I am not yet signed up for Obihai until I figure out how I am going to wire my house phones to work and need some help.
I only have telephone service which also gives us DSL (no cable option). We have a "main" wired line phone in the kitchen (main floor) and 5 cordless phones (3 on main floor, 1 upstairs and 1 in the garage) which run off one base unit in my office. Also in my office is my wifi router/modem. The telephone company's line connects to my router/modem in the office and is split through a filter for DSL and phone. The DSL split is connected to the router/modem the phone split is connected to the cordless phone base unit. All phones need to have a DSL filter set to "Phone" to hook up the phones.
I need to know physically how to wire the necessary devices to get all phones to work and what equipment from Obhai I will need to make this as simple as possible. Direct advice and links welcome.
Thanks.
You could connect the cordless phone base station directly to the obi unit. Before you start porting number over or making more permanent changes I'd make sure your internet service is up to par in terms of handling voip.
DSL is not the best medium for voip due to high latency/jitter.
Not sure what you mean by "sign up for Obihai". Obihai provides a hardware box. You also need service from someone else to reach and by reached by other phone numbers.
Are you planning to cease the existing landline phone service and instead use one or more VoIP companies? Or do you want to keep the landline and add one or more VoIP companies? If you want the latter you should purchase an OBi212. If the former applies then an Obi200 or Obi202 is appropriate. The 202 has two independent phone jacks so will support two simultaneous calls if you have the requisite phones plugged in.
The single phone jack on the 212 or 200 emulates the 'phone' output from your DSL splitting filter and should be connected to your kitchen phone and the DECT base station. If all phone service is to be via an Obi200 or Obi202 then the DSL splitter filter is redundant and can be removed - the telco line going directly into the DSL modem-router. If you are retaining the telco phone service the OBi212 is wired between the 'phone' output of the splitter and the phones that are currently plugged in there.
Quote from: GPz1100 on February 26, 2018, 11:38:25 AM
You could connect the cordless phone base station directly to the obi unit. Before you start porting number over or making more permanent changes I'd make sure your internet service is up to par in terms of handling voip.
DSL is not the best medium for voip due to high latency/jitter.
Thanks for the heads up. Yes our DSL comes from CenturyLink (CL) which has a terrible history of poor service. CenturyLink is out ONLY choice here as there is no cable available. I've had DSL connection problems with CL and they cannot be very prompt to fix. But we also have cell phones as a backup for phone service and lately CL has been more reliable. As well I purchased a new Netgear router/modem which is showing to be more reliable than the previous ActionTec model.
Not sure I understand "latency", does that mean a delay between what is said and when that is heard on the other end?
Quote from: drgeoff on February 26, 2018, 11:45:51 AMAre you planning to cease the existing landline phone service and instead use one or more VoIP companies?
Thanks for replying. Yes, I want to cease telephone service from my ISP (CenturyLink) and just use their DSL. I now get both DSL and phone service from a single line which uses filters at the phone jacks to route to "DSL" or "Phone"
I found a good and detailed explanation of hook up choices and considerations on a link I found on this forum but am still trying to understand it fully.
I have six twisted pairs coming from the phone company wiring into the "Network Interface Unit (NIU). Five are not being used and are capped off. The Blue wire is connected to the inside wiring Red wire and the White wire is connected to the Green wire (line 1). The inside wiring Black and Yellow are just dangling and unattached (line 2).
The instructions I have been reading say to route the Line 1 (Red/Green) to the Line 2 (Black/Yellow) so I get DSL now on Line 2. I would have to connect the Black/Yellow wires to phone company orange/white wires. Then use the Line 1 wires to connect the OBi200 to my existing phones through my router/modem which is now connected to Line 2. I can use a Line 1/Line 2 splitter connected to my telephone jack. This would enable me to connect 5 of my six cordless phones from one location at the router and use my lined kitchen 2 line phone switched to line 2.
I hope I've described this to make sense?
I appreciate the feedback and have another question. GPz1100 said I may be unhappy with the quality of the VoIP connection with DSl. Could I run the VoIP but not disconnect voice service rom the phone company AND sign up with Goggle Voice to test the VoIP? Essentially keeping two of the same phone numbers, one with Goggle Voice and the other with CenturyLink. i would not hook up the voice, but have it in standby.
If the VoIP does not pan out then I just need to remove the VoIP adapter and re-hook my original phone system wiring to the way it was and continue with CenturyLink.
Pedro675,
All you have to do is connect the Obi device to the router just like any networking device to use your DSL connection to test it and also sign up for Google Voice.
"All you have to do is connect the Obi device to the router just like any networking device to use your DSL connection to test it and also sign up for Google Voice."
From my research the device can't connect to phone company line voltage, hence the re-routing of Line 1 and Line 2 to separate the phones from the Obi devise. I would connect the DSL side to the device but the phone side cannot see voltage or the device will "blow".
Is this not true?
Before you mess with your wiring why not just connect your cordless phone base station directly to the obi during testing?
Quote from: GPz1100 on March 02, 2018, 10:47:48 AM
Before you mess with your wiring why not just connect your cordless phone base station directly to the obi during testing?
I don't know why, I've just been reading about no phone company line voltage to Obi. So my kitchen line phone would be connected to Line 1 and receive/send voice via telephone company ( as it does now) and my cordless base would be connected to the Obi port for phone and my router would be connected to the Obi.
Could I just call out/receive calls? Would I not have to establish Goggle Voice to test? How would GV get me my phone number?
You would only have google voice service on the handsets serviced by the cordless base station.
Of course you'd need to establish a google voice account if you expect to use google voice to place/receive calls. The number google assigns doesn't really matter as it's a temp number for testing purposes. Once you're satisfied you can port your land line number in (assuming it's in an area supported by gv) and rewire/disconect existing service accordingly.
Quote from: GPz1100 on March 02, 2018, 12:19:17 PM
You would only have google voice service on the handsets serviced by the cordless base station.
Yes, I see I was being too complicated for the test. Disconnecting the base station telephone wire from the wall jack would remove it from the line 1 system and any voltage but connect it to my router via the Obi.
QuoteOf course you'd need to establish a google voice account if you expect to use google voice to place/receive calls. The number google assigns doesn't really matter as it's a temp number for testing purposes. Once you're satisfied you can port your land line number in (assuming it's in an area supported by gv) and rewire/disconect existing service accordingly.
With the GV temp number the cordless phones would not ring unless someone dialed that temp number, and we would still get the connected kitchen phones on the existing number. I'd have to enlist friends and family to dial the GV number in the test period.
Thanks for the help and simplification.
Quote from: GPz1100 on March 02, 2018, 12:19:17 PMOnce you're satisfied you can port your land line number in (assuming it's in an area supported by gv).....
I found this: "Please note: at this time, number porting to Google Voice is not available for land line numbers or corporate mobile numbers."
Does this mean I can't get my existing home phone number to GV?
Review this: http://www.obihai.com/tutorials-tips
I went through the tutorial link you provided and went through the entire, "Full Length Set Up". It seems that at that stage I have to accept a number that GV provides me from their list of available numbers. That would be my temporary number. I could get Obi working with that number and test the system on my cordless phone base while still being able to use my existing home phone number on the other phones not connected to Obi.
After I am satisfied that the system will work for me I then can go to "Port Your Number To Goggle Voice" using a one time use prepaid mobile phone. At this stage I can have my existing home phone number assigned to Goggle voice and that "temporary" number will no longer be used.
Is my above understanding correct?
Thanks.
Yes, correct.
Quote from: Pedro675 on March 02, 2018, 10:36:29 AM
"All you have to do is connect the Obi device to the router just like any networking device to use your DSL connection to test it and also sign up for Google Voice."
From my research the device can't connect to phone company line voltage, hence the re-routing of Line 1 and Line 2 to separate the phones from the Obi devise. I would connect the DSL side to the device but the phone side cannot see voltage or the device will "blow".
Is this not true?
What does this have to do with the phone company line as all you do is connect it the LAN side aka Ethernet port of the DSL Modem or the router which has nothing to do with the telephone companies phone line. The Obi is a Voice over IP device, it's a Internet connected device and connects using your internet. Your phone devices goes behind the Obi. You connect the phones phones itself to the phone side of the Obi to test things out. Then when things work, that's when you need to connect the phone side to the Obi which is not hard at all if you use a DSL splitter since all you do is disconnect the voice side from the splitter and connect that to the Obi. If you use a DSL filter, then it will be more difficult since you will need to run a dedicated pair for the DSL and disconnect the rest of it.
Quote from: Almighty1 on March 03, 2018, 01:55:23 PM
If you use a DSL filter, then it will be more difficult since you will need to run a dedicated pair for the DSL and disconnect the rest of it.
Yes, that was my point. I have DSL and voice on the same line. For the initial test I can run the phone side of the Obi directly to my portable phone base unit as the router and base unit are at the same location under my office desk. The other phones in the house will still be connected to the phone company Line 1. But after the test I'll need to connect the other phones in the house using the house phone wiring. It's then I'll use the Line1/Line2 split.
Quote from: Pedro675 on March 04, 2018, 02:07:52 AM
Quote from: Almighty1 on March 03, 2018, 01:55:23 PM
If you use a DSL filter, then it will be more difficult since you will need to run a dedicated pair for the DSL and disconnect the rest of it.
Yes, that was my point. I have DSL and voice on the same line. For the initial test I can run the phone side of the Obi directly to my portable phone base unit as the router and base unit are at the same location under my office desk. The other phones in the house will still be connected to the phone company Line 1. But after the test I'll need to connect the other phones in the house using the house phone wiring. It's then I'll use the Line1/Line2 split.
DSL usually shares the line with voice unless you had DSL only without voice service but in both cases, the line connects to the telephone network so basically what you want to do is get a DSL splitter and split the line except voice side needs to be disconnected and then connected to the Obi for the line in question.
Quote from: Almighty1 on March 04, 2018, 02:44:50 PM
Quote from: Pedro675 on March 04, 2018, 02:07:52 AM
Quote from: Almighty1 on March 03, 2018, 01:55:23 PM
If you use a DSL filter, then it will be more difficult since you will need to run a dedicated pair for the DSL and disconnect the rest of it.
Yes, that was my point. I have DSL and voice on the same line. For the initial test I can run the phone side of the Obi directly to my portable phone base unit as the router and base unit are at the same location under my office desk. The other phones in the house will still be connected to the phone company Line 1. But after the test I'll need to connect the other phones in the house using the house phone wiring. It's then I'll use the Line1/Line2 split.
DSL usually shares the line with voice unless you had DSL only without voice service but in both cases, the line connects to the telephone network so basically what you want to do is get a DSL splitter and split the line except voice side needs to be disconnected and then connected to the Obi for the line in question.
AIUI the OP has two phone connections to the telco line from the house phone wiring. When he wants to have his OBi's PHONE port connected to both, he will NOT be able to use the house wiring to do that as the house wiring will still need to be connected to the telco line to get the DSL signal to his DSL modem.
The phone or base station that is near the OBi can be easily wired to the OBi. The one that is elsewhere in the residence will be the problem. No amount of using DSL splitter filters can solve that.
House wiring usually has more than one pair. If so it is possible to use a second pair for the phones, independently of the DSL on the other pair connectrd to the telco line. Either adaptors or specially wired cables will be required.
True and that's why until we know what the wiring actually looks like, it will be hard. With a DSL Splitter, there will be a new dedicated run over a CAT5 cable for the DSL on one of the pairs to handle the DSL circuit itself or actually the easier way to do it would be just to run the telco line from the demarc to the DSL modem using a new cable and just disconnect the house wiring for the voice lines and connect those to the OBI. It's harder to explain online than it is to do it physically.
Quote from: Almighty1 on March 05, 2018, 03:50:17 PM
True and that's why until we know what the wiring actually looks like, it will be hard. With a DSL Splitter, there will be a new dedicated run over a CAT5 cable for the DSL on one of the pairs to handle the DSL circuit itself or actually the easier way to do it would be just to run the telco line from the demarc to the DSL modem using a new cable and just disconnect the house wiring for the voice lines and connect those to the OBI. It's harder to explain online than it is to do it physically.
I have only Line 1 connected to Telco. The green and red wires connect to my phone jacks and to the blue and white twisted pair from the street. All my internal house wiring is connected to the green/red (line 1) and black/yellow (line 2), but the black/yellow is not connected to service, except for the wires dangling in the service box.
Once I decide to switch to Obi (and cancel telco phone) I would switch the black/yellow to be DSL (in from blue/white) and disconnect the green/red. Then use a Line 1/Line 2 divider at the wall jack. Line 2 (DSL in) into my router and the line out from Obi to the line 1 on the divider, which would feed all line 1 jacks with Obi phone service.
I think that's the way I read it doing research.
Quote from: Pedro675 on March 05, 2018, 04:27:40 PM
Quote from: Almighty1 on March 05, 2018, 03:50:17 PM
True and that's why until we know what the wiring actually looks like, it will be hard. With a DSL Splitter, there will be a new dedicated run over a CAT5 cable for the DSL on one of the pairs to handle the DSL circuit itself or actually the easier way to do it would be just to run the telco line from the demarc to the DSL modem using a new cable and just disconnect the house wiring for the voice lines and connect those to the OBI. It's harder to explain online than it is to do it physically.
I have only Line 1 connected to Telco. The green and red wires connect to my phone jacks and to the blue and white twisted pair from the street. All my internal house wiring is connected to the green/red (line 1) and black/yellow (line 2), but the black/yellow is not connected to service, except for the wires dangling in the service box.
Once I decide to switch to Obi (and cancel telco phone) I would switch the black/yellow to be DSL (in from blue/white) and disconnect the green/red. Then use a Line 1/Line 2 divider at the wall jack. Line 2 (DSL in) into my router and the line out from Obi to the line 1 on the divider, which would feed all line 1 jacks with Obi phone service.
I think that's the way I read it doing research.
Then that's easier, thought you said you had 2 phone lines and not 1. Sounds like that's the way to do it.
So today I had the Telco technician come by to look at the NID outside the house. He gave me bad news. The wires from the Telco are OK but the in-house wiring is not CAT5, only four single stranded wires, two of which are used for the phone/DSL. I had asked him to come on the (false) premise that I was thinking about putting in a second line. He said that with single single stranded wire there is the good possibility of crosstalk across the wires as these are not twisted pairs. So my plan of using the Line 2 for DSL to the router (switch at box) and Line 1 inside from the Obi adapter to the other phones may not work.
Has anyone had this experience with their Obi and Goggle Voice? This is a two story house with only one cordless phone connected upstairs from a downstairs base. I could run CAT5 wires under the house from the crawl space and rewire the wall jacks I need to use. But not really do I want that work.
Thanks so far for the feedback, but would like some more on this issue.
Quote from: Pedro675 on March 08, 2018, 11:24:03 AM
So today I had the Telco technician come by to look at the NID outside the house. He gave me bad news. The wires from the Telco are OK but the in-house wiring is not CAT5, only four single stranded wires, two of which are used for the phone/DSL. I had asked him to come on the (false) premise that I was thinking about putting in a second line. He said that with single single stranded wire there is the good possibility of crosstalk across the wires as these are not twisted pairs. So my plan of using the Line 2 for DSL to the router (switch at box) and Line 1 inside from the Obi adapter to the other phones may not work.
Has anyone had this experience with their Obi and Goggle Voice? This is a two story house with only one cordless phone connected upstairs from a downstairs base. I could run CAT5 wires under the house from the crawl space and rewire the wall jacks I need to use. But not really do I want that work.
Thanks so far for the feedback, but would like some more on this issue.
I think the possibility of crosstalk causing an issue for your intended use is grossly exaggerated. (Yes it might be a problem if you wanted to use the 4 wires as two voice pairs - but you are not going to do that.)
Voice and DSL can coexist when on the same pair. So having them on different pairs should not be a problem. Put DSL splitter filters at every point where you connect a phone or OBi to the voice pair. (You won't have anything plugged in to the DSL port on those filters.)
You don't need a filter on the DSL pair. Your modem (or modem-router) can connect directly to it. But a filter there won't do harm so it if makes you sleep easier .....
From some further research it appears a DSL splitter would work best and possibly give me better speeds - although I'm at only 8 mbs now. I could install the splitter at the NID then run separate wires to the router/modem. After the Obi adapter is installed there should be no cross interference.
Comments?
Quote from: Pedro675 on March 08, 2018, 01:54:31 PM
From some further research it appears a DSL splitter would work best and possibly give me better speeds - although I'm at only 8 mbs now. I could install the splitter at the NID then run separate wires to the router/modem. After the Obi adapter is installed there should be no cross interference.
Comments?
My post just above was addressed solely to the situation when you have ceased phone service from the telco and want the PHONE jack on the OBi connected to all phones in the house.
I assume your proposal to put a splitter filter at the NID is for a preliminary phase when you still have phone service from the telco but want the DSL modem and the phones on separate pairs in the house. Yes, in that case it is preferable to have a splitter at the NID otherwise the DSL path has a stub within the house which can reduce the DSL speed. Once you do not have the two pairs commoned at the NID that filter is no longer necessary, but is (mostly) harmless.
There is a small possibility of crosstalk from the DSL signal between the pairs in the house wiring affecting the phones. That is why I suggest still putting filters at each phone or OBi, even when the phone service is via the OBi.
Quote from: drgeoff on March 08, 2018, 12:47:44 PM
Quote from: Pedro675 on March 08, 2018, 11:24:03 AM
So today I had the Telco technician come by to look at the NID outside the house. He gave me bad news. The wires from the Telco are OK but the in-house wiring is not CAT5, only four single stranded wires, two of which are used for the phone/DSL. I had asked him to come on the (false) premise that I was thinking about putting in a second line. He said that with single single stranded wire there is the good possibility of crosstalk across the wires as these are not twisted pairs. So my plan of using the Line 2 for DSL to the router (switch at box) and Line 1 inside from the Obi adapter to the other phones may not work.
Has anyone had this experience with their Obi and Goggle Voice? This is a two story house with only one cordless phone connected upstairs from a downstairs base. I could run CAT5 wires under the house from the crawl space and rewire the wall jacks I need to use. But not really do I want that work.
Thanks so far for the feedback, but would like some more on this issue.
I think the possibility of crosstalk causing an issue for your intended use is grossly exaggerated. (Yes it might be a problem if you wanted to use the 4 wires as two voice pairs - but you are not going to do that.)
Voice and DSL can coexist when on the same pair. So having them on different pairs should not be a problem. Put DSL splitter filters at every point where you connect a phone or OBi to the voice pair. (You won't have anything plugged in to the DSL port on those filters.)
You don't need a filter on the DSL pair. Your modem (or modem-router) can connect directly to it. But a filter there won't do harm so it if makes you sleep easier .....
I agree on what was said above.
From reading the forums here, I thought the OBi cannot connect to a phone line that is still live connected to the telco unless you want the Obi fried. DSL Splitters and DSL filters are two different animals as one filters all the voice lines at the NID while allowing all frequencies to the data side to the DSL Router/Modem while the other filters at each phone jack. The later is the non-preferred method as the DSL signal will actually go throughout all the house wiring. As far as ADSL is concerned, it depends what speed you are paying for as that last 50 ft or so of wiring is not going to make a difference for voice since it maybe CAT3 and it will work as you are not doing the 7,000 ft max for a data signal, this is only a voice signal and will work fine. I mean if both line 1 and 2 works fine now, it should work the same and not get any worse. Pots based DSL actually tops out at 6Mbps for AT&T which is ADSL2 DMT.
So what one really wants to do is really just disconnect that line 1 at the NID and then connect the Obi to the line 1 somewhere and all devices on line 1 will have the dial tone since the Obi requires Internet access which is what the DSL is for so obviously the DSL will be needed for it to work and please do correct me if I'm wrong about the Obi getting fried if connected to a live telephone circuit connected to the telco.
For phone wiring and more info including quality splitters, it's better to read this site:
http://www.homephonewiring.com/
This may have been stated previously.
Why not just connect the dsl to line 2 at the nid. That is so the dsl signal travels on what is commonly known as line 2 in the 2 pair phone cord (black and yellow). Use a 2 conductor only cord to connect between the obi and the nearest wall jack to back feed the rest of the house. This will ensure you don't fry the obi with the dsl signal and isolate the dsl signal from line 1.
You'll next need to either use a converter of some sort or wire your own cable so that one end picks up line 2 at the wall, while the other ends converts it to line 1.
(https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FEGmp3r2I3k/VMfo_xutYNI/AAAAAAAAAVU/6p1UHAVJ6Cc/s1600/2LinePhoneJack.jpg)
For your dsl modem, end going to the wall jack will have wires going to pin 1 and 4, while at the modem end will have those same wires to pin 2 and 3. Make sure to label the cord accordingly and only use it for the dsl connection.
-------------------
Amazon has this for connecting between the wall jack and obi.
https://www.amazon.com/Home-Mart-Telephone-adapter-plug/dp/B07796RH8Q
Or, since you'll need to do a custom cable, just get a crimper and some rj11 ends. Maybe something like this . https://www.amazon.com/UbiGear-Crimper-Connector-Network-Crimper315/dp/B008UY5WL0
I've used this tool for many years - https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ideal-Ratchet-Telemaster-Crimp-Tool-for-RJ-11-RJ-45-Modular-Plugs-30-696/100076104 .
Thanks for the reply. Yes, that's the way I'll do it. Except now I will put a DSL splitter at the NID to eliminate filters and run a dedicated wire to my router/modem. That will leave the four wires in the house separated from the DSL. I talked to my telco service guy yesterday about a splitter and he said he would install one for free. Conversely I was going to buy one from Amazon for about $30.
This is coming together now. As a followup to earlier post my wife and I have been talking via Goggle Hangouts this week between Florida and home the quality is great, so I think GV will also be as good.
Make sure to check what pins your DSL router/modem uses as some uses pins 1 and 4 while others uses pins 2 and 3. As far as the DSL splitter goes, make sure you get a quality one like the Siecor ones that is a separate external box as it's known that some of the others don't work as well.
Thanks for advice, I'll remember to check the pins. I'm thinking the phone company's splitter will be good quality. The one on Amazon is a "Suttle".
It depends who the phone company is and what they buy as they can use anything really. If you have a SIECOR NID box that accepts modules, you can even have one inside the NID.
Yes, the NID is Siecor and there are slots (if that's what they're called) for plug-in connection modules. My NID now only has one. I'll speak with the Telco guy about what they use, he's always been really helpful and upfront.
Sounds like you have the SIECOR box that can do atleast 4 lines. I can't remember the exact specs for the SIECOR module but I remember the external one was better. What telco are you using anyways?
Quote from: Almighty1 on March 13, 2018, 07:16:43 PMWhat telco are you using anyways?
Centurylink, or as they are called around here, Centurystink. Worst telco I've ever had. Service is rotten, all customer calls routed to Philippines where no one knows anything and keeps transferring my call until they cut me off. They used to blame my modem every time the DSL went out, but now they do at least write a service ticket to get it fixed in 3-4 days (WOW). They have the monopoly here for phone and DSL, no cable available, and they always end the call by saying, "Thanks for choosing CenturyLink"; no choosing about it. Luckily I have a direct number to local repair office and a great tech with cell number who keeps me running. CL does not want it done that way but it's working for now and I try not to abuse.
Neighbor (who has no land line just cell) told me he signed up for introductory DSL rate of $35 then after 3 months they raised it to $75. I pay $77+tx ($103) for DSL (8mb/s), phone, LD unlimited and unlimited to Canada. He called them back and they lowered it to $45. That number makes it worth my while to drop the phone and use DSL and GV. His speed is 25 mb/s upload but only .7 mb/s download, but I also have .7 download, not sure why it's the same.
Haha, CenturyLink is basically what used to be known as Qwest (Qworst) and USWest (USWorst) before that. They purchased Savvis which is a excellent Internet backbone. Are you actually in the southern US? I think you mean he has 25Mbps download and 0.7Mbps upload as people would be happy to get 25bps upload.
I'm better at wiring than I was in configuring GV so here is an idea:
For the test, simply plug the base unit into the OBI device. Don't worry about wiring at all. Once that works, you have the 5 cordless phones working on the OBI. Rather than do any wiring changes at all, how about buying another cordless phone to add to the 5 you already have. Put that one in the kitchen in place of the current wired phone.
That way, you will need to do no wiring changes other than plugging the cordless base into the OBI.
Yes, you could use an unused pair, e.g. black-yellow to back-feed the voice from the OBI down to the kitchen phone, but why go to that work. You would need to change the kitchen phone to the black-yellow as well as the change in the office that back-feeds the new voice line via OBI.
I have used Centurylink and also a regional cable company. CL is many times more reliable than the cable. Much fewer outages and many, many times less short term stutters. When cable works, it is fantastic. Unless it is having an issue and web pages keep saying not reachable even though speed test is lightning fast. Happens too often with cable, almost never with CL.
That's a great idea... We did that a while ago when staples had a special on some vtechs.. Bought 2 packages and combined all the handsets to one base station. Instructions were buried in one of the reviews for this model on amazon.
Quote from: DSMDenny on March 15, 2018, 09:52:56 PM
For the test, simply plug the base unit into the OBI device. Don't worry about wiring at all. Once that works, you have the 5 cordless phones working on the OBI. Rather than do any wiring changes at all, how about buying another cordless phone to add to the 5 you already have. Put that one in the kitchen in place of the current wired phone.
Yes, I was planning a test with existing wiring and cordless phones. My cordless base only supports 5 extensions so the kitchen phone will have to be wired. I can go with more extensions but will need a new base and extensions - not worth it right now.
I found I have Cat5 wire from just inside the NID in the crawl space, I must have done that at some point. It only goes to the office where my DSL and cordless base it, but that will do for now. I'll have to install the CAT5 from the NID to my splitter just inside, then also from the other end up inside the wall to the wall jack. Can't get CAT5 anymore by the foot but I have left over Cat6 that i used to run ethernet from my router to my TV for streaming.
A lot of good ideas coming here to help me. Next step is getting the telco guy to install the DSL switch.
Quote
A lot of good ideas coming here to help me. Next step is getting the telco guy to install the DSL switch.
Why the DSL switch? If you are going to backfeed from the OBI to the kitchen phone using an unused pair, i.e. black-yellow, you are not on the telco line at all. That would be only if you are getting rid of telco voice completely and going ONLY with VOIP. If you are keeping telco voice on the kitchen phone, why do you need to make any wiring changes at all?
Note: the pairs are not going to be red-green and black-yellow if you are using Cat 5 or 6. They use a totally different color code than in the ancient days. That's just a side note because it is easier to talk about red-green, etc since so many people know what that means.
So, do you want the kitchen phone on VOIP or on telco voice? The wiring is quite a bit different depending on that choice. Knowing that will make the recomendations much easier than speculating or trying to cover multiple senarios.
Quote from: DSMDenny on March 16, 2018, 09:44:16 AM
Quote
QuoteWhy the DSL switch?
Just seemed like a good idea while I'm down under with CAT5 and the telco tech is doing it for free. Without switch I'd still have to use Line1/Line2 pairs. Also my understanding it will help with DSL speed.
QuoteIf you are going to backfeed from the OBI to the kitchen phone using an unused pair, i.e. black-yellow, you are not on the telco line at all. That would be only if you are getting rid of telco voice completely and going ONLY with VOIP. If you are keeping telco voice on the kitchen phone, why do you need to make any wiring changes at all?
I am going total VOIP, just my test will be with both systems.
QuoteNote: the pairs are not going to be red-green and black-yellow if you are using Cat 5 or 6. They use a totally different color code than in the ancient days. That's just a side note because it is easier to talk about red-green, etc since so many people know what that means.
Yes, I understand. When I installed the original Cat5 (still can't remember why, but a long time ago) I did get all the four twisted pairs and RG lined up.
QuoteSo, do you want the kitchen phone on VOIP or on telco voice?
No just VOIP after the trial. I'm going to use a Line1/Line2 splitter coming out the wall jack. Line1 (or2) will be my DSL from the switch to the router and the other out from the Obi to the other line. This is where I am a little confused.
I will have the Obi in my office with my router. The router is connected to the Obi (in) and the Obi (out) goes to the wall jack to connect all the phones in the house. But I still need a jack connection for my office portable phone base and I don't want to install another jack. That's why I thought I could use the Line1/2 splitter as it also has a Line 1 AND 2 jack. For the test I would just hook up the portable base.
Would that work?
If you have CAT 5, you should already have 8 wires or enough to do 4 different phone lines so all you need to do is disconnect the pair for voice and then the other pair for DSL remains so a DSL splitter is not even needed if that wire from the DSL modem goes directly to the telco and not any other jacks in the house. Then all you need to do is connect the Obi to a existing phone jack or I think you can even use one of two way adapters on the wall so you can plug the existing base and the Obi into it and it should work as well.
I just looked at the Obi device. It has a female RJ11 to connect a phone. I can plug in a splitter on the back of the Obi then one line to my cordless base and one line to the wall jack for the kitchen phone.
The telcom guy installed the DSL switch at the NID yesterday. I had to do a little crawl space rewiring but got it working. Installed a Line1/Line2 splitter at the wall jack and now have Line 2 as DSL and Line 1 as phone. It works great. There is some Cat5/POTS wiring mix right now, but I'm going to make a couple Cat6 with Rj12 lines to eliminate the POTS on the DSL circuit. The rest of the house can continue to use the POTS as that will just be phones.
I'll be ordering the OBi to do my dual system test soon.
Again, thanks for the continuing support.
Started looking at a prepaid cell phone to establish my initial phone number and service with GV. So far can
not find one without a "service plan". What can I do to get a cheap phone, single use, prepaid? Where are those throwaway phones I hear about that criminals use? :D