Make the switch: Get VoIP

by David Strom

Print Story | Email Story
Add to My Digital Landing

Related Articles

• What is MagicJack all about?
• Making international calls cheaply
• How to get your high-speed Internet via cell phone networks
• Choosing a toll-free phone number
• Understanding bundles offered by high-speed Internet service providers

You have heard about the money that you can save with Internet voice, the ability to have your telephone operate over high-speed Internet lines. You understand there are Internet voice options, but how do you get started? What are the steps involved in making the switch?

Let's walk through the process -- so you can get started saving money.

First, you should have selected an Internet voice provider. Your Internet voice package should have:  

• The telephone adapter box. This has several wires that connect it to various things and we'll get into that in a moment. It could be branded from Linksys, Netgear, or another networking vendor.
• An Ethernet wire.
• A telephone wire.

Step 1: Determine how many phones exactly you want to connect to your new Internet voice line. If there's just one, then locate it near where your cable modem and telephone adapter are sitting. If you want to hook up several telephones, the easiest thing is to disconnect your phone junction box from the outside world and then connect your telephone adapter to the house wiring. 

An alternative is to wire up the phones on your Internet line separately from your existing house phones. Here, you  might purchase a new cordless phone and that way you don't have to worry as much about how to wire it up.

When you sign up for service with the Internet voice provider, you'll specify what phone number you want for your new line. However, if you're converting from an older analog phone line, you may not be able to continue using your existing number.

Typically, when you receive your package from the provider, you have to bring up your Web browser on your computer and complete the registration and confirm your phone number and address. The provider's Web site has plenty of other options on configuring your phone features, such as whether to enable call forwarding, how you want to be notified with any voice messages, and other items.

Step 2: Locate where your current telephone service enters your house or apartment.

If you live in a house, go outside and find the overhead lines that attach your home to the telephone poles. Some newer homes or homes in cities may have underground lines, in which case start in your basement and find the connection box that ties your telephones together with the outside world. Don't touch anything yet.

If you are adding a new Internet voice line and not getting rid of your existing phone service, then you can skip this next step.

Step 3: Connect the telephone adapter that came from the Internet voice service provider to your cable or DSL modem via an Ethernet cable. Make sure that you attach the cable in the right places on the back of both units. Also place the adapter near an AC power outlet, and connect the power plug in the right place.

Step 4: Hook together the phone, adapter, and cable/DSL modem. If your wires aren't long enough, you'll need to go to Radio Shack or someplace similar and buy longer ones. Make sure you distinguish between the wire that connects your phone with the adapter (this is also called an RJ11 cable) with the Ethernet RJ45 cable that connects the adapter with the cable/DSL modem.

Troubleshooting

If all goes well, at this point you should have everything connected, and if you pick up your phone you should hear a dial tone and you can make your first call! But what happens if you don’t hear anything? Follow these basic troubleshooting steps:

1. Are you connected to the Internet? If you are using the same cable/DSL modem and your computer can get to a Web site, proceed to the next step. If not, unplug your cable/DSL modem, wait a minute, and then reconnect it to the power and make sure all the lights are lit. Rebooting your modem can help also.
2. What indicator lights are lit on your adapter box? There should be a light on next to the "phone" or something similar label. And a light on next to the "Internet" or similar label. If not, first make sure that you have connected the adapter to the cable/DSL modem with the right Ethernet cable and that both ends of the cable are firmly inserted in their receptacles. Then unplug the adapter from the AC power, wait a minute, reconnect to power and wait until all the lights stop flashing before you pick up your phone.
3. Can you receive calls on your Internet phone? Try dialing the number from a landline or cell phone and see if it will ring. If not, go back and recheck your connections. Many people just like you have done this, and you'll get it to work too!