Simplest/cheapest way to provide VOIP with an existing non-voip router

[Chris Green]

What is the simplest/cheapest (well, best compromise) way to provide a
VOIP phone connection given that the existing router doesn't have
built in VOIP?

The specific requirement is to provide a VOIP phone on our little boat
in France which has a TP-Link Archer MR200 router providing the
internet connection. This has a SIM slot which uses a free.fr SIM to
provide internet, thus a change of router isn't a particularly
attractive option. I doubt if there are any routers which have a SIM
socket *and* a VOIP phone socket, or if there are they will be
horribly expensive.

We have Siemens DECT phones at home which provide our VOIP connection
but they're relatively expensive.

So what's an easy way to have just a single, not necessarily cordless,
VOIP handset on the boat. There's spare wired ethernet connections on
the router as well as WiFi of course.

--
Chris Green
·

[Chris Green]

I think I have discovered the (rather obvious) answer. I have a
second Siemens Gigaset base station (an S685IP) which I had forgotten
about. I've just tested it and it works fine. So I can just take
that to the boat, connect it to the router there and all should be
fine.

That always assumes of course that the free.fr data connection doesn't
do funny things with VOIP. Does anyone know if there are any issues
with running VOIP over an internet connection provided by a 4G router?

--
Chris Green
·

[notya...@gmail.com]

Or if the router has a USB port, maybe plug in a USB phone like the one I bought from Lidl or Aldi years ago, use a softfone on your PC / tablet / mobile over Wi-Fi from the router.

Can't say if the French ISP might block telephony, but no technical reason not to run Voip over 3/4/5G - do it all the time.

[Nikolaj Lazic]

Dana Mon, 5 Jun 2023 20:28:15 +0100, Chris Green <c...@isbd.net> napis'o:

> What is the simplest/cheapest (well, best compromise) way to provide a
> VOIP phone connection given that the existing router doesn't have
> built in VOIP?

Can't you just use VoIP over your mobile phone connected to the wifi?

[Chris Green]

Maybe, but I find mobile phones very un-ideal for use as an actual
phone.

--
Chris Green
·

[Roger Mills]

The internet at my holiday flat is provided by a 4G router, which - like
yours - doesn't have any native VoIP provision. In order to provide
VoIP, I have a pre-owned Linksys PAP-2T ATA (about a tenner on Ebay)
which connects to one of the router's ethernet ports and supports
ordinary POTS handsets. I'm using Sipgate's basic VoIP service. It works
fine, and I can access voicemail messages and check the call log
remotely. ISTR that I had to fiddle with the codecs - using less
compression and thus a bit more data - to get decent speech quality.
--
Cheers,
Roger

[Nikolaj Lazic]

Dana Fri, 9 Jun 2023 15:19:47 +0100, Chris Green <c...@isbd.net> napis'o:

I still think this would be the best option.
Install some VoIP app:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=finarea.MobileVoip
connect to your voip provider...
And connect with wifi to your AP.

If you want standard phone, than you can use something like this:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001375996989.html
to connect it to your AP with ethernet.

[Theo]

Nikolaj Lazic <nlazicB...@mudrac.ffzg.hr> wrote:
> Dana Fri, 9 Jun 2023 15:19:47 +0100, Chris Green <c...@isbd.net> napis'o:
> > Nikolaj Lazic <nlazicB...@mudrac.ffzg.hr> wrote:
> >> Dana Mon, 5 Jun 2023 20:28:15 +0100, Chris Green <c...@isbd.net> napis'o:
> >> > What is the simplest/cheapest (well, best compromise) way to provide a
> >> > VOIP phone connection given that the existing router doesn't have
> >> > built in VOIP?
> >>
> >> Can't you just use VoIP over your mobile phone connected to the wifi?
> >
> > Maybe, but I find mobile phones very un-ideal for use as an actual
> > phone.
>
> I still think this would be the best option.
> Install some VoIP app:
> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=finarea.MobileVoip
> connect to your voip provider...
> And connect with wifi to your AP.

Just to note that the MobileVOIP app only works with Betamax/Finarea
providers, who don't offer incoming calls. So it's really only a way to get
cheap outgoing calls and SMS.

But yes, if you selected another VOIP app that plan would work, subject to
limitations.

Theo

[Nikolaj Lazic]

Dana 16 Jun 2023 12:12:31 +0100 (BST), Theo <theom...@chiark.greenend.org.uk> napis'o:

> Nikolaj Lazic <nlazicB...@mudrac.ffzg.hr> wrote:
>> Dana Fri, 9 Jun 2023 15:19:47 +0100, Chris Green <c...@isbd.net> napis'o:
>> > Nikolaj Lazic <nlazicB...@mudrac.ffzg.hr> wrote:
>> >> Dana Mon, 5 Jun 2023 20:28:15 +0100, Chris Green <c...@isbd.net> napis'o:
>> >> > What is the simplest/cheapest (well, best compromise) way to provide a
>> >> > VOIP phone connection given that the existing router doesn't have
>> >> > built in VOIP?
>> >>
>> >> Can't you just use VoIP over your mobile phone connected to the wifi?
>> >
>> > Maybe, but I find mobile phones very un-ideal for use as an actual
>> > phone.
>>
>> I still think this would be the best option.
>> Install some VoIP app:
>> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=finarea.MobileVoip
>> connect to your voip provider...
>> And connect with wifi to your AP.
>
> Just to note that the MobileVOIP app only works with Betamax/Finarea
> providers, who don't offer incoming calls. So it's really only a way to get
> cheap outgoing calls and SMS.

True. I've used it only for that. I thought they provided other services
for extra money. :/

[richneptune]

On 2023-06-16, Nikolaj Lazic <nlazicB...@mudrac.ffzg.hr> wrote:
> If you want standard phone, than you can use something like this:
> https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001375996989.html
> to connect it to your AP with ethernet.

I'd really recommend the HT801 if purchasing a VoIP gateway from AliExpress.
There are a lot of "used" ones on there which are actually factory fresh ones
flashed with a US telecoms firmware, but it works fine with other SIP services.

HT801 still gets firmware updates, too.