telephone wiring for Vonage

[[email protected]]

I just got Vonage (www.vonage.com), a DSL service for voice telephone.
It has a jack from a modem for your telephone, which works just fine.
However, I was wondering if I could plug it into the existing telephone
(POTS) wiring in the house. I did but it does not work. Is there any
way that I can use the existing home wiring for this.

 

[HeyBub]

I just got Vonage (www.vonage.com), a DSL service for voice telephone.
It has a jack from a modem for your telephone, which works just fine.
However, I was wondering if I could plug it into the existing
telephone (POTS) wiring in the house. I did but it does not work.
Is there any way that I can use the existing home wiring for this.

Ask Vonage. We've got three of them, each plugged into our PBX system as if
they were POTS trunk lines.

Of course if your existing house wiring is still connected to the telephone
company wires, all bets are off.

 

[grodenhiATgmailDOTcom]

I have my Vonage box plugged into my home's POTS wiring (just picked
any jack in my home and plugged the Vonage box into that instead of a
telelphone). BEFORE doing so, I unhooked the incoming phone line from
the street at my phone box on the side of the house. Also, if your
home is/was ever wired for two lines in the past it could cause
problems. This has worked for almost 2 years for me.

 

[RayV]

If you have the grey telephone network interface (TNI) box on your
house try this:

Open the TNI box and unplug the jack
Plug you modem into a known working wall jack
All other jacks in the house should now work

If you don't have the TNI box you will have to disconnect the phone
company wires from the distribution block.

 

[[email protected]]

Yea, I disconnnected the wiring from the old telephone co.
I just found out that I need a switch which swaps the wiring.
I should have plugged it into the TNI box, but it was outside,
and did not want my line to go out of the house (afraid that someone
might tap in).

 

[dkarnes]

Ask Vonage. We've got three of them, each plugged into our PBX system as if
they were POTS trunk lines.

Of course if your existing house wiring is still connected to the telephone
company wires, all bets are off.

i changed to wowcable co. they just plugged the modem to a regular
telephone outlet. now all the outlets work.

 

[[email protected]]

if a vonage or other VOIP box gets connected even for a second to the
OLD voltage network of a regular phone you will need a new VOIP box.

Regular phone line voltage fries them..

 

[nj_dilettante]

I just got Vonage (www.vonage.com), a DSL service for voice telephone.
It has a jack from a modem for your telephone, which works just fine.
However, I was wondering if I could plug it into the existing
telephone (POTS) wiring in the house. I did but it does not work.
Is there any way that I can use the existing home wiring for this.

Piggyback question:

I have two POTS lines, and am in the process of switching one to Vonage. My
existing lines run on physically separate wires and work well on all of my
2-line telephones as long as both lines are plugged into ONE of the phones.
Will I be able to do this with Vonage, or will I need separate telephones?

 

[ameijers]

If you have the grey telephone network interface (TNI) box on your
house try this:

Open the TNI box and unplug the jack
Plug you modem into a known working wall jack
All other jacks in the house should now work

If you don't have the TNI box you will have to disconnect the phone
company wires from the distribution block.

When you disconnect at the demarc or connector block, TAPE OVER the rj11 or
spade lugs, and tag the line. Phone company sometimes does go to wrong
address, and if you happen to live in a duplex or something, the odds go up.
Any time you do anything non-standard in a box where trades or amatuers may
be in there, leave notes as to what you did. Personally, I would disconnect
in basement where the wires are split out.

aem sends...

 

[MP]

If you want to use the existing wiring and plugs with a VoIP service, you
need to connect the VoIP service to the initial connection.

You wired phone comes in from outside and connects to an initial 2pair of
wires. That is where you need to make the connection from the VoIP box; once
that's done, the rest of the plugs will be working on Vonage.

 

[RayV]

When you disconnect at the demarc or connector block, TAPE OVER the rj11 or
spade lugs, and tag the line. Phone company sometimes does go to wrong
address, and if you happen to live in a duplex or something, the odds go up.
Any time you do anything non-standard in a box where trades or amatuers may
be in there, leave notes as to what you did. Personally, I would disconnect
in basement where the wires are split out.

aem sends...

Good point.

 

[RayV]

If you want to use the existing wiring and plugs with a VoIP service, you
need to connect the VoIP service to the initial connection.

No you don't, the jacks in a house are wired in parallel. Once you
disconnest from the network you can connect anywhere. My modem is
plugged into a jack upstairs and every other jack (5 others) work fine.

 

[[email protected]]

Piggyback question:

I have two POTS lines, and am in the process of switching one to Vonage. My
existing lines run on physically separate wires and work well on all of my
2-line telephones as long as both lines are plugged into ONE of the phones.
Will I be able to do this with Vonage, or will I need separate telephones?

bad idea if the phone has a conference capability, just a split second
cross connect and vonage adapter is toast

 

[Mark Lloyd]

I just got Vonage (www.vonage.com), a DSL service for voice telephone.

Vonage should work over ANY broadband internet connection (such as
cable). It is not DSL-specific.

It has a jack from a modem for your telephone, which works just fine.
However, I was wondering if I could plug it into the existing telephone
(POTS) wiring in the house. I did but it does not work. Is there any
way that I can use the existing home wiring for this.

You can. Just make sure the regular phoneline is disconnected FIRST.
--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what
to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb
contesting the vote." - Benjamin Franklin