Chapter Four. Installing Your VoIP Equipment

In This Chapter

Getting Your Network Ready 54

Installing a Telephone Adapter 57

Installing a Combination TA/Gateway 60

Installing Internet Phone with Cable Systems 67

Installing Softphone Accessories 68

Distributing the Telephone Signal 69

Summary 76

Which came first: the VoIP hardware or the service activation? Some VoIP service providers need to have their equipment installed before you activate your service; others need to be activated before you attempt to connect. In this chapter and the next, I will discuss both, concentrating on hardware in this chapter and following up with service activation and testing in Chapter 5.

Whether you are going to use a telephone adapter, a combination Internet gateway and telephone adapter, or a softphone, you will want to use the guides in this chapter to ensure that your installation goes smoothly. Nothing is more frustrating than trying to isolate the cause of a voice-quality problem and not knowing whether the cause lies in the service or in your own wires.

By following the procedures in this chapter, you will give yourself some assurance that any problems that arise are not of your own making. If line issues do come up, you will be familiar with your installation and should be able to isolate the cause quickly.