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.
Two possible solutions:
1) put in a small analog PBX. You can probably significantly reduce the number of sets, if each set can access all the lines. This also takes care of the issue of 'wire length'.Additional benefits: "intercom" calling between phones, as well as 'conference' capabilities (internal and external), without losing audio level.
2) Use a supplemental ring generator / ring extender. Viking Electronics is one of the better-known sources for such.Option 1 _is_ more expensive, but you get a *lot* more for the money.
[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Option 1 is exactly what I did here with my little 'TotalCom' PBX thing. And tiny little PBX/Line Sharing devices are not all that expensive these days. Two or three hundred dollars gets you a light-weight, all electronic device you mount on a wall somewhere and forget about it. Example
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