Connecting OBI100 to home telephone distribution in basement - How?

[vskatusa]

Hi, I am currently using OBI100 along with Google voice and love it!

I will be moving to a house and would like to connect the OBI100 to the EXISTING telephone distribution (disconnect the existing incoming telephone line and instead use OBI100) in the basement. The idea is to use the EXISTING telephone jack in each of the rooms with an ordinary telephone - Is this possible? What are the gotcha's? Can 2 people call at the same time? Any suggestions or best practices? Do i need to disconnect the incoming telephone line to my house?

[QBZappy]

This should help. There are a few other guides if you Google it.

Doing your own telephone wiring
http://www.wire-your-phones.com/

[CoalMinerRetired]

This is the one I've used to read up on the how tos and don't dos: How to Distribute VoIP Throughout a Home

[vskatusa]

This is the one I've used to read up on the how tos and don't dos: How to Distribute VoIP Throughout a Home

Wow too much detail.....Basically from my "scimming" the article here is "to do list":

• Disconnect the Telephone line from the telephone company
• Plug in a old fashioned telephone into a plug and make sure you do not hear any dial tone
• Plug the OBI100 to ANY telephone line and connect to the network

Have I got the above right?

[Rick]

This is the one I've used to read up on the how tos and don't dos: How to Distribute VoIP Throughout a Home

Wow too much detail.....Basically from my "scimming" the article here is "to do list":

• Disconnect the Telephone line from the telephone company
• Plug in a old fashioned telephone into a plug and make sure you do not hear any dial tone
• Plug the OBI100 to ANY telephone line and connect to the network

Have I got the above right?

Exactly!

[CoalMinerRetired]

This is the one I've used to read up on the how tos and don't dos: How to Distribute VoIP Throughout a Home

Wow too much detail.....Basically from my "scimming" the article here is "to do list":

• Disconnect the Telephone line from the telephone company
• Plug in a old fashioned telephone into a plug and make sure you do not hear any dial tone
• Plug the OBI100 to ANY telephone line and connect to the network

Have I got the above right?

You did ask for gotchas, best practices and can two people call at the same time.  So do you want the three sentence summary, or a full explanation?  You can't have it both ways.  

In addition to your summary above, add lightning arrestors, network interface points (your point #1), ringer equivalents, two line service (hint: one of several ways to facilitate 'two people call at the same time').  I think the point to be taken here is the traditional landline telco "plant" was very well designed and installed, the gold standard as they say. How it all works is not rocket science, but you do need to know a few pointers to set yourself up for years and years of uninterrupted service.

[vskatusa]

two line service (hint: one of several ways to facilitate 'two people call at the same time')

Can you kindly throw some light on this topic? Yes full explanation is fine:-)

[Ostracus]

An Obi202 with Phone 1, and Phone 2.

[CoalMinerRetired]

An Obi202 with Phone 1, and Phone 2.

What he said above. Plus using **1 (or  **2, **3, **4) for outgoing calls, since GV supports two simultaneous calls.  For inbound calls, configure CallForwardOnBusyEnable and CallForwardOnBusyNumber (I think you can use ph/ph1 or ph2 for this), plus disable Call Waiting via star code *57, (and enable it one call at a time via *59).

You'll want to use two-line cabling of course (line 1: usually blue and white with blue stripe pair. Line 2: usually placed on the orange and white with orange stripe, see the links) with a two line phone, like the Uniden models mentioned on here a lot. 

There's no way to have two simultaneous calls occur on one physical phone line, when caller 1 picks up line 1 (off hook) and all other phones connected to line 1 are also off hook. Which means a second call must originate from or ring into a second physical line, hence an Obi202.  As mentioned, this does nor mean GV is limited to one call at time.

If you have one GV number, you'd configure the Obi202 with one SP, your GV on SP1. You could then modify the physical phone port configurations such that outbound calls for both physical phone ports go to GV on SP1. At the moment I'm not sure what you'd do to ph2 outbound call route when there's no SP associated with it. Will have to think about that detail.

[vskatusa]

Ok to make it simple.... I am ok with one phone (no simultaneous) calls.

[Rick]

Ok to make it simple.... I am ok with one phone (no simultaneous) calls.

Then just do what you said you were going to do and which I said "EXACTLY" to.

[raczyk]

This is the one I've used to read up on the how tos and don't dos: How to Distribute VoIP Throughout a Home

Wow too much detail.....Basically from my "scimming" the article here is "to do list":

• Disconnect the Telephone line from the telephone company
• Plug in a old fashioned telephone into a plug and make sure you do not hear any dial tone
• Plug the OBI100 to ANY telephone line and connect to the network

Have I got the above right?

What would happen if there is still a dial tone on the line and one connects the telephone-line-jack into any of the jacks in the house? I'm still waiting to have my existing VoIP service cancelled.

[Rick]

What would happen if there is still a dial tone on the line and one connects the telephone-line-jack into any of the jacks in the house? I'm still waiting to have my existing VoIP service cancelled.

Two things.  1) You wouldn't get the desired result, i.e. powering your phone jacks with your OBi.  2) Think about it.  You have voltage in the wall, and you plug in a line that has voltage also.  You likely fry your OBi.

It's quite easy to disconnect your current service, although you say it's VoIP service so it's not even going over the phone line, and should be quite easy to disconnect.

[raczyk]

Two things.  1) You wouldn't get the desired result, i.e. powering your phone jacks with your OBi.  2) Think about it.  You have voltage in the wall, and you plug in a line that has voltage also.  You likely fry your OBi.

It's quite easy to disconnect your current service, although you say it's VoIP service so it's not even going over the phone line, and should be quite easy to disconnect.

Thank you for clarifying Rick. Currently I have a DSL service and VoIP service through the same company, which is suppose to disconnect service on March 14. I'll be moving away from the current ISP and VoIP service and will be buying cable internet. One the change is made, are you still suggesting of unplugging the house phone line to the teleco as a precaution. I assume when my DSL connection will be terminated, there will no longer be voltage in the house phone wiring? Or is the voltage still held for 911 calls regardless if you have a live service or not?

[Rick]

In some communities, 911 service still works as you mentioned.  To test this, you can plug a phone into the wall after they disconnect you and see if you get a dial tone.  Or, you can find the wire coming into the house from the box, see where it connects to the phone wiring, and unplug it.

[raczyk]

Sounds like a good test, looking forward to it.

As I understand I'd then connect the Obi phone port into any of the cat3 phone lines in the house to have the new VoIP service available throughout all the jacks in the house. Or does it have to be fed off the main phone line which is the demarc point on the house? Also it may be a good idea to have the main line disconnected of the house, what if someone makes a mistake at an ISP and accidentally activates my phone connection? (Hmm wonder if that would ever happen). But that that would also blow the phone port on the Obi right?

[Rick]

Sounds like a good test, looking forward to it.

As I understand I'd then connect the Obi phone port into any of the cat3 phone lines in the house to have the new VoIP service available throughout all the jacks in the house. Or does it have to be fed off the main phone line which is the demarc point on the house? Also it may be a good idea to have the main line disconnected of the house, what if someone makes a mistake at an ISP and accidentally activates my phone connection? (Hmm wonder if that would ever happen). But that that would also blow the phone port on the Obi right?

First, ISP's don't power your internal phone line unless you have them hook up some type of a box like a modem.  Your phone company is providing DSL service which comes over phone lines. 

Your house should be wired so that all phone jacks are connected, whether they are wired in series or separately.  So plugging into one outlet powers everything.   

If the line gets powered by two sources, the OBi will likely be damaged.   Simply go to the point in your home where the wires originate and unplug/unwire the outside feed.  It is that simple.

[dircom]

If you have a wiring cabinet like some modern houses do, the incoming line "feeds" the distribution wires that go to all the jacks.  Disconnect the incoming line at the Network interface outside, and disconnect it in your wiring cabinet for good measure.

Older houses, the wire comes in from the outside, and then goes to the first jack then to the next etc.
or some combination of serial (jack to jack) and star (spoke and hub) type connections.

If you think how your landline type phones get a signal in your home. think of the wires as water pipes.
If there is a connection, the water can/will flow.

When an AT&T type land line is disconnected it is dead, no dial tone, ie no calling out, no 911
It's not like a cell phone where you can still call 911.  

However
If you disconnect your previous land land (AT&T etc), the field technician does not always disconnect the drop from the pole or pedestal to your house.  Then someone down the street might move in.  If the telco uses that same pair of wires to give the new person service, your line would then have dial tone ie 48V DC talk battery or @90V AC ring voltage, not to mention possible induction on the line.

If you had phone service thru a CATV provider, the signal either came from a jack on the back of the cable modem, or outside the house from a special box that provides dial tone and ringing voltage.

[Rick]

If you have a wiring cabinet like some modern houses do, the incoming line "feeds" the distribution wires that go to all the jacks.  Disconnect the incoming line at the Network interface outside, and disconnect it in your wiring cabinet for good measure.

Older houses, the wire comes in from the outside, and then goes to the first jack then to the next etc.
or some combination of serial (jack to jack) and star (spoke and hub) type connections.

If you think how your landline type phones get a signal in your home. think of the wires as water pipes.
If there is a connection, the water can/will flow.

When an AT&T type land line is disconnected it is dead, no dial tone, ie no calling out, no 911
It's not like a cell phone where you can still call 911.  

However
If you disconnect your previous land land (AT&T etc), the field technician does not always disconnect the drop from the pole or pedestal to your house.  Then someone down the street might move in.  If the telco uses that same pair of wires to give the new person service, your line would then have dial tone ie 48V DC talk battery or @90V AC ring voltage, not to mention possible induction on the line.

If you had phone service thru a CATV provider, the signal either came from a jack on the back of the cable modem, or outside the house from a special box that provides dial tone and ringing voltage.

It's been noted that in some areas while the phone service was disconnected, a dial tone still existed, believed to be for 911 calls.  So even with regular POTS service, you need to disconnect the wire even if it seems dead.

[dircom]

re: 911 dialing, in my years of wkg for ma bell, that has not been my experience but YMMV

In any case you still need to disconnect your wiring at the NID.

found this post on another website

"If you have DISCONNECTED the phone service from your home phone, and there is NO DIAL TONE on the phone, you DO NOT have ability to call 911 no matter what from that line.

If you have dial tone but can't place outbound calls, you should have the ability to dial 911 if needed. It's called Soft Dial Tone and is typically used in situations where the end user has been disconnected (suspended) for non-payment of the bill. The Federal Law states the phone company HAS to allow and provide soft dial tone for 911 purposes only if the end user is suspended for non-pay.

If you have requested to "Disconnect" your line completely and are no longer paying any type of bill to the phone company, the phone company will not provide Soft dial tone or 911 access and they are NOT REQUIRED to.

And believe me, they are not going to give anything they don't have to. I would not rely on this soft dial tone at all, I would make sure you're able to dial 911 from whatever phone you are using as a main line into your home. "

and from another website
"As a 9-1-1 Professional:
1) Please do not assume that a disconnected landline will still work to dial 9-1-1. This is not supported in most states. Also, 9-1-1 knowing your location is actually based on your phone number. When your phone is disconnected or the number is recycled, this means that the 9-1-1 center may not know your physical address.
2)Disconnected/"throw away" cell phones. Although it is true that you should be able to dial 9-1-1 from these phones, they do not support:
a) the ability for the 9-1-1 center to call you back if disconnected accidentally (or intentionally).
b) do not support even basic wireless location information like a live cell phone. The closest the 9-1-1 center will get is the Tower location that your cell phone is connected to. For a rural area this could easily mean you are within a 25 mile radius of the tower. For an urban area, this could mean they know you are within a mile or two of a tower. That's a pretty big area to search within."