New Orange internet deal: Starts TODAY. 37 euros, - including line rental.

[Danny]

That's right John, you can transfer your existing FT number to become your VOIP number when you give up the FT line with the Net Plus package but...

BobDee's comments were referring to the situation of keeping the FT line and using the VOIP number assigned to you by Orange. Some people do not want to give up the FT line. If you want to keep the FT line then you can't obviously transfer the number over.

Some fax machines will work via VOIP but others won't. I think home alarm systems using telephone do not work over VOIP either.

Danny

[ixy]

Hi, I too am on the contract of 39.90 + 16euros for the FT fixed line per month.    If I change to this new Net plus does it mean NO fixed line at all, what if the livebox goes down?

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

If the livebox goes down, depending on the problem you could have no phone.

If you have a power cut, you will have no phone, but you have no phone with a power cut anyway (if your phone is cordless).

But the odds of this happening are not great in the overall scheme of things.

[Jonzjob]

If you look it that if your Livebox went down, say, once a year. Even if it was down for a couple of days you could make a hell of a lot of mobile PAYG calls for the money you've saved by not paying line rental.

We send the odd fax using our PC using a normal modem plugged into the land line. Is it possible to change the setup of the printer/fax so that it would use the Livebox?

[Richard51]

It depends - when your PAYG rates are 75p per minute and you are on your fourth livebox in two years (with long arguments with Orange to get replacements) the equation is not so clear cut.

Mrs R51

[Doodle]

[quote user="ixy"]Hi, I too am on the contract of 39.90 + 16euros for the FT fixed line per month.    If I change to this new Net plus does it mean NO fixed line at all, what if the livebox goes down?
[/quote] Hi ixy, We too were worried what to do in an emergency should the livebox fail. We were also worried about the car breaking down in the middle of nowhere so we went to E Leclerc and bought one of their mobile phone packages. We went for the 50 euros package (might cost a bit more now as we've had it two years). You can use up the 50 euros and top up. What you don't use you lose at the yearly anniversary and the only charge is 1 euro a month for keeping it open year on year which is deducted from the 40 euros. It suits us very well and at a cost of around 1 euro a week to have it it's not worth the risk. Chris

[Doodle]

[quote user="ixy"]Hi, I too am on the contract of 39.90 + 16euros for the FT fixed line per month.    If I change to this new Net plus does it mean NO fixed line at all, what if the livebox goes down?
[/quote] Hi ixy, We too were worried what to do in an emergency should the livebox fail. We were also worried about the car breaking down in the middle of nowhere so we went to E Leclerc and bought one of their mobile phone packages. We went for the 50 euros package (might cost a bit more now as we've had it two years). You can use up the 50 euros and top up. What you don't use you lose at the yearly anniversary and the only charge is just over 1 euro a month for keeping it open year on year which is deducted at the anniversary. Chris

[Gardengirl]

We also have Leclerc packages; works out well. I understand there's one a little cheaper now, but we are both with them and find it fine. Similarly, we're with Ikea for mobiles in UK; again, works well, no problems with either.

[Quillan]

Mobile Phones.

Like others we have a Leclerc SIM for my wife, I bought a deblocked phone from Ebay in France for about 25 Euros, its old but it works fine. When my wife has been back to the UK she takes out the French SIM and replaces it with a UK SIM (Orange I think). This could work the other way round of course and it might save a bit of money.

LiveBox.

We have only had one fail and replaced. If you have a lot of failures it may be either the line or something else like another electrical item in the house sending some form of 'spike' out that screws the LiveBox. The only other type of failure has been our phone line which was a corroded connection in a box up a pole somewhere. Judging by some of my friends experience this can be quite common in rural areas. The whole village lost their phone and Internet service a couple of years back when they moved the electricity cables underground. Many of the poles were owned by EDF but also supported phone cables. EDF removed the poles, the cables hung in great 'loops' and the main cable eventually snapped when the dustcart went over it.

Likewise you can't trust mobile phones either. Our SFR mast that services our area went bang a month or so back and the whole area was without mobile phone coverage for about 3 weeks.

At the end of the day there is risk in everything you buy and do and whilst you can try and keep your risk to a minimum there's always something out there waiting 'to get you'. We gave up our line nearly 3 years ago now and even though we rely on the phone and Internet for our business's we have not had a problem even when we lost power for 6 hours this year during one of the storms.

[Gardengirl]

Quillan, I do exactly what your wife does; I change SIMs when I change country, as I like my little folding phone a lot. OH has 2 phones, and leaves them in the appropriate country. As mine travels between countries we always have a mobile with us.

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

I'm amazed with my PAYG orange sim. It costs me 28c to text my girl in the USA whether I am in France or the USA.

But when I go back over this time, I'm going to buy a sim and get a payg over there as it will be obviously cheaper.

[Danny]

[quote user="ixy"]Hi, I too am on the contract of 39.90 + 16euros for the FT fixed line per month.    If I change to this new Net plus does it mean NO fixed line at all, what if the livebox goes down?

[/quote]

It means, as said before, that you have no telephone service at all. If you have no back up - mobile etc - then no one can call you and you can't make any calls.

Of course, this may not be a problem but....

I had a modem problem with a previous ISP and spent nearly two weeks getting it sorted out. After that, personally, I am glad I still have the FT line.

It is up to you to decide. If you do want to keep the FT line and stay with Orange, you should go for the 'Formule Plus' instead of the 'Net Plus'. This is exactly the same but  keeping the FT line. You then have an extra VOIP line via the livebox.

Danny

[Pixie Toadstool]

Our experience was exactly the same mik and it certainly improved my French in the 6 months it took to sort it all out.

I suffered many, many sleepless nights too worrying about it all.  The debt collection agency sent me 3 letters and then I got one from the Huissiers this was in spite of having received a letter from a REAL PERSON eventually from SFR confirming I owed them absolutely nothing and having sent a copy of this letter avis recommande to the debt collectors and after my many long letters in French and anguished phone calls - but at least I can argue in French now - BUT WAS IT WORTH IT!!!?

I would never, EVER recommend anyone to go to SFR after my experience - even the guys in their own magasin said they were hopeless!!

Pix

[Mick]

Do I have to use an Orange Livebox or can I buy a WiFi router elsewhere like on eBay? Is there any particular model which I should be looking for?.

[Quillan]

Have a look at this thread.

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/2113025/ShowPost.aspx

Think that says it all really and you would have the same problems setting one up for Orange regardless of who makes the router.

If it were me I would rent the LiveBox for €3 per month. If it goes wrong it's their LiveBox so its their problem if it needs replacing. From a tech support point of view you would get more success in resolving a problem when using their LiveBox. You also have the problem of setting up a different router, you need a clear understanding of how they work in relationship to not just the Internet but VOIP as well.

 

[Mick]

Yes, I see your point.

[Danny]

Just to be clear,

If you want to use any Orange deal which includes (by Orange VOIP) unlimited international calls and 1 hour to French mobiles then you must use a livebox. You cannot benefit from the inclusive VOIP calls without it. This can be rented (3 euros per month at the moment) or you can buy your own, 59 euros new or whatever for second hand.

If you want the internet only package - 19,90 per month 'découverte internet' - then you can use any compatible modem/router (including a livebox)

Danny

[Quillan]

I would say rent, if you buy and the box is second hand or new at some point the warranty will run out. If you then have a problem and its the box then you will have to buy another. I have had one go wrong, another Orange user in another thread seems to have had no end of problems and several replacement LiveBox's. For €3 Euros a month it seems a bit of a no brainer to me.

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

On the other hand, Liveboxes are not expensive €50 or so to buy and if like me you have only had one go in 5 years, you would end up paying more by renting.

After 16 months of renting, it will be costing you more.

[Richard51]

As we mentioned before we have had four live boxes in two years - and we are second home owners so not there all the time.  I know others who have had similar traumas.  Until they improve the technology I would rent.  (As an aside - make sure you keep all the packaging it came in or they won't exchange it....or give your deposit back if you rent the box.)

[pachapapa]

[quote user="Mr Coeur de Lion"]On the other hand, Liveboxes are not expensive €50 or so to buy and if like me you have only had one go in 5 years, you would end up paying more by renting. After 16 months of renting, it will be costing you more.[/quote]

I am with Alice. The box is free. One was blown in a thunderstorm,touching wood, three years ago. Replaced wihin a week. The system of replacement has now been rationalised so that the vandriver that delivers the replacement also takes the defunct one with him.

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

[quote user="Richard51"]As we mentioned before we have had four live boxes in two years - and we are second home owners so not there all the time.  I know others who have had similar traumas.  Until they improve the technology I would rent.  (As an aside - make sure you keep all the packaging it came in or they won't exchange it....or give your deposit back if you rent the box.)

[/quote]

My friends took their livebox in the box their sfr box came in and although the dumb woman kept trying to scan it in (despite being told it wasn't the original box, but a box from another company), she really didn't give a stuff.

And at the end of the day, what are they going to do with a tatty old cardboard box anyway? Apart from be petty with giving the moeny back.

I'm not saying they have changed procedures or anything, but perhaps they are being more human now in that the majority of people just are not willing to keep a ton of cardboard boxes cluttering up their houses all the time. It just isn't practical.

[joidevie]

I too am about to have this package connected (today).

Will a standard NETGEAR DG834 modem ADSL work instead of the livebox? It's a reliable workhorse and not previously 'assigned' to another provider..

And I'm also a little unclear how you would set up a standard handset to work with the voip? In the UK I use a Siemens voip handset which has the box that plugs into the standard ADSL modem..

And I presume you will still get the free international calls even withe the netgear if it worked?

And, as I didn't speak to the salesperson, do we need the trippleplay for this, or just the plus? My partner booked the engineer and was simply told we are signing up inc international calls..

Many thanks.

[Jimmy]

[quote user="Jane and Danny"]Just to be clear,

If you want to use any Orange deal which includes (by Orange VOIP) unlimited international calls and 1 hour to French mobiles then you must use a livebox. You cannot benefit from the inclusive VOIP calls without it. This can be rented (3 euros per month at the moment) or you can buy your own, 59 euros new or whatever for second hand.

If you want the internet only package - 19,90 per month 'découverte internet' - then you can use any compatible modem/router (including a livebox)

Danny

[/quote]

I thought the above post from Jane & Danny was pretty clear - or did you miss that one?

[osie]

I too have jumped onto the new orange deal..... it has pros and cons for me but all in all is well worth it..

I loose the fax machine connection (but can always get a virtual one), I loose the tv package(never really used it) as it does not work with the new deal, I loose the fixed telephone (personally for me this is not a problem as I have another line anyway).

I gain the 1 hour mobile calls and european calls, I gain a reduction in costs from 46€ to 37€, I gain my old 09 number changing to a fixed number 05.

Think that is about it.... still in the preliminary stages of the change but so far so good....

osie