IP phone recommendations
Discussion
Evening all,
I'll shortly be getting fibre connected up to my house and am considering switching to an IP phone (think the charge is approx £5 a month) and ditching the phone package/line rental with my existing provider.
Is there any downside to going to an IP phone assume they provide a reliable service?
What do I need to look for when buying an IP phone? Are they hard wired to the router or do they connect over WiFi? Can you with old your number (or indeed change it) when making IP calls?
Any help or advice most appreciated
I'll shortly be getting fibre connected up to my house and am considering switching to an IP phone (think the charge is approx £5 a month) and ditching the phone package/line rental with my existing provider.
Is there any downside to going to an IP phone assume they provide a reliable service?
What do I need to look for when buying an IP phone? Are they hard wired to the router or do they connect over WiFi? Can you with old your number (or indeed change it) when making IP calls?
Any help or advice most appreciated
Courtesy of PH (naturally) I followed a hady thread where someone got a Sippgate account and Gigaset handsets.
Its been faultless. I will have a look for the thread
ETA - here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I just did :
Its been faultless. I will have a look for the thread
ETA - here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I just did :
Slushbox said:
OK:
1) Set up a Sipgate Basic PAYG VOIP account. Choose a suitable local 'UK' number, put £10 in it and wait for confirmation letter to UK address. Add confirmation digits to Sipgate account. Account is now live.
2) Buy a Grandstream GXP-1620 desktop SIP phone. One end plugs into the mains, the ethernet port plugs into your router. GXP1620 will handle two SIP accounts for future-proofing.
3) Disable SIP ALG in the router if it has it . (Also in Andorra.)
4) Use Sipgate set-up guide for your Grandstream. Dial 10000 to test or call your mobile.
If you take the phone to Andorra (UK mains plug?) you can make outgoing calls at the Sipgate Basic UK rates. (The SIP account 'number' stays with the phone.)
If you get a second SIP account and phone for the UK, Sipgate to Sipgate calls are free. :-)
Downsides: no internet = no phone.
Other providers and phones are available.
https://www.sipgatebasic.co.uk/
Phone:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Grandstream-GXP-1620-Hand...
1) Set up a Sipgate Basic PAYG VOIP account. Choose a suitable local 'UK' number, put £10 in it and wait for confirmation letter to UK address. Add confirmation digits to Sipgate account. Account is now live.
2) Buy a Grandstream GXP-1620 desktop SIP phone. One end plugs into the mains, the ethernet port plugs into your router. GXP1620 will handle two SIP accounts for future-proofing.
3) Disable SIP ALG in the router if it has it . (Also in Andorra.)
4) Use Sipgate set-up guide for your Grandstream. Dial 10000 to test or call your mobile.
If you take the phone to Andorra (UK mains plug?) you can make outgoing calls at the Sipgate Basic UK rates. (The SIP account 'number' stays with the phone.)
If you get a second SIP account and phone for the UK, Sipgate to Sipgate calls are free. :-)
Downsides: no internet = no phone.
Other providers and phones are available.
https://www.sipgatebasic.co.uk/
Phone:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Grandstream-GXP-1620-Hand...
Won't you still be obliged to have a landline and pay for that?
I had a right battle with BT over this when fibre was installed and I refused to have a separate landline connection - on the basis that 1) I didn't need it and 2) The router would offer DECT phone connection if I wanted a phone line.
I lost. BT threatened to cut me off and sent me a prepaid package to return the router.
I had a right battle with BT over this when fibre was installed and I refused to have a separate landline connection - on the basis that 1) I didn't need it and 2) The router would offer DECT phone connection if I wanted a phone line.
I lost. BT threatened to cut me off and sent me a prepaid package to return the router.
Many thanks for the replies so far.
The fibre install is being done by County Broadband who "don't use" any of BT's kit, there is NO line rental charge with them as they don't have to bung BT.
I'm currently with SKY for phone and broadband (crappy 1Mb connection as that's the max speed I can get out in the sticks here) so I have the option to ditch those and just keep the SKY tv package.
If I ditch the current SKY broadband charges and line rental/phone charges, it will obviously save a fair few quid each month. Obviously that hinges on there being no downsides to switching to an IP phone?
Many thanks
The fibre install is being done by County Broadband who "don't use" any of BT's kit, there is NO line rental charge with them as they don't have to bung BT.
I'm currently with SKY for phone and broadband (crappy 1Mb connection as that's the max speed I can get out in the sticks here) so I have the option to ditch those and just keep the SKY tv package.
If I ditch the current SKY broadband charges and line rental/phone charges, it will obviously save a fair few quid each month. Obviously that hinges on there being no downsides to switching to an IP phone?
Many thanks
in which case the only downside is that if you lose your internet you lose your phone. The service itself will be entirely reliable from a reputable provider and the only real concern is can you phone the emergency services when the internet is down from say a mobile? Plenty of people I know with IP only phones and no landline subscribe to Sipgate's free plan with an inbound UK number just so elderly relatives and those that have to call you on a 'landline' have a non-mobile number to be able to reach you on.
Toilet Duck said:
Many thanks for the replies so far.
The fibre install is being done by County Broadband who "don't use" any of BT's kit, there is NO line rental charge with them as they don't have to bung BT.
I'm currently with SKY for phone and broadband (crappy 1Mb connection as that's the max speed I can get out in the sticks here) so I have the option to ditch those and just keep the SKY tv package.
If I ditch the current SKY broadband charges and line rental/phone charges, it will obviously save a fair few quid each month. Obviously that hinges on there being no downsides to switching to an IP phone?
Many thanks
Interesting.... I wasn't aware of any fibre company that didn't bundle a landline. BT, as I mentioned, insisted that on top of the fibre connection that I had a separate and utterly useless copper cable installed for a landline. It's like insisting on a wicker basket full of carrier pigeons when you buy a mobile phone.The fibre install is being done by County Broadband who "don't use" any of BT's kit, there is NO line rental charge with them as they don't have to bung BT.
I'm currently with SKY for phone and broadband (crappy 1Mb connection as that's the max speed I can get out in the sticks here) so I have the option to ditch those and just keep the SKY tv package.
If I ditch the current SKY broadband charges and line rental/phone charges, it will obviously save a fair few quid each month. Obviously that hinges on there being no downsides to switching to an IP phone?
Many thanks
I have a mobile phone only and it's on wifi calling as there's no 4G signal where I am. Works fine - I can't see any benefit in having more than one number.
NDA said:
Interesting.... I wasn't aware of any fibre company that didn't bundle a landline. BT, as I mentioned, insisted that on top of the fibre connection that I had a separate and utterly useless copper cable installed for a landline. It's like insisting on a wicker basket full of carrier pigeons when you buy a mobile phone.
I have a mobile phone only and it's on wifi calling as there's no 4G signal where I am. Works fine - I can't see any benefit in having more than one number.
No requirement to have a phone line with Virgin Broadband either FYII have a mobile phone only and it's on wifi calling as there's no 4G signal where I am. Works fine - I can't see any benefit in having more than one number.
Captain Answer said:
NDA said:
Interesting.... I wasn't aware of any fibre company that didn't bundle a landline. BT, as I mentioned, insisted that on top of the fibre connection that I had a separate and utterly useless copper cable installed for a landline. It's like insisting on a wicker basket full of carrier pigeons when you buy a mobile phone.
I have a mobile phone only and it's on wifi calling as there's no 4G signal where I am. Works fine - I can't see any benefit in having more than one number.
No requirement to have a phone line with Virgin Broadband either FYII have a mobile phone only and it's on wifi calling as there's no 4G signal where I am. Works fine - I can't see any benefit in having more than one number.
Toilet Duck said:
Many thanks for the replies so far.
The fibre install is being done by County Broadband who "don't use" any of BT's kit, there is NO line rental charge with them as they don't have to bung BT.
I'm currently with SKY for phone and broadband (crappy 1Mb connection as that's the max speed I can get out in the sticks here) so I have the option to ditch those and just keep the SKY tv package.
If I ditch the current SKY broadband charges and line rental/phone charges, it will obviously save a fair few quid each month. Obviously that hinges on there being no downsides to switching to an IP phone?
Many thanks
How much cheaper is County BB compared to Sky or BT? Bet there's not much in it. I expect County BB will offer a phone service, probably 'free' with paid for calls. The fibre install is being done by County Broadband who "don't use" any of BT's kit, there is NO line rental charge with them as they don't have to bung BT.
I'm currently with SKY for phone and broadband (crappy 1Mb connection as that's the max speed I can get out in the sticks here) so I have the option to ditch those and just keep the SKY tv package.
If I ditch the current SKY broadband charges and line rental/phone charges, it will obviously save a fair few quid each month. Obviously that hinges on there being no downsides to switching to an IP phone?
Many thanks
Edited by megaphone on Wednesday 24th February 18:03
Forcing you to have a landline is a thing of the past. It was driven by regulation, which was in place to prevent people having no way of making an emergency call.
A rotary-dial phone on the end of a copper pair will always be able to dial 999, even in a power cut.
New builds for a while got fiber-only installs with no copper phone line. The above issue was dealt with by OpenReach installing a ONT (optical network termination, a bit like a modem) with a built-in battery backup, so your internet could stay up in a power cut, at least for a while. Then ISPs could supply a router with a phone port on it, which allowed you to plug a normal (not voip) handset in to it, and it would take care of the fact that it was actually a fiber connection, not a copper pair, into the home.
They've stopped supplying the battery backup ONTs and reverted to ones with no backup. So in a powercut your internet will go out, and whatever phone solution is layered on top (either VoIP handsets, or a router with ports for normal handsets) will stop working.
So how did they get away with that?
Lengthy talks with regulators resulted in agreement that, while a rotary dial handset may indeed keep working in a powercut, nobody uses those. There are plenty households already that have DECT base stations which won't work if the power goes out. So the problem already existed before fiber started to replace copper.
Secondly, they argued that everyone uses their mobile phones anyway, and plenty internet DSL copper lines don't even have handsets on them, so would be useless in an emergency.
Then they (re)interpreted the rules as something along the lines of "the customer must be given the CHOICE to have a functional phone line for emergencies". Emphasis on customer choice. By ordering a fiber-only solution, the customer is making the choice not to have one. That means it's now not on the network provider to force you to have a landline whether you want it or not. Nothing technically changed, except now all the lawyers are happy.
OpenReach recently launched new products which use the copper lines into your home, but fiber from the street back to the exchanges. These new services are basically FTTC (Fiber to the Cabinet) without any voice service. These will shortly become the default offering from any ISP currently providing FTTC with a landline. That's a step towards turning off the whole darned copper network by 2025. You'll all have fiber by then, if you don't already.
There are already areas in the UK where the no-sell dates are past, and while the existing copper services work, no new ones can be ordered. If you build a new home in one of these areas, you'll get nothing but a fibre into a (non-battery-backed) ONT.
A rotary-dial phone on the end of a copper pair will always be able to dial 999, even in a power cut.
New builds for a while got fiber-only installs with no copper phone line. The above issue was dealt with by OpenReach installing a ONT (optical network termination, a bit like a modem) with a built-in battery backup, so your internet could stay up in a power cut, at least for a while. Then ISPs could supply a router with a phone port on it, which allowed you to plug a normal (not voip) handset in to it, and it would take care of the fact that it was actually a fiber connection, not a copper pair, into the home.
They've stopped supplying the battery backup ONTs and reverted to ones with no backup. So in a powercut your internet will go out, and whatever phone solution is layered on top (either VoIP handsets, or a router with ports for normal handsets) will stop working.
So how did they get away with that?
Lengthy talks with regulators resulted in agreement that, while a rotary dial handset may indeed keep working in a powercut, nobody uses those. There are plenty households already that have DECT base stations which won't work if the power goes out. So the problem already existed before fiber started to replace copper.
Secondly, they argued that everyone uses their mobile phones anyway, and plenty internet DSL copper lines don't even have handsets on them, so would be useless in an emergency.
Then they (re)interpreted the rules as something along the lines of "the customer must be given the CHOICE to have a functional phone line for emergencies". Emphasis on customer choice. By ordering a fiber-only solution, the customer is making the choice not to have one. That means it's now not on the network provider to force you to have a landline whether you want it or not. Nothing technically changed, except now all the lawyers are happy.
OpenReach recently launched new products which use the copper lines into your home, but fiber from the street back to the exchanges. These new services are basically FTTC (Fiber to the Cabinet) without any voice service. These will shortly become the default offering from any ISP currently providing FTTC with a landline. That's a step towards turning off the whole darned copper network by 2025. You'll all have fiber by then, if you don't already.
There are already areas in the UK where the no-sell dates are past, and while the existing copper services work, no new ones can be ordered. If you build a new home in one of these areas, you'll get nothing but a fibre into a (non-battery-backed) ONT.
Fishlegs said:
Forcing you to have a landline is a thing of the past.
Not in my case. I had Open Reach install fibre to my property which previously had no phone service at all. BT insisted on a separate copper connection - after the fibre was installed and working. I refused. They threatened to cut me off. I took it up directly with the CEO of BT... I lost. I was quoted the the various legislation that said I had to have a copper connection for a landline. This was an installation in the summer of last year (2020) - fairly recent. megaphone said:
How much cheaper is County BB compared to Sky or BT? Bet there's not much in it. I expect County BB will offer a phone service, probably 'free' with paid for calls.
We've gone for 600mB (they do 900Mb and, I think, around 200Mb packages). I'd have to check when home, but its going to cost us around £35 a month for the first 12months then goes up to (I think) £50 a month. The thing is, there is no other fibre option available (bt/sky/virgin etc) as I'm in the sticks. County broadband came along and as long as they got more than around 30% of the village to sign up, they then put the infrastructure in and connect everyone up. The max speed I get on the s
tty copper connection is 1Mb. That's with sky but BT will be the same as its the same crap copper. To be honest, I'd pay whatever they charged just to get decent Internet, 1Mb means netflix/on demand stuff etc doesn't work, it's awful.They do a fibre phone package for £5 a month which gives free calls to luk andlines, and £13 a month which gives free mobile and land-line calls.
NDA said:
Fishlegs said:
Forcing you to have a landline is a thing of the past.
Not in my case. I had Open Reach install fibre to my property which previously had no phone service at all. BT insisted on a separate copper connection - after the fibre was installed and working. I refused. They threatened to cut me off. I took it up directly with the CEO of BT... I lost. I was quoted the the various legislation that said I had to have a copper connection for a landline. This was an installation in the summer of last year (2020) - fairly recent. Won't happen if you order now.
Posters getting confused between 'Line Rental' and 'Phone Service'.
BB/Phone providers have not been allowed to sell packages advertised with separate line rental for years, the price they have to advertise is an all inclusive price has been for a few years now. The 'line' they use to get the service into your home is irrelevant, can be copper, fibre, even 'wireless', you'll still pay an all in price that is more or less the same as all the other providers, barring deals.
Many providers offer a phone service, most throw it in for free, you're not obliged to use it.
It does not help that some providers (BT) still itemise the bills showing the line rental costs. Most others don't.
BB/Phone providers have not been allowed to sell packages advertised with separate line rental for years, the price they have to advertise is an all inclusive price has been for a few years now. The 'line' they use to get the service into your home is irrelevant, can be copper, fibre, even 'wireless', you'll still pay an all in price that is more or less the same as all the other providers, barring deals.
Many providers offer a phone service, most throw it in for free, you're not obliged to use it.
It does not help that some providers (BT) still itemise the bills showing the line rental costs. Most others don't.
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