Orcon Genius phone ... ?

Forums › 2degrees (including Slingshot, Orcon, Flip, Stuff Fibre, MyRepublic, 2talk and Vocus) › Orcon Genius phone ... ?

BadBadBadMonkey

87 posts

Master Geek

#137937 13-Dec-2013 18:44

What is the story with the phone that matches the Orcon Genius router? My mother has signed up for UFB in Whangarei and received the router, I thought the phone might come with it.

Can you buy it, or you have to pay extra to rent, or what?

Orcon's website is pretty tragic so figured I'd get faster answer here.

If you want to set-up your own DECT handset, how is it done - can you just buy any off-the-shelf "extension" handset (without a base station) and link it up? How is this done securely?

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#951839 13-Dec-2013 18:59

You can plug any handset into the back of the router.

Otherwise you would have to have ordered the phone with the router when you organised the account, or you can buy it separately i think

hamish225

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#951853 13-Dec-2013 19:32

the DECT part of the genius should have a 4 digit code, you put that into the handset and it will connect to the genius. read the handbook that comes with the phone you buy.

don't just buy any phone though, have a look through previous posts. i remember someone saying certain brands work better than others with the genius.

*Insert big spe*dtest result here*

linw

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#951925 13-Dec-2013 22:14

Easier to just chop the phone connection from the outside world and then connect a current phone BT socket to the Genius phone socket using a standard BT to RJ11 cord. Then all the phones currently in use just work as before.

BadBadBadMonkey

87 posts

Master Geek

#951932 13-Dec-2013 22:42

I was going to ask if you could do that actually, so it works with no issues eh. Does the phone circuit in the house have to be configured in a particular way? I.e. if it "branches" to extensions can you plug the Genius into the end of one of the extensions, you don't have to go to the "root"? If that makes sense lol

linw

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#952030 14-Dec-2013 08:44

I had/have no problems but I did check out my wiring to make it as short and direct as possible. My sockets are just daisy chained. I have two DECT phone masters and an old pre-electronic age phone attached.

Not sure what difference extension stubs would make but someone here will likely answer that one.

But I would try it and see if it works. At least you know that it CAN work!

Sounddude

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#952059 14-Dec-2013 09:46

If your mum ordered the Genius lite modem, then yes it won't come with a DECT Phone.

If she ordered a Genius Full and it hasn't come with the phone then thats a mistake.

The lite version is designed to have a phone connected to the modem directly, like a dect base station.

BadBadBadMonkey

87 posts

Master Geek

#952191 14-Dec-2013 15:36

I think, without having access to it atm, that it is the DECT version of the Genius because from memory it has the plug on the side for the phone charger power (I mean the USB or whatever it is socket).

She didn't "order" anything because no option was ever given. The pricing and plans on their website say nothing whatsoever about it. I can't find zip about it even searching. Useless. She has just ordered a basic UFB plan. I assumed there would be an add-on at some point. So the question remains, how much does it cost? lol

Anyway she really wants two handsets so I am leaning more toward just buying 2 x standard DECT handsets, in which case I will have to start looking into which models guarantee compatibility and how easy it is to cost effectively buy two handsets without their own base station.

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linw

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#952334 14-Dec-2013 20:41

Don't over think it! She almost certainly has the Genius Lite (no handset). It appears as if Orcon have dropped the handset option, probably because people reported it was not much chop.

The USB port is not for charging, it is for attaching a disk.

The Genius Lite doesn't have any DECT functionality so there is no 'compatibiily' issue.

As for the two handsets, you buy a DECT base station with handset plus a satellite station/handset. Then you just plug the base station into the Genius phone port. Doesn't get any easier.

Or, like I said earlier, you can join the extant wiring into the Genius.

BadBadBadMonkey

87 posts

Master Geek

#952365 14-Dec-2013 22:05

I just asked her on the phone and she says it has "DECT" labelled on the unit itself. Apparently the box says both "Lite" and "DECT" so go figure. Anyway unless the unit is mislabelled [?] then that sounds promising. I will have to turn it on and have a look at its firmware when I get a chance.

I don't want to have to connect a cordless phone base station to the router because we want to put it in an out-of-the-way place where we don't want a phone to go, and where there's no phone jack to connect up to the existing cabling in the house - and running a cable will be a PITA. That is the final resort.

linw

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#952428 15-Dec-2013 08:34

If it is the DECT model you will still have to watch the range if the intended linked phone handset is a distance from the Genius.

And how is she connecting to the Internet? I presume by wireless seeing as you don't want to cable to it. I guess the wireless range has been taken into account.

BadBadBadMonkey

87 posts

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#952555 15-Dec-2013 14:27

Yeah ethernet would be even more of a b!tch. The house was only built a few years ago but it's totally impossible to add any cabling without destroying walls and ceilings. There's been no thought given to future wiring additions or maintenance by the builders at all, it's horrible. It turns out there aren't even any phone extension cables - the old copper line comes into the house in the kitchen and immediately terminates at a single jack, and that's it.

The idea is just to put the fiber ONT in the garage out-of-the-way, the Genius gives adequate wifi cover throughout the house from there when mounted on the wall adjacent the house interior, tested it already. I am assuming that the DECT range will be comparable...

friendlymonkey

180 posts

Master Geek

#952583 15-Dec-2013 15:24

BadBadBadMonkey: I think, without having access to it atm, that it is the DECT version of the Genius because from memory it has the plug on the side for the phone charger power (I mean the USB or whatever it is socket).

She didn't "order" anything because no option was ever given. The pricing and plans on their website say nothing whatsoever about it. I can't find zip about it even searching. Useless. She has just ordered a basic UFB plan. I assumed there would be an add-on at some point. So the question remains, how much does it cost? lol

Anyway she really wants two handsets so I am leaning more toward just buying 2 x standard DECT handsets, in which case I will have to start looking into which models guarantee compatibility and how easy it is to cost effectively buy two handsets without their own base station.

When you go through the sign up process on orcons website it gives you the choice of genius full and genius lite. Im pretty sure both are identical, only difference one comes with the attachable handset.
We have 2x uniden cordless phones linked to the genius. In modem settings go to set up voip and down the side there is dect settings where you link a cordless phone and use the genius as a base station. Or just plug the cordless phone base station into the ports on the genius to use the base station that came with the cordless phones.

BadBadBadMonkey

87 posts

Master Geek

#952675 15-Dec-2013 19:31

Thanks all. The next question is what phone is DECT/GAP compatible with the unit. Will start a separate thread:
http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=82&topicid=137977

Cheers

FireEngine

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#952808 15-Dec-2013 22:57

The USB port is not for charging, it is for attaching a disk.

You are talking different ports. Both Genius variants have the USB on the network ports face to take USB storage/harddrive that is accessed via the fileserver function. The Genius Full unit has an additional USB socket on the side where the handset can dock for charging. If undocked the handset has its own power adapter. Externally it is the most obvious way to tell a Full from a Lite.

Regards FireEngine

FireEngine

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#952810 15-Dec-2013 22:58

friendlymonkey: When you go through the sign up process on orcons website it gives you the choice of genius full and genius lite. Im pretty sure both are identical,

Nope, fundamentally different. Full has DECT function. Lite doesn't.

Regards FireEngine

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