In reply to a post by mikegg:

Many thanks - Looks like I need an ATA then if most DECT phones need one - which would you suggest at a reasonable price ?

In all honesty ATA are bloody horrid things. Try to avoid if you can. As above.

I'm currently using the Fritzbox Zen give customers as a ATA wi-fi bridge as I have a much more powerful router hooked already. It was a bit of hassle setting it up in that mode, but seems OK

A Fritzbox is quite heavy on the power consumption for the task it is doing, could be around £1.50 a month to just run that box as an ATA, compared to a dedicated VoIP device at around 19p a month, so always worth taking hidden costs into account. Would work out cheaper after around 5 or 6 years if buying a dedicated VoIP/DECT system rather than hacking a free router, not to mention a dedicated DECT set up being easier to configure, tidier and offering more functionality. Just saying

It's not just acting as an ATA it is also acting as a wireless bridge to a couple of things by the phone (replacing another old router that used to do the job)

In reply to a post by jpm:

All I would say about the older Gigaset products is that they don't support secure SIP. That may or may not be an issue depending on your chosen provider.

I am new to investigating VoIP, but of course security is always a consideration.
Are you saying secure SIP could be an issue with some providers as they might require secure connections for call setup, and that this does not affect the voice call itself?

I note from the S850 GO manual it sys: "Security: The phone supports the establishment of secure data connections on the Internet with the TLS security protocol". Sorry if I am mixing things up .

Specifically, it seems N300 IP can be configured to work with Sipgate. Not sure how that differs from Go Box 100 (inc with S850 Go).

In reply to a post by aks:

I am new to investigating VoIP, but of course security is always a consideration.
Are you saying secure SIP could be an issue with some providers as they might require secure connections for call setup, and that this does not affect the voice call itself?

I note from the S850 GO manual it sys: "Security: The phone supports the establishment of secure data connections on the Internet with the TLS security protocol". Sorry if I am mixing things up .

Specifically, it seems N300 IP can be configured to work with Sipgate. Not sure how that differs from Go Box 100 (inc with S850 Go).

Sipgate don't support any form of encryption. If you are in control of your own network in your own home then this doesn't pose much more (or even less) of a security risk than a normal landline which can be tapped at any point between your house and the exchange. If for example you use a shared network, perhaps a Wi-Fi network shared between a few different flats, or to be used in the office on their network as your private phone, then it is quite easy for someone without your knowing to capture the packets of data on the network and listen to the phone call. Once that data leaves your home and gets mingled up with everyone else's it takes some specialist knowledge and kit to break inti the network and listen to your call, so if they are that well equipped to listen to your call it is some top government department and they will listening to your calls regardless of your encryption settings as they'll have the means!

So yes the N300IP can be used with Sipgate, maybe not as future proofed if it doesn't support secure connections that you might have available later and want to use.

Just for clarity, the GoBox100 is an N300A IP - the A referring to the integral answer machine.

Agreed.

Most of the hacks and exploits happen when folks expose their own (improperly secured) asterisk boxes to the open internet. These are a much juicier potential feast for hackers, than a single resi SIP client behind a firewall.

Ah ok, thanks - just a rebranding exercise !

Thanks for sharing advice! We are all tracked by governments wherever we are, and who knows what the spooks are up to .