VOIP Phones

[Swervin_Mervin]

We've just had FTTP installed at home and want to retain a "landline" for now for various reasons. However, trying to find a voip phone that doesn't look like an office device seems like a right pita. Half the stuff that comes up labelled as voip phones seems to just be your standard digital handsets, which I understand would need an adapter. If that's the case then we might as well re-use the least broken dect handsets we already have.

Anyone got a voip phone at home or got any pointers?

[Johnny]

Depending on your broadband provider and router there should be a port at the back to plug in an adapter which in turn allows you to plug in any standard home phone (eg dect).

If so, the router should have been supplied an adapter. It’ll look something like this:

https://amzn.eu/d/9zn0dQX

[scotta]

Depending on your broadband provider and router there should be a port at the back to plug in an adapter which in turn allows you to plug in any standard home phone (eg dect).

If so, the router should have been supplied an adapter. It’ll look something like this:

https://amzn.eu/d/9zn0dQX

This - My Sky router has an actual phone socket on it. Ive got a £6 old style corded phone attached for the (very) rare occasion it rings.

[Beany]

Wot those two said.

If your FTTP provider isn't the same as your voice provider (IE you have BT for voice but got FTTP with IDNet or someone) then you might want to contact your FTTP provider first to see if they have any recommendations on the process, as they've probably been asked the question lots.

If your voice/FTTP providers are the same (IE you've upgrade from BT broadband on a phone line, to BT FTTP without a phone line) then just call 'em up and ask them what the craic is.

Pretty sure the gubbins for it - if it's not already on your router - isn't expensive.

[Swervin_Mervin]

Ta you lot.

Beany - obviously it's IDNet

I'd already sorted a router (Asus RT-AX59U) separately anyway so nothing supplied by the provider. The router has 3 gigabit LAN ports.

I was rather hoping you could just get a VOIP home phone and not need an adapter, and then we could simply replace our tired old DECT phones. Sounds like it's not that simple though

[Beany]

Behold:
https://www.idnet.com/voip-broadband-phoneline.php

Obviously ISP prices, but I'd be fine paying IDNet because they're Good People.

The magic trick is to get your existing landline number 'ported' to whatever system IDnet use for their VOIP system, which isn't rocket surgery to arrange.

I suspect you'd be best served by thon Yealink thing, which will just plug into a CAT5 and assuming your router is configured correctly (I think you might want to disable SIP Application Layer Gateway, IDNet can clarify for their specific setup) and should pretty much work out of the box once the number ports to it. Obviously configuring the router is your problem but I'd imagine IDNet can tell you what options to look for etc - you're clever enough to set up your own router, right?

This is all semi-informed guesswork from my old job that I try to forget though so give 'em a buzz and see wot they say.

[Gavster]

We used Siemens S3 as voipfones for years, they just plugged into our router and connected to our voip provider. Seemed easy enough! Also looked fairly normal too.

[Swervin_Mervin]

@Beany - Apols for any confusion - we're with IDNet and will be porting over the number. Just need to get the hardware before the old line goes dead.

@Gavster - I'll check that out ta.

[Gavster]

I think it’s the ‘gigaset’ range, this looks like the updated version of what we had. Worth double checking the details as they have non-voip versions of the same phone, I think the main difference is the base station. https://cpc.farnell.com/gigaset/s30852h ... gI6nPD_BwE

[Swervin_Mervin]

Well, this is going swimmingly well so far... 1 week since our number ported and still haven't got our setup working. And because we've picked a device that's not supported by IDNet (because I didn't want a shitty Yealink) we're having trouble getting any assistance from them

The issue seems to be they're partnered with Zen, and Zen's VOIP product appears to be a swine to get setup if you don't order a preconfigured device from them.

I wouldn't mind but we've hardly gone with some odd device - it's a Gigaset system (formerly Siemens).

At this rate we'll be binning the IDNet/Zen VOIP service off and getting another service from somewhere else.

@Beany I can't find anything in the router about SIPs.

[Barry]

If it's any consolation I just had my full fibre connected and my phone has been OOS since. I've been advised to turn the router and grey box off for ten minutes, as a reset. Quite enjoying not getting spam calls though..

[Swervin_Mervin]

If it's any consolation I just had my full fibre connected and my phone has been OOS since. I've been advised to turn the router and grey box off for ten minutes, as a reset. Quite enjoying not getting spam calls though..

It's going to be great fun next year when they start stripping out the old lines. No one I speak to seems to be aware this is coming. And if it's this tricky to get sorted out, by someone who's a bit of a halfwit technically, then it's going to be an epic failure when dealing with those that don't have any clue at all.

[Barry]

For sure going to cause people to get upset, no doubt another conspiracy or something.

The engineer did make it clear to check I had other methods of phone, should the fibre go down, but that's about as far as they went. No one really making it clear they intend closing down the copper lines.

[Jimexpl]

I shouldn't really say it as I provide them, but what's the point in a landline in a house these days? I get the point that it often works even in a power cut, but that normally relies on you having a hard-wired phone, which few people do these days (and a VOIP phone won't do this), but otherwise wouldn't you pick up your mobile? As long as you have wi-fi most providers give free calling, which leaves VOIP phones as ornaments gathering dust.

We tend to only install them in residential properties these days if it's massive (over 12,000sqft), or if they have multiple staff and like to call for them broadcasting over the handsfree or directly to their place of work (kitchen, laundry, nursery etc).

[Swervin_Mervin]

I shouldn't really say it as I provide them, but what's the point in a landline in a house these days? I get the point that it often works even in a power cut, but that normally relies on you having a hard-wired phone, which few people do these days (and a VOIP phone won't do this), but otherwise wouldn't you pick up your mobile? As long as you have wi-fi most providers give free calling, which leaves VOIP phones as ornaments gathering dust.

We tend to only install them in residential properties these days if it's massive (over 12,000sqft), or if they have multiple staff and like to call for them broadcasting over the handsfree or directly to their place of work (kitchen, laundry, nursery etc).

You've clearly never dealt with old folks that don't want a mobile, or the NHS! The reason we're sticking with is because of a: the in-laws and b: all of the wife's health issues for which our old landline number and mobile numbers etc are all listed. However, you can guarantee that in a genuine emergency they'll be trying to dial whatever is scribbled on a piece of paper from 15 years ago. Hence why we've kept the number.

[Jimexpl]

I shouldn't really say it as I provide them, but what's the point in a landline in a house these days? I get the point that it often works even in a power cut, but that normally relies on you having a hard-wired phone, which few people do these days (and a VOIP phone won't do this), but otherwise wouldn't you pick up your mobile? As long as you have wi-fi most providers give free calling, which leaves VOIP phones as ornaments gathering dust.

We tend to only install them in residential properties these days if it's massive (over 12,000sqft), or if they have multiple staff and like to call for them broadcasting over the handsfree or directly to their place of work (kitchen, laundry, nursery etc).

You've clearly never dealt with old folks that don't want a mobile, or the NHS! The reason we're sticking with is because of a: the in-laws and b: all of the wife's health issues for which our old landline number and mobile numbers etc are all listed. However, you can guarantee that in a genuine emergency they'll be trying to dial whatever is scribbled on a piece of paper from 15 years ago. Hence why we've kept the number.

In that case just pick one of the providers that port your landline to your phone, then you’ll always pick up the landline wherever you are and don’t need to mess around with a VOIP phone.

[Swervin_Mervin]

Some progress has been made.

Following supply of a couple of additional bits of info from IDNet, I managed to get our Gigaset base station to register the service yesterday. So last night I paired the handset and tested it out - outbound calls successfully made!

However, incoming not working. Comes up as "invalid number". Provider can't see any issues at their end. From a very quick Google last night I'm wondering if it could be firewall related.

[Simon]

It'll be a pNAT issue. You need to port forward the VOIP UDP (5060) port to your phone for it to work

[Swervin_Mervin]

I was worried it might be something like that. Not least as I have no fucking clue what that is

Anyway, it was much more straightforward. It just needed to be used. Phoned the parents on it last night, wondering if using it for more than just a quick "does it dial through to my mobile" test would somehow see it right.

And it did. FFS

[Jobbo]

I shouldn't really say it as I provide them, but what's the point in a landline in a house these days?

If phones had been invented now rather than in the 19th century, it would have been the mobile phone rather than the landline. Why would anyone want to call a building? Calling a person is inevitably the purpose.