number porting & dry-loop for my DSL

[kendykong]

Hi,

I was wondering if there is anyone having the same situation as mine. I am in an old apartment building which requires a live landline to 'connect' to the front door; when a visitor buzzes me at the intercomm downstairs, I have got a ring tone from my landline phone and I can push a button on the phone to open the door for the visitor. The question I have is if I go with FPL for my home phone and I am still with Bell for my internet, I want to know if the dry-loop is not only providing me the internet service with Bell but also keeping the door-opening function.

Also, if I am with Bell for my DSL, after I have my number ported to FPL, (I assume the home phone service with Bell will be disconnected automatically), do I have to call Bell to have a dry-loop installed in order to maintain my internet service? Or, I can just leave it and do nothing?

Thanks,

[callopsitte]

My mom was in the same situation as you. That is living in an appartment with the phone to open the door. I got her to install Videotron's phone (which from my readings is similar to voip). Then we couldn't buzz her, she couldn't use the speaker phone and open the door. We discovered a month later it had to be set with the appartment management. They are the one who program the telephone number in their system to work with the door. I guess it shouldn't be a problem because you'll still have same number.

As for dry loop we discussed in in another post. Whatever way you decide to do it (dry loop first then porting or vice versa) does not matter. Seems you should still have internet running even if you don't ask for dry loop right away. But for how long that nobody could answer. So yes at some time I suggest you will have to call Bell to get dry loop installed.

Suggestion. Why don't you get DSL with FreePhoneLine. They have competitive prices, first 12 months are $22,90 with network access fee and download is illimited. Those revenues are also what keeps them able to keep on expanding the free phone and still having it.

[kendykong]

I have talked to the management but it seems they want to push the ball to Bell saying it's Bell who is accountable for this stuff. The problem is when I moved in to this apartment building, the open-door function was not working until my landline phone was installed by Bell. I don't know what's going on with both of them. I thought the same way that it should be something to do with the internal wiring of the apartment building. Anyway, I will check with the managment again.

[FONGO_steve]

The question I have is if I go with FPL for my home phone and I am still with Bell for my internet, I want to know if the dry-loop is not only providing me the internet service with Bell but also keeping the door-opening function.

If you switch to dry loop internet, there will be no dial tone and no phone service on that line at all. I'm presuming that the apartment building relies on both of the above in order for the line to dial into their buzzer system.

Is the buzzer using some sort of speed-dial function to call your phone and then you enter a digit which it detects and unlocks the door? I know that we have a lot of users in apartments who are able to use buzzer systems with freephoneline, however, I do not know how these systems work and which types of system their buildings have.

[kendykong]

The visitor requires to enter a 3-digit code on the panel, then, it rings on the phone (with distinctive ring tone), I pick up the phone and push a number to open the door.

I am not sure what system we are on but I know it's over 20 years.

[ekster]

I went through different systems in different apartments I've lived in... From experience, there are only two systems.

First:
When someone dials downstairs, the system then dials your full phone number and connects you. If this is the case, then any phone can be used to answer it, including a cell phone or a voip phone. If this is the case, then whoever is in charge of that system simply needs to change the forwarding number to whatever you want to use.

Second:
It is a direct connection from downstairs to your line. In this case, you do not need an active landline. By simply taking any phone and connecting it to the jack will make it work, even if there is no dial tone. Of course, that phone will only be limited to people ringing from downstairs and opening the door.

The simplest way to find out of it's the first is simply ask whoever is in charge if they change forwarding numbers when there are new tenants. For the second one, the simplest way to find out is to plug in a phone when you don't have a Bell phone line.

Either way, I was never forced to use Bell if I wanted to open the door.

[kendykong]

I heard that our system is hard wired, I don't know what that means; All I remember was that I was not able to open the door when I moved in without having my landline installed with Bell. I know it doesn't mean sense to open the door only when you are with Bell. But, who knows, maybe there is some genius designed the system that way.

[ekster]

I heard that our system is hard wired, I don't know what that means; All I remember was that I was not able to open the door when I moved in without having my landline installed with Bell. I know it doesn't mean sense to open the door only when you are with Bell. But, who knows, maybe there is some genius designed the system that way.

Is it a big building? Any way of finding out if others have anything other than Bell (Like Videotron/Rogers, depending where you are.) It's a guess but maybe the Bell tech connected some wires downstairs there were previously disconnected when they installed the Bell line. I know when I used videotron in the past, first time they installed their phone, the door downstairs wasn't working either, until they moved the door system to a second pair of wires, and reserved one phone jack specifically for that system, whereas everything else was connected to Videotron's phone.

But if the management is saying that Bell is responsible for the system, then it might be the one where they forward it to your number, then the above doesn't apply. It sure would make it easy if they actually knew what they were using...

[mjbad2]

I have switched to FPL line for Security system. It works fine. Only problem is our system is very old so I got new security code.