Looking for some advice

[baskin35]

Hey guys, so I've been using freephoneline for a few years now and it's been great. I have it connected to my modem/router (Thomson tg784n) and I've had it like that the whole time but I want to upgrade my internet now. I'm with teksavvy and they are telling me I need a new modem in order to upgrade my internet (I'm going from 5mbps to 25mbps) so I'm trying to figure out if freephoneline will still work with the new modem or not. This is the list of modems that they gave me that I can use once I upgrade:

Sagemcom F@st 2864
SmartRG SR505N
Cellpipe

I'm also considering changing to cable instead of staying on dsl, will I still be able to use freephoneline if I do that or is it dsl only? My last question is, if none of these modems work with freephoneline, what is my alternative? I believe I can purchase some sort of box and use that instead of my modem?

Thanks for the help, hope this isn't too many questions.

[lustucru]

I have been using SAGEMCOM F@st 2864 for more than 2 years and the VOIP connection is excellent. It is a connection hub with 4 ethernet ports, so you won't need a separate router for FPL.

[baskin35]

I have been using SAGEMCOM F@st 2864 for more than 2 years and the VOIP connection is excellent. It is a connection hub with 4 ethernet ports, so you won't need a separate router for FPL.

Thanks, that's good to hear. I don't have a separate router right now, I just have the modem which is also a router and everything plugs into there. If I wanted to switch to cable would freephoneline still work with that? Would I need to get some sort of box? I'm leaning towards going with cable right now but I want to make sure it will still work.

[bridonca]

I am not familiar with the modems that are on the list, but the general rule of thumb is the simpler the modem, the better. Being able to put a modem in bridge mode, makes it simpler. The down side is that when a modem is in bridge mode, you need a dedicated router if you intend to use multiple devices. And if you need a dedicated router, make sure it is DD-WRT capable. A DD-WRT capable router tends to be a better router, and usually has a more reliable firmware installed.

I did a quick look at the specs on the Smart RG 505N, and it looks like you can put that modem in bridge mode. I never bothered to check the other modems on the list if they do bridge mode, but they should.

I should stress that I might be making this too complicated. The router on these modems might be good enough so that you do not need to put the modem in bridge mode. Freephoneline could work just fine without any modifications. It is just that when it does not, it is nice to have options.

The best advice I can say is talk to Teksavvy and ask them if or what modems support Freephoneline.

[Jake]

The 784 has a built in ATA. I would suggest you buy yourself a separate ATA, then you can plug it into any DSL or Cable connection. An ATA is probably the 'other box' you mentioned in your first post. It is basically what connects your phones to the internet. Currently your 784 is doing this as well, but if you change your modem/router you will also loose your ,built in, ATA.

I was able to configure the 784 to work on my daughters Cable connection when she moved from DSL to Cable, but it was a bit of doing and I can't remember what settings I changed. If I was to do it again I would probably just go and get an Obi ATA.

As long as your ISP does not block Voip or play silly with shaping your traffic, FPL should work with and ISP no matter how you connect to the internet through an ATA. Your 784 does everything right now and this will change once you change your modem. Having a separate ATA is a better way of going though. Having said that, if you are using both line jacks on the 784 now, you will have to get a line splitter for your new ATA as most ATA's only allow you to program one line jack to work with each account.