My VM phone contract (and broadband) expires soon. I'd like to go to a 3rd party VOIP provider (like Vonage or AA). Does anyone know if I can connect a 3rd party VOIP phone through one of the ports on the back of my Hub 3? I know it doesn't connect via the port marked phone
Thanks for your help
You can also use an ATA Gateway and plug this into your Hub 3 and keep your existing phones. Have a look at the Grandstand range.
Hey bluemoontg, thank you for reaching out and right now we have paused all our VOIP migrations.
When we do start to do them again you will be notified.
I was trying to find out if I could use a 3rd party VOIP provider and connect through my hub ports (not the telephone port). The Virgin phone provision is quite expensive for my low usage and other VOIP providers are much cheaper. I have read on the Forums this can be a problem
Hi Bluemoontg 👋🏼.
Thank you for coming back to this thread 😊.
Virgin Medias home landline service via a connection from TEL1 on the back of the hub is not a VOIP service. Connecting any equipment for that purpose won't work.
We have Cisco VOIP / SIP telephone kit and 3 numbers with Sipgate (one number was ported from BT), our system has a Hub 3 in Router mode, the VOIP service works well and has been operational since Winter 2017.
So absolutely yes you can connect a VOIP phone(s) into the network sockets of a VM Hub and use a SIP/VOIP account from provider like Vonage or Andrew & Arnold.
If this is your first step into VOIP, perhaps take a look at the setup guides on the Vonage or Andrew & Arnold websites, it will provide an idea of what kit to buy and what needs to be done to configure the VOIP phone.
Thank you for posting this advice.
Good point. We have a Cisco SPA112 ATA providing a dedicated analogue telephone line for a building alarm.
SIP ALG - thankfully that is not a problem to be concerned about.
SIP ALG routes inbound SIP UDP traffic on port 5060 to an ISP's internal VOIP device. This is not a problem on VM Hubs because the private VOIP circuit for a VM Hub is not part of the customers LAN traffic.
Suggestion, download Micro SIP Lite and install on your PC or Laptop.
https://www.microsip.org/downloads
Register an account with one of the VOIP providers and configure the SIP a/c details in Micro SIP Lite.
Get some first hand experience of the type of setup that is involved without having to buy any kit.
Being able to make and receive phone calls via your VOIP provider is the best way to gain confidence that the service works. Build your confidence in the process from seeing it in action & resolving any snags or questions along the way.
Here is an example of what is needed to connect a Sipgate VOIP SIP a/c in MicroSIP lite.
I've entered just 6 fields to create a VOIP connection that connects to one of our three accounts. This works for in and out bound calls + dials to the voice message service. It will work with the speakers / mic of a laptop or PC or with a headset.
It is not much to do to get a working VOIP phone ... fancy giving that a try ?
Oh, the stuff below the Voicemail Number is all defaults from MicroSIP Lite.
SIPGATE is closed to NEW residential customers, I use it.
Siemens Gigaset handsets (not all are VOIP) are good. They work with existing DECT phones too. Can have a PSTN (like VM VOIP or BT VOIP) as well as other VOIP providers on same phone. I wouldn't bother with Yealink handsets as personally I wouldn't touch them but Grandstream are ok. There are some dodgy VOIP handsets out there that use WEP on Wifi still too and not WPA2/WPA3.
You don't need to enable SIP ALG normally and it's better left off for security reasons. Sipgate for example and Draytel's old VOIP service worked fine without it being enabled. Some Android versions on mobile phones, had native SIP calling too (Samsung was one), though some vendors been taking this off in their own customised skins.
Only the original hub enabled you to turn off SIP ALG, so if you want this facility you need to run the hub in modem mode and connect a suitable router.
We have a VOIP phone on SIP Port 5060 on the Hub 3 in Router mode & it works perfectly, SIP ALG is not an issue.
Disabling SIP ALG may be necessary to ensure reliable and secure VoIP communication, I came across this some years ago when a friend's VoIP ddin't work. I solved this by putting the hub into modem mode and connecting it to a TP-Link Archer C7 whose SIP ALG could be disabled.
The no cost solution is change the VOIP phone's inbound SIP port from 5060 to say 45060.
The good news is a Hub 3 in Router modes does not have SIP ALG
https://support.kinectcommunications.com/sip-alg-dectector
