Connecting VoIP to Home Phone Wiring

My mistake. I am in the US using a Linksys router and Vonage service. The router is model number RT31P2-VD. The REN for this router is 5.

Trying to guess what TA stands for, but I'm coming up blank. If I substitute Vonage Linksys router for TA, what you write makes sense given what I have read on other threads. Basically, it looks like the optimist in me is going to be right, for once. Thanks for the help.

First, run a single phone off the TA until it's working.

Then, to "turn off POTS" make sure your wires are ALL disconnected and you have TAGGED the lines to make sure nobody reconnects them!

Then connect the TA to your in-house phones and add one phone at a time to make sure they all ring as you add each one.

TA or ATA for Telephone Adapter or Analog TA converts POTS lines to ethernet which then goes to cable modem.

modemTArouter...

This allows the TA to throttle back the router info to preserve Quality Of Service (QoS) for the phone connection.

Or....

Get a phone system with one "base station" and x number of satellite phones. This way you only plug the base station into the VOIP adapter and all the other satellites only into an ac power plug., The prices have gone way down on these systems.

As a security blanket, if you have a UPS and think that your broadband will remain up during a power outage, you can plug a regular corded phone into a two line splitter at the VOIP adapter as well and keep the adapter on the UPS..

In message of Thu, 21 Apr 2005, BrianEWilliams writes

Would it be a good idea to say which country you're in, then you might get the correct answer.

I suspect you're in Wales, but you could be in Australia for all we know, and POTS systems in different countries vary.

DF

get my VoIP

Unplug the line coming from old provider at DEMARC--run line to telephone jack for ATA router (phone plug on adapter) all phones on house wiring will have dial tone. Step by step instructions available at vonage web site

COMBINE-A-LINE .. Imagine..1=2

Ever wish you could use your favorite single-line telephone, answering machine, caller ID or PC Modem on TWO phone lines?.. Automatically?

OR

How about joining your VOIP port and the plain old (PSTN) telephone jack into a single handset?

OR

USE a CLT to join a card card acceptor and your single line telephone as well!

OR

see if anybody picks-up, on anotheer line trunk, after you are already in a telco call???

THEN...........................................

Combine-A-Line (CLT) allows two separate calls from two different lines to be directed to your single line telephone equipment or PC. Centralizing and PROTECTING (SURGE PROTECTION INSIDE) your communication equipment for your home office or for the family.

Combine-A-Line supports all services from your telephone company including Caller ID. It also has two line surge protectors to make sure that you are Protecting your equipment.

Use combine-aline to automatically switch between VOIP and pots (rboc) plain local line, hands free!.

SECURITY of your calls are enhanced because the CLT displays if anybody picks -up the line after you are in a call! So, it has security features just in case someone is wire tapping or listens in after you are in a call. The LED display will indicate any disruption to the line.

Easy to use, No batteries or power supply, and no programming needed! Our re-sellers have reported that ..."elimination of the noisy and cumbersome power supply wires, reduces the Hum & Noise one hears then when connected to household power supplies"

Automate and organize your telecommunications equipment and desktop wires with Combine-A-Line.

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Add a second CLT to your auction win for only 13.99.

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Link to instructional video

Answers from previous customers:

A: this unit has many uses. it can combine two analog (regular plain Jane telephone lines) into a common point. This allows you to create a dual line telephone suite(telephone, answering. modem) etc for way less than the cost of a two line phone and two line answering machines and modems don't commonly exist. Further, VOIP has become very popular and users gain tremendous long distance rates rates, however they don't have a "local presence" and often back up the voip with a single plain Jane telephone line. the clt will join voip and telco to a signal automatic port for the ultimate convience! Plus no power supply or batteries to clutter your desktop! Plus all port surge protected to protect you equipment! plus two additional universal (I/O) line 1 and line 2 dedicated ports... enabling an even wider array of connection schemes.

A: S&H outside CONUSA (48 USA states) costs more. The tariff diferene varies based on exact location. The range is about $1.00 to Canda and Mexico, and Hawaii. And is $3.00 to most of EU and Middle eastern locations.

A: In coming activity is automatically routed to the auto output port.

A: Out bound activity is automatic. Users can mnaully re-direct any cal and visually confirm which line is in use by observing the LED indication.

A: The unit can be wired into a single telephone jack with the lines (four wire connectors) OR there are two additonal , inversal jacks that enable physical connnections to different phone access port. For example line 1 on a VOIP modem and line2 to your local Telco jack. The CLT can join any two lines and provide a single convient access point.

A: The CLT does not require batteries or wall power supplies.

Thanks. BTW, I called up RCN to cancel my POTS, excited to try the suggestions on this thread. They knocked $20 off my monthly bill for 6 months, so I kept it for now. I am paying $8/month for the line, and $10.21 in taxes and fees, so they are paying me a little to keep the service.

Thanks, but unless I am missing something, it seems like it is so easy to hook into the telephone wiring, I don't see the advantage in your suggestion as an alternative, other than the fun of buying a new toy.

I currently have a wireless phone system with one base station and one satellite phone, which I use for Vonage service with decent results, but wired is always better quality than wireless, and I like the ergonomics of my desk phone. I only wish the wireless satellite phone had a telephone jack in the back so I could tap into the connection.

Thanks. Here is the link from the Vonage website:

Sorry to have bothered people here because they make it perfectly clear. For the record, here is what they say:

One way to use Vonage on multiple phones is to modify the existing telephone wiring in your home to distribute the Vonage service to all of your phone jacks. Then you can plug a regular telephone into any jack and make a call.

This option works best if you own your own single-family home. If you live in an apartment or a multiple-family dwelling, chances are your landlord and neighbors won't want you to mess with your building's telephone lines. It also helps if you are handy around the house and have a basic understanding of telephone wiring. It's not very difficult to modify your home phone wiring, but because you're dealing with lines that carry voltage, there's always a risk of causing a fire or damage to your phone lines and equipment. If you're not comfortable doing the work yourself, you should hire a professional electrician or telephone technician to do the job instead.

It's important to note that by modifying your telephone wiring to distribute Vonage throughout your home, you'll be totally disconnecting yourself from the phone company. But the process is completely reversible. So if you sell your house in the future, for example, you can restore your old phone configuration with minimal difficulty.

INSTRUCTIONS

STEP ONE - ISOLATE YOUR INSIDE WIRING

To re-wire your home for Vonage, you first need to isolate your inside phone wiring from the lines that come into your house from the phone company. This is a step you shouldn't skip, even if you think your phone line is already dead. If you don't isolate your inside wiring, and the phone company decides to send voltage across the line you thought was dead, it could damage the telephone equipment inside your house or worse, cause a fire.

To begin, find the box on the outside of your house where the telephone lines come into your house from the street. This is called the Network Interface Unit (NIU). It's the legal demarcation point where the outside wiring from the street (owned by the telephone company) meets the wiring inside your house (owned by you). When you open the box, which is usually locked or fastened with a screw, you will have access to the side containing the wires going into your home, but not the side with the lines coming from the street. You'll also see a ground wire coming out of the phone company's side of the box. This wire protects you against lightning strikes, so make sure you never disconnect it.

Once you've opened your side of the NIU, you'll see one or more sets of screw terminals inside. Each will have a short piece of telephone wire coming out of it with a phone connector on the end plugged into a corresponding jack. If there's only one line coming into your house, you'll most likely have only one set of screw terminals. To disconnect from the phone company, simply unplug each of the short telephone wires from its corresponding jack.

Next, you need to make it obvious to others that you've unplugged the wires on purpose and they shouldn't undo your modifications without risking damage to your inside equipment. Start by wrapping the end of each of the telephone wires you just unplugged with electrical tape so it can't be plugged back in without unwrapping the tape. Then, clearly label the inside of the box with a message that says something like: "Do not reconnect! May cause damage to inside equipment!" A sign written or printed in waterproof ink and taped inside the box works well. No matter how you choose to label the box, be sure it is obvious, clear, and easy to read.

Once you've clearly labeled the inside of the NIU, close and refasten the box. Then, just to be safe, label the outside of the box as well. To be extra safe, you can also wrap a cord or nylon tie-wrap around the box so it can't be opened without cutting it. Remember, to avoid damage, you want to make it as inconvenient as possible for someone to change what you've done without your knowledge.

STEP TWO - CONFIRM THE LINE IS DISCONNECTED

After you've isolated your wiring from the phone company's, it's important to confirm the line is disconnected before installing Vonage.

Go back into your house and pick up a phone plugged into a jack that previously worked. You should hear absolutely nothing; the line should be totally dead. If the line's not dead, go back and check your work. If your work looks correct and the line's still not dead, it means that voltage is somehow still being carried on the line and it's not safe for you to proceed any further. Consult a professional electrician or telephone technician for help.

STEP THREE - CONNECT YOUR PHONE ADAPTER

If you've successfully isolated your wiring and you've confirmed the line is dead, the hard part's over. It's time to connect to Vonage!

Simply plug your DSL/cable modem into the Vonage phone adapter. Then plug your phone adapter into any telephone jack using a standard telephone cord. Finally, plug regular phones into the other jacks in your house. Telephone jacks are wired in parallel, so when you plug your phone adapter into any working jack, it will spread the signal to the other jacks in your home.

Like any telephone line, there is a limit to the number of phones you can connect to a single Vonage line. If too many phones are connected, the signal will fade, and not all of the phones will ring when a call comes in. Therefore, we recommend you only connect five phones maximum to a single Vonage line.

Congratulations! Your home is now wired with Vonage!

Some people have managed to have POTS on LIne1 and VoIP on Line2, so they receive the old number and place outgoing on free VoIP.

The caution here is that theremust be NO connection in common with old service (for the sake of argument, even 'ground' mustbe separate, i.e. floating) = 4 completely independent wires.

....

That's a good point about keeping the setup reversable.

Vonage (which I believe Brian is using) offers 911. So do cell phones, if he has one of those.

miguel

What they "offer" is connection to the "PSAP" which is generally the state police WHO does NOT get E911 info! That means they must ASK you were you are located!

POTS E911 tells the local police where you are located withour your saying anything.

Eventually the two may get connected, but not yet!

Wow, not so quick!

Never ever cancel the POTS line: you may need to call 911 one of those days. It is not going to work over VoIP. At least not for couple more years until they agree about how to implement it.

This is not true. I have SunRocket and my 911 works perfectly...yes, I checked.

burris wrote: ... I have SunRocket and my 911 works perfectly...yes, I

Glad to here it. Can you share HOW you checked? (In MA I'd get in trouble if I just 'dialed it!')

don't really need 911... can always call fire or police or ambulance, just keep the numbers handy.