I may have a new job soon which requires me to use a VOIP phone which they will supply.
How does this work exactly?
Will it probably simply be able to be used with my current internet connection, or will I need to pay for an additional service from my ISP? (It’s cable internet… Comcast…)
What (if anything) does the phone plug into? My laptop? A wall? Will it likely work with my simple wi-fi setup or am I likely to have to get some new line of some kind installed or something?
Etc.
Much of your question depends on what solution will be provided, but I can safely say you will not need to pay for any additional services from your ISP.
We got Cisco phones similar to this recently. The quality is amazing.
I’ve used two types of VOIP phones. One of them looks like a normal desk phone, but plugs into an ethernet port. Other than where you plug it in, you wouldn’t notice the difference.
The other is a software package for the computer. It produces a graphic of a phone, that behaved like you’d expect it. You’d want a headset with a microphone plugged into the computer for this to work.
Either way, it’s pretty simple and intuitive.
*ETA: Technically, I used a few other types, but they were cell phones with VOIP features. I worked an early VOIP cell phone in the early 2000s, and an UMA/GAN phone in the early 2010s. But that’s not likely to be what you’re talking about here.
you would plug it into a router or switch port. VOIP phone is a computer that you talk through.
Okay thanks for the information so far.
My router is in the living room, plugged in to our only cable outlet. It will be near-impossible for me to set up the phone in there–that’s where things are happening all the time that make noise, and I need to be in a place where house-noises won’t come through over the phone.
We were expecting I’d be working from a desk set up in my bedroom.
Is there a way to have the phone plugged in to something that communicates with the router via wi-fi?
If so, how likely is this to interfere with call quality?
You basically need to get an Ethernet port/jack up to your desk. You have a couple of options.
[ol]
[li]Run a cable from the living room to the bedroom.[/li][li]Get a wireless bridge.[/li][/ol]
A wireless bridge is similar to your wireless router, except it may only have 1 external port. It communicates with your router, and has a port into which you would plug your phone.
I’m not sure about the quality of VOIP over a home wireless network. It will all depend on your equipment.
The following link is from DLINK, but I’m not advocating any one particular manufacturer. The page just has some clear information about bridges. http://us.dlink.com/resource-centre/how-to-guides/how-to-extend-your-network-with-a-wireless-bridge/
Disclaimer: I don’t work for DLINK or use any of their products.
My company’s landline system is provided by Avaya. When I work at home, I connect to the company’s network through my home Wifi and a VPN connection. Avaya provides VOIP software that allows me to log my computer into the Avaya system at the office, so calls to my office desk are routed to my computer when I am logged on from home. I have a USB head set that I use to make and receive calls. The sound quality is excellent.
I wouldn’t do anything until you hear what the VOIP software/hardware actually is and what it needs. If it’s something just runs on your PC (which I assume has internet access) then there’s no need run new cables.
Or you could get a cordless phone.
One thing though, which you probably already know, if your cable/internet is out you won’t have a phone either. That’s why they recommend having a cell phone in addition to the VOIP phone.
I’ve had VOIP for several years and it looks different from many of the above.
For years beforehand I had a regular land line, hardwired through the house from the network Interface Box on the outside of the house, and had a huge amount of trouble with it. The cable buried between the utility pole and my house kept failing and they’d send a trencher out to replace it every several years, and reliability was still terrible. To this day it baffles me why this was the case, especially considering that replacing several hundred feet of buried cable had to cost them a bundle every time they did it. Especially frustrating was the fact that in more recent years they had an automated electronic fake person to answer calls for phone repair, who would force me to go through a procedure of unplugging the main line in the Network Interface Box and testing it with a single phone out in the driveway, which procedure of course requires hanging up, thereby putting me back at the beginning of the que for the electronic fake person, in an endless loop. I resorted to things like stopping on the side of the road wherever I saw a phone company truck and talking to the people in it, who were always helpful and would come to the house and fix me up.
So I got VOIP through the internet service provider I already had, which was based on “Cable TV” television cable (though I never had the television service).
They came out and gave me a different cable “modem” (I know, it isn’t really a modem, but that’s what they call it). This has two ordinary phone jacks on it in addition to ethernet jacks. One of them was activated, and the other could be if I ordered an additional line. My phone number stayed the same, but my Network Interface Box got removed, my old Verizon land line account was closed, and I got a bigger bill from my “Cable TV” internet service provider.
All I did was run a phone cord between the new “modem” and the nearest phone jack in my existing wiring. All our existing phones continued to work as they had before, and if I had not told Mrs. Napier what I was doing, I don’t know how she would ever have figured out for sure that something had changed.
The biggest difference I have noticed is the reliability is much better. We lose electrical power several times a year for hours or days at a time, and the “modem” has a battery but it doesn’t last long, so that’s the biggest cause of phone outages, and it’s self repairing when the power comes back. We no longer have the line just die for no visible reason and stay dead until we get the repair people out several days later. The quality is also much nicer, as there is no more crackling and sizzling and hum.
As Revtim says, you should wait until you know what the setup is going to be.
My set up is basically: cable comes into house > splitter splits it so one cable goes to cable box and another goes to the modem > cable attaches to modem in back > cordless phone and wireless router plug into modem.
That’s it, easy peasy and no computer involved.
You may need a VOIP-aware router if call quality is important, especially if you’re trying to do it wirelessly. The router’s quality of service (QoS) function can throttle other users as needed to maintain call quality.
As suggested above, hold off on getting or changing anything until you know exactly what kind of phone you’ll get - a “real” piece of equipment, something that plugs into a USB port, or just software, and see what the tech people recommend.
My personal VOIP is based on a device called an ObiHai, which has a network cable on one end, and an “old school” analog phone port on the other. It’s linked to my Google Voice account.
I have a wireless analog phone system plugged into the analog port, with wireless handset/bases at my PC and by my bed. So when somebody calls my Google Voice number, it rings all the handsets. Also, my mobile phone rings, but that’s just setup in Google Voice, and not related to the ObiHai.
How did this turn out Frylock?
I have a VOIP phone that I use when I work from home. I plug it into my router and it gets a dial tone and makes calls. Just putting it on the Internet lets it attach to your office’s network. It needs to be configured but the people supplying it will do that (or maybe walk you through it).
Anyone have experience with installing their own VOIP adapter on a Comcast cable IP network? I am looking for a 2 line adapter like this, then contract with a VOIP provider like VOIP.ms. They provide VOIP service for $9.99/mo per line (I need two lines). Or is is it easier to go through a full service provider like Vonage or Ooma and use their hardware and service bundle? I also want to port two numbers from my cable provider.
I’m not a Comcast customer, but I do use voip.ms and just set up an account for my brother-in-law yesterday.
You likely don’t need two accounts. You can setup sub-accounts and have as many DID (phone) numbers as you need.
What is your end goal for the two lines?
I’m self-employed, so I have a business line and a personal line.