Copper v's wireless dilemma, with existing phone wiring etc.

Forums › Spark New Zealand (including Skinny and BigPipe) › Copper v's wireless dilemma, with existing phone wiring etc.

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froob

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#1840765 7-Aug-2017 19:46

Britguy:
I have a wireless router at present, an ASUS RT-AC88U, and a standard spark modem I guess. So, is it as simple as plugging in a new wireless modem to the phone lines? Why didnt they tell me that?

The FAQs section on the Spark website actually indicates that you can't liven up your phone jacks. My guess is that they take this position because, unlike a UFB install, they don't come to your house and disconnect the copper lead-in as standard. That would mean the sales reps are presumably trained to just say that it won't work. With your setup however, it should be very easy.

The specs for the modem they supply indicate it has a VOIP port, and the website states that you can plug in your own phone. My only thought was that the port might not supply enough power to ring several phones at once, but I can't see why that would be the case.

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sbiddle

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#1840774 7-Aug-2017 20:03

Spark seem to be doing a pretty amazing job of slamming their own customers at present with many believing copper is being shut down and they have no choice but to move to wireless.

In a nutshell yes you can use your existing phones. In your situation you'll need to get somebody in at your cost to rewire the output of the modem into your existing copper wiring and disconnect this from the Chorus network. You'll also need to ensure with multiple phones that the REN value (which will be listed on every Telepermitted phone) doesn't exceed around 3.5 by adding up the figures on each phone. If it exceeds this your phones will fail to ring.

hio77

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#1840775 7-Aug-2017 20:06

Currently Internal wiring integration and public ip's are not possible on wireless.

Given your situation, I'd say it realistically may not be the best of solutions.

Britguy:

Why didnt they tell me that?

as others have mentioned, you can connect back into your internal wiring however this is not supported.

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Britguy

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#1840785 7-Aug-2017 20:34

"Spark seem to be doing a pretty amazing job of slamming their own customers at present with many believing copper is being shut down and they have no choice but to move to wireless.

Sbiddle, so why will I have to get someone in to rewire the output of the modem... couldn't I do this myself? Also, a disconnect isn't a problem. I put the connection onto the panel in the first instant. The phones we have are only four in total. Well, one multi-handset and one fixed (in the house), and one in each of two workshops. They ring great at present.

Also however, the no port forwarding that was mentioned is a non starter for me....

They didnt actually tell me that copper was being shut down, but just offered to put us on wireless for a faster connection. I knew there would be more to it than that (apart from the fact I was told that our current workshop/home telephone setup would become redundant!) thats why I turned to geekzone.

You guys are great.

hio77

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#1840787 7-Aug-2017 20:36

Britguy:

They didnt actually tell me that copper was being shut down, but just offered to put us on wireless for a faster connection. I knew there would be more to it than that (apart from the fact I was told that our current workshop/home telephone setup would become redundant!) thats why I turned to geekzone.

You guys are great.

Please DM me a few details here.

- Number you were contacted on

- Time (if possible)

- any further details that would help.

i'd absolutely like to push back on the fact that you were being told it is being shut down.

This is not standard practice at all.

#include <std_disclaimer>

Any comments made are personal opinion and do not reflect directly on the position my current or past employers may have.

Britguy

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#1840790 7-Aug-2017 20:45

hio77:

Britguy:

They didnt actually tell me that copper was being shut down, but just offered to put us on wireless for a faster connection. I knew there would be more to it than that (apart from the fact I was told that our current workshop/home telephone setup would become redundant!) thats why I turned to geekzone.

You guys are great.

Please DM me a few details here.

- Number you were contacted on

- Time (if possible)

- any further details that would help.

i'd absolutely like to push back on the fact that you were being told it is being shut down.

This is not standard practice at all.

Hi, I'm sorry for the confusion, but like I have said again, the spark rep didnt tell me that anything is being shut down at all. What I mean by "not working" is that he said, if I do want to take them up on the offer of wireless (for a faster speed), then, my existing internal phone wiring and outlets, would no longer work. He said, I would have to get a multi-handset phone (which we already do have and which serves most of the house apart from my office). Obviously then, the remote workshops would then no longer have a working phone jack, which I need. Sorry again if I confused the issue, and I appreciate your help.

hio77

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#1840791 7-Aug-2017 20:46

Britguy:

Hi, I'm sorry for the confusion, but like I have said again, the spark rep didnt tell me that anything is being shut down at all. What I mean by "not working" is that he said, if I do want to take them up on the offer of wireless (for a faster speed), then, my existing internal phone wiring and outlets, would no longer work. He said, I would have to get a multi-handset phone (which we already do have and which serves most of the house apart from my office). Obviously then, the remote workshops would then no longer have a working phone jack, which I need. Sorry again if I confused the issue, and I appreciate your help.

nope, my confusion, rereading i read didnt as did!

its been a long day!

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Any comments made are personal opinion and do not reflect directly on the position my current or past employers may have.

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Britguy

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#1840792 7-Aug-2017 20:49

hio77.... LOL.... I know the feeling.

pctek

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#1848192 17-Aug-2017 18:55

sbiddle:

Spark seem to be doing a pretty amazing job of slamming their own customers at present with many believing copper is being shut down and they have no choice but to move to wireless.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/89320659/Broadband-proposals-mean-Chorus-can-say-bye-bye-to-copper

But it will, not immediately, but it will.

Aredwood

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#1848516 18-Aug-2017 12:45

Chorus should be allowed to shut down the copper network in UFB areas now. (If not immediately, then say 1 year after UFB becomes available) They recently finished a week long repair to the copper network close to my house. Despite my area having Fibre available for over 3 years now. I hate to think how much money Chorus had to spend fixing that copper, when it could be better spent switching more people to fibre. Or upgrading the copper network in non UFB areas.

Wilko

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#1848875 19-Aug-2017 15:55

Not everyone in UFL areas are able to make use of fibre. We live in a lifestyle village (Right to Occupy) with fibre in the road outside, but the owners seem reluctant to allow fibre into the village. We are stuck with less than 8Mbps ADSL - we are not even in a VDSL area. The only other option is fixed wireless through Spark, but still have nearly a year to go on our contract with current provider.

Aredwood

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#1848952 19-Aug-2017 20:27

@Wilko If you do get the Spark Fixed Wireless, Make sure it works well before you disconnect the ADSL. There was a thread on here about someone who got quoted $2500 from Chorus for a new copper connection. If you disconnect and want to reconnect the ADSL later, you definitely won't want to be stuck with a fee like that.

Admittedly that was for a new house. But I don't know exactly how Chorus defines a "new" copper connection. Ether way, eventually the copper network will be closed down. As it has large fixed costs and maintenance costs. The less people on copper, the higher those costs are on a per user basis. The village owner will one day have to face reality and agree to have fibre installed.

And if the copper network were to be switched off tomorrow, even if you are the only resident in the village with ADSL. And all of the other residents only have landline phones. Everyone would be demanding that the owners approve fibre to be installed, when their phones go dead. So the sooner the switchoff happens, the sooner you would be able to get fibre.

Britguy

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#1849118 20-Aug-2017 11:12

We wont have the option of fibre.... it doesnt run near us, as we're rural. We only have the option of wireless (or copper).

richms

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#1849123 20-Aug-2017 11:15

Wilko:

Not everyone in UFL areas are able to make use of fibre. We live in a lifestyle village (Right to Occupy) with fibre in the road outside, but the owners seem reluctant to allow fibre into the village. We are stuck with less than 8Mbps ADSL - we are not even in a VDSL area. The only other option is fixed wireless through Spark, but still have nearly a year to go on our contract with current provider.

Hardly choruses problem that you have those problems with this place you live. Perhaps if the copper went byebye and people lost their phones then fiber might be allowed by these luddite landowners?

Richard rich.ms

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