Getting voice / VOIP wrorking with a Fritz!Box 7530 router with FTTP

[#1]

Thanks to the forum, my parents are now using their existing Fritz!Box 7530 router with their newly upgraded FTTP connection (see https://community.plus.net/t5/My-Router/Switching-parents-Fritz-Box-router-from-Plusnet-DSL-to-full/... ). I'm now visiting and thought I'd try to get their phone working again. I've plugged it into the Fritz!Box 7530 via an adaptor and while I get a dial tone, when I dial a number I get a failure tone. 

Do Plusnet need to do any config? Is there something I can do?

I'm with Zen myself and when I was migrated, they had to do something at their end before my own Fritz!Box 7530 router would offer a voice service. That router, while Zen branded, wasn't supplied by them, rather I bought it second hand so wasn't associated with my Zen account, if that's a thing...

Thanks in anticipation!

[#2]

@geojay Plusnet will having nothing to d with it - they do not offer or support VOIP. I suggest you or your parents contact whichever VOIP provider they have gone with for help/guidance.

[#3]

Have you configured your VoIP providers SIP account & SIP server details on the Fritz!Box 7530 ?

[#4]

They were led to believe that they would retain a voice service with their existing landline phone number via their broadband. This didn't sound unreasonable to me at the time as that's exactly what I have through Zen. 

They tell me that a woman from Openreach tried to get it working in person when they were physically connected with fibre but without success. They weren't worried at the time as they knew they wouldn't be using the Plusnet router.

Are you saying that Plusnet don't offer any kind of voice service once you move to FTTP? If so, it sounds like they've been somewhat mislead. Is there any option to retain their old phone number if they use another VOIP provider?

Continuing thanks!

[#5]

Are you saying that Plusnet don't offer any kind of voice service once you move to FTTP? If so, it sounds like they've been somewhat mislead. Is there any option to retain their old phone number if they use another VOIP provider?

That is the case, @geojay - Plusnet do not offer a voice service over FTTP - never have. You have 30 days from the start of the FTTP service to transfer the number to a VOIP provider.

[#6 · Accepted solution]

Correct Plusnet FTTP means no telephone service. If your folks mentioned they wished to retain the landline they should have been directed to the EE FTTP + phone service.   The phone works from the EE supplied Router only, it is perfect for my parents who are in their 90s and want a fully supported no complexity solution.

If this has happened very recently you may need to get on to a VOIP provider like Andrews and Arnold ASAP,
explain what has happened and see if they can recover the landline number from Plusnet and port it into a new VOIP account.

[#7]

Thank you for clarifying this.

Based on this, they're considering whether they really need a voice-line. Can you recommend a resource to compare VOIP providers for this scenario? From a quick look at A&A, it looks like it'll only cost a couple of pounds per month. Is that right, it doesn't sound commercially viable if someone isn't making outgoing calls...

[#8]

This link maybe of some help, @geojay : https://support.aa.net.uk/VoIP_Phones_-_FritzBox . NOTE: I don't know if it will, as I have not read through it, just saved it 'in case'.

[#9]

Expect a home VOIP service to cost less per year to run than BT might charge for 1 to 2 months.

We have 3 VOIP lines with Sipgate, they are so low in cost we have a dedicated line for a home alarm,
if all is well it makes a couple of test calls per year.

Starting now Sipgate will cost more that A&A for a similar service.

Given the minimal cost with A&A, it is worth grabbing the phone line whilst you can,
often the bank or doctors etc have the landline number.

[#10]

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@geojay wrote:

They were led to believe that they would retain a voice service with their existing landline phone number via their broadband.  

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This is true, just not via Plusnet. If they want to continue using their landline number after the PSTN service is withdrawn my understanding is that PN will offer them a cost free switch to EE (in other words BT), who will include a VoIP service. Other VoIP providers are available, but you would have to DIY.

Then again, do they really need to keep their landline number? Do they have, use, an up-to-date smart phone? If so they may be able to simply use Wi-Fi calling via the Plusnet router which, if you think about it, is really just the same thing as using VoIP with an ex 'landline'  phone - apart from not keeping the old landline number.

P.S. This auto transfer by PN to EE may only apply to people using an existing PN landline. Anyone know? Otherwise it would presumably be up to the relevant landline provider.

[#11]

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@geojay wrote:

Based on this, they're considering whether they really need a voice-line. 

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Just remember that time is of the essence here. If they wish to keep the same number they only have 30 days from when it was disconnected to recover it from quarantine.

[#12]

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@PhilipHeyes wrote:

Correct Plusnet FTTP means no telephone service. If your folks mentioned they wished to retain the landline they should have been directed to the EE FTTP + phone service.   The phone works from the EE supplied Router only, it is perfect for my parents who are in their 90s and want a fully supported no complexity solution.

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My experience of fixing people who have been put over to EE is pretty poor.

EE / the EE routers were only capable of supporting wifi handsets, not 'Just plug your old phone into the green socket'. 

Technically of course they can, but organisationally.... not.

+1 for using A&A for the VOIP

[#13]

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@geojay wrote:

From a quick look at A&A, it looks like it'll only cost a couple of pounds per month. Is that right, it doesn't sound commercially viable if someone isn't making outgoing calls...

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From a VoIP provider's point of view providing a service to a customer doesn't cost much at all - they don't have to pay to provide and maintain the connection in the way a PSTN phone needs a landline, as VoIP uses whatever broadband the customer has.

The VoIP provider just needs a server in a data centre, and to pay for the necessary peering agreements to be able to forward and receive calls as necessary.

[#14]

I confess to being a little puzzled as to why apparently so many(?) people want to keep their 'landline'(!) going via VoIP...

The only real reason I can see is to keep the landline phone number. But apart from people who are running a business and for whom the minimal cost and inconvenience of VoIP is offset by the greater risk of losing/missing some business, I can't see why it would really be so important to keep, for most.

Another possibility is people still mainly or entirely using a landline telephone and are with BT and uninterested, even unaware, of what is going on. Here BT will some day simply 'come knocking' to transfer them seamlessly to their own proprietary Digital Voice system and everything carries on as before (more or less).

But for anyone who does use a smart phone - even I do now! 🤣 - when at home you just switch to Wi-Fi call and all phone calls go seamlessly through the PN router, irrespective of PN not providing phone calls from now on. Who needs 'landline' VoIP?

[#15]

@pvmb wrote:

'Who needs 'landline' VoIP?'

Anyone who has a bad mobile signal and doesn't have WI-FI calling - not all networks/plans allow it, although I accept most do these days.