Cable Modem, Router, and Phone Line Hook Up Questions

Posts: 9 · New Forum Member Joined: May 21, 2006 Posts: 9

Hello all,

I am thinking about getting Vonage phone service really soon (like tomorrow if possible). However, something has been bugging me and I need somebody knowledgeable that can help me out.

To begin, my house is two stories with my main Panasonic 2.4Ghz answering machine + handset phone on the first floor. It’s there because of the convenience of listening to messages when I walk in the door.
My computer is in my office on the second floor. Along with my computer, it’s hooked up via cable modem for internet access and a Belkin Wireless Pre-N Router for my laptop.

Questions:

1.)If I get Vonage I have to hook up the phone adapter router to my current router right?
2.)If yes for question #1, then this would mean I have to connect my Panasonic answering machine upstairs to hook up the phone wire into the Vonage phone adapter right?

In other words, I want my answering machine downstairs on the first floor. I have no need for it in my office on the second floor.

Help! Is there a way around this?

Thanks!

Posts: 4777 · Vonage Forum **MVM** Joined: Aug 30, 2005 Posts: 4777

Well first, there's an issue that you have to work with your cordless phone. Since it's a 2.4 GHz cordless, you have the potential for interference and some very strange problems with wireless routers, be they Vonage wireless routers or otherwise. Since you're not currently having a problem, maybe you never will, but it's likely to clobber you when it's least expected. Even if you don't go with Vonage, you may want to consider upgrading to a 5.8 GHz phone system.

For your first question, the answer is that you can plug the Vonage router into your current router or you can replace your current router with a wireless Vonage router (assuming you still want wireless). Either way, the Vonage box would be co-located with your cable modem, which I think is the thrust of your question.

For question 2, the answer is yes, but there are potential solutions. One solution would be to get a wireless access point that would communicate with your existing wireless router. You could locate this downstairs near the answering machine and plug the Vonage adapter into it. I really don't recommend this. You end up with potential issues involving several pieces of equipment, and big time troubleshooting problems.

A better solution, if you have house wiring and phone jacks located both upstairs and downstairs is to use the house wiring. Basically, you disconnect any other phone service from the house wiring (very important!!) and then locate the Vonage router with your computer equipment. Then you plug the phone output of the Vonage box into a wall jack and your answering machine downstairs works normally, plugged into a jack downstairs.

Of course phone mail is a feature provided by Vonage if you want to get rid of your existing answering machine.

Posts: 9 · New Forum Member Joined: May 21, 2006 Posts: 9

So it's possible I can use all the phone jacks in the house as normal? W00t

I am assuming that the need to disbale the current phone service is because of the power going through them right?

So connect phone jack from wall into the Vonage adapter and all phone jacks in the house gets a dial tone ready to be used with any phone?

Posts: 4777 · Vonage Forum **MVM** Joined: Aug 30, 2005 Posts: 4777

BirdDoh wrote:

So it's possible I can use all the phone jacks in the house as normal? W00t

I am assuming that the need to disbale the current phone service is because of the power going through them right?

So connect phone jack from wall into the Vonage adapter and all phone jacks in the house gets a dial tone ready to be used with any phone?

Yes, it's quite possible. Disconnecting the current service is both because of the power from that service and because of the load presented by long underground lines (assuming the old service is a land line).

Assuming that all the jacks are currently working with the existing single-line service, then disconnecting the old service and plugging the Vonage adapter into a jack will activate all the other jacks. You do have to be sure that when you disconnect the old service you don't inadvertently separate wires going to the various jacks. That's easy to do, since the wires are often tied together on common terminals.

As far as using "any phone", the answer in general is yes. You need to be careful about mixing cordless phones and wireless LANs, and you can't hook up dozens of phones. The adapter couldn't handle that load, primarily because of the load caused by the ringer circuits. That said, it generally isn't a problem- hook up your house wiring and your phones and go.

By the way, you should go to www.testyour voip.com and run a test call to Boston before you sign up. It will give you an idea of how well VoIP is likely to work for you with your internet service.

Posts: 9 · New Forum Member Joined: May 21, 2006 Posts: 9

Thanks for the help Steve I appreciate it.

My house was built in 2000 and my current phone service is a landline service, no VOIP.

Posts: 170 · Posted: Mon May 22, 2006 10:23 am Post subject:

Since your house was built in 200 you will have a Network Interface Device (NID) box on the side of your house. This is also sometimes called a Network Interface Unit (NIU), but they are one in the same. This makes it easy to disconnect from the phone company wiring. You can check out the thread: vonage-forum.com/ftopic8379.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" class="postlink">Vonage Forum Thread on House Wiring or this one:

vonage-forum.com/home-wiring-installation-guide.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" class="postlink">Home Wiring Installation Guide

I found it much easier to disconnect the house wiring from inside the house rather than at the NID. I looked inside my house to see where the wires from the NID came into the house. Mine terminated at a "66-Block" which is where all the wires from inside the house were joined together. I simply isolated the phone company wire from the NID to the 66-Block, then plugged in the Vonage phone adapter to a jack near my cable model. That jack was being used by a phone, so a simple 2 to 1 RJ-11 phone jack solved that issue.

As noted throughout this forum, is is important to label the disconnect very clearly. If someone who thinks they're helping reconnects the phone company wiring, you could easily damage your Vonage phone adapter. I made a BIG RED SIGN that reads:

"Warning! This house is wired for VoIP Phone Service. Phone service will be interrupted and damage to electronic equipment will result if house telephone lines are connected to the Telephone company."

I also found this link on phone wiring useful: Phone Man's Home Phone Wiring Advice Page

Good luck!

Posts: 9 · New Forum Member Joined: May 21, 2006 Posts: 9

This is how my Network Interface Box looks like:

Posts: 4777 · Vonage Forum **MVM** Joined: Aug 30, 2005 Posts: 4777

Pulling those two phone plugs (particularly the top one) should have you ready to go. As Booma indicated, be sure to mark them so no one plugs them back in.

Posts: 2 · New Forum Member Joined: Aug 03, 2006 Posts: 2

I have the same box as the pic BirdDoh provided. In my home office I have 2 phone jacks and they are each on a different line. I need both on the same line...one for the Vonage router (to activate all the lines in the house) and the other for the phone in my office. I disconnected the external plugs but is there a way to connect the two lines on the external box so both jacks can be used?

Posts: 170 · Posted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 10:00 pm Post subject:

Just use a Y adapter. Plug the Y adapter into the jack, plug your phone in one of the Y jacks, and a cable from the Line 1 jack of the Vonage box to the other jack of the Y. Done!