Connecting a UK phone to a Livebox?

[Daft Doctor]

Hi, moving out to France next month and have organised Orange Livebox Zen package for internet and telephone at the house.  Regarding the internet telephone service, I want to use my UK DECT Panasonic wireless phone/answering machine as it also has 2 satellite wireless phones which work really well and it seems a shame to buy new kit if it isn't needed.  The Orange website talks about only 'voice frequency phones' being compatable with internet telephone, as I can't seem to find a definition anywhere, does anyone know if my kit comes under that category?

As far as connecting up goes, the base unit for my phone/answering machine has an RJ11 socket currently housing an RJ11 to BT cable.  Am I right in thinking that rather than using French telephone adapters, I can either simply string an RJ11 to RJ11 cable between base station and phone socket on livebox or plug the existing cable into a BT to RJ11 adapter and do the same?  Any advice gratefully received as always.   

[Quillan]

You will still need the base station. You simply plug it in to the Livebox using an RJ11 plug and it should work fine (the phone socket is clearly marked). You can buy a lead to go from the phone to the Livebox (to replace the one with a BT plug on the end) for a couple of Euros. You may need the instruction manual for the phone to change the voice mail code which could be a different number. You won't need to use the answer phone bit in the base station as you get voicemail with your Livebox.

[powerdesal]

Your connection plan RJ11 to RJ11 ( base station to livebox socket) is fine - in theory. You may find it doesn't work in practice. Some UK system phones do, some don't, only trying it will tell.

Mine didn't, even though it was (and still is) working perfectly on the UK system.

[Quillan]

It's why I used the words should and could. [;-)]

 

As you say you won't know till you try it. My friend (yes I do have one or two [:P] ) has the orange setup with phone, telly etc. He says he likes to keep an old 'manual' corded phone in the house just in case there is a power failure. Go figure that one out, I don't have the heart to tell him, he knows everything abut anything. [:D]

[Daft Doctor]

Thanks, there's an RJ11 to RJ11 cable winging its way to me from Amazon (£1.55 inc post).  I'll try it and if there's a problem I'll head down to Carrefour and get a new phone. Thanks for the advice.  [:)]

[Quillan]

If it doesn't work can I suggest Siemens as a make. We have the AC260 which has probably been replaced now but it is very good. We bought it as a three pack and it was about 60 Euro's for the pack. It does not have an answer phone but then you don't need it with voicemail. I am particularly impressed with the range, about half a kilometer, and that's through  three concrete walls.

[pachapapa]

Some phones in UK have four wires connecting to the RJ11 plug, wont work.

Other phones have two wires red and green on middle pins, will work.

If your house is recently wired it may have multi use RJ45 connections in accordance with NF C 15-100.

Hope your winging cable has two wires.[:P]

[powerdesal]

We used a Siemens Gigaset A400A which works well, not got the long range which is annoying but ..... downloaded the operating manual in English from the net.

[Daft Doctor]

Hi, I've taken the extra precaution of buying a simple BT to RJ11 adapter for £1.50 which specifically claims to be for adapting UK phones to use abroad with VoIP services.  If the single cable doesn't work, that might.

[AnOther]

TBH I can't imagine why any phone

manufactured in the recent past for the domestic consumer market, which is pretty well every one you could buy on the High Street, would have 4 wires, for what purpose?

Since you will be plugging your phone base into your Livebox whether your property is wired with old an old style 'T' socket or the newer RJ45, is immaterial.

I have used several different UK phones with my Livebox and each has worked perfectly and I'd say the chances of your Panasonic set working are almost 100%.

[pachapapa]

Previous impolite exchanges dealt with POTS telephones being connected to french "gigogne" sockets and the connection to the contacts Nos 1 and 3, coloured grey and white.

This time an extra variable, namely an ADSL french router-modem.

I have never had any problem with phones and RJ11s but I am very interested to know why some UK phones dont work in france.[8-)]

OT Curious can DECT phones  be associated directly to a Livebox without an RJ11 connection involved; similar to a FreeBox Revolution.

[pachapapa]

The use of an RJ11 cable connection is not in france the only way to connect a telephone, UK or other sovereign source, to a modem-router-server.

DECT telephones are common and widely available at reasonable prices, normally their use depends on a Base DECT station connected to an RJ11 phone socket and then accompanied by additional DECT phones with recharge cradles scattered around the house; each additional unit is "registered" with the Base DECT station.

The FreeBox Revolution has a DECT Base station integrated to the server, making the use of a conventional DECT Base station unnecessary. The DECT supplementary units are simply registered directly to the FreeBox Revolution server. A maximum total of up to 8 units can be regiistered with the server.

Of course no RJ11 cable is involved.

I am dubious however whether the usual technically outmoded LiveBox woud have such an onboard function.[6] 

[Bill]

[quote user="Quillan"]

It's why I used the words should and could. [;-)]

 

As you say you won't know till you try it. My friend (yes I do have one or two [:P] ) has the orange setup with phone, telly etc. He says he likes to keep an old 'manual' corded phone in the house just in case there is a power failure. Go figure that one out, I don't have the heart to tell him, he knows everything abut anything. [:D]

[/quote]

 

not knowing your friends set up... but if his is like mine , he is right.. I make sure I have a socket for the  old vin ordinaire phone, which doesn't go thru any electrical equipment such as a pc or switch or similar.   BT vision is also delivered via the internet line.. so I have one on that as well.  (two lined house ! ). So when we have power outages, this  allow us to receive and make calls, As my home is an office,  that's quite  handy..

 

BT and I assume other country  phone companies deliver their own electrical supply..  thus when all the gadgets go down with the electrics, the old fashioned phone still works..

:)

 

Bill

[Quillan]

Well he does not have a second line, only a few people do. But if you loose power the livebox it won't work and any phone be it cordless or corded will not work be it connected to the Livebox or direct to the phone socket as the phone.

[Danny]

[quote user="Quillan"]Well he does not have a second line, only a few people do. But if you loose power the livebox it won't work and any phone be it cordless or corded will not work be it connected to the Livebox or direct to the phone socket as the phone.[/quote]

That is one disadvantage of depending on the VOIP telephone line only. As Bill says, if one has a still has a traditional line (RTC in French ot POTS in English) then a normal telephone works fine, even in the event of a power cut. This does not apply to phones which need to be plugged in to the mains to work, of course.

Danny

[AnOther]

Having a simple and relatively cheap UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply)

to hand (or always in circuit) for those odd occasions when the power

does go down and you absolutely MUST be online and/or reachable by phone

for however long it is will completely negate any disadvantage of being

VoIP only and buying one will definitely be cheaper than paying

whatever the FT monthly line rental is these days.

If you have a mobile and a signal at home then the temporary loss of

Internet and VoIP through power cuts becomes little more than a minor

inconvenience.

[Danny]

[quote user="AnOther"]Having a simple and relatively cheap UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply)

to hand (or always in circuit) for those odd occasions when the power

does go down and you absolutely MUST be online and/or reachable by phone

for however long it is will completely negate any disadvantage of being

VoIP only and buying one will definitely be cheaper than paying

whatever the FT monthly line rental is these days.

[/quote]Horses for courses but....that surely depends on the amount of money the UPS costs to buy and to run and also how long it can be used for in the event of a power cut. Some will only work for 30 minutes or so max. Enough to save your work and turn off the computer but not so useful if the power is off all day which has happened here a few times. Also, if one depends on the ADSL VOIP phone line only (by Orange for example) one is also stuffed if the modem/router malfunctions. No internet = no phone line and it could be quite a few days or more to get a replacement livebox.

The current line rental is 192 euros a year. Probably cheaper than the cost of a mobile phone/contract and UPS combined. It also depends on the cost of one's internet package. Orange now do a fixed line and internet service combined including worldwide calls for 38.90 per month. No VOIP and no need for rented livebox.

Danny

[AnOther]

According to this the Livebox consumption is pretty minimal (totals included a TV decoder if I'm reading it correctly) and even the cheapest and smallest say 0.1kWh UPS should be able to keep both running for the duration of any typical power cut. Yes, of course you have to factor in the consumption of whatever you want to use alongside the router so that will obviously reduce duration.

I'm just saying that it is a simple and relatively cheap low tech possible solution which anybody who is concerned could easily implement.

[img]http://greenwatchers.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/diapositive11.jpg[/img]

UPS operating efficiency will likely be in the order of 75 or 80% so should not significantly increase bills.

[Quillan]

We have only had two long term power failures. One we knew was coming when they put some of the cables underground and another when we had the storms and that one lasted about eight or nine hours. The most annoying thing are these small dropouts we get from time to time (almost like a loos connection in the grid somewhere), sometimes not enough to stop the PC but enough for the Livebox to reset. We have a UPS, cost about £60 from Amazon and will power the Livebox for about three hours (because it's load is minuscule compared to a PC).

 

You can save the 192 Euros a year by simply going to your account online and changing it so that rather than calls go to your voicemail they go to a mobile phone if the line is engaged or nobody answers. When you get a power cut and the Livebox is offline the your caller will get transferred to the mobile. The calls come out of your two hours of mobile calls with the Livebox. I have had this setup for about three years and it works fine plus it has saved me £576.

[AnOther]

[quote user="Quillan"]You can save the 192 Euros a year by simply going to your account online and changing it so that rather than calls go to your voicemail they go to a mobile phone if the line is engaged or nobody answers. When you get a power cut and the Livebox is offline the your caller will get transferred to the mobile. The calls come out of your two hours of mobile calls with the Livebox. I have had this setup for about three years and it works fine plus it has saved me £576.[/quote]Sorry but I don't understand where these savings come from ?

I presume you have accidentally mixed Euros with Sterling as €192 x 3 = €576 not £576, if that is where your 3 year figure comes from [;-)]

[Quillan]

Yeah, yeah I mixed up a £ with a € but you get the general idea. [:P]

I think my Livebox is excellent but then Segem always made good kit. It never fails, has been reset twice (after a few of these power dropouts, hardly the routers fault) in god know how many years and I have had two. The first one failed because the cat peed on it along with the TV decoder which is not a failure of the box so much as sabotage by the cat. I know people who have Free and SFR box's and I wouldn't go as far as saying they reset them all the time but they seem to have reset them a lot more than my Livebox. I also don't have a problem with renting either, it's not my box, it goes wrong I get it replaced in under three hours.

[AnOther]

All good stuff but you didn't answer my question which was 'where does your €192 actually come from', I don't understand ?

[pachapapa]

If PC is off then UPS is also off with Sagem on 230 v power.

If power outage while PC on then UPS used to close down PC.

Any calls for VOIP will be held by Alice Message if Sagem inactive.

When I wish to phone then I connect Sagem and one DECT phone to UPS.

After making call or picking up any messages I diconnect phone and Sagem to conserve power in UPS.

If low charge on UPS I connect the 12 v Power Station to the UPS through a 12 v - 230 v inverter.

Cheaper than a € 12 X 16 annual line charge. 

 

The DECT phone connects with an RJ11 plug with two wires.[:)]

[Quillan]

[quote user="AnOther"]All good stuff but you didn't answer my question which was 'where does your €192 actually come from', I don't understand ?
[/quote]

I got it from Danny's post, I assume it is right because I don't have a second line so I wouldn't know.

[quote user="Danny"]..... The current line rental is 192 euros a year.......

Danny
[/quote]

[AnOther]

OK, I see now that I missed 'the' 192 Euros [:$]

Sorry [;-)]