«

I have a small office, just my wife and I. I'm interested in switching
from standard phone service to a VoIP provider. I want our phone setup
to work essentially the same as it does now which is:

* A call comes in on our single line, and both of our phones ring (one
on her desk, one on mine). Either of us can answer the phone.
* If I answer and the call is for her, I can put the call on hold and
she can pick up the call by taking it off of hold on her phone.

My questions:
1) Can I do these with your provided equipment and my phones? Does it
depend on my phone's specifications/capabilities?

2) Can I do these if I elect to use softphones and not physical phones?
Does it depend on the softphone's specifications/capabilities?

I need to be able to have both phones ring and be able to somehow move
a call from one phone to the other.

If it's of any importance, I'm considering BroadVoice VoIP with a
Linksys RT31P2-NA router w/ 2 phone ports and the eyeBeam softphone,
which is basically the pro version of the X-Lite softphone.

A final question: When using a softphone, does the call get to the
computer via the ethernet cable or via a phone cord through the modem
port?

Thanks for helping a VoIP newbie.

-- Jeff

Your existing phones are on the same analog loop. If you subscribe to a
VoIP provider, there will still be an analog loop, but it will be
powered by your VoIP TA (terminal adapter), rather than the phone
company. Your analog phones will work as before.

Residential phones with a "hold" feature really don't put the call on
hold, per se. They simply cut off the sound and microphone, but keep
the line "off hook" so the other phone can be picked up.

wrote:
> I have a small office, just my wife and I. I'm interested in switching
> from standard phone service to a VoIP provider. I want our phone setup
> to work essentially the same as it does now which is:
>
> * A call comes in on our single line, and both of our phones ring (one
> on her desk, one on mine). Either of us can answer the phone.
> * If I answer and the call is for her, I can put the call on hold and
> she can pick up the call by taking it off of hold on her phone.
>
> My questions:
> 1) Can I do these with your provided equipment and my phones? Does it
> depend on my phone's specifications/capabilities?
>
> 2) Can I do these if I elect to use softphones and not physical phones?
> Does it depend on the softphone's specifications/capabilities?
>
> I need to be able to have both phones ring and be able to somehow move
> a call from one phone to the other.
>
> If it's of any importance, I'm considering BroadVoice VoIP with a
> Linksys RT31P2-NA router w/ 2 phone ports and the eyeBeam softphone,
> which is basically the pro version of the X-Lite softphone.
>
> A final question: When using a softphone, does the call get to the
> computer via the ethernet cable or via a phone cord through the modem
> port?
>
> Thanks for helping a VoIP newbie.
>
> -- Jeff
>
>

wrote:
> I have a small office, just my wife and I. I'm interested in switching
> from standard phone service to a VoIP provider. I want our phone setup
> to work essentially the same as it does now which is:
>
> * A call comes in on our single line, and both of our phones ring (one
> on her desk, one on mine). Either of us can answer the phone.
> * If I answer and the call is for her, I can put the call on hold and
> she can pick up the call by taking it off of hold on her phone.
>
> My questions:
> 1) Can I do these with your provided equipment and my phones? Does it
> depend on my phone's specifications/capabilities?
>
> 2) Can I do these if I elect to use softphones and not physical phones?
> Does it depend on the softphone's specifications/capabilities?
>
> I need to be able to have both phones ring and be able to somehow move
> a call from one phone to the other.
>
> If it's of any importance, I'm considering BroadVoice VoIP with a
> Linksys RT31P2-NA router w/ 2 phone ports and the eyeBeam softphone,
> which is basically the pro version of the X-Lite softphone.
>
> A final question: When using a softphone, does the call get to the
> computer via the ethernet cable or via a phone cord through the modem
> port?
>
> Thanks for helping a VoIP newbie.
>
> -- Jeff
>
I found this paper helpful

http://michigantelephone.mi.org/distribute.html

Thanks for the great info. Any experience doing this with softphones?

-- Jeff

wrote:
> Thanks for the great info. Any experience doing this with softphones?
>
> -- Jeff
>

Sorry. I have no experience with softphones.

Well, thanks again for the great link. It's looking like I'm going to
start w/ regular physical phones, and that info is invaluable.

-- Jeff

<> wrote in message
news: oups.com...
> Well, thanks again for the great link. It's looking like I'm going to
> start w/ regular physical phones, and that info is invaluable.
>
> -- Jeff
>

Jeff,

What question did you have regarding softphones?

Jonathan

I know it might be a bit much, but if you want menus, music on hold, etc
you might want to check out Trixbox.

Also, watch out with broadvoice's unlimited plans - make sure you get
the business plans, and make sure you read the fine print!

-n8

Jonathan Roberts wrote:
> <> wrote in message
> news: oups.com...
>
>>Well, thanks again for the great link. It's looking like I'm going to
>>start w/ regular physical phones, and that info is invaluable.
>>
>>-- Jeff
>>
>
>
> Jeff,
>
> What question did you have regarding softphones?
>
> Jonathan
>
>
>

wrote:
> I have a small office, just my wife and I. I'm interested in switching
> from standard phone service to a VoIP provider. I want our phone setup
> to work essentially the same as it does now which is:
>
> * A call comes in on our single line, and both of our phones ring (one
> on her desk, one on mine). Either of us can answer the phone.
> * If I answer and the call is for her, I can put the call on hold and
> she can pick up the call by taking it off of hold on her phone.
>
> My questions:
> 1) Can I do these with your provided equipment and my phones? Does it
> depend on my phone's specifications/capabilities?
>
> 2) Can I do these if I elect to use softphones and not physical phones?
> Does it depend on the softphone's specifications/capabilities?
>
> I need to be able to have both phones ring and be able to somehow move
> a call from one phone to the other.
>
> If it's of any importance, I'm considering BroadVoice VoIP with a
> Linksys RT31P2-NA router w/ 2 phone ports and the eyeBeam softphone,
> which is basically the pro version of the X-Lite softphone.
>
> A final question: When using a softphone, does the call get to the
> computer via the ethernet cable or via a phone cord through the modem
> port?
>
> Thanks for helping a VoIP newbie.
>
> -- Jeff
>
not exactly wwhta you want but is what you need voip and pstn joined for
your favorite handset low cost, and use zero added power .. lowst cost
to own and opertae


Description


COMBINE-A-LINE …… IMAGINE

….1=2


Ever wish you could use your favorite single-line telephone, answering
machine, or PC Modem on TWO phone lines?…. Automatically?

OR

How about joining your VOIP port and the plain old (PSTN) telephone
jack into a single handset?

OR

How about joining TWO VOIP ports into a single handset, answering
machine, or PC Modem?

USE a CLT to join a card card acceptor and your single line telephone as
well!

OR

see if anybody picks-up, on another line trunk, after you are already
in a call??? A visual real-time security feedback feature!

THEN...........................................

Combine-A-Line (CLT) allows two separate calls from two different lines
to be directed to your single line telephone equipment or PC.
Centralizing and PROTECTING (SURGE PROTECTION INSIDE) your communication
equipment for your home office or for the family.



http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MESE%3AIT&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MESE%3AIT&rd=1

wrote:
> Well, thanks again for the great link. It's looking like I'm going to
> start w/ regular physical phones, and that info is invaluable.
>
> -- Jeff

Jeff,

Connecting your existing phones should be no problem, I did it using
ViaTalk, see review below. Softphones are a different issues since
they are a SIP client like your adapter and I believe there can only be
one registered at any point in time. A work around would be to use an
Asterisk PBX on your PC and let that register with your phone company
and then connect your adapter/regular phones and the softphone through
Asterisk.

Thanks,

Thomas
http://www.betterphone.org