New VoIP Phone(S)

I have moved from an FTTC to FTTP connection which does not include any phone services. As such I have decided to move the PSTN number associated with my FTTC connection to A&A's VoIP service.

I currently have a Gigaset N300IP which I am looking to replace as it's an older system and there is little support for it..

I noticed A&A offer a Yealink phone and base station (here) which it turns out is a W73P. They charge £120 for 1 handset and base station and then £70 per additional handset.

I can, of course, get the W73P elsewhere, but is it worth it?

Would you recommend another brand/handset at all?

Thanks in advance.

Another Gigaset?

The N300's were/are legendary (I know the original N300(A)IP been EOL'd but there are subsequent models)

EOL as the N300(A)IP but continued as the "GO" although both are still available. There was, as far as I could tell no difference in hardware or firmware.

The current Gigaset IP Base looks much the same except now white and lacks teh PSTN input and may well be a reworked professional N510IP - does have getter GUI and features.

In reply to a post by MHC:

EOL as the N300(A)IP but continued as the "GO" although both are still available. There was, as far as I could tell no difference in hardware or firmware.

The current Gigaset IP Base looks much the same except now white and lacks teh PSTN input and may well be a reworked professional N510IP - does have getter GUI and features.

the n510 ip is eol as well, you would need the 610 ip to have continued firmware updates

The n510ip can work in a multi cell fashion now

It would seem the latest is the A690A IP Base.

I’ll have a look into it

thats just a rebranded n510 ip pro

I went with the A+A service and bought the kit you ask about and yes I think it is worth it.

They come preconfigured to your account so work out of the box.
The other consideration is customer support and A+A excel there, 1 year in I had an isssue with the second phone and called support, they walked me through all the settings until we found the problem , very polite, patient and helpful.

About your "prefigured to your account", does that mean you are an AAISP broadband customer? The OP may not be.

Edited by pluralist (Sun 06-Apr-25 13:16:34)

In reply to a post by pluralist:

About your "prefigured to your account", does that mean you are an AAISP broadband customer? The OP may not be.

No.

I have never had A+A broadband , VOIP / telephone are separate services.

The VOIP phones are preconfigured to the A+A settings. It is explained on their website.

I know they are separate, I was for several years on AAISP broadband. I was just asking for clarification for the other posters, and thank you for supplying it.

Another option could be to change to a router with a built-in analog telephone adapter. That way you can just plug any old DECT phone in to it. I use a Technicolor DGA4134 that can be found on ebay for not a lot of money. Between that and the Acrobits softphone app on the mobile I'm well covered and can make and receive 'landline' calls even when abroad. This is all with the A&A VoIP service.

Edited by sjr (Mon 07-Apr-25 10:42:36)

Just out of interests why did you choose the A&A VoIP service?
Is it really necessary to give the N300IP the elbow?
Looks as though their service costs £12 a month with 800 mixed minutes; is VAT extra?
Are all calls to other A&A VoIP subscribers FOC?
Nearest equivalent service is £14 with a 1000 minutes from Voipfone with a rolling monthly contract. Free trial period available.

In reply to a post by trolleybus:

Just out of interests why did you choose the A&A VoIP service?
Is it really necessary to give the N300IP the elbow?
Looks as though their service costs £12 a month with 800 mixed minutes; is VAT extra?
Are all calls to other A&A VoIP subscribers FOC?
Nearest equivalent service is £14 with a 1000 minutes from Voipfone with a rolling monthly contract. Free trial period available.

I am not a fan of the Gigaset, and it's getting old now with no support, so was thinking of upgrading.

Not sure about FOC calls between A&A customers.

I chose it because the cost is £1.44 per month inc VAT to "rent" the number, as opposed to Voipfone who charge £3 per month ex VAT. I rarely use the landline for calls so I am happy to pay per minute as opposed to any inclusive package.

Edited by CJT (Mon 07-Apr-25 22:14:54)

As far as I know there are no charges between A&A customers. I have two A&A numbers and when testing during setting up, found that no charges were applied.

Cheers!

In reply to a post by CJT:

In reply to a post by trolleybus:

Just out of interests why did you choose the A&A VoIP service?
Is it really necessary to give the N300IP the elbow?
Looks as though their service costs £12 a month with 800 mixed minutes; is VAT extra?
Are all calls to other A&A VoIP subscribers FOC?
Nearest equivalent service is £14 with a 1000 minutes from Voipfone with a rolling monthly contract. Free trial period available.

I am not a fan of the Gigaset, and it's getting old now with no support, so was thinking of upgrading.

Not sure about FOC calls between A&A customers.

I chose it because the cost is £1.44 per month inc VAT to "rent" the number, as opposed to Voipfone who charge £3 per month ex VAT. I rarely use the landline for calls so I am happy to pay per minute as opposed to any inclusive package.

I guess a later version of a Gigaset Base Station has better security, who knows, but as for support, they are so easy to configure and therefore such end user support, if it actually exists, is likely to be minimal.

With Voipfone, extn to extn calls are indeed free as indeed are any calls to other Voipfone subscribers, There is also a number of gateways onto other VoIP providers systems, for example Voiptalk, where such calls are FOC as well.

Subscribing to a call plan is entirely optional with PAYG rates lower than those of A&A.

It is true that Voipfone charge for recognisable landline numbers at £3 pm + VAT but you are not obliged to subscribe to that feature. You are provided with an 056 number FOC. With a small call deposit, of say £5, you can make an awful number of calls onto the public telephone number and even when that is exhausted you can still make calls, as described in the paragraph above. The call deposit made could possible be enough to be available to draw upon for years ahead.

Horses for courses and your own personal preferences come into play, but in my book Voipfone is cheaper than A&A, not forgetting that their superior support line is free to call.

If the router you have has an unlocked ATA, then the physical phone you use could cost you as little as £10 with upmarket choices available. Gives you access to all VoIP features available.

"No Support"?

I called Gigaset a few months back and support was still there and available. There was a firmware update, from memory, mid/late 2024.

In reply to a post by trolleybus:

I guess a later version of a Gigaset Base Station has better security, who knows, but as for support, they are so easy to configure and therefore such end user support, if it actually exists, is likely to be minimal.

In all the N300IP wasn't that expensive when I purchased it, it just feels very cheap (there is no weight to the base station) and I find it's user interface a bit clunky, however it does the job it's required to do.

With Voipfone, extn to extn calls are indeed free as indeed are any calls to other Voipfone subscribers, There is also a number of gateways onto other VoIP providers systems, for example Voiptalk, where such calls are FOC as well.

Subscribing to a call plan is entirely optional with PAYG rates lower than those of A&A.

It is true that Voipfone charge for recognisable landline numbers at £3 pm + VAT but you are not obliged to subscribe to that feature. You are provided with an 056 number FOC. With a small call deposit, of say £5, you can make an awful number of calls onto the public telephone number and even when that is exhausted you can still make calls, as described in the paragraph above. The call deposit made could possible be enough to be available to draw upon for years ahead.

Horses for courses and your own personal preferences come into play, but in my book Voipfone is cheaper than A&A, not forgetting that their superior support line is free to call.

I contacted Voipfone (as I already have an account, which includes an 056 number) asking them about transferring my 01 PSTN number to them and they advised Our most basic pan would be the 'Flex' package with 0 users (this will still allow 1 device to connect), and would be £3ExVat a month. The monthly services are taken automatically from the debit/credit card every 30 days, it is not taken from calling credit, which will only be used for outbound calls/diverts and some features such as call recording if used. that cost compared to A&A at £1.44 inc VAT per month was the main reason for me not going with Voipfone.

If they charged the same per month cost as A&A (or even £2 inc VAT) I would have considered it... but £3.60 per month, seems over priced to me. Yes they are cheaper per minute for the outbound calls - 1p per min, no connection charge and min cost 1p, as opposed to A&A who charge 2.4p minimum charge, 1.5ppm peak, 1.25ppm off-peak and 1ppm at weekends (Including VAT).

However the number of calls I am likely to make outbound are minimal and I believe according to this I could have them use my ex-PSTN number as the caller ID. I'd need to check if they support numbers moved to VoIP providers.

If the router you have has an unlocked ATA, then the physical phone you use could cost you as little as £10 with upmarket choices available. Gives you access to all VoIP features available.

I use a UDM from Ubiquiti which does not have any ATA capabilities, which is why I got the N300IP but I do appreciate the idea.

Just an update.

Voipfone offer to present a CLI you own (or rent) as opposed to their regular 056 number if you provide proof of ownership (rental) and pay a one off fee of £5 + VAT (£6).

I have e-mailed them with the requested proof and updated my details on my account for the £6 cost.

I will then have the option of either A&A or Voipfone to make my outbound calls with.