Question:

We're looking at upgrading to ADSL2 bundled with iiNet's Phone Advantage and VoIP package. But we'd only like to use one of our phones. We just bought a new Panasonic cordless phone system with three handsets but one base-station (and hence one physical connection to the phone line). Our other two phones are corded and we're hoping not to have to use them.


Additionally, we want to keep our current phone number, which will become the hard-line supplied by iiNet, and we'll have a second number for the VoIP line. Obviously, we'd like to call out as much as possible from the VoIP line because call costs are lower that way. But we'd like to receive calls through the land-line because everyone has that number and switching it over is a lot of hassle. And we'd like to do this with one phone (base-station).


Is there a device available that I can plug our phone into so that all incoming calls to both lines will make the handsets ring, and that also ensures I only ever call out from the VoIP line?
It's not strictly necessarily that the phones must ring when we receive a call on the VoIP line (though that'd be nice), but they must ring when the land-line is called. And we don't want to call out from the land-line at all.

Is this possible?

Follow up:

Answer 1:
t sure is. The magical device you're looking for is called an ATA (analog telphone adapter). At a minimum, these usually have an FXS (phone) port and an ethernet port. Some also have an FXO (phone line) port for receiving and making calls on the PSTN.


Other than buying an ATA, the other option is to buy a router with an ATA built in (sometimes referred to as 'voip routers').


Check out the Linksys SPA-3000 ATA. I expect that would do what you need - you can program it to make outgoing calls from your analog phone (any of your panasonic handsets if the base is plugged into the ATA) via VoIP and have the PSTN as a failover in case the VoIP services are down. Incoming calls to your VoIP or PSTN number will ring the phones.




Answer 2:
Yeah, Internode recommend and support the SPA-3000. I contacted iiNet about this though and they said we need two phones but said I could try using the adapter and it might work. iiNet also say that cordless phones don't go well with their VoIP but I hope they're wrong.



Source: Atomic MPC