I am trying to switch two of three phone lines in a very large, very
> old house over to VoIP. The house has quite literally twenty
> extensions split between the three lines -- I think I need at least 4
> or 5 REN per line, plus the ability to drive all the wire leading to
> those handsets (over 100' in some cases) without exploding the audio
> output circuit in the ATA.
> Does anyone make equipment meant for this that I can use with a
> mainstream VoIP provider? It's been suggested to me that Packet8
> might be my best chance since they build their own gear but I don't
> see anything suitable on their web site.
> I am basically looking for a Cisco ATA-186 (including the 2-line
> capability) on steroids.
You might want to try something like a REN extender or two. An example of one can (Viking RG-10A) be found at:
formatting link
It claims to boost the ring signal to 15 REN and should work with what ever brand of VOIP interface you have as long as it will already ring a single phone instrument correctly.