VoIP Connectivity Guide
Please follow these steps to ensure that your VoIP and Internet hardware is properly connected.
Step 1: Disconnect the ethernet cord from the “WAN”, or “INTERNET” port on the back of your router. Leave the other end of this cord plugged into the “GIGABIT DATA”, or “LAN” port of the PoE (this port is usually labeled with a blue sticker on the PoE).
Step 2: Connect the cable that we unplugged in Step 1 to the blue “INTERNET” port on the back of the VoIP Cisco box.
Step 3: Using the blue ethernet patch cable that is included with the VoIP Cisco box:
(A) Connect one end to the “WAN” port on your router.
(B) Connect the other end to the yellow “ETHERNET” port on the VoIP Cisco box.
Step 4: Next, connect your VoIP Cisco box to power using the power cord provided.
Step 5: Finally, using the phone cable that is included with the VoIP Cisco box, connect your home phone to the “PHONE 1” port on the back of the VoIP Cisco box.
FAQ
Frequently Asked VoIP Questions And Answers
A: Our Voice service is what’s technically called VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol). It’s phone calls… but over the internet!
Like everything in life, it has it’s good and bad– Bad? Since it uses your internet for calling, if there’s a problem with your internet, then there’s also a problem with your phones. Good? It’s cheaper than a traditional landline, and those will eventually be going away anyway (someday, we couldn’t really say when).
Q: Will my existing house phones work with Voice/VoIP?
A: Yes!
If you subscribe to residential VOIP service, we will install a magic little box that converts your existing phone wiring in your house to digital and re-directs them to your internet connection (ok, maybe not magic, but kinda complicated, so let’s go with “magic” to keep this brief).
Q: Can I keep my current phone number?
A: Yes, again…
Part of the paperwork to switch your phone service over to Voice/VoIP is a document to “port” your number to our servers. The thing is, you don’t actually own your phone number, and neither does your phone company, it’s technically “owned” by the government. Any time you switch carriers you have to submit a form to them so it can be re-assigned to your new carrier (aka- ported). This process takes about 10 days and the agency in charge of it has a fee of $10.
At this point you’re probably thinking to yourself… “But I don’t have to do all that with my cell phone!”. You do actually, it’s just already built into cell companies’ processes and contracts, so you don’t really notice it unless you read the fine print.
Q: What happens if I have to dial 911 on a Voice/VoIP phone?
A: When you first establish your voice service your number will be assigned to your location, that way your 911 call will be routed to local authorities.
Q: How do I check voicemail on my Voice/VoIP phone?
A: Pick up your phone, dial your own phone number, and once the voicemail starts you hit *, then wait for the prompt and enter your pin number. It should be written down for you, but if you lost it, you’ll have to call our office during business hours so we can look it up. (Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us!)
Q: Can I use my answering machine if I want?
A: Yes.
The voicemail option needs to be disabled in your account, so just let us know if you’d prefer to use your answering machine and we can help you out.
More questions?
Check out our Support page here.