Swapping to Broadband VoIP from a UK Copper Home Phone Line

Generally all you need for a VoIP service to work is a stable internet connection and it doesn’t usually need to be particularly fast. For example, Vonage recommends an upload speed of 90Kbps (0.09 Megabits per second) for the best voice quality, but they can support less optimized calls at a lower rate of 30Kbps (i.e. slower than an ancient dialup modem).

On this point we should add that there are various different voice codecs for handling the conversion and compression of your analogue voice stream into a digital packet (e.g. GSM, iLBC and G.711 to G.729), all of which have different requirements, but voice traffic is generally not a major concern. You’ll most likely find G.728 or G.729 to be fairly common if setting up VoIP via a broadband router.

Arguably latency (the time delay as data travels between servers) is going to be more of an issue than connection speed, but for the most part this is only really a consideration when dealing with Satellite broadband (i.e. extreme delays can cause calls to go way out of sync or to even disconnect) and in business environments (multiple channels). Some mobile data connections can also suffer from latency issues but this isn’t so serious.

The Primary Methods of Using VoIP

1. Software and Apps (inc. Web Based)

Software based VoIP solutions (e.g. Skype) will usually enable you to make calls via a web-browser, mobile app (iOS, Android) and / or desktop software (PC / MAC). But not all of these are true VoIP or will give you SIP details, which are required to setup hardware (see below for more on this).

The advantage of software VoIP is that it’s very easy to setup and you usually only need to login in order to use it.

2. ATA – Analogue Telephone Adapter

As explained earlier, if you you want to keep your existing analogue or DECT phone but use it with VoIP then what you need is an ATA adapter, which acts as a bridge between the handset and your broadband connection. Some VoIP providers, such as Vonage, will supply their own form of branded adapter but you can also buy and configure your own (e.g. Grandstream HT802 for c.£35).

Essentially you plug the ATA via an Ethernet (RJ45) cable into your broadband router and then the RJ11 (FXS / FXO) ports on the back of the adapter can be used to connect your analogue phone. At this point you’ll need to configure the ATA for your VoIP service, which can be done via a web-based admin interface and some models also allow you to do the setup via voice prompts on your handset (clever but tedious).

At this point you’ll need the SIP account settings from your VoIP provider (login, pass, SIP server IP/domain addresses etc.) and you may also need to select the voice codec (if in doubt try G.729) for the phone port being used. Obviously if you use an ATA provided by your VoIP service (assuming they offer one) then most of this should be pre-configured, otherwise you’ll need some basic IT skills to do all this.

3. VoIP Integrated Broadband Routers

A growing number of broadband routers now come with the equivalent of a built-in ATA adapter, which allows you to plug your old analogue or DECT phone directly into the back of the router’s RJ11 FXS / FXO port(s). After that you can configure the SIP / VoIP details directly via the router’s web-based admin interference.

See below for what this looks like on a DrayTek v2762vac router with two phone ports, which in this example is using SIP details from the company’s own DrayTel VoIP service.

Going forward we’d expect all of the major ISPs to eventually bundle broadband routers that include FXS / FXO phone ports on the back (many already do) and these will also become much more common in cheaper third-party devices. The ability to skip the need for a separate ATA certainly makes this setup a lot cleaner.

4. Dedicated VoIP Phones

Another option for domestic consumers is to forget about using your existing analogue or DECT handset entirely and buy a dedicated VoIP phone, which will connect directly to your router via either an Ethernet cable or even over WiFi.

Phones like this tend to be quite sophisticated and may even support video calls and email, among other things. The downside is that a good one can be quite pricey and most of these are perhaps more intended for the office environment, although you can get cheaper models.

One thing to be aware of here is that a fair few VoIP Phones are dependent upon the Power over Ethernet (POE) standard (i.e. they get both data and power over the Ethernet cable) and a lot of consumer broadband routers do not support this. If in doubts its very easy to buy a cheap POE supporting “Switch” hub that can sit between the router and phone, which as a bonus will also give you more LAN ports.

One final option is to purchase a USB based VoIP handset, which simply plugs into the USB port on your desktop or laptop computer and then you can configure the VoIP settings via software. However this isn’t ideal because it is dependent upon your computer being switched-on in order to function (i.e. you may be better off installing VoIP software on a Smartphone).

Out of the above options we’d say that anybody looking to move from an old analogue phone to VoIP solution, while at the same time replicating the old approach as closely as possible, would probably be better off either adopting the ATA adapter (2) or FXS / FXO equipped broadband router (3) approach.

Transferring an Existing Phone Number

Ofcom have made it a requirement to be able to port phone numbers between providers, although on some platforms the technical restrictions and overly sensitive admin checks involved can still hamper the process. Nevertheless it should be perfectly possible to move numbers both between different UK VoIP providers and away from at least the major network operators (e.g. Virgin Media, BT, Sky Broadband, TalkTalk).

The caveat in all this is that at present, until the regulator comes up with a better approach (and boy.. oh.. boy do we need one!), porting your number away from an existing fixed phone line can be a slow and tedious process. Likewise the process is not without its negative consequences, but we’ll come back to that.

You can also expect to be charged a porting fee, which may be a small one-off charge of £20 +vat or more and of course there may be other charges for on-going use (you can’t use the number for free but most VoIP providers cover this via their various rental charges / plans).

What’s the Number Porting Process?
1. Setup an account with your chosen VoIP provider (they will most likely also give you a phone number by default).

2. Make sure the phone number you want to port is both owned by you and still in-service (you’ll need evidence of this, such as a recent copy of your telephone bill with the number and address on). We recommend the bill be less than 3 months old.

3. Make sure you haven’t started any kind of other change on the line (e.g. line cease, line stop or broadband migration).

4. Make sure you’re near the very end of your broadband and / or phone contract before attempting this (we’ll explain why further down).

5. Ask your chosen VoIP provider to send you a number porting request form or find it on their website. Sadly some VoIP providers don’t make this easy to find. The VoIP provider may also ask you to include a signed letter (Letter of Authority – sometimes combined with the porting request form), confirming your intention to port the number (make sure to include your VoIP account number on this).

6. Fill in the form/letter with details of your current operator, number and the date you’d like the port to take place. Send this back to the VoIP provider, alongside evidence to prove that you own the line (as above), and this will give them the authority to request a port away from your existing operator. This is Gaining Provider Led (GPL), so you don’t have to tell your existing phone provider first.

7. The process can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to a full month, during which time you should hopefully still be able to use both your old number and the number that your VoIP provider gave you when you first joined their service (if applicable). Consider this delay when choosing a date for your number port – planning ahead will save you a lot of trouble.

Now the bad news, as if having to wait several weeks wasn’t already painful enough! Try not to make any mistakes on that number porting form, even small ones, because if you do then it could result in your request being delayed or rejected and the latter may attract a failed port charge (usually costs a bit less than the original port request fee).

We’ve also found that some VoIP providers (e.g. Vonage) will expect you to, a) keep a working handset connected to both your old landline and new VoIP number during the process and, b) to have made and received at least one call on both services (particularly the VoIP account that you setup earlier). Failing to do this may delay the number port.

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