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Zen Digital Voice with a PAP2

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Geoff Clare

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Nov 2, 2022, 10:41:03 AM11/2/22
to
When I upgrade my Zen broadband to FTTP I'm planning to use my
existing WAN router (running OpenWRT) instead of the Fritzbox that
Zen will supply. This means I'll need to connect to Digital Voice
differently as well. I have a PAP2 ATA that I've been using for
VoIP for years. Am I right in thinking that I'll be able to
configure it to connect to Zen's Digital Voice service? It's all
just standard SIP stuff, right?

Is anyone else using their own ATA to connect to Zen Digital Voice?
How hard was it to configure?

--
Geoff Clare <net...@gclare.org.uk>

Woody

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Nov 2, 2022, 11:41:10 AM11/2/22
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Question: do you have to use Zen's VoIP service or can you continue to
use your existing VoIP provider?

Theo

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Nov 2, 2022, 12:12:22 PM11/2/22
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Geoff Clare <ge...@clare.see-my-signature.invalid> wrote:
> When I upgrade my Zen broadband to FTTP I'm planning to use my
> existing WAN router (running OpenWRT) instead of the Fritzbox that
> Zen will supply. This means I'll need to connect to Digital Voice
> differently as well. I have a PAP2 ATA that I've been using for
> VoIP for years. Am I right in thinking that I'll be able to
> configure it to connect to Zen's Digital Voice service? It's all
> just standard SIP stuff, right?

Can you ask Zen for the login credentials for their Digital Voice service?

If they won't tell you them, you can't use a third party ATA, only the one
in their router.

Theo
(no experience of Zen, but that's how it goes for other ISPs)

grinch

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Nov 2, 2022, 12:16:38 PM11/2/22
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On 02/11/2022 14:12, Geoff Clare wrote:
> When I upgrade my Zen broadband to FTTP I'm planning to use my
> existing WAN router (running OpenWRT) instead of the Fritzbox that
> Zen will supply. This means I'll need to connect to Digital Voice
> differently as well. I have a PAP2 ATA that I've been using for
> VoIP for years. Am I right in thinking that I'll be able to
> configure it to connect to Zen's Digital Voice service? It's all
> just standard SIP stuff, right?

Yes, but Zen will refuse to give you the information you require.

I replaced my old cisco 867 with the fritzbox and it " just worked " For
a soho router they are not a bad box and they are free.

I run it dual stack, double NAT ipv4 and transparent ipv6 as I have my
own firewall (PFsense) behind it between my home network and the
internet,with no speed or any other issues..

Also they probably wont give you any support VoIP wise unless you use
their router, which is not unreasonable really they cant support everything.

If you must use your old router

If you first use the fritzbox you can find most of the information you
need from reading the config it will download automatically via TR69.
The password you get from your online account on the Zen website its
different to the login password for your internet service.

The VoIP password can be found in the general my services digital voice
technical.

Peter Johnson

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Nov 2, 2022, 12:19:50 PM11/2/22
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On Wed, 2 Nov 2022 15:41:07 +0000, Woody <harro...@ntlworld.com>
wrote:
I use Voipfone (over Zen/City Fibre).

David Wade

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Nov 2, 2022, 5:36:05 PM11/2/22
to
On 02/11/2022 16:16, grinch wrote:
> On 02/11/2022 14:12, Geoff Clare wrote:
>> When I upgrade my Zen broadband to FTTP I'm planning to use my
>> existing WAN router (running OpenWRT) instead of the Fritzbox that
>> Zen will supply.  This means I'll need to connect to Digital Voice
>> differently as well.  I have a PAP2 ATA that I've been using for
>> VoIP for years.  Am I right in thinking that I'll be able to
>> configure it to connect to Zen's Digital Voice service?  It's all
>> just standard SIP stuff, right?
>
> Yes, but Zen will refuse to give you the information you require.
>
> I replaced my old cisco 867 with the fritzbox and it " just worked " For
> a soho router they are not a bad box and they are free.
>
> I run it dual stack, double NAT ipv4 and transparent ipv6 as I have my
> own firewall (PFsense) behind it between my home network and the
> internet,with no speed or any other issues..
>
> Also they probably wont give you any support VoIP wise unless you use
> their router, which is not unreasonable really they cant support
> everything.
>
> If you must use your old router
>

At present I have a pair of Draytech routers that build a site 2 site
VPN. I guess I can't do that with the Fritz box....
... i don't really want two router....

> If you first use the fritzbox you can find most of the information you
> need from reading the config it will download automatically  via TR69.
> The password you get from your online account on the Zen website its
> different to the login password for your internet service.
>
> The VoIP password can be found in the general my services digital voice
> technical.
>

yuk.

>>
>> Is anyone else using their own ATA to connect to Zen Digital Voice?
>> How hard was it to configure?
>
>
>
Dave

Geoff Clare

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Nov 3, 2022, 8:11:04 AM11/3/22
to
grinch wrote:

> On 02/11/2022 14:12, Geoff Clare wrote:
>> When I upgrade my Zen broadband to FTTP I'm planning to use my
>> existing WAN router (running OpenWRT) instead of the Fritzbox that
>> Zen will supply. This means I'll need to connect to Digital Voice
>> differently as well. I have a PAP2 ATA that I've been using for
>> VoIP for years. Am I right in thinking that I'll be able to
>> configure it to connect to Zen's Digital Voice service? It's all
>> just standard SIP stuff, right?
>
> Yes, but Zen will refuse to give you the information you require.
>
[...]
>
> If you must use your old router
>
> If you first use the fritzbox you can find most of the information you
> need from reading the config it will download automatically via TR69.
> The password you get from your online account on the Zen website its
> different to the login password for your internet service.

All sounds quite doable (assuming by "most of" you meant everything
except the password).

> The VoIP password can be found in the general my services digital voice
> technical.

Thanks for the tip.

--
Geoff Clare <net...@gclare.org.uk>

Geoff Clare

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Nov 3, 2022, 8:11:04 AM11/3/22
to
You don't have to use Zen's VoIP service. I'm going with it initially
as the "safe" option for porting my landline number to VoIP. (At the
moment I'm only using VoIP for outgoing calls.) I will think about
maybe switching to a different VoIP provider once the 18 month contract
is up.

--
Geoff Clare <net...@gclare.org.uk>

grinch

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Nov 3, 2022, 9:39:24 AM11/3/22
to
On 03/11/2022 11:46, Geoff Clare wrote:
> grinch wrote:
>
>> On 02/11/2022 14:12, Geoff Clare wrote:
>>> When I upgrade my Zen broadband to FTTP I'm planning to use my
>>> existing WAN router (running OpenWRT) instead of the Fritzbox that
>>> Zen will supply. This means I'll need to connect to Digital Voice
>>> differently as well. I have a PAP2 ATA that I've been using for
>>> VoIP for years. Am I right in thinking that I'll be able to
>>> configure it to connect to Zen's Digital Voice service? It's all
>>> just standard SIP stuff, right?
>>
>> Yes, but Zen will refuse to give you the information you require.
>>
> [...]
>>
>> If you must use your old router
>>
>> If you first use the fritzbox you can find most of the information you
>> need from reading the config it will download automatically via TR69.
>> The password you get from your online account on the Zen website its
>> different to the login password for your internet service.
>
> All sounds quite doable (assuming by "most of" you meant everything
> except the password).

The VoIP password yes
>
>> The VoIP password can be found in the general my services digital voice
>> technical.
>
> Thanks for the tip.
>
Actually a more accurate statement would be from reading the routers
running config via a web browser.Its easier to find than searching the
config text file.

Make sure you are running in advanced view set from the 3 little dots
top right hand corner of the login screen.

Geoff Clare

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Nov 4, 2022, 7:11:04 AM11/4/22
to
grinch wrote:

> On 03/11/2022 11:46, Geoff Clare wrote:
>> grinch wrote:
>>
>>> If you first use the fritzbox you can find most of the information you
>>> need from reading the config it will download automatically via TR69.

> Actually a more accurate statement would be from reading the routers
> running config via a web browser.Its easier to find than searching the
> config text file.

Okay, that sounds easier. I was imagining doing a backup of the config
to PC and then poking around in the downloaded file(s).

> Make sure you are running in advanced view set from the 3 little dots
> top right hand corner of the login screen.

Good tip, thanks.

My plan B if I can't get the PAP2 to work is to try and configure
the Fritzbox to act like a normal ATA (and perhaps Wi-Fi access
point as well).

--
Geoff Clare <net...@gclare.org.uk>

grinch

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Nov 4, 2022, 8:40:14 AM11/4/22
to
According to the fritzbox instructions you can give port 1 an IP
connection from another router and it will work.See page 38in the
instructions ,URL below.

That is more or less what you are doing with Zen FTTP


I was going to go down this route but it works fine without it so I did
not bother. One less device using electricity

https://assets.avm.de/files/docs/fritzbox/fritzbox-7530/fritzbox-7530_man_en_GB.pdf

Geoff Clare

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Nov 6, 2022, 6:41:04 AM11/6/22
to
grinch wrote:

> On 04/11/2022 10:49, Geoff Clare wrote:
>>
>> My plan B if I can't get the PAP2 to work is to try and configure
>> the Fritzbox to act like a normal ATA (and perhaps Wi-Fi access
>> point as well).
>>
> According to the fritzbox instructions you can give port 1 an IP
> connection from another router and it will work.See page 38in the
> instructions ,URL below.

Thanks for the manual's URL. Finding the manual online was on my to-do
list; you saved me the bother.

Looks like what I would want is the setup detailed on page 69
"Configuring Internet Access via Another Router: IP Client"

--
Geoff Clare <net...@gclare.org.uk>

Geoff Clare

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Nov 25, 2022, 11:41:04 AM11/25/22
to
grinch wrote:

> The password you get from your online account on the Zen website its
> different to the login password for your internet service.
>
> The VoIP password can be found in the general my services digital voice
> technical.

My service is up and running but I don't have any digital voice stuff
in the technical info in the Zen portal. Maybe it will appear at some
point, but I've gone with plan B anyway, i.e using the Fritzbox in
"client IP" mode as an ATA. That wasn't hard to get working - just
had to set up some port forwarding on my old router to make incoming
calls work.

--
Geoff Clare <net...@gclare.org.uk>
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