Compatible External Ringer

[OC_Carl]

So I have my old analog phone wired to line #1 on the adapter, the adapter connected to the router, the router connected to the cable modem.

Somewhere along the line I need to add a LOUD external ringer because I don't always hear the phone ringing depending on where I am. Mostly I do, but not always. I want an external ringer so LOUD that if I am at my neighbors house down the street I could hear my telephone ring. Not really, but you get the idea. 8-) Adjustable LOUDNESS would probably be best!

I checked out external ringers but most do not seem compatible with voip and those that are, are sophisticated ringers + pager + other features for enterprise solutions.

So here I am asking the powers that be what they would recommend as a LOUD external ringer for residential use and where it should be connected?

Thank you for your advice.

[nobaloney]

Amazon sells the "Walker Clarity Extra Loudtelephone Ringer" which should work. You may need to buy a line splitter so you can plug both the ringer and your phone into your ATA.

Note that I've never owned this, but I took the time to look it up for you, for this, my first post on these forums.

[OC_Carl]

Amazon sells the "Walker Clarity Extra Loudtelephone Ringer" which should work. You may need to buy a line splitter so you can plug both the ringer and your phone into your ATA.

Note that I've never owned this, but I took the time to look it up for you, for this, my first post on these forums.

I thank you for researching this. But I too Googled "external phone ringer" and not only found the product you suggested but also another promising product at Amazon.com:
Industrial Indoor/Outdoor Telephone Bell Ringer : TEC49
- Will not work with VOIP telephone systems

As for the "Clarity-Walker Extra-Loud Telephone Ringer" I noticed it was also for sale at best buy, radioshack and office depot. Amazingly all within the same shopping center, so i was ready to run to those stores to check it out. But each site announced "out of stock" or "sold out". It was even listed at WalMart but only to find that it was Walmart's "marketplace" (a me too kind of amazon.com). Fry's is to far away for a "maybe".

Further from the Clarity site was this:
Our products operate best on plan [sic] old telephone lines (POTS). They are not tested on individual providers networks.

So before I buy, hook it up and blow my Grandstream or have it not work and pay for return shipping, I'd like to know if someone actually has an external ringer hooked to their voipo network. Or if a voipo tech has a (tested) recommendation. (Sometimes voipo staff and even the ceo monitors the forum 8-)

Thank you for trying and responding.

[nobaloney]

I thank you for researching this. But I too Googled "external phone ringer" and not only found the product you suggested but also another promising product at Amazon.com:
Industrial Indoor/Outdoor Telephone Bell Ringer : TEC49
- Will not work with VOIP telephone systems

This one won't work because it's got an REN (Ringer Equivalency Number) of at least 1.0, because it's a real bell.

The Clarity Walker is electronic and amplified and likely has a low enough REN to work with a VoIP adapter. I agree I've not tested it and I'm not guaranteeing it and I understand your hesitation.

As for the "Clarity-Walker Extra-Loud Telephone Ringer" I noticed it was also for sale at best buy, radioshack and office depot. Amazingly all within the same shopping center, so i was ready to run to those stores to check it out. But each site announced "out of stock" or "sold out". It was even listed at WalMart but only to find that it was Walmart's "marketplace" (a me too kind of amazon.com). Fry's is to far away for a "maybe".

Further from the Clarity site was this:
Our products operate best on plan [sic] old telephone lines (POTS). They are not tested on individual providers networks.

It definitely depends on the REN, if it requires too much voltage it just won't ring. And I looked all over the 'net for the REN value and couldn't find it. But if it were me, I'd give it a try.

So before I buy, hook it up and blow my Grandstream or have it not work and pay for return shipping, I'd like to know if someone actually has an external ringer hooked to their voipo network. Or if a voipo tech has a (tested) recommendation. (Sometimes voipo staff and even the ceo monitors the forum 8-)[/quote]
Again, I don't guarantee it won't destroy your ATA, but in my (for what it's worth opinion) all it should do if it doesn't work is not work. It doesn't draw current; it's passive in that regard. And I afmit I don't know that, but I believe it, because if it did, then enough extensions would have additive REN values that could harm even the legacy POTS system.

Again, only my opinion.
[/quote]Thank you for trying and responding.[/QUOTE]
You're very welcome. I too would like to see a definitive answer. It get's very noise in my home office every Tuesday when the Gardeners are here managing the lawns.

Jeff

[OC_Carl]

Amazon sells the "Walker Clarity Extra Loudtelephone Ringer" which should work. You may need to buy a line splitter so you can plug both the ringer and your phone into your ATA.

Note that I've never owned this, but I took the time to look it up for you, for this, my first post on these forums.

So I asked Clairity directly about their device working on voip.

OC_Carl Will this device work with a voip line?
Karen
· 2 hours ago
The WR100 works on analog telephone lines only.

So I am glad I did not run out to Fry's or try to order anywhere else. I'm thinking most if not all mainstream external ringers will not work with voip unless it specifically says it does. By default it seems they do not.

So unless someone actually has an external ringer they found works with the voipo Grandstream or voipo itself can either reveal the bad news they know of no external ringer working with their network, or they do know of a product (maybe their own) that would, I am <you know>.

[GreenLantern]

This may be way off base, but I'll mention it...

Consider using a cordless phone. You can charge it in a convenient location, but also take it with you out on a patio, etc.

Again, may not work for your needs, but it could be an option for some.

[OC_Carl]

This may be way off base, but I'll mention it...

Consider using a cordless phone. You can charge it in a convenient location, but also take it with you out on a patio, etc.

Again, may not work for your needs, but it could be an option for some.

Yeah, that may be the way to go. Maybe I can even find someone who could make me a custom holster so I could carry it around with me without laying it down somewhere and forgetting where I put it. The way my property is configured though, if I set it down in the wrong place I still might not hear it.

But it may be the option I have to go with. I was just kinda hoping a knowledgeable voipo staff member might answer.

Thank you for the response.

[GreenLantern]

Yeah, that may be the way to go. Maybe I can even find someone who could make me a custom holster so I could carry it around with me without laying it down somewhere and forgetting where I put it. The way my property is configured though, if I set it down in the wrong place I still might not hear it.

But it may be the option I have to go with. I was just kinda hoping a knowledgeable voipo staff member might answer.

Thank you for the response.

Most cordless phones these days include a belt clip. Just check the feature list or package contents list.

[christcorp]

Just a quick suggestion. If you want a WORK AROUND for the "REN" issue; all you have to do is buy a "CORDLESS JACK". Even though cordless phones are so popular, they do still make cordless phone jacks.

Then, you plug one of the cordless adapters into AC power and the voip adapter output, and the other cordless piece you plug into AC power where you want the external bell. The external bell will get it's actual voltage to RING from the cordless unit and the AC power..... NOT from the voip adapter. Thus, the voip adapter won't have any problems with "REN" issues.

Yes, I've done this and it works. There are quite a number of types of cordless jacks and a number of voip adapters. So I can't tell you which cordless jack to try. Some use RF Radio (What I suggest). Some use filters and actually sends the phone signal over the AC Power lines. (Never had much luck with this type with my fax. (When I use to fax). I've used these cordless jacks on Fax machines, credit card machines, Directv Receivers, and external bells. Now; I no longer use fax, and the credit card and directv uses ethernet/wireless network instead of dial tone. I still use an external bell, but I have it wired in. I can't really explain it in a thread, because I have 10 phones wired in my house to voipo and it's a bit complicated so I don't hurt the voip adapter. Basically, instead of using the PAP2 voip adapter to RING the bell, I use an external power source for the external bell, and the PAP2 voip adapter simply triggers a very low current relay which in turn triggers the external voltage to the external bell.

But the cordless jacks do work. I had luck with the RCA and Philips models.