Three - VoIP using Ethernet port disabled

Hi everyone. .

I am with Three and have a Huawei router. It says that the Ethernet port for VoIP has been disabled. Is there a workaround for this?

I want to work from home and I will have a VoIP phone that would be used with a desktop PC.

At work the phone is plugged into the Ethernet and the PC is then connected to the VoIP phone in order to get internet.

Or do I need to buy a new unlocked router?

Post deleted by kommando

I think you've got the whole idea of the VOIP port wrong.

Your desk phone from work will probably be voip but registered on their internal network so you might need to request a dedicated IP phone that will work from home. I recently had to do this and ended up with a Cisco 8865 which is excellent on Three. Mine is on wifi but would work with a cable.

Your laptop / computer can be wired or wireless and go from there.

Ah, right!

Yes, our phones are registered on our network. I'll check whether my phone works on a dedicated IP and let my IT department know what I need.

So it doesn't matter that my Huawei router says the Ethernet port is disabled for VoIP then?

Are your work not able to provide a soft phone to work directly off the work provided PC? This would mean the PC handles all the networking and you just have a headset or handset connected via USB to the PC.

That's interesting. I've not heard of that before. Would that type of device also be capable of having my calls recorded as currently happens with my Mitel IP phone via the network?

In reply to a post by Tibby:

Hi everyone. .

I am with Three and have a Huawei router. It says that the Ethernet port for VoIP has been disabled. Is there a workaround for this?

I want to work from home and I will have a VoIP phone that would be used with a desktop PC.

At work the phone is plugged into the Ethernet and the PC is then connected to the VoIP phone in order to get internet.

Or do I need to buy a new unlocked router?

Some routers come with a port to plug an ordinary phone into from which VoIP calls can be made and received. The router obviously needs to be configured with the credentials of the VoIP service but In some cases the VoIP configuration pages cannot be accessed.

You say you have a VoIP phone but don't say if it has been previously used elsewhere or is brand new. If the former, it could well be assigned a fixed IP which may not match the network where it is about to be used. Changing the setup to DHCP would resolve that issue but being able to logon to the phones GUI might be fraught with difficulties if it is protected with logon credentials.

If you have a new phone, then to bring it into service requires knowledge of the VoIP credentials as an absolute minimum requirement; other tweaks in the configuration may well be desirable like the dial plan.

I have not known of any VoIP phone that has not an inbuilt mini-hub that can be used as you describe at your workplace. However it is always best for the phone to have its own dedicated Ethernet socket/service.

Over riding all this is that your internet speed determines the quality of your VoIP calls when simultaneously using the internet to transfer large files.

If you are going to establish a hosted service with one of the many VoIP providers out there, then you will know the POTS number allocated to you to be able to make and receive calls over the public network but it is unlikely that you will be able to make free VoIP to VoIP calls to your employer's VoIP phones.

If your company's IT department is in any way involved with your home installation then bear in mind that your line presentation number may well be the main number of the company and therefore to be able to receive calls directly, then you will need a DDI number.

I have to make the assumption that you wish to be a home worker for the company you are working for and am surprised that your IT department/consultant is not giving you all the help you require to achieve your objectives.

It could be that the setup is for your own business in which case seeking help and advice on this forum is a good idea, but your posting lacks enough detail to be able to respond in the most helpful way.

Essentially the Mitel servers would continue as they are and do everything they normally do. The difference is that instead of having a "physical phone" you have Mitel software installed on your PC that acts as the phone - then you just use a USB headset or handset. If you have a laptop (as most of the people at my work do) then you have your phone available anywhere you can get a network connection - we also have apps on smartphones that mean the phones can make and receive calls as if they were the corporate phone. Check with your IT department to see if they support the softphone capabilities.

Thanks for all the information, it's very helpful.

Perfect! I think I love you 😍😍😍