Running the ATA directly into the house phone jacks

Posts: 1

I'm going to be moving into a new townhouse and considering trying out Vonage. I will be getting cable internet and not even bothering hooking up POTS. I'm just wondering if I should have any problems if I plug the ATA directly into a phone jack so I can use the other jacks in the house. There shouldnt be any voltage running through the phone jacks since I wont have the POTS connected.

Posts: 2135 · Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2003 11:29 am Post subject:

You really should make sure that the wiring is truly (physically) disconnected from the telco at the Network interface into your home. Just because you will not have a POTS line, does not mean that voltage is not going through it.

Posts: 44 · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2003 5:03 pm Post subject:

Agreed
The voltages potentially running through your POTS line could fry your ATA!
We wouldnt want that now would we.
Simplest check would be with a volt meter or similar - or find the box where your phone line connects to the telco's network. It wouldnt be a bad idea to check that it is disconnected anyway, as whilst it may be dead now, you dont know that that will always be the case. Some numbnutz enginner might accidentially pipe something down your line that you dont want hitting your ATA.