internet via fiber optic phone service - how to

Posts: 2 · New Forum Member Joined: Nov 24, 2006 Posts: 2

We have just moved into a new place that has active fiber optic (Verizon) for internet broadband (no actual phone service is active). Our old connection was via cable Vonage supplied cable modem U10C018 and their WRTP54G.
I presume I'll need a new modem capable of connecting to phone line. Will a DSL modem do the job? I'm not clear just how the internet service fiber optic service compares. Is there a different modem for fiber optic connections?
Any and all help appreciated

Posts: 41 · Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 1:57 pm Post subject: re

I work for Verizon DSL and I believe you can use the dsl modem but put it for dhcp. If no one answers you let me know and I will check on it tomorrow. I have customers that call about their fios and they have the same modem as dsl.

Posts: 36 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Dec 27, 2006 Posts: 36

Active fiber! WOW!

I know they have been installing(verizon) here and there for a about a year, first person to claim they have it here.

If you do torrents i would consider upgrading service to better than DSL, and then tell us about it.

If i had it i would get T2 down and T1 up.

Posts: 72 · Full Forum Member Joined: Mar 21, 2006 Posts: 72

elvis4321 wrote:

Active fiber! WOW!

I know they have been installing(verizon) here and there for a about a year, first person to claim they have it here.

If you do torrents i would consider upgrading service to better than DSL, and then tell us about it.

If i had it i would get T2 down and T1 up.

I can't decide whether you are being sarcastic or not. Loads of people here (myself included) have been using Vonage with Verizon FiOS for at least a year. This is however a passive optical network. Though I suspect that when the OP uses the word 'active' he means in the sense of being up and running, rather than a technical sense.

Posts: 72 · Full Forum Member Joined: Mar 21, 2006 Posts: 72

Shagdog wrote:

We have just moved into a new place that has active fiber optic (Verizon) for internet broadband (no actual phone service is active). Our old connection was via cable Vonage supplied cable modem U10C018 and their WRTP54G.
I presume I'll need a new modem capable of connecting to phone line. Will a DSL modem do the job? I'm not clear just how the internet service fiber optic service compares. Is there a different modem for fiber optic connections?
Any and all help appreciated

Verizon FiOS (which is what you have) doesn't use any modem as such. Instead, there is an ONT (Optical Network Terminal), mounted (most likely) on the outside of the house, which provides an Ethernet port that will run to a router somewhere in the house. Although any router may work, Verizon do supply one with the service that is guarenteed to support the FiOS speeds (*). Therefore, you should use this. It may be that the previous occupant took it with them in which case I suspect Verizon will just give you another one free. Your Vonage phone adapter (the WRTP54G) will then just plug into an Ethernet port on the router.

By the way, you mention a Vonage-supplied cable modem. Vonage do not supply cable modems. Therefore, assuming you didn't buy it yourself, it was probably leased from the cable provider you had before, and you should return it before they charge you for it.

(*) Some people have reported problems using some Vonage adapters with the Actiontec routers that Verizon supply now. If you run into this problem you should find loads of posts about it, both here and over at www.dslreports.com.

Posts: 2 · New Forum Member Joined: Nov 24, 2006 Posts: 2

DMS1 wrote:

Shagdog wrote:

We have just moved into a new place that has active fiber optic (Verizon) for internet broadband (no actual phone service is active). Our old connection was via cable Vonage supplied cable modem U10C018 and their WRTP54G.
I presume I'll need a new modem capable of connecting to phone line. Will a DSL modem do the job? I'm not clear just how the internet service fiber optic service compares. Is there a different modem for fiber optic connections?
Any and all help appreciated

Verizon FiOS (which is what you have) doesn't use any modem as such. Instead, there is an ONT (Optical Network Terminal), mounted (most likely) on the outside of the house, which provides an Ethernet port that will run to a router somewhere in the house. Although any router may work, Verizon do supply one with the service that is guaranteed to support the FiOS speeds (*). Therefore, you should use this. It may be that the previous occupant took it with them in which case I suspect Verizon will just give you another one free. Your Vonage phone adapter (the WRTP54G) will then just plug into an Ethernet port on the router.

By the way, you mention a Vonage-supplied cable modem. Vonage do not supply cable modems. Therefore, assuming you didn't buy it yourself, it was probably leased from the cable provider you had before, and you should return it before they charge you for it.

(*) Some people have reported problems using some Vonage adapters with the Actiontec routers that Verizon supply now. If you run into this problem you should find loads of posts about it, both here and over at www.dslreports.com.

Thanks very much for the very informed and helpful reply. Actually my brain mistakenly thought the cable modem was a vonage thing, and of course it isn't.
I do have the Verizon installed router as the ONT.
I gather one then patches the router output to a selected room via their patchboard mounted near the ONT, to one the house phone outlets. If so now my problem is finding a way to go from a phone type outlet to CAT 5 so I can then connect the phone adapter. Are there converters for this or what? Or am I missing something obvious or what?

I'd like to avoid wireless as the ONT is located at the very front of the garage which is an entire story below the main living area, and the depth of the house from convenient phone outlets.

Maybe I can just place it down by the ONT and connect the adapter's phone output the the house's phone lines (presuming there is no power on those lines).
Again, all help appreciated.