Modem and VOIP advice please.

I live in a double brick three bedroom two story townhouse with a concrete ceiling between the two stories. Not the best for wireless reception, especially upstairs, however there is no chance of putting in cabling.

The performance of my Netcomm NB9W has been getting worse ever since it was provided by my ISP (TPG) three years ago. Telephone calls drop out, computers can not connect and we must unplug the modem and plug back in before they will connect. It is now time to upgrade.

I am looking to get a Linksys N modem/router. Should I get the dual-band (which is quite a bit more expensive) or would the single band suffice?

Also, I understand that Linksys do not produce a modem/router with a Phone port so I will need to purchase a Phone Adapter. Currently we need to prefix local calls with 02 otherwise they go through Telstra and we are charged accordingly. Occasionally members of the family do forget this negating the benefit of having VOIP. Also, 1300 numbers must be prefixed with ## or they simply do not work. Again forgotten sometime resulting in a irate family member. These hassles and being charged for calls that should be free or cheaper are reducing the value of VOIP.

Would we be better off getting our VOIP through another supplier (e.g., Engine) and buying their Phone Adapter or do they all have the same reliability and idiosyncrasies? If we just buy the Linksys Phone adapter and stay with TPG will this new setup at least improve the reliability of the VOIP telephone calls?

Regards,

Glyn

I have a Linksys PAP2T VOIP adaptor and it is 100% reliable. There is no need for any prefix with it.

Here's an article on dual-band routers, I agree with his conclusions:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10103870-1.html

Hi SuperSparks,

Thanks for your reply, very much appreciated.

So I take it that the prefix is required by the Netcomm NB9W and not the ISP (TPG)? Therefore, if I get a replacement modem/router and Phone adapter my telephone calls will all be automatically routed through VOIP? No more complaints about charges appearing on the Telstra bill; that is :D

Regards,

Glyn

The Linksys adapter I have doesn't even have a connection to plug into the phone line, it uses a standard Ethernet connection and plugs into my DSL modem/router. VOIP calls (which are from a provider that is nothing to do with my ISP) are thus routed completely separately from my normal BT landline. I do use different phones for each though, if you wanted to use a handset that gives you the choice of VOIP or Landline, then you may have to use a prefix, or some other means of line selection with that.

Hi SuperSparks,

Yes, your setup is similar to mine. The telephone plugs into the Phone 1 port of the modem. The modem then has two input/output lines (ADSL and LINE) that converge into and ADSL2+ in-line filter/splitter that has a single connection to the telephone socket on the wall. I take it that the difference, when I purchase the new Linksys modem, will be that the telephone will connect to the Phone adapter that will then plug into the modem. The Linksys modem will then have only one connection to the telephone socket on the wall.

Anyway, I checked with my ISP and the prefixes are their requirements, nothing to do with the modem, so to remove this irritation I shall have to purchase an Engine (or other VOIP provider) Phone adapter. This will automatically route my telephone calls via the VOIP provider (of course over my ISP's ADSL2+) and cut out my ISP's VOIP. I can then change my ISP plan to one without the now redundant VOIP component.

Now all I have to do is determine the best VOIP provider.

Thanks for your help,

Glyn

I highly recommend Sipgate if they are available in Australia.

Or if your current ISP will give you the setup details to input into a VOIP adapter, that would obviate the need for the prefix. I think it is only a requirement at the moment because of the way it is set up by using the same phone hooked up to a modem with 2 separate lines, one for DSL and one for POTS - thus a prefix is necessary to select which line to use. If a separate adapter is used, the phone connected to it will have no choice but to use VOIP, as there will be no POTS line choice but to use VOIP, because there will be no POTS line available to it, if you see what I mean.

Hi SuperSparks,

Unfortunately SipGate are not available in Australia. My biggest challenge is to find a reliable VOIP provider. There are so many options and no statistics on any of their availability. The best I can do is try to find one that is highly recommended. However, no one highly recommends any of the suppliers and no soon than I find one that seems reasonable that I find a review slamming them. I have a short list of GoTalk, PennyTel and Mynetfone.

Regards,

Glyn