I am evaluating Vonage's VOIP service. I would like to know if you can
plug a phone line from their adapter to an existing telco jack and be
able to use phones on other jacks in the house. I saw a post on this
issue dated 2002, but I am not sure if is addressing the same thing.
Thank you.
[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Yes, you can, **but be absolutely
certain before you start this project you have any/all incoming lines
from telco totally disconnected at the demarc.** Any stray telco
voltage/dialtone finding its way in to the Vonage wires will sure as
the world blow up your Vonage ATA box.
I have done this -- I have Vonage and my telco line both running all
over my house, through a PBXtra -- but it helps if you know all your
internal phone wiring very well before you start. Split the telco
connection at the demarc, then plug in the Vonage box, take an
instrument around to your various phone jacks and see if it works,
which it should. My electronic PBX (brand name is PBXtra) is located
in my computer area, where my (single) telco line also comes in. I
mounted the PBXtra in that area also, then I ran a 12-pair cable
between the demarc outside and that PBXtra in my computer area. I used
one pair to bring the telco line in, and a half dozen or so of the
other pairs to shuttle the same PBXtra back out to the demarc, where I
hooked in all the various pairs to the 'extension phones' on the telco
line, but to the PBXtra rather than the telco line. I put the telco
line on the 'dial 9' position on the PBXtra, and the Vonage line on
the 'dial 8' position on PBXtra. Dial tone from the PBXtra allows any
of the extensions to dial each other, or dial '8' (plus further
dialing to use Vonage), or dial '9' (plus further dialing to use the
telco line).
If you, or any other readers, want to try Vonage in your own application,
I will give you a coupon good for a month of free service. You have to
use the link in the e-coupon to obtain the adapter box, and set up the
service and use a credit card to pay for the box and a month of
service. Then, whatever kind of service plan you selected, my e-coupon
kicks in and gives you the *second month* of service for free. To get
your e-coupon, email me at ptownson@massis.csail.mit.edu .
Oh, and if you want to get a PBXtra (officially it is a 'line sharing
device, **NOT** a home-style PBX, but its the same difference) you can
get one from Mike Sandman ( mike@sandman.com or http://sandman.com )
on phone 630-980-7710. They cost about four hundred dollars. PAT]
kungfuadam@hotmail.com