How do I configure my VOIP gateway (CISCO Linksys SPA-3102) for a multi-number phone line?
January 24, 2010 6:09 PM Subscribe
How do I configure my VOIP gateway (CISCO Linksys SPA-3102) for a multi-number phone line?
I recently had my telephone provider set up a multi-number for my single land line. So now I have two number for the same phone line.
When the VOIP gateway is disconnected both numbers work fine.
When the gateway is connected to my original number. my original number works fine, but the new number doesn't receive or dial out at all, you hear it ringing in the phone but the phone doesn't ring. So basically my second number is worthless.
Is there any way I can configure my gateway to make both numbers work? at least receive calls on the second number while I'm on the net?
I recently had my telephone provider set up a multi-number for my single land line. So now I have two number for the same phone line.
When the VOIP gateway is disconnected both numbers work fine.
When the gateway is connected to my original number. my original number works fine, but the new number doesn't receive or dial out at all, you hear it ringing in the phone but the phone doesn't ring. So basically my second number is worthless.
Is there any way I can configure my gateway to make both numbers work? at least receive calls on the second number while I'm on the net?
Best answer: I'm a little confused by one thing you said: "When the VOIP gateway is disconnected both numbers work fine."
That ... confuses me. With the gateway disconnected, how would you use the number? The setup I was envisioning you had, with the SPA-3102 acting as a POTS/VOIP gateway, wouldn't have any provision for that. I'm going to assume for the purposes of this answer, that what you mean is that, with the gateway turned off, you can use some sort of a softclient from a PC, and use either number independently. (If this is not what you mean, please clarify since that might change things.)
Anyway ... a lot depends on your provider and how they set up the "multi-number phone line," and then how you want things to work.
I have the SPA-2102 at home, and the 3102 is similar ... except that while the 2102 has two "FXS" ports (phone jacks that supply dialtone to a phone) and can thus provide two simultaneous VOIP "lines", the 3102 has one FXS and one FXO. The FXO port is designed to plug into an existing PSTN FXS jack (live telco jack), so you can route some calls via analog phone and some via VOIP, or provide emergency backup if the Internet connection is down. At least this is how I understand it.
Although the 2102 and 3102 may be the same internally, I don't think you can use the 3102s two ports for separate FXS lines without reflashing the firmware. (And I'm not sure you can do that, i.e. turn a 3102 into a 2102, without hardware modification. They might not be the same internally.)
So anyway, I believe that precludes you from going the simplest route, which would be to have your VOIP provider set up two totally separate accounts for you, and put one account on FXS1 and the other on FXS2. (On the 2102, this is trivial; each jack has its own configuration page, and you can set them up to use separate VOIP termination providers, if you want.)
The next way to get multiple incoming numbers would be to get your provider to configure a single VOIP account with multiple "DIDs". (A "DID" is the industry-speak for incoming number.) This is pretty standard and most providers can set it up. It's how you can get several numbers (a local number in each of several cities, or several countries) that all cause the same phone to ring. As long as you don't mind having all the numbers ring to the same phone on the receiving end, you should just have to tell the VOIP provider, start paying for the extra DID, and no configuration should be necessary in the ATA.
With this configuration, the ATA only "sees" one incoming SIP account. The multiple-DID business is managed on the VOIP provider's end, where they interface to the PSTN. If this is what you want and things aren't working, then you should talk to your VOIP provider and double-check your ATA's configuration. It's no more complex, on your end, than a single-DID setup.
Now ... if what you really want is multiple DIDs (incoming numbers) but you want each of those numbers to ring different phones in your house, or you want the phones to have different ring patterns or something, so that you can tell what number is being called ... that's a much more complex scenario. Basically, you're getting into a basic SIP trunking scenario, and you need more intelligence on your end than a little ATA like the Linksys boxes offer. You'd be getting into Asterisk or VOIP PBX territory.
posted by Kadin2048 at 7:45 PM on January 24, 2010
That ... confuses me. With the gateway disconnected, how would you use the number? The setup I was envisioning you had, with the SPA-3102 acting as a POTS/VOIP gateway, wouldn't have any provision for that. I'm going to assume for the purposes of this answer, that what you mean is that, with the gateway turned off, you can use some sort of a softclient from a PC, and use either number independently. (If this is not what you mean, please clarify since that might change things.)
Anyway ... a lot depends on your provider and how they set up the "multi-number phone line," and then how you want things to work.
I have the SPA-2102 at home, and the 3102 is similar ... except that while the 2102 has two "FXS" ports (phone jacks that supply dialtone to a phone) and can thus provide two simultaneous VOIP "lines", the 3102 has one FXS and one FXO. The FXO port is designed to plug into an existing PSTN FXS jack (live telco jack), so you can route some calls via analog phone and some via VOIP, or provide emergency backup if the Internet connection is down. At least this is how I understand it.
Although the 2102 and 3102 may be the same internally, I don't think you can use the 3102s two ports for separate FXS lines without reflashing the firmware. (And I'm not sure you can do that, i.e. turn a 3102 into a 2102, without hardware modification. They might not be the same internally.)
So anyway, I believe that precludes you from going the simplest route, which would be to have your VOIP provider set up two totally separate accounts for you, and put one account on FXS1 and the other on FXS2. (On the 2102, this is trivial; each jack has its own configuration page, and you can set them up to use separate VOIP termination providers, if you want.)
The next way to get multiple incoming numbers would be to get your provider to configure a single VOIP account with multiple "DIDs". (A "DID" is the industry-speak for incoming number.) This is pretty standard and most providers can set it up. It's how you can get several numbers (a local number in each of several cities, or several countries) that all cause the same phone to ring. As long as you don't mind having all the numbers ring to the same phone on the receiving end, you should just have to tell the VOIP provider, start paying for the extra DID, and no configuration should be necessary in the ATA.
With this configuration, the ATA only "sees" one incoming SIP account. The multiple-DID business is managed on the VOIP provider's end, where they interface to the PSTN. If this is what you want and things aren't working, then you should talk to your VOIP provider and double-check your ATA's configuration. It's no more complex, on your end, than a single-DID setup.
Now ... if what you really want is multiple DIDs (incoming numbers) but you want each of those numbers to ring different phones in your house, or you want the phones to have different ring patterns or something, so that you can tell what number is being called ... that's a much more complex scenario. Basically, you're getting into a basic SIP trunking scenario, and you need more intelligence on your end than a little ATA like the Linksys boxes offer. You'd be getting into Asterisk or VOIP PBX territory.
posted by Kadin2048 at 7:45 PM on January 24, 2010
if what you really want is multiple DIDs (incoming numbers) but you want each of those numbers to ring different phones in your house
then you can do that by attaching multiple SPA3102's to your broadband line, and connecting them to different groups of phones.
posted by flabdablet at 10:40 PM on January 24, 2010
then you can do that by attaching multiple SPA3102's to your broadband line, and connecting them to different groups of phones.
posted by flabdablet at 10:40 PM on January 24, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Bacillus at 7:40 PM on January 24, 2010