Newbie questions

[jwash]

A couple of questions....
I'm supposed to have porting finalized today. I have my existing landline hooked up to an old wired phone and my cordless base station hooked up to the voipo ATA. I'm assuming that when porting is complete my cordless phone will ring when I do a test call from my cell to my home number. Is that accurate? I'm asking because I expected porting to be finalized earlier today - I'm assuming that if the cordless rings with test call, then all is well - but if it doesn't - how do you know if something went wrong or the porting just hasn't completed yet?

Also - my setup is this - Mediacom cable to RCA DCM305 modem WAN to
Grandstream HT502 WAN. Then Grandstream LAN to Netgear WGT62A WAN So far calls out are fine soundwise, but there is a 10 - 25 second delay between dialing last number and hearing the other person's dialtone. I've read the forums and sent in a service request about that cause it will be a deal breaker I suspect. We're way too impatient for that. :)

My other question is -- I''ve read on the forums that some people use an alternate hookup (modem WAN to router WAN, then to VOipo adapter LAN. Can someone explain why you would use this alternate setup? I noticed that it is not mentioned in the written instructions I got, so just curious as to the advantages / disadvantages of both setups.

If anyone answers please go easy on the acronyms -- I need a legend to read these forums. :)

thanks!

[holmes4]

If you call your landline number and the phone connected to the Voipo adapter rings, that's a pretty good indication that the port is complete. Another is that when you open the Voipo admin panel, you see only your original number and not the temporary number.

As for hookup - it depends. For me, my adapter simply did not work when placed between the WAN and my router. This configuration, theoretically, is better because you don't have to fuss with port forwarding and the like. But it does mean that ALL your Internet traffic must pass through the adapter, and that may create issues for you. I would suggest trying it this way first and seeing if you notice any problems.

For placing the adapter inside your LAN, you may have to set up port forwarding on your router to make sure that the adapter sees all the connections it should. If this is not done, you may get calls failing to go through, dropped or poor voice quality.

If you are making 7-digit calls, try pressing # after the last digit - this tells the adapter that you're done dialing and not to expect more digits. Some people have more problems with this than others. I find that the delay is more like 5-6 seconds, so if yours is much longer then you should involve support.

[jwash]

Thanks for your response.

The transfer happened just like you said. I was just expecting it earlier iin the day but it happened early evening. Alls good so far with doing setup between modem and router. I'll continue to monitor it.

Support changed my line to another server - which helped with 10 digit numbers. They said they could do nothing about the delay with seven digit numbers, but putting the number sign behind the seven numbers as you suggested helps. Delay usually no more than couple of seconds now if that.
I also asked support about a 7 digit dailing plan that I had read about in forums but the guy basically ignored the question and did not respond to it. But I have teenagers so I'm pretty much used to that. :) I just have to remember to do the number sign each time since most numbers are 7 digit. I guess its a decent trade-off for the money I'm saving.

Thanks again for your response.

[stevech]

The ATA (box provided by VoIPo) is capable of having a tailored dial plan to reflect your local calling area. Some VoIP providers will tell you how, or help you, or do the changes. But it costs them time to do so, then keep it up as area codes and exchanges change. Best if you are able to alter it yourself as need be - essentially you use a password to access your ATA device and change certain digit string settings per a specific arcane syntax.

But not all VoIP providers allow subscribers to do so.