Tech Support > Computers & Technology > Internet & Broadband > Best way to convert existing ISDN?
Best way to convert existing ISDN?
Posted by BJH on January 6th, 2005


Hi

A friend of mine has got an existing ISDN connection which gives him a 64K?
data connection (handled by BTYahoo) and two voice connections, one for his
fax and one for a private voice line in his office. He also pays someone
else to host his website, domain name and forward email to his BTYahoo
account.

He wants to migrate to Broadband (not bothered about who the provider is)
yet still keep his phone number for the fax line and ideally, though I
suspect not essential, keep his phone number for the other voice line.

Any suggestions as to the most painless way to achieve this?

He's had a preliminary call with BT and got no satisfactory answers.

--
Regards
Barry

Posted by Phil Thompson on January 6th, 2005


On Thu, 6 Jan 2005 17:39:24 +0000, BJH <barryh@nospam.kentra.co.uk>
wrote:

reading the thread entitled "Upgrade from BT HomeHighway to
Broadband...?" would be a good start, then come back with any
unresolved queries.

Phil
--
Splenda - the only sweetener made from chlorine :-)

Posted by Peter M on January 6th, 2005


On Thu, 6 Jan 2005 17:39:24 +0000, in uk.telecom.broadband,
BJH <barryh@nospam.kentra.co.uk> wrote:

A 'managed conversion' from Highway to an ordinary line is meant to be
fairly painless (a read of the posts for the past 24 hours would show
a thread about this matter with various ISP names included).

As for the numbers, I don't know if BT would allow him to use one as a
CallSign number and keep the original. I would consider a fax to e-mail
service instead and remember that whether the line has one or two numbers
for incoming calls, only one number will be sent for CLI purposes to the
destination, so it would probably make sense for that to be his voice
number, not the one for fax. He could use CallSign for a second number
and use a box to filter CS calls to his fax, but equally he could have
another phone line and it would be cheaper than HH... Peter M.



--
PlusNet <http://tinyurl.com/24ymz> - I recommend them and save some cash.

My other ISP : UK Free Software Network <http://www.ukfsn.org>
UKFSN passes all profits to Free Software projects in the UK.

Posted by Tiscali Tim on January 6th, 2005


In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
BJH <barryh@nospam.kentra.co.uk> wrote:

Go with an ISP which provides a managed ISDN to ADSL conversion, then - if
the line should fail the ADSL test - ISDN will be re-instated at no charge.
Otherwise, it gets very messy - and expensive - if the line test fails. Also
go with an ISP which will host the existing domains. PlusNet would qualify
on both counts.

Your friend needs to decide whether he *really* needs a fax line and, if so,
whether it needs to be a dedicated line. Many broadband users use a
Fax-to-email service (free with PlusNet) for incoming faxes, so as not to
tie up the phone line - and an ordinary fax modem plugged into the voice
line for outgoing faxes, sent at convenient times when voice calls are not
needed.

If he wants a separate *number* for fax, he could use Call Sign on the
single line - but still wouldn't be able to use voice and fax at the same
time. This is little different from Home Highway ISDN in that when the
internet line is in use, you can use phone or fax but not both - it's just
that, with ADSL, the equivalent of the internet line is *always* in use!

--
Cheers,
Tim
______
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Posted by Peter M on January 6th, 2005


On 6 Jan 2005 in uk.telecom.broadband, "Tiscali Tim" wrote:

and free with from others, too, including efax.com and inweb.co.uk
(and possibly Demon on some accounts, BICBW). Peter M.



--
PlusNet <http://tinyurl.com/24ymz> - I recommend them and save some cash.

My other ISP : UK Free Software Network <http://www.ukfsn.org>
UKFSN passes all profits to Free Software projects in the UK.

Posted by Tiscali Tim on January 6th, 2005


In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Peter M <us-mail@rocketmail.com> wrote:

Indeed. I wasn't implying that it was *exclusively* free with PlusNet - but
just that PlusNet seemed to satisfy all the requirements. Clearly, there are
other fish in the sea!
--
Cheers,
Tim
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Posted by Gonzales on January 6th, 2005


The bit at the beginning was incorrect - the person doesn't have ISDN2
and use his lines for fax, voice, and Internet, at least not all at
the same time.

Anyone with ISDN2 who uses the Internet more or less continuously has
to share one line with phone calls and fax anyway, hence going back to
an analogue phone line and fax is a forward step (if you add
broadband).

If that doesn't work, get a SIP phone & number - then your phone line
is the fax line and broadband provides Internet & Voice.

I don't tout suppliers, so look them up, but an IP phone will cost
less than a phone line rental over a year, even comparing Cisco -vs-
BT.



On Thu, 6 Jan 2005 22:19:45 -0000, "Tiscali Tim" <tele@privacy.net>
wrote:


Posted by Peter M on January 6th, 2005


On 6 Jan 2005 in uk.telecom.broadband, "Tiscali Tim" wrote:

it does, until you (a) rely on the service and then want to
(b) switch ISP.... While I'm aware the fax to email service
is there and works OK most of the time, there are others which
exist and can perhaps offer other options (such as sending PDF)
as well. I'm 'for' having more than one option for services



--
PlusNet <http://tinyurl.com/24ymz> - I recommend them and save some cash.

My other ISP : UK Free Software Network <http://www.ukfsn.org>
UKFSN passes all profits to Free Software projects in the UK.

Posted by BJH on January 7th, 2005


On Thu, 6 Jan 2005 21:23:45 -0000, Tiscali Tim wrote:

I'm confused!

My friend doesn't have HH, this is a business we are talking about, at
least I don't *think* its called HH.

Secondly, he does need a dedicated fax line for the business, but you're
quite correct, I think call sign would be an option, provided his fax
machine was clever enough to differentiate. Altough I do think there's a
smart box on the market, that does?

Thirdly, this ISDN setup does allow one internet connection, the fax line
and a voice line to co-exist all at the same time. At least, that's what he
told me!

--
Regards
Barry

Posted by Phil Thompson on January 7th, 2005


On Fri, 7 Jan 2005 08:38:08 +0000, BJH <barryh@nospam.kentra.co.uk>
wrote:

it might be Business Highway, providing two analogue ports as well as
the digital "pure" ISDN.

TwinTalk if the fax machine won't do it.

ISDN has two channels so he can have internet on one and fax/voice on
the other but never all three together. If he has kit to connect the
fax and phone is ISDN, if there's a BT box receiving the fax and phone
plugs its Business Highway.

The numbering issues will be different if its ISDN compared to BH.

Phil
--
Splenda - the only sweetener made from chlorine :-)

Posted by Tiscali Tim on January 7th, 2005


In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
BJH <barryh@nospam.kentra.co.uk> wrote:

said still applies.

Why? Wouldn't s Fax-to-Email service for *incoming* faxes be better?

and switches the call either to the phone or to the fax.

Well, it's my belief that this restriction applies to all 3 flavours of
ISDN. I stand to be corrected in the case of ISDN2 though.

[I wonder what you mean by 'co-exist'. There's no problem with them
co-existing - it just that you can only *use* 2 of the 4 possible lines (2
digital and 2 analog) at any one point in time. In other words, pick up the
phone when the internet and fax are in use, and you won't get a dialling
tone - and anyone dialling in will get a busy signal].
--
Cheers,
Tim
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Posted by Peter M on January 7th, 2005


On Fri, 7 Jan 2005 08:38:08 +0000, in uk.telecom.broadband,
BJH <barryh@nospam.kentra.co.uk> wrote:

'exist' but not be used simultaneously. If he pick up the phone while he
is online and rings the fax machine, he gets engaged or ringing ? I'd
expect the latter (and if he is in conversation, while online, a fax
machine will have to try again to send and his fax machine would not
even have any dialtone, from memory of my setup. BICBW :-) Peter



--
PlusNet <http://tinyurl.com/24ymz> - I recommend them and save some cash.

My other ISP : UK Free Software Network <http://www.ukfsn.org>
UKFSN passes all profits to Free Software projects in the UK.


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