Any Vonage Voip users? is so this is COOL!

[sbessel]

Just as an FYI I have a ton of 'stuff' hanging off my VOIP moden without issues


In series I have my VOIP going to a DoorBell Fon then to a Way2Call hanging off of that I have:
NetCallerID
5.9ghz 2 line cordless phone
2.4 ghz cordless phone (with a home built 2 line switch)
900 mhz cordless phone (with a home built 2 line switch)
standard trimline phone (with a home built 2 line switch)
HS modem

My CallerID from the NetCallerID box is 100% reliable. I also have no issues answering, sharing or transfering calls around all my internal phones.

This was the case with my BroadVoice GrandStream 486, Sipura ATA-1001 and my current Vonage Linksys PAP2 adapters.

It is possible that the Way2Call is saving my butt here as I beleive it is providing power to everything internal. But either way it is possible to treat the VOIP as a regular line.

EDIT: The Linksys manual says it will support a REN of 5.

Scott

 

[justonemore]

Been using Vonage for several months now. I am VERY happy with it. Thanks for the VR tip, gonna try it in a few minutes. I get caller ID on my phones that support it. Haven't tried it w/ HSP yet, I stopped using it over a year ago. Maybe I'll fire it up again.

All you need is the digital to analog adapter, after that you can chain it out to as many regular house phone as you wish, currently only 2 on mine, but I see no reason to go many more.

Yes. The adapter is free with Vonage. BUT..... If you take the free adapter from then they charge you a $39 dollar setup/activation fee. I bought mine at Best Buy for $59-$50 rebate=$9, without activation fee from vonage. So I obviously saved myself $30. Don't quote me on the $$, they came from memory.

For the first month or so I had a little problem with the adapter. I wouldn't get a dial tone. Figured out I just needed to quickly pull the phone (not lan) wire out of adapter and put back. Hasn't happened for some time though.

 

[justonemore]

sbessel. Care to share your VR script and save me a little time

 

[sbessel]

...email me offline and I will send it, I just need to clean out the username and password as I hard coded everything as it was for my usage, and I was in a hurry.

It is essentially the same script I posted on HS forums, I just added the Vonage stuff yesterday.

Scptt

 

[JohnBullard]

I was looking into this a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, Vonage only offers "local area code and numbers" in one metro area of Tennessee, not mine. Would mean local incoming calls would be long distance from here in town.


Packet8 does offer local inbound service for my area. Anyone have experience with Packet8 ?

 

[Rupp]

So when you guys sign up with this service do you cancel your maw bell account?

 

[sbessel]

I haven't yet as I needed two lines. But I did kill my maw bell down to the barest minimum service and removed all features from that line. So it is strickly an inbound line. If my Vonage keeps going as good as it has been then I will have them port over the number and kill maw bell completely. Then probably sign up for a second Vonage line or try and another provider for my second line.

 

[sbessel]

On a side note there is some great forum information here: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/voip

If you get past the usual forum bitching, you can find some great information. This is where I based my Vonage choice on.

Scott

 

[JohnBullard]

Here's a chart comparing 7 internet phone service providers:

http://www.ordervoip.com/?R=gbig1ovoip_v

 

[jlehnert]

Just as an FYI I have a ton of 'stuff' hanging off my VOIP moden without issues

Cool. Have you tried having multiple phones off-hook at the same time, ie the kids talking to grandpa and grandma?

When I researched VoIP (IIRC last summer), all the providers had warnings plastered all over the place to NOT connect the adapter into the house telco wiring. When I spoke to a tech from Vonage, he indicated that the main problem was insufficient juice. He did admit (under questioning) that there was also a problem of people forgetting to disconnect the house wiring from the local telco before hooking into the adapter. From your comments, it sounds like the problem is less of the former and more of the latter.

 

[sbessel]

... as long as you are under the REN you should be fine. I have had 2 lines off-hook without an issue.

 

[Rupp]

What's REN? Other than a pretty girl? :huh:

 

[JohnBullard]

REN equals Ringer Equivalancy (sp?) Number.

All phones are marked with a REN number. Sort equals how much "current" the phone uses.

The Telco supplies each home or business with a certain amount of "current". When you connect more phones (drawing more "current" then telco supplies), your connection may drop.

This explanation is not technically exact, but gives you the idea.

Back in the old days, with Western Electric 500 series rotary dial phones, I could only connect 3. I had to call the phone company when I connected the 4th, to have them "boost" my line.

 

[smee]

Vonage uses either of two devices on the customer end:
1) Linksys RT31P2 - router and phone adapter
2) Linksys PAP2 - phone adapter only (connect behind your current router)

Both support two phone lines - if you get two from Vonage.

Each phone line supports an REN of 5. You need to add up the numbers for every device you want to connect (should be on the device label). This includes phones, modems, caller id boxes, etc. Most devices these days have a REN less than 1. The total should be less than 5.

 

[Joe W]

Let me chime in with a plug for Voip service. Been using ATT's CallVantage for about 4 months. They supplied the TA - Telephone Adapter. It's the interface between your phone wiring and your home network. I have two lines, one POTS the other Voip both running on the same phone cable. $29/month unlimited calling throughout USA. No other charges for features. ATT was able to port my number. I use this on a two-line Panasonic cordless phone system with 6 handsets. No problems. Line 1 is POTS, line 2 is Voip. All outgoing calls go through the VoIP line. Saves me a fortune on calls especially since most of my relatives are in NY and I am in NJ,.

NetCallerID see's the callerID info just fine. In fact, since I have a customized phone book with the Voip service, It announces callers as they are entered in my phone book (ie, Grandma instead of her real name).

CallVantage's downside is that the original D-Link telephone adapters did not support being behind a router which kinda stinks if you have HS running as a WEB service. The port forwarding didn't work quite right. They have newer adapters that can be placeed behind your router and allows your web server to be seen.