VoIP 101 What exactly is VoIP? VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is a method for taking analog audio signals, the kind when talking on the phone, and turning them into digital data that can be transmitted over the Internet. VoiceNet VoIP service provides the same or better quality as a traditional phone service, but you receive more features and pay far less for calls around the world. Back to TOP
What do I need for VoIP to work? You will need a Broadband Internet Connection, also referred to as "Broadband, Cable Internet or DSL", and an adapter that converts digital voice packets into analog signal so that you may continue using the same phones that you have in your home today.
We sell MTA's (Multimedia Terminal Adapter) during the sign-up process (pictured to left). Our MTA includes a built-in router so you can split your internet connection, one to the MTA and one to your computer. MOST OTHER COMPANIES DON'T INCLUDE THE ROUTER, COSTING YOU MORE UP-FRONT. Back to TOP
VoiceNet Phone Service Where does VoiceNet work?
VoiceNet works anywhere you have a broadband internet connection. You use your service anywhere in the world, however you must abide by any and all domestic and International laws & regulations. Some international broadband providers might block certain ports causing intermittent problems. Back to TOP
How are calls placed and received with VoiceNet?
Making and receiving calls with My Cyber Phone service is exactly the same as with the traditional phone companies. Anything outside of your area code must be made with a 1 + area code.
You can change your calling preference once you login to your account to accommodate other international calling structures.
When you take your VoiceNet service outside your house of office people call your same VoiceNet number even though you aren't there. Example: You travel to Europe and take your VoiceNet service with you, people call your US based phone number and it rings wherever you have your VoiceNet MTA. Back to TOP
How are International calls made?
International calls are made by dialing 011 + country code + city code + phone number, it is no different than a normal US telephone. View our international rates Back to TOP
Is a special phone required for VoiceNet service?
Absolutely not. Any standard analog phone that you are using right now will work perfectly. We can even integrate into existing PBX systems. Back to TOP
What happens with I move or travel?
VoiceNet service is Internet based not location based, so you can use our service anywhere you have a broadband Internet connection. Take it when you move, vacation, travel for work, or go to an Internet cafe . . . the options are endless! Back to TOP
Does VoiceNet support more than one phone line?
Yes, VoiceNet allows you to have as many phone numbers as you want. Our MTA has two ports so you can get two phone numbers right away. If you want more numbers you can contact us directly for an MTA that has more than two ports, or you can have certain number forwarded. You can get additional phone numbers / lines by login into your account or sending us an email directly. Back to TOP
What kind of phone numbers do you offer?
Voice Net currently offers US based phone numbers including Toll Free Numbers. View all available area codes, if we don't have the area code you want fill out the request form and we will have it within 2-3 weeks.
You can take a phone number from New York even though you live in another state or country! Back to TOP
Do the people I call have to use VoiceNet service?
No, VoiceNet service allows you to call any phone number in the world, HOWEVER calls to other VoiceNet users are absolutely FREE regardless of where they are in the world. Back to TOP
Can I use the Internet while talking on my VoiceNet phone?
Yes, you can use your phone while you instant message, check email, download music, surf the web . . . a VoiceNet phone call only uses 20kbps less then half of a traditional dial-up service. Back to TOP
Can I keep my phone number if I cancel my service? No, At this time we don't offer the ability for customer's to number port our telephone numbers. This service will be available soon. Back to TOP
Does VoiceNet service work during power outages? VoiceNet service utilizes your Internet service so you must make sure your Internet service is connected to a battery backup. If you have Internet service you will have VoiceNet service . . . remember you must also have your phone on a battery backup if it requires an electric source. Back to TOP
Is 411 (information) provided?
Currently we don't provide a 411 service. Back to TOP Is 911 (emergency) service provided? Voicenet currently doesn't provide a 911 emergency response system, HOWEVER you can verify with your local telephone company and police department regarding 911 service. 911 service is usually available on disconnected telephone services . . . you can't make a local call but you can access the 911 features automatically located on your disconnected land line phone. Back to TOP
Pricing, Rates, & Calling Plans What does VoiceNet service cost? VoiceNet has plans to meet the needs of everyone. If we aren't offering a plan that meets your needs please send us an email directly and we will work with you to create a specific program. Residential Plans Business Plans Fax Plus Back to TOP
What are your International Rates?
Here you can view all our International Rates . . . note prices subject to change.
How much are incoming calls and calls to other users?
FREE, FREE, FREE, FREE Back to TOP
What does it cost to buy a VoiceNet MTA?
VoiceNet retails our MTA's for $99.99, there are promotion coupons and retailers that sell our equipment for less. Make sure to contact us prior to purchasing equipment to make sure it is compatible. All equipment purchased through VoiceNet has a warranty.Back to TOP
What is the Pre-Paid Account Deposit?
In order to make International Calls (or calls outside your calling plan), we require a pre-paid balance on your account (similar to a pre-paid calling card). This prevents fraud and allows us to keep our rates to you low. When you sign up for service, you are able to choose how much money you would like to add to your pre-paid balance. You can also setup your account to automatically recharge your pre-paid balance off your credit card when your funds begin to run low. There is no time limit for when you have to use your pre-paid balance. Installation and VoiceNet Features How do I install my VoiceNet service?
Basic instructions can be found on our Installation page.
Full instructions with graphic directions can be viewed here. Back to TOP
What features come with my VoiceNet Service & how are they used? Voice Mail: Dial * 98 from your VoiceNet phone, enable messages to be emailed to you directly when you login to your account (PHone Settings), or view them directly online when you are logged into your account.
Caller ID: Automatically activated with a Caller ID ready phone
Call Hold: Press your flash or hold button. If you don't have one, tap the button that hangs up your phone. To get back to the call do the exact same thing you did to put them on hold. *You will get a ring every 20 seconds to remind you that someone is on hold.
Call Waiting: You will hear the call waiting tone every 5 seconds if there is an incoming call. To receive the incoming call press your flash button or if you don't have one, tap the button that hangs up your phone. To get back to you first call do exactly the same thing you did to activate call waiting.
Three-Way Calling: During a call, press your flash button or if you don't have one, tap the button that hangs up your phone. You will hear a stutter dial tone, dial the second number. Once the second party answers press your flash button or the button that hangs up your phone to connect all three people on one call.
Call Forwarding / Follow Me: You can enter up to 5 numbers for the Follow Me service. If the call goes through your list of numbers and isn't picked up it will go to your voicemail if you have it activated. If you don't have voicemail activated the last number on your Follow Me list will ring till it is picked up or the caller hangs up. Found online after logging in and selecting "Phone Settings". Enable "locate me" and enter the phone numbers (1 + area code = North America; 011 + country code = International) you wish to have the calls forwarded to. Set the "Time Out" setting to determine how long you want a number to ring (this setting prevents unwanted answering machines and voicemails to pick up the call) & hit SAVE.
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When do I get my VoiceNet phone number & MTA?
You will receive an email right after you signup for for VoiceNet service, your number will be in the email. You can also login to your account at anytime to view your account details and phone numbers. You will receive your MTA within 5-7 business days, but it is usually much sooner. Back to TOP
Troubleshooting
How to check PC to MTA Connection? At this point, the MTA should be connected only to the analog phone and to the PC (or your switch). Do not connect the broadband modem to the MTA yet; this enables us to check the MTA/PC communications more easily.
1. Turn the power on for the MTA using the ON/OFF button on the back of the MTA. The LED Power indicator (top light on the MTA front panel) should light.
2. Turn the power on (and boot up) the PC, logging into the PC if necessary. Check to see if the PC can “see” the MTA. The following instructions are for Windows, but can be imitated from any operating system:
Press the Start button.
a. Choose the “Run” command. A small dialog box entitled “Run” appears.
b. Type http://192.168.200.1 and double check your typing. Be sure that you’ve entered the “slash” character, which goes from lower left to upper right, not the “backslash” character.
c. Press the Enter key. Your web browser should appear.
d. Login: User
e. Password: User
How do I Find Out my PC Network Information? On your PC, press the Start button and choose Run from the menu.
For users of Windows 2000 or Windows XP.
1. Type CMD and press the enter key. A plain black window with a prompt similar to “C:\>” should appear.
2. Type IPCONFIG /ALL in the plain black window and press the enter key. Some information should appear. Look for a line with the word “IP Address.” To the right a number in four parts, divided by dots should appear. Write down the network address.
Also in the lower part of the dialog box, an odd looking identification number in the format of “00:40:D0:19:51:B2” should appear. This is your MAC number. Not all users will need this later, but write it down, also, and note that there are no letter “O'”s here… those are zeros.
For Users of Windows 98 or Windows ME.
a. Type winipcfg and press the enter key. A small dialog box like the one below should appear.
b. Within the dialog box, look for the drop down list without a label. Most likely the list defaults to “PPP Adapter.” Pull down the list; most likely it will only have two choices. If it has more than two choices, you will have to choose your network card by name; if it has only two, it's the one other than PC adapter.
After choosing, a number in four parts divided by dots should appear below, with the word “IP Address” next to it. Write down the network address.
Also in the lower part of the dialog box, an odd looking identification number labeled “Adapter Address,” in the format “00:40:D0:19:51:B2” should appear. This is your MAC address. Not all users will need this later, but write it down, also, and note that there are no letter “O'”s here… those are zeros. Back to TOP
My PC Does Not See the MTA
First, follow the directions in, “How do I Find Out my PC Network Information.” Then, jump down to the point below that best fits, then continue as directed:
a. If the number begins with 169 and this is the first time you've set up the MTA , your network cabling is not correct or you have a faulty cable. Review the Installation Page.
b. If the number begins with 169 and you had previously reconfigured the MTA , verify that you didn't turn off the DHCP server in the MTA.
c. If there is a number and it begins with 192.168.200 (in other words, the first three sets of numbers in your address match these numbers), then most likely you didn't reboot as instructed, or you have a PC firewall set to an unusually high level of protection (note: this also assumes that you previously were able to use your PC's browser). Look on your system tray (lower right hand corner of your screen), find your firewall controls, turn to a lower security level, and retry. Note that just by being “behind” the MTA you've gained firewall protection from inbound “mischief.”
d. If there is a number and it begins with anything other than 192.168.200 (in other words, the first three sets of numbers in your address don't match these numbers), then most likely you had either set a static IP address previously for your computer, you have a DHCP server on your network other than the MTA, or you didn't reboot the computer when previously directed. If the last is the case, please reboot and start the “tests” again. If the first is the case, that you had previously set a static IP address, you may change to a dynamically set address (which means that the MTA provides your PC with an address when it boots up) through the instructions continuing below.
1. Now, to reset your PC to expect a Dynamically Assigned Network Address, open Control Panel (press the Start button, and choose Control Panel). The control panel appears.
2. Locate Network Connections and double click. A folder window or a dialog may appear, depending on your version of Windows. If a folder window, locate “Local Area Connection,” right click, and select “Properties” from the popup menu; else, continue on to the next step.
3. Locate Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), select it, and press the Properties button.
4. Locate an option entitled “Obtain an IP Address Automatically” and select it.
5. Locate an option entitled “Obtain DNS Server Address Automatically and select it.
6. Press OK. In older versions of Windows you will be prompted to reboot your system.
7. After a moment, or after rebooting if prompted by the operating system, follow the instructions for connecting to the MTA via your browser again. Back to TOP
How Do I Log Into the MTA to Change a Setting?
a. Open your Internet browser and type http://192.168.200.1 in the address bar. (Note: if you've chosen to change the MTA's network address, it's expected that you know how to reach the address you set!)
b. In the login box which then appears, fill in the user name (user) and password (user).
c. Press the login button. If a screen advises that your user name or password is wrong, please check your typing before calling your service provider (and remember, your password is probably case sensitive!). Back to TOP
My ISP Expects a Login and I Haven't Set Up the UserName/Password in the MTA
This is almost always the case for a DSL connection. First log into the MTA
1. On the left side of the browser screen main menu page, in the menu links, locate and click on “WAN Configuration.”
2. Locate the “WAN Access Interface” choice at the top and select the “PPPoE” option.
3. Immediately below the previous option, enter the user name that your Internet Service Provider expects in the PPPoE User Name box.
4. Immediately below the previous option, enter the password that your Internet Service Provider expects in the PPPoE User Password box.
5. Some Internet Service Providers expect the login to include a host name (a name for your computer) and/or a domain name (their network name). If this is required, your Internet Service Provider probably included written instructions with the information at the time you received your user name and password. Fill in these boxes (below the previous entries) if necessary, but other wise, leave them blank.
6. Press the Submit button.
7. Now reboot the MTA. Back to TOP
My ISP Checks MAC Addresses and I Haven't Set Up the Custom MAC for the MTA
a. First you need to know the MAC address of the network card that was previously connected to your broadband modem. (How Do I Find out my PC Network Information) Just be sure you remember which network card you had previously connected to the broadband modem!
b. Next, log into the MTA
c. On the left side of the browser screen main menu page, in the menu links, locate and click on “Wan Configuration.”
d. The IP Configuration should appear, below the WAN configuration area.
e. Select “Cloning Mac Address”. This enables the box below it. 5.
f. In the “Cloning Mac Address” box, type in the MAC address you previously wrote down. Please double check your typing. 6.
g. Press the Submit button. You should see a “configuration change is successful” message.
h. Reboot the MTA. Back to TOP
I Have a Static IP Address But Haven't Set Up the Static IP Address in the MTA
In preparation, you MUST write down (or have a printed copy) not only the static IP address that your Internet Service Provider assigned. Most likely, you'll also need to know several other pieces of information, such as a gateway, a name server, a subnet mask and so forth. You should have a written communication from your ISP with all the information you need. If you don't have this information, unless you're an experienced network technician and know how to gather this data from the machine that was previously connected to the broadband, you'd best call your local network technician, or ask your ISP to fax the information.
1. IF you have the information you need, log into the MTA
2. On the left side of the browser screen main menu page, in the menu links, locate and click on “Wan Configuration.”
3. The IP Configuration should appear, below the WAN configuration area. Select “Static IP”, this enables the boxes below it.
4. Enter the IP address provided by your ISP.
5. Enter the gateway IP address provided by your ISP.
6. Enter the subnet mask provided by your ISP. Note: for security reasons, you should never guess at this.
7. You must now enter the nameserver (DNS) information manually; if you received nameserver addresses, select the Manual choice for the DNS Server Configuration. If you do not have the nameserver information already written down, call your ISP and ask for it. Enter the Primary and Secondary DNS addresses in the next two boxes.
8. Double check your typing, and if correct, press the Submit button. You should see a “configuration change is successful” message.
9. Reboot the MTA. Back to TOP
Where is my Dial Tone?
a. Verify that the MTA's power light is on.
b. Verify that your broadband modem is powered on.
c. Verify the cable connections between broadband modem, MTA, PC and/or home network are correct.
d. Check to make sure your phone is plugged into the “TEL1” jack.
e. If you have a telephone company analog plug available, test the telephone by plugging it in and making a call.
f. Check the “Ready” light on the MTA. Is it on? If not, and you've followed the instructions for installations carefully, verify that your VoiceNet service has been activated.
g. Upon plugging the telephone back into the MTA, check if the TEL1 LED light is on. If the LED is off and your PC can contact the Internet, reboot the MTA and try again. If your PC still cannot contact the Internet, double check all the applicable topics in the Troubleshooting sections. Back to TOP
I Have Dial Tone But Cannot Reach my Party
1. Make sure you've dialed the number correctly (with 1 and the area code; 011 plus country code if International).
2. Verify that the TEL1 LED panel light is on and that your computer can “see” the Internet.
3. Have you changed the dialing rules (digit map) on the “Phone Configuration” page of the MTA's web interface? It's possible that you may have put in a dialing string unsuitable for your location. Try dialing the number followed by a # character. This tells the MTA not to wait to see if any other digits are to be dialed, but instead, just dial the call.
4. If dialing internationally, verify that your VoiceNet plan allows you to make international calls.
5. Have you placed the MTA behind a firewall that blocks the SIP protocol? Unblocking these ports but leaving the MTA behind the firewall is still not a proper solution, as it may disable the Quality of Service requests that the MTA makes to provide for the highest quality connection. If you are an expert, and can configure your firewall yourself, the ports to unblock are 5060 and 5090.
6. If the situation continues, contact us. Back to TOP
Can't hear, talk, or receive calls
a. Have you placed the MTA behind a firewall that blocks the SIP protocol? If you are an expert, and can configure your firewall yourself, the ports to unblock are 5060 and 5090. Unblocking these ports but leaving the MTA behind the firewall is still not a proper solution, as it may disable the Quality of Service requests that the MTA makes to provide for the highest quality connection
b. Is the ringer on the telephone set to off position? If you call your own number, does the TEL1 light blink? If so, the phone should be ringing, and perhaps the ringer does not work. Please try another phone.
3. Have you set up call forwarding and forgotten? This is actually a very common mistake.
4. Please double check that the telephone ringer works by attaching it to another line if available. Back to TOP
How Can I Improve My Line Quality
1. Have you placed the MTA behind a firewall in a situation where other devices on the network are very active? If so, can you put it “in front” of the firewall? The firewall may disable the Quality of Service requests that the MTA makes to provide for the highest quality connection. Remember that sometimes you may not realize that, for example, peer-to-peer networking applications may be using bandwidth without your realizing it; placing the MTA “in front” allows the MTA to request a higher priority for the voice communications over the Internet.
2. If you are a PC expert, try downloading a file from the Internet to your PC. Is your download time normal compared to what you normally see for your connection? Does your Internet speed normally fluctuate?
3. Are you calling internationally? If the situation persists for more than an acceptable period of time, contact us. Back to TOP
I don't have a computer, how do I Set the Basic Parameters of the MTA Using My Telephone?
The MTA provides a concise touch tone menu interface for basic configuration options; the tasks are geared for experts who wish to set up the MTA's networking functions in short order. Note that in each case, a successful entry leads to three beeps. If you enter something unsuccessfully, you will hear a fast busy signal.
***90 = Turn on or off MTA's DHCP server
User enters 0# or 1#. 1 for on, 0 for off
***91 = Set a static IP address for the MTA's WAN port
User enters an IP address with * instead of dots (e.g. 68*79*21*29#).
***92 = Set a netmask for a static IP address for the MTA's WAN port
User enters a netmask with * instead of dots (e.g. 255*255*255*0#).
***93 = Set a default gateway for the MTA
User enters an IP address with * instead of dots (e.g. 68*79*21*1#).
***94 = Turn on or off access to the web interface to the MTA for remote users
User enters 0# or 1#. 1 for on, 0 for off
***00 = Reset factory defaults. Important: this should only be used if you have locked yourself out of the MTA interface. Back to TOP
