadband and TV and phone currently.