Blueface - about to take the plunge

FrankGrimes

Thanks mainly to the info I've gathered on here and other forums I've decided to take the plunge and subscribe to Blueface. I want to do a trial first, but cos the best quality seems to come when using an ATA, and this doesnt come with the trial, I'm probably just gonna jump right in.

I've read pretty much every post here, and feel I've a decent grasp of what's required, but would much appreciate any advice.

My setup will be:

NTL 3Mbps cable broadband -> Linksys Wireless A&G Router WRT55AG -> ATA (which one?) -> analog phone (maybe DECT?)

I have a wired LAN and a separate phone network which also uses CAT5e cables (RJ11 end points not yet connected). I will be adding an alarm dialler to my house alarm in the hallway (again CAT5e from the phone network run into here), and I believe this will need to use DTMF tones.

I want some way of having an analog phone in each room with a phone point, and also to have the alarm dialler use the VoIP.

What is the best ATA for me to get (not sure what the 2 port one is for)?

How could I connect multiple analog phones to the ATA, or are DECT phones the way to go?

Any pointers on what makes a good DECT phone as opposed to a krud one? Do I need a phone with built in voicemail or is the Blueface voicemail reliable?

Right, sorry for the mounds of questions, but these are pretty much the last questions I have before ordering this so nice one for the dig out.:)

paulm17781

You could connect the ATA to where the phone enters your house. I have never done this but it should work. I am selling a Sipura 2100. Send me a PM if you are interested.

v10

paulm17781 wrote:

I am selling a Sipura 2100.

How much .. I may be interested ?

bhickey

paulm17781 wrote:

You could connect the ATA to where the phone enters your house. I have never done this but it should work. I am selling a Sipura 2100. Send me a PM if you are interested.

I hope you sell this famous Sipura soon 'cause I keep reading about it

paulm17781

bhickey wrote:

I hope you sell this famous Sipura soon 'cause I keep reading about it

So do I!

FrankGrimes

right, deal done with paulm to buy the infamous sipura, but does anyone have any advice on good DECT phones to go for (probably need 3) and whether the Blueface voicemail is reliable?

My house is a 3 bed with concrete walls - will the DECT signal remain strong?

bhickey

FrankGrimes wrote:

does anyone have any advice on good DECT phones to go for (probably need 3) and whether the Blueface voicemail is reliable? My house is a 3 bed with concrete walls - will the DECT signal remain strong?

I've a Siemens Gigaset A240 and the sound's always been a bit fuzzy. Funnily enough one of the Eircom-branded DECT models was the best I've heard yet. I can't remember exactly which one though. I wouldn't think any concrete walls would make much difference to your signal.

All I can say about Blueface voicemail is that it works and I've never had any bother.

msmx5

bhickey wrote:

I've a Siemens Gigaset A240 and the sound's always been a bit fuzzy. Funnily enough one of the Eircom-branded DECT models was the best I've heard yet. I can't remember exactly which one though. I wouldn't think any concrete walls would make much difference to your signal.

All I can say about Blueface voicemail is that it works and I've never had any bother.

FrankGrimes:
If you only need to kit out three rooms, try buying a DECT system with three handsets or to allow you to use two outgoing lines you could use a twin pack and a single pack.

Or a cheaper option... use your existing cabling and a fixed phone for one of the rooms and a DECT twin setup to cover the other rooms.

If you use more than one DECT basestation. ie you have two analogue lines from your ATA that you intend using. Make sure you pick DECT phones that can easily register to more than once base at a time. Then register all the phones to all the base stations. If one basestation is busy with a user on a call and someone else needs to make a call they can swap to the other line.. this normally involves going to the "Select base" menu or something similar.

I've had no probs with Blueface voice mail so far, but haven't used it much. TIP:Its handy to have Blueface send the Voicemail as a WAV to your mobile phone providers email address as you effectively get a free text alert to voicemail that way. I have a Vodafone mobile (with email address), but I think the same is possible with O2 at least.

As far as Dect phones go I've used a few...

Aldi DECT phones (Model Coocoon 500 and 510) Very good sound quality and feel, range was good too.. the 500 seemed to perform better if I remember correctly)

I've also used a Lidl phone (uCom I thing) It has a base unit with answering machine and speakerphone built in and one or two handsets. I found the range not to be as good on this model, but it wasn't too bad. The speakerphone on the handsets was a bit fiddely.


Phillips DECT 255 (twin handsets)- Not a great buy for the following reasons. Handsets can only register to one base at a time, you have to manually re-register each time you want to swap to a different base unit.
Sound quality is fairly crap. Ring tones annoying. The buttons don't have a good feel to them and as a result I cannot diall numbers as quick as I'd like.

Siemens Gigaset. I don't have the exact model off the top of my head but it could have been a 240. I wasn't impressed with the menu structure at all, plus it had problems passing caller ID info on to other manufacturers handsets even if they were GAP compatible.

Old Eircom Nomad 100 (about 6 years old): I bought 5 of these all of which were in continuous use in different households up to recently (two sets in use still). All performed exceptionally well but have suffered from wear and tear. Had to replace batteries in three after a few years. The numbers wore off the buttons from excessive use on at least two of them. The caller ID Log got corrupt on all of them after a short while, IDs dis display correctly while phone was ringing but you're couldn't look at missed calls..I never bothered trying to return them.

RedRooster

Excellent choice my friend. The smugness factor alone is worth porting to Blueface from Eircom:v:

Freddie59

bhickey wrote:

I've a Siemens Gigaset A240 and the sound's always been a bit fuzzy. Funnily enough one of the Eircom-branded DECT models was the best I've heard yet. I can't remember exactly which one though. I wouldn't think any concrete walls would make much difference to your signal.

All I can say about Blueface voicemail is that it works and I've never had any bother.

I've got a pair of Philips DECT phones and they work perfectly, especially when you pick the G729a codec.:)

Colly

I am thinking of making the plunge for my parents phone. They currently have 4 phones hanging off the one eircom phone line so if the line rings all phones ring.

My question is if I attach the phone line to the ATA (configured for blueface) will all the phones hanging off this line ring if someone calls my blueface phone number?

If this is the case all I need do is setup NTL broadband, port the phone line from UTV to Eircom, once this is done setup a blue face account and send in the form to blue face to port the number to them and then all phones will ring as before just over VOIP rather than old PSTN way.

So instead of main phone line in the house plugging into all the phones and then the eircom network the main phone line in the house will plug into all phones and the other end instead of going to eircom will be plugged into the ATA then the router, will that work?????

I am reading alot of people are using dect cordless phones is this because the above setup will not work or that they just prefer cordless.

jimmycrackcorm

your message is confused about what the main line is - is this an extension cord from the eircom socket?

Your phones would be connected into the ATA. Dect phones are no different to normal phones.

paulm17781

Colly, I think what you are saying will work. I don't know if anyone has tested it though.

sirlinux

Port over to blueface, once eircom is gone go to the side of your house and open the eircom box, disconnect the eircom line coming into your house. Go inside run a telephone lead from the ATA into an existing telephone socket, or plug a splitter into an existing socket and plug the ata into it. Thats it, all the existing sockets will work. Spend 99 euro on a ups for your ata and you will even have a working phone if the power is off, assuming ntl doesnt go down. Done this plenty of times it works.
Just dont plug the ata into the existing sockets till you have disconnected the eircom line from the house, they leave the voltage on it even when they disconnect you, it could fry your ata.

Colly wrote:

I am thinking of making the plunge for my parents phone. They currently have 4 phones hanging off the one eircom phone line so if the line rings all phones ring.

My question is if I attach the phone line to the ATA (configured for blueface) will all the phones hanging off this line ring if someone calls my blueface phone number?

If this is the case all I need do is setup NTL broadband, port the phone line from UTV to Eircom, once this is done setup a blue face account and send in the form to blue face to port the number to them and then all phones will ring as before just over VOIP rather than old PSTN way.

So instead of main phone line in the house plugging into all the phones and then the eircom network the main phone line in the house will plug into all phones and the other end instead of going to eircom will be plugged into the ATA then the router, will that work?????

I am reading alot of people are using dect cordless phones is this because the above setup will not work or that they just prefer cordless.

Colly

sirlinux wrote:

Port over to blueface, once eircom is gone go to the side of your house and open the eircom box, disconnect the eircom line coming into your house. Go inside run a telephone lead from the ATA into an existing telephone socket, or plug a splitter into an existing socket and plug the ata into it. Thats it, all the existing sockets will work. Spend 99 euro on a ups for your ata and you will even have a working phone if the power is off, assuming ntl doesnt go down. Done this plenty of times it works.
Just dont plug the ata into the existing sockets till you have disconnected the eircom line from the house, they leave the voltage on it even when they disconnect you, it could fry your ata.

Cheers sirlinux, I thought it would work just wanted confirmation and thank you for giving this to me. Also thanks for the advice on how not to fry my new ata by disconnecting the eircom side of the connection. I like the idea of UPS also.

Thanks