[ale] Slightly OT: recommendations for VOIP/SIP to replace POTS

[neal at mnopltd.com]

So, we dived in, bought the HT802, signed up with VOIP.ms, used their 
recipe, got it going fairly quickly.

Ported out AT&T line over, now we're paying $2/month for two inbound 
lines, with rollover.  We were paying AT&T $50 for one line.

Voip.ms support is really outstanding.   Compared to TCP/ip, VPNs, 
Routing, Firewalls, this stuff seems to be about 5X more complex in 
terms of fiddly parameters, but their support chat agents are prompt, 
knowledgeable, and thus far we've fixed everything with the first agent 
we've encountered.


On 2022-11-25 01:42, David Ritchie via Ale wrote:
> If you really don't want to have to screw around with this much, and
> need to port your existing number in, I have found ooma premier
> service to be a good option, and it supports nomorobo to filter
> spammers. The unit is about $100 and comes with two lines - monthly
> rates may be a bit higher but it is pretty much fire and forget.
> 
> -- David Ritchie
> 
> On Sat, Nov 12, 2022 at 3:06 PM Alex Carver via Ale <ale at ale.org>
> wrote:
> 
>> The HT802 provides two line service using the standard inner/outer
>> pair
>> configuration of the single jack on the back. (That's why it's the
>> HT802, two lines -- The HT801 is one line). Each line can be
>> configured
>> with separate SIP credentials/accounts to whomever the SIP provider
>> is
>> which would give you some combination of two lines. Some providers
>> can
>> give you two lines of the same number and others would give you two
>> different numbers.
>> 
>> Keep in mind that a SIP trunking provider is different from a VoIP
>> provider. The trunking provider doesn't necessarily have the POTS
>> connection, the VoIP provider does. 3CX is a SIP trunking provider
>> along
>> with a cloud PBX provider. They're the ones you use to manage an
>> office
>> of VoIP phones but they don't necessarily give you the phone number.
>> 
>> Instead you connect your 3CX system to a VoIP provider to get a
>> phone
>> number. So you really only need a VoIP provider that has the
>> interconnections in place like voip.ms [1] or Vonage or similar VoIP
>> 
>> providers. For a single SIP device like the HT802 ATA that's all
>> you'd need.
>> 
>> On 2022-11-11 08:04, Neal Rhodes via Ale wrote:
>>> Thanks to all for replies.   Yes, sounds attractive.  No, don't
>> want to
>>> add telecom guru to my brain if avoidable.  Installing subway tile
>> 
>>> backsplash in the kitchen is my brain exercise for the month.
>> Following
>>> a known recipe would be more better.
>>> 
>>> So, instead of paying $50/mo to AT&T to enable the POTS jack on
>> the back
>>> of their fiber device, which feeds the POTS wiring in the house, I
>> can:
>>> 
>>> - Buy the Grandstream GS-HT802 2 Port Analog Telephone Adapter
>> VoIP
>>> Phone & Device for $38 one time;
>>> - Use VOIP.ms Residential for about $5/mo, or maybe 3CX for
>> free/mo.
>>> - Port the existing phone number.
>>> - Plug the existing house wiring into the HT802
>>> - Use the existing house phones for inbound & outbound.
>>> 
>>> Yes?
>>> 
>>> I also see some ambiguity - The HT802 says it is 2 ports.  It says
>> 2 SIP
>>> profiles.  Some of the comments indicate it supports POTS Line 1 &
>> Line
>>> 2.  But the pictures only show one POTS jack.   (Which has 4
>> wires, and
>>> can support two POTS lines)   Our POTS phones ARE 2 line, using a
>> single
>>> POTS jack.  Are the pictures on Amazon wrong, does it really have
>> two
>>> RJ11 jacks, or is the single jack handling both?
>>> 
>>> Some of the questions/answers suggest the HT812 in order to have
>> inbound
>>> rollover from Line 1 to Line 2.  Which would be nice, but not
>> necessary.
>>> 
>>> regards,
>>> 
>>> Neal
>>> 
>>> On 2022-11-09 22:27, DJPfulio--- via Ale wrote:
>>>> On 11/9/22 21:18, Neal Rhodes via Ale wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>> 
>> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Grandstream-WP810-Portable-Wi-Fi-Device/dp/B087D5TB7C/ref=asc_df_B087D5TB7C
>>>> 
>>>> If you are still happy with your POTS normal home phones, get an
>> ATA
>>>> like I suggested in the earlier message.  Mine is a 6-node
>> cordless
>>>> (pre-DEC) system with chargers/handsets all around the house. The
>> base
>>>> station plugs into the ATA and all the handsets work as expected,
>>>> including caller ID.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Grandstream-GS-HT802-Analog-Telephone-Adapter/dp/B01JH7MYKA
>>>> for $40 is what I'd get today.  The single-port version isn't
>> much
>>>> cheaper, but perhaps you still like to use fax?
>>>> 
>>>> VoIP.ms has configuration examples for many devices. Easy to
>> follow if
>>>> you don't want to become a telecom guru.
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Ale mailing list
>>>> Ale at ale.org
>>>> https://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale
>>>> See JOBS, ANNOUNCE and SCHOOLS lists at
>>>> http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Ale mailing list
>>> Ale at ale.org
>>> https://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale
>>> See JOBS, ANNOUNCE and SCHOOLS lists at
>>> http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> Ale mailing list
>> Ale at ale.org
>> https://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale
>> See JOBS, ANNOUNCE and SCHOOLS lists at
>> http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo
> 
> 
> Links:
> ------
> [1] http://voip.ms
> _______________________________________________
> Ale mailing list
> Ale at ale.org
> https://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale
> See JOBS, ANNOUNCE and SCHOOLS lists at
> http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo