[Snap] Snap+ or POTS for voice?

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nzgeek

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#139170 30-Jan-2014 09:55

Hi all,

I'm a current Snap ADSL + POTS (plain old telephone system) customer and am looking at moving to VDSL. I'll be going for the 2 year contract + Fritz!Box 7390, as that seems a no-brainer. Now I'm just wondering which of the voice options to go for.

I'm a light phone user. In a given month I might make a couple of local calls and maybe a couple of longer toll calls to family members. Most of the incoming calls are phone spam, but I do get the occasional call from family. I've weighed up dropping the landline completely, but it's cheaper for me to just keep the landline.

I don't have any devices that require a POTS connection (e.g. a monitored alarm), so my choices are open. The only must-have is caller ID, which comes free on Snap+ or costs a few bucks a month on POTS. I'm currently using voicemail, but will probably drop that and let the Fritz handle this for me.

Given all of the above, does anybody have any recommendations which option I should go for? The main things on my mind are:

Are there any issues with Snap+ that would make the standard line a better option?
If I've got the router hooked up to a UPS, will I still be able to make calls during a power outage (e.g. to the lines company)?
Has anybody tried hooking the Fritz into a POTS line for voice? The Fritz hardware can handle this, but I don't believe that Snap support it.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

PeterReader

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#977101 30-Jan-2014 09:55

Hello... Our robot found some keywords in your post, so here is an automated reply with some important things to note regarding broadband speeds.

If you are posting regarding DSL speeds please check that

- you have reset your modem and router

- your PC (or other PCs in your LAN) is not downloading large files when you are testing

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- you read this topic and follow the instructions there.

Make sure you provide information for other users to help you. If you have not already done it, please EDIT your post and add this now:

- Your ISP and plan

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Most of the problems with speed are likely to be related to internal wiring issues. Read this discussion to find out more about this. Your ISP is not intentionally slowing you down today (unless you are on a managed plan). Also if this is the school holidays it's likely you will notice slower than usual speed due to more users online.

A master splitter is required for VDSL2 and in most cases will improve speeds on DSL connections. Regular disconnections can be a monitored alarm or a set top box trying to connect. If there's an alarm connected to your line even if you don't have an alarm contract it may still try to connect so it's worth checking.

I recommend you read these two blog posts:

- Is your premises phone wiring impacting your broadband performance? (very technical)

- Are you receiving a substandard ULL ADSL2+ connection from your ISP?

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sidefx

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#977125 30-Jan-2014 10:11

Can't say I've tried snap+, but I find 2talk excellent combined with snap naked VDSL.

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hio77

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#977126 30-Jan-2014 10:12

the fritz handles POTS using an odd splitter cable IIRC, this isnt sent out with the fritzboxes.

i have had snap+ for over a year now, and it hasnt missed a heart beat, i see no reason not to go over to it!

if the modem is via a ups, it will stay up (assuming the cabinet still has power)

the fritzbox's phone app is nice too, signs onto the wifi soon as you get home and acts as another extension - only android app that i haven't had issues with going in and out of wifi and 3G too..

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vexxxboy

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#977140 30-Jan-2014 10:23

i have been on Snap+ since they started it and if i have had problems Snap have fixed them all, would never go back to pots. and +1 for the Fon app for my mobiles, so handy.

Common sense is not as common as you think.

allanmloveday

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#977147 30-Jan-2014 10:35

The fact that I work for Snap has no bearing on this opinion - I love the Snap+ service, with HD audio between Snap customers (which the Fritz!Box and Fritz!Fon support) it sounds amazing.

I've never had a problem with it not working.

Disclaimer: I work for Snap, but my thoughts and opinions are my own.

hio77

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#977151 30-Jan-2014 10:37

allanmloveday: The fact that I work for Snap has no bearing on this opinion - I love the Snap+ service, with HD audio between Snap customers (which the Fritz!Box and Fritz!Fon support) it sounds amazing.

I've never had a problem with it not working.

Disclaimer: I work for Snap, but my thoughts and opinions are my own.

now if only HD audio worked across other providers with HD audio..

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nzgeek

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#977160 30-Jan-2014 10:50

hio77: the fritz handles POTS using an odd splitter cable IIRC, this isnt sent out with the fritzboxes.

I'd read about this in the past. I've got some spare RJ-45 connectors at home, plus a few unused Cat-5/6 network cables and a BT phone extension lead. Wiring diagrams are available online, so I should be able to knock up the required adapter in no time.

However, given that nobody has sided with POTS yet, I'll probably go with Snap+ anyway.

dan

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#977165 30-Jan-2014 10:52

Snap+ is pretty decent overall, i am on the phone alot as i work from home,

I still have the occassional IVRs not recognise key press, although they have seen to fixed alot of these IVR issues in general, i still see it for occassional companies, but not as many as 6-9 months ago.

my latest example if calling Microsoft for a telephone activation, doesnt recognise any inputs from the phone when entering the licence,

On the plus side ive never had any issue with call quality, and been emailed when you got a voicemail is handy.

hio77

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#977167 30-Jan-2014 10:54

nzgeek:
hio77: the fritz handles POTS using an odd splitter cable IIRC, this isnt sent out with the fritzboxes.

I'd read about this in the past. I've got some spare RJ-45 connectors at home, plus a few unused Cat-5/6 network cables and a BT phone extension lead. Wiring diagrams are available online, so I should be able to knock up the required adapter in no time.

However, given that nobody has sided with POTS yet, I'll probably go with Snap+ anyway.

its a question of if all that effort is worth it? HD voice is also becoming a catchphrase, so everyone's gonna be adding it soon.. POTS wont do that.

the other thing is, with VDSL you install a splitter for the point of separating the POTS and DSL seems a tad odd to then be putting it back together again..

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nzgeek

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#977237 30-Jan-2014 11:32

hio77: the other thing is, with VDSL you install a splitter for the point of separating the POTS and DSL seems a tad odd to then be putting it back together again..

While the wiring goes into the same plug, it uses different pins. Assuming that you're hooking into a 4 pin RJ-11 connector, the DSL lines go to the centre pins and the phone lines go to the outer pins. The RJ-45 connector uses the same layout, just with 2 unused pins on each side.

Again, this is all academic seeing as how VOIP looks like a definite winner.