How to connect an old phone to a router?

[Elijah Kamski]

Hey there,
 

So I really hate the ISP router, but the other people in the house want us to keep the phone. So I was just wondering, was it possible to connect a phone to the router (RJ45)?

What kind of adapter will I need and will it even work?

The ISP is the one that provides the phone service, and not some third party btw.

Thanks,
Eli

[whispous]

What country are you in, and what connector is the phone? Phones typically need to be connected to the phone network only. They can't just plug in to a router and go through the internet.

[Needfuldoer]

Are you talking about a plain old phone? The analog phone system works completely differently from Ethernet, so you can't just plug an RJ11 phone jack into an Ethernet port and expect it to work. (For example, when the phone rings it's actually getting high voltage pulses, somewhere around 100 volts modulated at 20 hertz.) Somewhere along the line there has to be an Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA), which generates a POTS line for your phone and converts your conversations for your Voice Over IP (VoIP) service.

 

If you're getting phone service from your ISP, you might be stuck with their router (or at least the voice-enabled routers on their compatibility list). There are standalone ATAs, but your ISP might not give you the information you need to log it into their VoIP system.

 

If you're not happy with your ISP gateway's Internet performance, you can put it in bridge mode and use your own router downstream of it. That might be easier than working around the phone compatibility problem.

 

We need to know your region, router model, and how your phone is connected to give you more specifics.

[Kilrah]

Yup. My ISP gives a router box with built-in ATA, it can't be put in bridge mode, you can't get creds to use the phone line with something else, so no other option than to choose between using it, having a phone but a router that crashes 3 times a day or replacing it but no phone.

[Elijah Kamski]

10 minutes ago, whispous said:

What country are you in, and what connector is the phone? Phones typically need to be connected to the phone network only. They can't just plug in to a router and go through the internet.

Country: AUS
Connector: Idk
In terms of the connection bit, the current phone goes into the router as the router has a dedicated phone connection.

[Alex Atkin UK]

23 minutes ago, Elijah Kamski said:

Country: AUS
Connector: Idk
In terms of the connection bit, the current phone goes into the router as the router has a dedicated phone connection.

Unless the ISP are willing to tell you the details of how it works and the login credentials to use your own VoIP box, there's nothing you can do.

The only possibility then would be to sign up for a generic VoIP provider and use that instead, cancelling the phone service with the ISP (if you can).

We have a much more open platform in general in the UK where some ISPs will tie their VoIP service to their routers, others will give you the credentials, as its not sent over optical network directly - its all done over the Internet.  You can port your existing telephone number over to third-party VoIP providers too usually.

[Elijah Kamski]

15 hours ago, Needfuldoer said:

Are you talking about a plain old phone? The analog phone system works completely differently from Ethernet, so you can't just plug an RJ11 phone jack into an Ethernet port and expect it to work. (For example, when the phone rings it's actually getting high voltage pulses, somewhere around 100 volts modulated at 20 hertz.) Somewhere along the line there has to be an Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA), which generates a POTS line for your phone and converts your conversations for your Voice Over IP (VoIP) service.

 

If you're getting phone service from your ISP, you might be stuck with their router (or at least the voice-enabled routers on their compatibility list). There are standalone ATAs, but your ISP might not give you the information you need to log it into their VoIP system.

 

If you're not happy with your ISP gateway's Internet performance, you can put it in bridge mode and use your own router downstream of it. That might be easier than working around the phone compatibility problem.

 

We need to know your region, router model, and how your phone is connected to give you more specifics.

Hey there,

Living in Australia and the phone is VOIP because we're all connected via the NBN now, it is all run through optics and not the old hole in the wall.

Location: Australia
Device: FAST5366TN-A
Connected: Connected to ISP router via RJ11 I believe, router is connected to a optics to ethernet device by the NBN and then runs through optics.

[Elijah Kamski]

Just now, Alex Atkin UK said:

Unless the ISP are willing to tell you the details of how it works and the login credentials to use your own VoIP box, there's nothing you can do.

They won't even let me change my DNS on the router level because of "company policy", an issue which has been cataloged and complained about by many other users for YEARS.

These people are the absolute bottom, but I don't pay the internet bill, so I can't say much except WHAT ARE THOSE!!!! XD

[Alex Atkin UK]

Just now, Elijah Kamski said:

They won't even let me change my DNS on the router level because of "company policy", an issue which has been cataloged and complained about by many other users for YEARS.

These people are the absolute bottom, but I don't pay the internet bill, so I can't say much except WHAT ARE THOSE!!!! XD

It beggars belief how they managed to mess up NBN so badly, it should have been brilliant.  Its one of the few times I'm somewhat thankful the UK DID privatise the telco while regulating them so they have to allow third-parties access to their infrastructure.  Though this could equally be done with a nationalise telco and is how NBN should have worked.

Its one thing to have a service for people who don't understand technology that bundles everything into the router and keeps VoIP separate from Internet traffic for reliability, but to have it as the ONLY option is dumb.

[Elijah Kamski]

3 minutes ago, Alex Atkin UK said:

It beggars belief how they managed to mess up NBN so badly, it should have been brilliant.  Its one of the few times I'm somewhat thankful the UK DID privatise the telco while regulating them so they have to allow third-parties access to their infrastructure.  Though this could equally be done with a nationalise telco and is how NBN should have worked.

Its one thing to have a service for people who don't understand technology that bundles everything into the router and keeps VoIP separate from Internet traffic for reliability, but to have it as the ONLY option is dumb.

Just imagine my happy laughing react as a upside down one.

[Alex Atkin UK]

3 minutes ago, Elijah Kamski said:

Just imagine my happy laughing react as a upside down one.

Though it was rough when VDSL was first rolling out.  The telco didn't have my city on its plans so the council tried to roll their own and made a real mess of it.  It was actually a good service, I had it, faster than I have now actually.  But they completely failed to advertise it so take up was low and it went bankrupt.

Far too often government/council projects are just so poorly planned and rolled out with too little funding so things go badly.

[cloneman]

Unless the ISP device has a WAN port I would give up on this project... heck, pre-emptively give up on it and port the phone number to a another VoIP company that offers generic SIP credentials as well as call forwarding / SMS and other goodies