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d4m1r
join:2011-08-25

d4m1r to JJ_GTA

Member

to JJ_GTA

Re: Ready to leave POTS....

said by JJ_GTA:

You connect your ATA to your phone wiring but be sure to disconnect your Bell line at the DMARC first. You don't want the Bell voltage on your house wire once you have your ATA working.

This is the confusing part...Coming from the world of cable, I have no idea what a demarcation point actually is or where in my house it is :P How can I find out where it is with instructions on how to "disconnect" it?

Also, lets say I don't use any promo codes....Does it cost extra to port my Bell number over (and if so, how much) and are there any other activation charges?

Thanks again guys!
conwaytwt
Premium Member
join:2004-04-09
Conway, AR

conwaytwt

Premium Member

said by JJ_GTA:

I have no idea what a demarcation point actually is or where in my house it is :P How can I find out where it is with instructions on how to "disconnect" it?

Up until recent years you could have found this information (including line drawings) in your local telephone book. I haven't looked at our phone book in years so I don't know if the info is still there. There are several sites on the web that give detailed info, so some web searches will turn up a few.

HOWEVER if you are at all uncomfortable / unfamiliar I would urge you to consider either paying a local company to do the wiring OR plan to ditch the "old fashioned" POTS phones altogether and get VoIP phones instead and not mess with the "legacy" wiring.

I have two ATAs, a PAP2T and an SPA2102, and even when they were working their best they had some annoying issues, so I'm glad I didn't bother to try to wire them in to the house lines.

I have been MUCH happier with a VoIP phone I bought -- mine is a Panasonic KX-TGP551 with three (it can have up to six) KX-TPA50 cordless handsets. There are other similarly-priced phones that probably work just as well.

Just be sure whatever you get -- ATA or VoIP systems, put the main unit and your router and Cable Modem or DSL adapter on a UPS (uninterruptable power supply) of some sort.
Dan_voip
join:2007-01-03
Saint-Hubert, QC

Dan_voip to d4m1r

Member

to d4m1r
For the demarcation point if you have a house it's a box outside the house but it's also an entry point inside the house close to the outside box, maybe in the basement. You'll want to disconnect from inside the house where you have full control, if you disconnect from outside a Bell tech might reconnect it by mistake and fry your ATA.
Providers you might want to look before making a decision:
Anveo, Freephoneline, Callcentric, voip.ms.
Callwithus has very good rates for outgoing calls with many destinations.
Each one has different plans, take a look to see which one suits you better.
Usually for VoIP incoming and outgoing are paid separately but that doesn't mean you can't have a great deal. You can have many providers by example 1 for incoming calls, 1 for outgoing Canada/US and another for Eastern Europe, that way you can minimize the costs and have a backup all the time. If you go that way you'll need a device who can register to two or more providers, an option can be an IP phone who can register to 6 providers by example.
Eastern Europe is vague, which country/countries do you need to call? BTW 15c/min it's a lot for an European country. Do you need to call also cell phones there and how many minutes landline/cell?
What's your estimated need for incoming/outgoing with Canada?
Do you need to have more than 1 call in the same time, that will decide which ATA to buy if you don't want an IP phone.
All the providers named before don't have activation fees except Frephoneline who has $50 to give you the credentials but will not bill you anything for incoming calls and outgoing to most of the destinations in Canada.
Porting the number will cost you $25 with most of the providers, voip.ms has a promotion for dslreports members for $10 and Anveo has a promotion with free porting for Canada(and US).
Take your time, ask more questions, read more about it to take the better decision for you.

d4m1r
join:2011-08-25

d4m1r

Member

said by Dan_voip:

For the demarcation point if you have a house it's a box outside the house but it's also an entry point inside the house close to the outside box, maybe in the basement. You'll want to disconnect from inside the house where you have full control, if you disconnect from outside a Bell tech might reconnect it by mistake and fry your ATA.

Thanks Dan. I do have a green box outside my house and a line is run from that box to my house, but I thought it was a Rogers only box for cable? What type of adaptor/cable do I need to find in my house? Sounds like I might need a VoIP expert to come and help me with the wiring lol...

To answer a few other things, I only want to have 1 VoIP provider for simplicity, so I would use them for everything (including, outgoing, long distance, etc). Also, I only need 1 line. So far, voip.ms seems like my best bet but messing around with the demarcation point is the only scary part

StillLearn
Premium Member
join:2002-03-21
Streamwood, IL

StillLearn

Premium Member

said by d4m1r:

I do have a green box outside my house and a line is run from that box to my house, but I thought it was a Rogers only box for cable? What type of adaptor/cable do I need to find in my house? Sounds like I might need a VoIP expert to come and help me with the wiring lol...

The demarcation point is where the phone line responsibility switches between the phone company and you. That point would typically be a box on the side of the house if we are talking about a house. This box would also be called a NID (network interface device, I think). In the US it would have a TelCo side, which is harder to open, and a customer side which is easily opened with a screwdriver. In that box, there may be a pigtail with an RJ connector. If you have that, unplugging the pigtail will isolate your inside wiring from the TelCo wiring. »en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ne ··· e_device

If your phone wires don't run through your green box, don't mess with it. A

d4m1r
join:2011-08-25

d4m1r

Member

said by StillLearn:

said by d4m1r:

I do have a green box outside my house and a line is run from that box to my house, but I thought it was a Rogers only box for cable? What type of adaptor/cable do I need to find in my house? Sounds like I might need a VoIP expert to come and help me with the wiring lol...

The demarcation point is where the phone line responsibility switches between the phone company and you. That point would typically be a box on the side of the house if we are talking about a house. This box would also be called a NID (network interface device, I think). In the US it would have a TelCo side, which is harder to open, and a customer side which is easily opened with a screwdriver. In that box, there may be a pigtail with an RJ connector. If you have that, unplugging the pigtail will isolate your inside wiring from the TelCo wiring. »en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ne ··· e_device

If your phone wires don't run through your green box, don't mess with it. A

Thanks for the info guys and indeed, it is a standalone house so I'm hoping I can figure it out.

Worst comes to worst, I'll snap a few pics of the boxes we have on the outside of the garage and in the basement and you guys tell me which is which Seems like I will be going with voip.ms, using a montreal server, and a PAP2T.
Mango
Use DMZ and you get a kick in the dick.
Premium Member
join:2008-12-25
www.toao.net

Mango

Premium Member

Like the others, I recommend the OBi devices instead of the PAP2T - OBi202 if you need two lines and/or a router or OBi100 otherwise. The OBi has a great deal of improvements that result in better audio quality, among other things.

I still have one PAP2T in service that I haven't yet replaced but all my other ATAs are OBi now.

rollerblader7
join:2004-01-11
Burlington, ON

rollerblader7 to conwaytwt

Member

to conwaytwt
I second conwaytwt's recommendation of the Panasonic, after much the same experience by the sounds of it.

d4m1r
join:2011-08-25

d4m1r to Mango

Member

to Mango
said by Mango:

Like the others, I recommend the OBi devices instead of the PAP2T - OBi202 if you need two lines and/or a router or OBi100 otherwise. The OBi has a great deal of improvements that result in better audio quality, among other things.

I still have one PAP2T in service that I haven't yet replaced but all my other ATAs are OBi now.

Is there an additional service cost for 2 lines? If so, how much or does that merely depending on the ATA being able to handle it?

I liked the PAP2T for the simplicity of the device when I researched it and how common it is, and despite it slightly older age, it does have fairly good reputation. Anyway, what are these "OBi" devices people keep talking about? Exact name of manufacter/model? Do they work in the same light as the PAP2T?

Let me know and thanks guys!

TOPDAWG
Premium Member
join:2005-04-27
Calgary, AB

TOPDAWG

Premium Member

the PAP2T is the one I'm using and I love it as it's has two phone ports unlike the Obi that only has one or at least the models I've seen only have one port.

So setting up two lines on the same device is nice as in the future I'll need a business number. Now yeah you would have to pay for a number for that port from voip.ms if you want two lines. If you can find one for a good price I've no issue it's been good to me.
JJ_GTA
Premium Member
join:2009-04-01
Ontario

JJ_GTA

Premium Member

Obi202 has two phone ports. I love that it supports 4 wire wiring green/yellow and black/red so I only need one connection into the Obi for phone1 and phone2.

»www.acrovoice.ca/obistore/

TOPDAWG
Premium Member
join:2005-04-27
Calgary, AB

TOPDAWG

Premium Member

ah cool did not see that modal on amazon.
Mango
Use DMZ and you get a kick in the dick.
Premium Member
join:2008-12-25
www.toao.net

Mango to d4m1r

Premium Member

to d4m1r
said by d4m1r:

Do they work in the same light as the PAP2T?

 
Yes - actually the same engineers developed them. The OBi devices are just the latest versions.

m.
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