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ainwood

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#204898 21-Oct-2016 21:57
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I'm trying to help my parents.  They had ADSL broadband, but due to their rural location, they could only get a maximum of 1.4 Mbps download, and frequently experienced periods where they had complete losses of service for hours at a time.  After contact Spark technical support (who were pretty hopeless, incidentally), I elected to move them to Rural Broadband.  I decided to keep them with Spark, on the expectation that the plan they would go on would retain their landline.

 

What I did NOT realize is that Spark apparently have a different interpretation than I of "landline".  I figured that this meant that they would retain their copper line to their house, and have their phone services through that.  They would be given a cellular modem to plug their internet into.  Not so.  Spark disconnected the copper line, and expect them to plug their phone into the cellular modem as well.

 

So:  Here's my issue:  My parents have (had) four handsets in their home, including one in my father's workshop (~80 m from the house).  They can only plug a single handset into the modem, so now only have one handset, which they are pretty frustrated about.  So I am looking at options to restore their handsets in the various rooms.

 

Can anyone please suggest good options for this, and help evaluate the ones below?

 

1.) I guess I could just ask Spark to reinstate the copper phone line back to the house.  I expect that would be expensive, and a pretty high monthly cost.

 

2.) Spark suggested getting a base station with wireless handsets, such as a Uniden XDECT 8155, which allows up to 12 (apparently) handsets from the one base-station.  Not sure if the wireless range would be sufficient for the 80m out to the workshop.  But that will cost them about $400 (apparently its $200 for the base station, and $100 for each additional handset - seems a rip-off)

 

What else?

 

Is there some kind of adapter that can effectively convert the telephone signal from the modem, and feed it back into the existing telephone wiring in the house?  That would be an elegant solution.  I can't just get a signal splitter and do that, can I?

 

 

 

Any suggestions gratefully received!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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hio77
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  #1655988 21-Oct-2016 22:00
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disconnect copper line from ETP, feed back feed FON port of modem into house wiring, Phone will work as it used to with any number of phones "connected"

 

 

 

using the landline for your phone still would actually be rather expensive, which is why they have opted to provide a VoIP solution. 

 

 





#include <std_disclaimer>

 

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

 

 




richms
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  #1655989 21-Oct-2016 22:01
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If you disconnect from the copper at the point of entry then just plug a phone cable from the router to a socket and it will go to all the others in the house.





Richard rich.ms

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  #1656051 22-Oct-2016 06:58
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One issue you could run into is the REL load of all the phones. All Telepermited phones will have a REL value on the back to indicate how many amps are required to drive the ringer.
Older dial phones or ones with bells draw too much for the Huawei B315 to work.

If you rang them back and asked to get "integrated wiring" then a Chorus tech will come back and do what has been suggested above. Cut the line from the street and wire up all internal extensions into the back of the router.

I wouldn't have thought the multiple phone option would have been so expensive. Get a Uniden 3115+1 from Spark which they may give you for free if you ask nicely and explain the situation. Then buy 2 more 3105 additional handsets from Noel leemings for $55 each and just pair the phones back to the base station. As long as the coverage is OK. Then you should be fine. And you'll know how good the coverage is with the 3115+1 using it in the areas you want.



sbiddle
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  #1656070 22-Oct-2016 08:18
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As long as you don't exceed a REN/REL of around 3 you should be OK. This is a typical number for an ATA.

 

I do think you're also being overly critical of Spark and your assumption that their service was delivered over copper. The Spark page makes it very clear in multiple places that it's delivered over wireless, points out that it won't be integrated with existing wiring (which it can be if you want to do this which is the topic of this thread) and also points out the limitations of the product.

 

 


richms
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  #1656154 22-Oct-2016 13:40
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Not all the unidens have the repeater in the charging stand. 80m to another building would probably need that to get there. They have a standalone repeater as well, but when I looked at the pricing, getting one of those and the cheaper phones cost more than a 3 pack of the ones with the repeaters in the charging cradles.





Richard rich.ms

ainwood

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  #1656481 23-Oct-2016 09:19
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Thanks all for the advice.  They disconnected the copper line in, plugged in the modem to the wall socket, and all worked.  Much appreciated!


Linkzor
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  #1658111 26-Oct-2016 12:56
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Hey, my parents are in a similar situation. How exactly did you get a Chorus tech to disconnect the copper at the ETP? Also did Spark/Chorus charge you for this? Cheers.


 
 
 

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ainwood

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  #1658785 27-Oct-2016 10:34
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Hi - they did it themselves.  Located the box where the phone line came in, and disconnected the outputs.


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