Use of Vonage in UK

Posts: 8 · Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2003 7:46 pm Post subject: Use of Vonage in UK

I remember someone mentioning using their Vonage service in the UK or Ireland. Does anyone know if you can just get a plug adapter for the ATA or do you need a voltage adapter too?

Thanks.

Posts: 40 · Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2003 3:24 am Post subject:

My ATA shipped with a 110/220 VAC, 50/60 Hz power supply fitted with a NEMA15 (110 VAC, 3-prong, grounded, U.S.-style) plug.

(Vonage only sells/ships to U.S. addresses)

All you should need is a "physical" adaptor which is available anywhere international travel "stuff" is sold.

Posts: 44 · Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2003 11:43 am Post subject:

Thats one way of doing things.
Easier (and probably cheaper) to source a standard figure of 8 power cable to replace the US one. I actually just chopped the US plug off my cable and put a standard UK one on - worked fine.
As far as the telephone side of things goes - its a standard RJ11 connector. You can connect a newish phone straight to this without any problems. An older phone will need you to put a master socket in there to generate the ring signal.

Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2003 4:32 am Post subject:

Can you elaborate on the 'master socket'? I'm in the UK and having that exact problem, no ringing. I've tried at least 4 phones and nothing. No problem with the connection though. Once I even picked up the phone and connected with someone calling in at the same time.
Call quality is OK and internet connection is good. Just no ring.
Thanks for any help.
Rob

Posts: 7 · New Forum Member Joined: Sep 26, 2003 Posts: 7

I think you might need to use a US phone rather than a UK phone. I don't know much about UK phone standards. The ring on UK phones might require a different voltage.. So the UK phone might not ring on a US phone. This may or may not be the case, but thought I would bring it up..

Posts: 44 · Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2003 2:39 am Post subject:

Hi Guys
Right - traditionally in the UK we've had whats called a master socket. Its the larger than standard socket that is the "main" one in your house - that BT/NTL/Telewest put in place. This is basically a glorified mini circuit that seperates out the ringing voltage onto a 3rd wire - telephone wire up until that point is just two wires. Older UK phones used this 3rd wire to "ring". The US phone system is just 2 wires, the same as ours but without the master socket. Their telephones contain this 'ringing' circuitry within their handsets rather than as we do - on the wall. Now - if you're using a newish UK telephone on your Vonage, you wont have this problem, as modern UK telephones use this 2 wire rather than 3 wire ringing method (they just ignore the 3rd wire). Older telephones need the 3rd wire. If you wish to use an older telephone with your Vonage - you'll need to purchase a master socket, available from Maplin, RS, B&Q usually etc etc. I butchered an old modem cable, which had an RJ11 socket (the US telephone socket - as on the back of the ATA186) and wired it into the master socket on a surface mount box to give my older telephone the ringing wire that it needed.
HTH