Choosing a Purchase Option


I hinted in earlier chapters that where you purchase your Internet phone equipment will make a difference in how it is installed. The VoIP provider's communications network needs to know what to do with each telephone adapter (TA) that connects across the Internet. If your TA has not been registered with your provider, the provider's networks will not recognize it.

The process of registering your TA with the provider's network is called activation. In this section, I describe the basics of how activation works and how to perform activation for TAs purchased in a retail store.

Note

Most of the examples in this chapter depict the Vonage broadband phone service. This does not imply any particular preference on the author's part; the examples are intended to show configuration and management of a service consistently from start to finish. These procedures are common to all broadband phone services, although the screens or procedures may vary. For exact procedures for your chosen service, please refer to your provider's instructions.


Retail purchase and activation

When you buy a boxed Internet phone kit in the store, you receive the TA, some cables, and a quick-start guide (Figure 5.1). The TA will be ready to use, but you will need to make your VoIP provider's network aware that you exist before attempting to connect.

Figure 5.1. A package-contents list for the Linksys PAP2 telephone adapter


Before activation, the network would turn a deaf ear to your TA. During the activation process, you provide the TA's unique address to the provider's network, which causes the network to begin listening for your TA's call. Now when you attempt to connect, the network knows what to do with your device and how to integrate it with the range of features provided by your Internet phone company.

Internet purchase and activation

If you sign up for service online or over the phone, your VoIP provider will enter the address of a TA into its system before shipping it to you. When you receive the TA, it will be ready to go. In this case, you'll just connect it to the Internet and begin using it.



Fire the Phone Company. A Handy Guide to Voice over IP
Fire the Phone Company: A Handy Guide to Voice Over IP
ISBN: 0321384865
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 94
Authors: David Field

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