VOIP with a WISP

Hi I use a Wisp for my connection. The router is a Ubiquity, with just a lan port. Is there a way I can use a VOIP service with this, without spending a fortune?

It will be for primarily residential use.
Suggestions for provider would be good too, ta

Many thanks
Woody

I use an ATA device a Linksys PAP2T specifically. This has now been discontinued but superceeded with the Cisco SPA112 (about £32).

You would connect the ATA to the lan port of your router and plug a phone into the ATA. You would also need to then subscribe to a VOIP provider. I use Voipfone and VoipTalk as providers and have done for several years as my ATA can support 2 Voip providers. I have tried other providers over the years also.

You can also go for Vonage from £8 / month. They will send you a cheap ATA all configured so you would just plug it into router and connect your phone.

Other avenues are available ie using Voip handsets but I have no experience in that field.

One thing to remember with Voip is that latency is the issue here not bandwidth. By that I mean how quick your internet responds. To test open a command prompt and say ping the bbc site. If you pings are in the low 10ms you are fine. Voip will work with latency speeds of 50-60ms. Beyond that level you will start hearing echoes, etc.....

Hope this has been of help.

Good Luck

Edited by risk_reversal (Fri 26-Aug-16 17:22:20)

The best way to find out if it works is to just try it. All it takes, at your end, is some (free) software on your PC.

We have used Voipfone in the past, and they have the following links that might help:
http://www.voipfone.co.uk/PB_Free_Phone.php
http://www.voipfone.co.uk/softphone_download.php

There's a few numbers you can try to see if things work OK before adding any credit to try out real calls. 152, 154 and 155 for example:
http://www.voipfone.co.uk/service-numbers.php

They do complicated business setups for business, but also cater for simple single-line connections.

If it turns out to work on the PC, you can turn to hardware solutions.

Voipfone sell some VoIP adapters that can be used for your existing phones. Or, if you're changing cordless phones, you might choose something with VoIP built-in. I'd choose a Siemens cordless based on an "N300 ip basestation" or an "N300a IP basestation".

In reply to a post by ukwoody:

Hi I use a Wisp for my connection. The router is a Ubiquity, with just a lan port. Is there a way I can use a VOIP service with this, without spending a fortune?

It will be for primarily residential use.
Suggestions for provider would be good too, ta

Many thanks
Woody

VOIP on a Wisp connection is perfectly workable.

I work for a WISP in North East Scotland and we have many customers on VOIP telecoms, either sold by us or by sourcing their own supplier.

providing they have configured their network ok, have decent bandwidth and latency and haven't blocked the required ports you are ok

which WISP are you with?

In reply to a post by connormill:

In reply to a post by ukwoody:

Hi I use a Wisp for my connection. The router is a Ubiquity, with just a lan port. Is there a way I can use a VOIP service with this, without spending a fortune?

It will be for primarily residential use.
Suggestions for provider would be good too, ta

Many thanks
Woody

VOIP on a Wisp connection is perfectly workable.

I work for a WISP in North East Scotland and we have many customers on VOIP telecoms, either sold by us or by sourcing their own supplier.

providing they have configured their network ok, have decent bandwidth and latency and haven't blocked the required ports you are ok

which WISP are you with?

WISP is a local one called Bluewave Internet. They do offer their own VOIP, but for various reasons I do not wish to take that

In reply to a post by ukwoody:

Hi I use a Wisp for my connection. The router is a Ubiquity, with just a lan port. Is there a way I can use a VOIP service with this, without spending a fortune?

It will be for primarily residential use.
Suggestions for provider would be good too, ta

Many thanks
Woody

A bargain basement connection in your case will require:
1) A four port hub £15
2) An ATA adapter £35
3) Maybe a couple of Ethernet cables £8
4) A cheap corded phone £10
5) A PAYG account with DrayTEL

That £68 investment will enable you to carry out some test calls by making free calls to any 0800 number and to other DrayTEL users [although I guess you will not know anyone on that service at this time]. There is a DrayTEL test number to use.

You will be unlucky for the VoIP service not to work.

Then:
6) Buy £15 worth of call credit which will entitle you to a free 01/02 number selected from a pretty comprehensive range of exchanges.
7) You are then up and away to make and receive calls to any POTS number without call connection charges with call charges around 2p a minute. This "second" line does not attract a line rental.

Call quality may be affected if large downloads are in progress. You can opt to go for a more upmarket setup of which the VoIP Gigaset phones are worthy of serious consideration.

I can not see anything else cheaper on the market place that will get you up and running for under £100 . Hope that is not a fortune to you. PM with your DrayTEL number when up and running and I will be delighted to call you.

Thank you. Why the 4 port hub, please?

I'd strongly recommend a Gigaset N300A with as many Gigaset C430 (or similar) handsets as you feel you need.

This eliminates a box from the analogue phone + ATA adaptor situation (as the N300A is the base station without the ATA adaptor).

Provider wise, I use AAISP, they are very fair on pricing, have a simple but powerful control panel, and I was able to port my old BT number in (I'm now on VM and have no line rental, I pay £1.20 a month for the SIP line, and very little for calls. Most of those that give you a free line are way overpriced for calls).

In reply to a post by ukwoody:

Thank you. Why the 4 port hub, please?

The 4 port hub is because you said you have a ubiquiti router with one port only, so without the hub you can only connect one device. The hub is to allow you to connect your PC as well as the phone and whatever else you are using.

If you already have something behind the ubiquiti you may not need the hub.

In reply to a post by ukwoody:

Thank you. Why the 4 port hub, please?

Because of this statement:
The router is a Ubiquity, with just a lan port.
I took this to mean it was a single LAN port router; the ATA requires a LAN port.