All the years I sat at doctors offices with my late wife Ruth, and in later years with Debi's mom, also in hospitals, I had a clipboard with crossword puzzles and sudoku puzzles on them. I always saved the hard ones for that clipboard, because since they take an hour to do many of them, the time goes by rather quickly.
Debi's mom had at least two doctors appointments each week, sometimes three, so I did a lot of sitting, waiting.
I've never met anyone yet who can type 120 wpm on a laptop or a Schmartz-Fone, hi hi
I bought a little Netbook to use when I wasn't near my computer. Like when I was going to visit someone and wanted to show them something, or get info for my genealogy work. Always we ended up just going through what I have for them to see, and I never got the info I went over there to get. So that Netbook is laying in one of our closets, unused. Just like every laptop I ever bought.
FWIW - I do have a Schmartz-Fone, it was Debi's old phone, and I use it for some things, like taking pictures, or storing some useless information I like to have with me. It doesn't have cell service, but it will call 911 at the push of a button. So will my Flip-Fone I do carry at all times.
I didn't. I made and sent the message after I got home. I don't do texting.
Excess Deaths
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Re: Excess Deaths
I must have misread your previous message. I got the distinct impression that you were writing your message while sitting in the waiting room of the doctor's office. Not that it matters, I was just curious how you did it.
Before I got the clever phone I used to do what you do, which is take crossword puzzles to places I expect to be sitting and waiting for an extended period of time. I did the opposite of what you do. I took the easiest puzzle books I could find so that I could do them quickly. My brain sees time passing quicker if I am doing many things in a given time frame as opposed to doing one difficult thing. It's pretty interesting how we think exactly opposite in that regard. LOL
You never will see a human being typing @ 120 wpm on a laptop or any mobile device with a touchscreen. Those things were not designed for speed typing. As I mentioned earlier they are not productivity tools, but they can do many things that appear to be productive. For example, when wife was in the hospital the last time I was texting my two daughters in real time and advising them of her condition and what was happening at the moment. That's real time updates you could not do any other way. Most places have free WiFi if you don't mind logging into a public network. Messages can be sent with end to end encryption that way, but most people don't have that installed on their computers or phones. Most people don't know what it is or why they should use it. Speed typing isn't the way to communicate these days. Short and simple is the method of choice.
Before I got the Pixel I had no real need for such a sophisticated device. I got it on a whim and paid dearly for it. I discovered that there are some good points to owning and using one and I felt lost when the phone was at ground zero for a few hours. I probably could live life without it, but I have to be honest and say having a phone to communicate with the outside world at any given time and place is a security blanket I would miss. Also, since I got the smartphone I have been in much closer contact with my daughters. I was lucky to get phone calls on my birthday, but now we message each other as a group several times a week. You might think that's an instinct all fathers would possess, but I know the real reason they do it. Since we are all many hundreds of miles apart, that Instant Messaging bit is their way of checking up on me and my wife of many years.
Before I got the clever phone I used to do what you do, which is take crossword puzzles to places I expect to be sitting and waiting for an extended period of time. I did the opposite of what you do. I took the easiest puzzle books I could find so that I could do them quickly. My brain sees time passing quicker if I am doing many things in a given time frame as opposed to doing one difficult thing. It's pretty interesting how we think exactly opposite in that regard. LOL
You never will see a human being typing @ 120 wpm on a laptop or any mobile device with a touchscreen. Those things were not designed for speed typing. As I mentioned earlier they are not productivity tools, but they can do many things that appear to be productive. For example, when wife was in the hospital the last time I was texting my two daughters in real time and advising them of her condition and what was happening at the moment. That's real time updates you could not do any other way. Most places have free WiFi if you don't mind logging into a public network. Messages can be sent with end to end encryption that way, but most people don't have that installed on their computers or phones. Most people don't know what it is or why they should use it. Speed typing isn't the way to communicate these days. Short and simple is the method of choice.
Before I got the Pixel I had no real need for such a sophisticated device. I got it on a whim and paid dearly for it. I discovered that there are some good points to owning and using one and I felt lost when the phone was at ground zero for a few hours. I probably could live life without it, but I have to be honest and say having a phone to communicate with the outside world at any given time and place is a security blanket I would miss. Also, since I got the smartphone I have been in much closer contact with my daughters. I was lucky to get phone calls on my birthday, but now we message each other as a group several times a week. You might think that's an instinct all fathers would possess, but I know the real reason they do it. Since we are all many hundreds of miles apart, that Instant Messaging bit is their way of checking up on me and my wife of many years.
Re: Excess Deaths
I can send texts from my computer to Schmartz-Fonz with ease. All I need to know is their phone number and which service they are using. This is one reason I wanted to get the Netbook working again, but it has sat idle for so many years, like the laptops. the batteries have probably leaked and ate the thing up.
In an emergency, I could send a text from my Flip-Fone, but it is a royal PITA to do so.
I'll just call them on voice and leave a message if I have to, much easier, hi hi.
In an emergency, I could send a text from my Flip-Fone, but it is a royal PITA to do so.
I'll just call them on voice and leave a message if I have to, much easier, hi hi.
Re: Excess Deaths
I've not investigated Linux for this purpose, but I do know Windows can be paired to any smartphone I might have. Doing that gives me access to the built in messaging of the phone. Thus I can message anybody by using my computer. I'm not sure why people would do that because there is a lot of Instant Messaging software out there that works without the need for smartphone as an intermediary. I'd be very surprised if those programs do not work on Linux as well.
All that messaging capability is fine, but the beauty of having it on a mobile phone is that it is portable. You can get help anywhere and away from your computer if that phone is in your pocket. Some phones have more gimmicks than others and I like the ideas of Google and Apple trying to detect automatically if you need help. My Pixel has asked me only once or twice if I need help and all I had to do was say yes or no. It would do everything else. And, there must be some kind of law stating 911 capability has to be built into every phone. I think they all have it.
All that messaging capability is fine, but the beauty of having it on a mobile phone is that it is portable. You can get help anywhere and away from your computer if that phone is in your pocket. Some phones have more gimmicks than others and I like the ideas of Google and Apple trying to detect automatically if you need help. My Pixel has asked me only once or twice if I need help and all I had to do was say yes or no. It would do everything else. And, there must be some kind of law stating 911 capability has to be built into every phone. I think they all have it.
Re: Excess Deaths
It sometimes takes my wife 2 to 5 minutes to find the app on her Schmartz-Fone to do something simple, because they don't have a sensible list of applications. I showed her how to organize some of them into groups, but she didn't remember what half of those apps she installed were for, other than something required her to install them to make the device work, hi hi.
AT&Ts fiber optics don't play nice with much of anything.
They purposely added an upgrade that prevents you from turning off, SIP, ALG, SPI, and SIP_TCP.
But there are ways around that by using a second router, and set theirs to passthrough, hi hi.
AT&Ts fiber optics don't play nice with much of anything.
They purposely added an upgrade that prevents you from turning off, SIP, ALG, SPI, and SIP_TCP.
But there are ways around that by using a second router, and set theirs to passthrough, hi hi.
Re: Excess Deaths
The two Android smartphones we own have an alphabetical list of all the app installed on the phone. You can get to that list via the phone's settings. It's under the heading "Apps" and very near the top of the settings list. Click on the app of interest and you have a list of settings for that specific app. Of course there would still be the problem of knowing what all those apps do and why you need them. If Deb is daring and willing to take a chance she should backup her phone to the cloud, be it Google or Apple, they both have cloud memory for this purpose. After doing that go to the settings again into the system section and reset the phone to factory defaults. That's what I did to try and revive my phone. Then she will have to reinstall the apps that she uses. My guess is that would be a much shorter list than the one in her phone right now. That actually is a good thing in that it forces you to set up your phone again from scratch, but this time to your own specifications. She knows how the phone works now and she knows exactly what she likes and doesn't like. Getting rid of all the junk apps and setting things to factory default can really improve things a lot. If she can't get things going the way she wants, then she can recover the system that she saved to the cloud and she will be back to where she started. That would be the equivalent of saving a system image and then recovering from that image if things don't go well.
I don't know what AT&T did, and apparently you don't either. LOL I also don't know what SIP, ALG, SPI, and SIP_TCP. is all about. I never had to deal with those things on my network or from Spectrum. I'm pretty sure all routers can be configured to be a bridge, but then you would need some way to do the actual routing, which apparently you figured out already. You need a second router configured as such. I don't have fiber here but I also can't see how it would be a problem. The fiber comes into their box which converts the signal to standard Ethernet for your modem. After the modem everything else is as usual. The only variation would be if your house was internally wired with fiber optics. Then the conversion from the AT&T cable would be a different format. Regardless, you would still need a router if you have more than one device on your LAN.
I don't know what AT&T did, and apparently you don't either. LOL I also don't know what SIP, ALG, SPI, and SIP_TCP. is all about. I never had to deal with those things on my network or from Spectrum. I'm pretty sure all routers can be configured to be a bridge, but then you would need some way to do the actual routing, which apparently you figured out already. You need a second router configured as such. I don't have fiber here but I also can't see how it would be a problem. The fiber comes into their box which converts the signal to standard Ethernet for your modem. After the modem everything else is as usual. The only variation would be if your house was internally wired with fiber optics. Then the conversion from the AT&T cable would be a different format. Regardless, you would still need a router if you have more than one device on your LAN.
Re: Excess Deaths
Debi seems to like her Android phone much better than her iPhone.
I did get it set up to use the WiFi, so can open Google on it that way.
But I haven't played with it much at all. Just used it to take some pictures I needed.
AT&T provides their own Modem/Router unit, a BGW320, and you cannot turn off those settings, which is what is required to use VOIP. They want to sell you THEIR VOIP for 19.95 a month extra. No thanks, I like my FREE Ooma, hi hi.
I have an Access Point in my office, which is a wifi router, but set up as an access point and uses the house router.
Changing over to AT&T Fiber didn't change how the access point works up here. It's hard wired of course.
But from what I've read on-line, to get Ooma back working for inbound calls on AT&T's fiber, you need to use your own second router, and set theirs to passthrough, which I've not had time to study to see how to do that yet.
I did get it set up to use the WiFi, so can open Google on it that way.
But I haven't played with it much at all. Just used it to take some pictures I needed.
AT&T provides their own Modem/Router unit, a BGW320, and you cannot turn off those settings, which is what is required to use VOIP. They want to sell you THEIR VOIP for 19.95 a month extra. No thanks, I like my FREE Ooma, hi hi.
I have an Access Point in my office, which is a wifi router, but set up as an access point and uses the house router.
Changing over to AT&T Fiber didn't change how the access point works up here. It's hard wired of course.
But from what I've read on-line, to get Ooma back working for inbound calls on AT&T's fiber, you need to use your own second router, and set theirs to passthrough, which I've not had time to study to see how to do that yet.
Re: Excess Deaths
Based on what I have experienced there seems to be only two choices of smartphones that anyone would take seriously. Those choices, of course, are Android and iPhone. The pros and cons for choosing either one is much like the pros and cons people use when debating Windows vs Linux. It boils down to a matter of personal preferences. They all can do the same thing but in slightly different ways. My suggestion for Deb to reset her phone is akin to doing a clean install of an operating system. You would only do that when you are changing OS's or if the installed system has become so gummed up that it's difficult to sort it out with normal settings. So, if Deb is so inclined, she can set her phone to the fresh out of the box condition and configure it from there.
If you don't connect a smartphone to use your home WiFi then it will default to using the service provider's RF cellular network. You can indeed connect to the Internet via the mobile network, but it will cost you per minute to do it. WiFi costs very little compared to the cell network.
The signal on the fiber optic cable is not like the signal on the copper wire that it replaced. It's faster and cannot be read my most routers directly. Thus you need the modem from AT&T to accommodate what the fiber optics is sending. Of course you don't need their modem if you have one of your own, but since you didn't have fiber beforehand, you need what they are giving you.
My understanding is that the output from the fiber box can connect directly to a router, WiFi and all. Your LAN should work as it usually does if you simply connect their modem to your router. Oomla, however, is a mystery to me. VOIP is still Internet Protocol which is what any router is good at handling. The question in my mind is if your router works without special signal conditioning, why not Oomla? Also, there could be a problem if you turn their box into a pass through bridge. Fiber signals are way way way faster than anything you have on your LAN. I doubt your current router can handle a raw fiber optic signal.
If you don't connect a smartphone to use your home WiFi then it will default to using the service provider's RF cellular network. You can indeed connect to the Internet via the mobile network, but it will cost you per minute to do it. WiFi costs very little compared to the cell network.
The signal on the fiber optic cable is not like the signal on the copper wire that it replaced. It's faster and cannot be read my most routers directly. Thus you need the modem from AT&T to accommodate what the fiber optics is sending. Of course you don't need their modem if you have one of your own, but since you didn't have fiber beforehand, you need what they are giving you.
My understanding is that the output from the fiber box can connect directly to a router, WiFi and all. Your LAN should work as it usually does if you simply connect their modem to your router. Oomla, however, is a mystery to me. VOIP is still Internet Protocol which is what any router is good at handling. The question in my mind is if your router works without special signal conditioning, why not Oomla? Also, there could be a problem if you turn their box into a pass through bridge. Fiber signals are way way way faster than anything you have on your LAN. I doubt your current router can handle a raw fiber optic signal.
Re: Excess Deaths
I won't be messing with Debi's Schmartz-Fone, hi hi.
AT&T's combo Modem/Router is for Fiber. It IS an ONT/Modem/Router.
From the Pole the optical cable goes through a TP (Termination Point) they installed outside the house.
From there, they ran their optical cable to a second TP mounted on Debi's office wall.
And from the bottom of that they plugged in optical cable that runs to the ONT/Modem/Router.
From the Router we use LAN cables. Which I need to upgrade to CAT6 if I want speed.
By my way of thinking, I can set my old router as an access point, and connect it to the AT&T router to get my VOIP working.
I don't know yet as I have not had time to study how Ooma says to connect to AT&T BGW320 boxes.
My Ooma works fine for Outgoing Calls, still just as clear as a bell.
But it is not receiving Incoming Calls because AT&T keeps SIP, ALG, SPI, & SIP/TCP turned on for their own phone service.
And to BLOCK anyone from using their own VOIP phone boxes.
AT&T's combo Modem/Router is for Fiber. It IS an ONT/Modem/Router.
From the Pole the optical cable goes through a TP (Termination Point) they installed outside the house.
From there, they ran their optical cable to a second TP mounted on Debi's office wall.
And from the bottom of that they plugged in optical cable that runs to the ONT/Modem/Router.
From the Router we use LAN cables. Which I need to upgrade to CAT6 if I want speed.
By my way of thinking, I can set my old router as an access point, and connect it to the AT&T router to get my VOIP working.
I don't know yet as I have not had time to study how Ooma says to connect to AT&T BGW320 boxes.
My Ooma works fine for Outgoing Calls, still just as clear as a bell.
But it is not receiving Incoming Calls because AT&T keeps SIP, ALG, SPI, & SIP/TCP turned on for their own phone service.
And to BLOCK anyone from using their own VOIP phone boxes.
Re: Excess Deaths
All of what you describe makes sense. Apparently SIP ALG is specific to VOIP which is why I have not had to deal with it here. In essence those two services create VOIP. I have seen a couple articles in my Google search that say you should disable those two things in order to eliminate any VOIP problems. And, you told me earlier that you cannot access the controls to disable SIP ALG. That too makes sense if it's part of the service AT&T is trying to sell you. The ONT, however, is connected directly to the Router/Modem box on one side and the Fiber Optic network on the outside. Thus, if you can't even configure the AT&T Router/Modem to bridging mode, the solution should be as simple as replacing their router/modem with ones you already have. That should get the Internet going and VOIP since you already have that configured. You say, unfortunately, that the ONT, Modem, and Router from AT&T are all in one box, which would make it difficult to insert your own equipment in place of theirs. Also, another downside is that your own modem/router box might interrupt access to cable television because your modem (or demuxing device) is not capable of extracting cable TV from the raw fiber optic signal.
It looks as if AT&T made it difficult, if not impossible, to replace their hardware with your own. I guess that is a security issue to cut down on pirating, or something. However, the SIP ALG is software and as such can be configured. You may not have an obvious way to shut them off, but I will bet you a bottle of your favorite soda that AT&T knows how. They might even tell you how if you beg them. I'm pretty sure you are not their only customer who uses VOIP from some other company. The default is to lock you into their system, but it sure sounds anti-competitive if they refuse to give you the option to use your own, Oomla.
It looks as if AT&T made it difficult, if not impossible, to replace their hardware with your own. I guess that is a security issue to cut down on pirating, or something. However, the SIP ALG is software and as such can be configured. You may not have an obvious way to shut them off, but I will bet you a bottle of your favorite soda that AT&T knows how. They might even tell you how if you beg them. I'm pretty sure you are not their only customer who uses VOIP from some other company. The default is to lock you into their system, but it sure sounds anti-competitive if they refuse to give you the option to use your own, Oomla.
Re: Excess Deaths
There are tons of directions on-line on how to get Ooma to work with AT&T's BGW320.
But none of them worked for me.
I can make outbound calls OK, but no inbound calls make it to my phones.
Ooma is Free except for taxes. AT&T charges like 30 to 40 bucks a month for their service.
There is a telephone jack on the back of the of BGW320 for their service, just run a cable from it to a phone outlet on the wall and all of your house is then on the phone system, same as with Ooma.
Seems like it would be illegal for them to block VOIP users who have their own equipment.
But none of them worked for me.
I can make outbound calls OK, but no inbound calls make it to my phones.
Ooma is Free except for taxes. AT&T charges like 30 to 40 bucks a month for their service.
There is a telephone jack on the back of the of BGW320 for their service, just run a cable from it to a phone outlet on the wall and all of your house is then on the phone system, same as with Ooma.
Seems like it would be illegal for them to block VOIP users who have their own equipment.
Re: Excess Deaths
That is exactly what I am thinking. AT&T is big and can be a bully, but they must comply with any laws that are applicable. Furthermore, they are in fact very conscientious regarding public relation issues. I would guess they allow you to hook up your own equipment in your own home, but they are not making that information obvious. If they advertised that fact, more people would opt out of AT&T services. Thus what they are doing makes sense from a business point of view, but legally, so I suspect, they must allow you to use your own equipment as long as it is compatible with their network.Seems like it would be illegal for them to block VOIP users who have their own equipment.
Having said all the above I spent about 6 1/2 minutes researching your problem. It seems that AT&T has a tech support group that would help you set up your Oomla VOIP. However, I've not been able to find any dialogue suggesting how to bypass AT&T's VOIP and insert your own in its stead. That phone port on the back of your modem is fully capable of rendering VOIP, for a price, I'm sure. Thus you need to insert your Oomla VOIP ahead of the one AT&T hard wired into the modem. Technically it's a no-brainer. Practically it's likely not possible with the equipment you have. The Ideal would be to have three boxes: an ONT, a modem, and a router. I believe you formerly were injecting VOIP into your network after the modem and before the router. You could do that because there was nothing in your old modem that generated VOIP. Thus the problem now is to disable (or bypass) the VOIP generated internally in AT&T's modem and replace that with your own Oomla version. I don't see AT&T allowing you to modify their hardware to defeat a service they are trying to sell you. They might, and I must emphasize "might" be willing to walk you through a software reconfiguration that does the same. From what I've seen in my short investigation, not all the tech support people at AT&T comprehend how to do that, but it definitely is possible.
Re: Excess Deaths
I do have my old Router, and according to Ooma, I should be able to set my old router as an access point and plug it into the BGW320 and then the Ooma Telo should work just fine.
The thing that bugs me is, I can make telephone calls on it, but I can't receive calls.
If this is the case, I don't see how a second router will alleviate the problem.
Unless I set the BGW320 to passthrough, which I've not yet figured out how to do this.
Ooma worked great when it was plugged into my Cable Modem and then the Router was plugged into the Ooma Telo.
The thing that bugs me is, I can make telephone calls on it, but I can't receive calls.
If this is the case, I don't see how a second router will alleviate the problem.
Unless I set the BGW320 to passthrough, which I've not yet figured out how to do this.
Ooma worked great when it was plugged into my Cable Modem and then the Router was plugged into the Ooma Telo.
Re: Excess Deaths
That is precisely what you need to do, but now you have the AT&T modem to deal with, not your own. They are injecting VOIP the same way you did and I would suspect that is why you are having trouble. You can't have two sources of VOIP and expect the system to work properly. So, yes, you have to bypass their setup, or get them to give you a virgin modem without VOIP. If I were AT&T, I would have those kind of modems just for customers like you.Ooma worked great when it was plugged into my Cable Modem and then the Router was plugged into the Ooma Telo.
And, BTW, you can still use your old router to make Oomla work, but you have to put the Oomla VOIP ahead of it and after the modem. The problem is the presence of the AT&T modem, not the router.
Re: Excess Deaths
I've not been doing well this week, so can't really even think about it.
My mind is like in a fog, just from trying to breathe.
Debi got home from work to find me sitting on the park bench outside my garage.
I started to head down for lunch, stopped at the doorway and just stood there until I felt like I could walk down the hill.
I was only able to take like three steps so made them toward the bench and plopped down.
It took over 1/2 hour of pursed lip breathing, and using up almost all of my portable tank before I could make it to the house.
My mind is like in a fog, just from trying to breathe.
Debi got home from work to find me sitting on the park bench outside my garage.
I started to head down for lunch, stopped at the doorway and just stood there until I felt like I could walk down the hill.
I was only able to take like three steps so made them toward the bench and plopped down.
It took over 1/2 hour of pursed lip breathing, and using up almost all of my portable tank before I could make it to the house.
Re: Excess Deaths
It might be time to consider getting one of those motorized wheel chairs. A normal one might help but you would still need to use some O2 to hand turn the wheels. I can empathize with you about the inability to think of technical matters when you are struggling just to keep your lungs functional. I suspect once the smoke from the Canadian forest fires clears up you might have an easier time breathing. We aren't getting much of it here, but it surprises me that we are getting any at all. I just looked at the forecast map and both STL and Knoxville should be clear of that smoke by tomorrow, June 13. You never know for sure, but I expect to be around for a while and can help you go through the VOIP setup theory once again after your mind fog dissipates a bit.
Re: Excess Deaths
It would be easier to move my office down to the house, than to make it possible to run a motorized scooter up here to my office, hi hi.
I'm trying to become friends with the president of a local club with numerous members who are known for doing things for those who need help with stuff.
I've not noticed much smoke from the fires, other than the one Debi did in the kitchen the other day, hi hi.
A lot of folks here have wood burning stoves, fireplaces, and other things, so smoke smell in the air is normal around here.
I did learn one thing about my VOIP problem.
I have an access point in my office for WiFi, which is hardwired to the router in the house.
It did no good to try to hook the Ooma up, up here, as the hardwired goes to the router, and it is the router which is blocking incoming calls. But even outbound calls worked from up here just as well.
I'm trying to become friends with the president of a local club with numerous members who are known for doing things for those who need help with stuff.
I've not noticed much smoke from the fires, other than the one Debi did in the kitchen the other day, hi hi.
A lot of folks here have wood burning stoves, fireplaces, and other things, so smoke smell in the air is normal around here.
I did learn one thing about my VOIP problem.
I have an access point in my office for WiFi, which is hardwired to the router in the house.
It did no good to try to hook the Ooma up, up here, as the hardwired goes to the router, and it is the router which is blocking incoming calls. But even outbound calls worked from up here just as well.
Re: Excess Deaths
The truth is that our skies didn't seem too smokey in spite of what the smoke maps indicated. We did have a lot of pollution when the states west of us were on fire a year or two ago. I got some beautiful sky photos as a result of that. But, even then, when the smoke was indeed visible, I didn't seem to have any breathing problems. Neither did my allergy prone wife of many years. This year is disaster for her allergies and it seems I have some issues too. The air around here is relatively clean, except for the pollen, and the few neighbors who have fire pits only use them in September and October. By then the windows are closed and we don't seem to suffer from their marshmallow toasting parties.
From what I understand the SIP ALG services/signals for VOIP are being injected at the AT&T modem, which is tied directly to the AT&T router, and all that is inside that single box. Your router is outside the box, after the VOIP injection, which I know is your favorite way of thinking but in this case is detrimental to Oomla. I don't have any ideas about what can go wrong, but the limited research I did suggests anything is possible when the network isn't configured properly, and especially unpredictable when you have two sources of VOIP injection. I know it's free and that makes it worth the trouble, but my impulse is to keep it simple. I can see me getting frustrated quickly and just doing away with landline service altogether. My current landline is mostly used as a honeypot for spam. I don't have to give out my mobile number, although that too isn't totally free from spam. Fortunately I have an app for that.
From what I understand the SIP ALG services/signals for VOIP are being injected at the AT&T modem, which is tied directly to the AT&T router, and all that is inside that single box. Your router is outside the box, after the VOIP injection, which I know is your favorite way of thinking but in this case is detrimental to Oomla. I don't have any ideas about what can go wrong, but the limited research I did suggests anything is possible when the network isn't configured properly, and especially unpredictable when you have two sources of VOIP injection. I know it's free and that makes it worth the trouble, but my impulse is to keep it simple. I can see me getting frustrated quickly and just doing away with landline service altogether. My current landline is mostly used as a honeypot for spam. I don't have to give out my mobile number, although that too isn't totally free from spam. Fortunately I have an app for that.
Re: Excess Deaths
Well, at least the heavy pollen season is very short, just a couple of weeks.
AT&T has everything inside that one box, which controls the Internet, TV, and Their Phone if you have it.
Adding my own router after theirs won't help one iota, because the feed into the box is still via the LAN connection ports.
One person I talked to about my VOIP problem, said I should have a Fiber Junction box that has both a fiber line to their modem and a separate converted to Ethernet modem port which would by pass their modem/router box.
Based on what they said, the ONT should convert fiber light signals to electrical Ethernet, incoming and outgoing.
The box AT&T put outside is only a junction box, nothing more, and the one they hooked to my wall in Debi's office is also only a junction box, no electronics in it. So their White Box is an ONT, Modem, and Router all built into one.
And THEY Control what it does!
I wish Debi would not have went with AT&T but she was trying to get our bills down, and this did the trick, saved us like 50 bucks a month, with her TV service package too.
AT&T has everything inside that one box, which controls the Internet, TV, and Their Phone if you have it.
Adding my own router after theirs won't help one iota, because the feed into the box is still via the LAN connection ports.
One person I talked to about my VOIP problem, said I should have a Fiber Junction box that has both a fiber line to their modem and a separate converted to Ethernet modem port which would by pass their modem/router box.
Based on what they said, the ONT should convert fiber light signals to electrical Ethernet, incoming and outgoing.
The box AT&T put outside is only a junction box, nothing more, and the one they hooked to my wall in Debi's office is also only a junction box, no electronics in it. So their White Box is an ONT, Modem, and Router all built into one.
And THEY Control what it does!
I wish Debi would not have went with AT&T but she was trying to get our bills down, and this did the trick, saved us like 50 bucks a month, with her TV service package too.
Re: Excess Deaths
The person you talked to gave you pretty much the same information I've been posting here. I only have one question. That fiber optic cable from outside has multiplexed signals riding on it, i.e. TV, Internet, and phone. There are such things as cable signal splitters and you could put your own modem and router on one of those branches, but I don't know if your modem can demux the cable signal. That usually is what the ONT does. If you can't talk to the AT&T support people about it, then trial and error might be your only choice.
I'm impressed that AT&T would come in so cheap. Deb did the right thing in that case.
I'm impressed that AT&T would come in so cheap. Deb did the right thing in that case.