[Optimum Voice] Questions about OV install

[Optimum Voice] Questions about OV install
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IncognitoOOL @ 3rd Nov 04:05PM:
[Optimum Voice] Questions about OV install

Hi!
I'm getting optimum voice this week. I just have some questions about the install and what to expect.

1. What type of modem will I get? Is it the SBV5220?

2. If it's that modem, do they include the backup battery? How long will the battery last in the event of a power outage? Does the battery only power the phone part, or will it provide power for the internet too?

3. I'm getting 2 lines installed. There's a phone jack right near where my current modem is, and it has both lines wired to it. Will they just be able to plug the modem into that after they disconnect the verizon lines from outside? Or do they need to do new wiring? The modem needs to go where the current one is, because that's where all of my network wiring meets up.

4. How long should an install take, assuming all the current wiring is ok?

5. Does heavy internet bandwith usage affect voice quality? Or can the modem compensate and automatically throttle for best quality?

6. Finally, I have a linksys wireless router (wrt54g v6, I believe). Will they be able to just keep this router hooked up as is?

Sorry about all of the questions, and I really appreciate everyone taking the time to help me out and answer them. It's been a while since I've had to deal with any of this stuff, so I've been a bit out of the loop on newer technology.

Thanks again!
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rick0204 @ 3rd Nov 05:02PM:
Re: [Optimum Voice] Questions about OV install

1. not sure what mine is.
2. no battery backup - buy your own ups.
3. The CV tech will have to get to the grey interface box, usually in the basement or garage. I don't think you need any new wiring.
4. maybe 30 minutes.
5. no. yes.
6. Yes. I have the same router.
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IncognitoOOL @ 3rd Nov 08:52PM:
Re: [Optimum Voice] Questions about OV install

I know about the interface box. But if that's disconnected from the verizon lines, then can't they just plug the voice part of the modem into another phone jack elsewhere?

What modems do other people have for OV? And if you do have the Motorola one, did they give you the battery with it?
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RickNY @ 3rd Nov 09:08PM:
Re: [Optimum Voice] Questions about OV install

In regards to the two lines -- are you running both lines through the same jack (in other words, one pair of wires for line 1, another pair for line 2), and are using 2-line phones that are capable of picking up the 2nd line on the single jack? Or do you have one box with two jacks, one for each line? If you are using single 2-line jacks, you will need to break out the pair of the 2nd line into a separate jack -- the OV modem only will provide service to the inner pair on the jack. You can use one of these for that:
»www.radioshack.com/product/index···=3808512
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IncognitoOOL @ 3rd Nov 09:14PM:
Re: [Optimum Voice] Questions about OV install

I'm a little confused. I have a jack that has both lines in a single rj-11 outlet.
So the modem has a separate phone jack output for each line? In other words, 2 phone cables will come out of the modem: one for each line? So then I just need this adapter and I'm fine? Or will the guy from CV have one with him?
thanks
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dlr_graph @ 8th Nov 11:10AM:
Re: [Optimum Voice] Questions about OV install

1. The modem can be a Scientific Atlanta (DPX2203) or a motorola and they do not supply batteries packs.
2. It has two jacks for 2 different phone lines.
3. The install should take no more than 10 minutes unless you requested wiring in the house which may be a matter of connecting your existing jacks to the modem. I am not sure how this is done since my appartment was never wired for telephone and cordless (6 Ghz) phones work fine.
4. Your internet usage will not affect the voice quality.
5. Yes, you may use your existing router.
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RARPSL @ 8th Nov 12:23PM:
Re: [Optimum Voice] Questions about OV install

said by IncognitoOOL :

I'm a little confused. I have a jack that has both lines in a single rj-11 outlet.
So the modem has a separate phone jack output for each line? In other words, 2 phone cables will come out of the modem: one for each line? So then I just need this adapter and I'm fine? Or will the guy from CV have one with him?
thanks

What you do is plug this adapter into the outlet you want to use to feed your home. You then run cables from the Modem's Line 1 and Line 2 jacks to the L1 and L2 ports on the adapter and it will merge them into a single two-line RJ-14 (the term for a two line outlet - RJ-11 is a single line connection) output via the part that gets plugged into the outlet. While the normal usage of this adapter is to split a two line feed into two single line feeds (turning Line 2 into a Line 1 at the L2 port) at the L1 and L2 ports and a pass through 2 line feed at the L1+L2 port, it can be used (as in this case) in reverse to merge two single line feeds into a single two line feed by using the L1 and L2 ports as input.
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RickNY @ 9th Nov 10:03PM:
Re: [Optimum Voice] Questions about OV install

said by RARPSL :

While the normal usage of this adapter is to split a two line feed into two single line feeds (turning Line 2 into a Line 1 at the L2 port) at the L1 and L2 ports and a pass through 2 line feed at the L1+L2 port, it can be used (as in this case) in reverse to merge two single line feeds into a single two line feed by using the L1 and L2 ports as input.

Additionally, this also will leave you with the L1+L2 jack free for plugging one of your phones into while still feeding the rest of the house.

So:
L1: Cable Modem Phone 1
L2: Cable Modem Phone 2
L1+L2: One of your two-line phones
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cablewizzard @ 10th Nov 09:57AM:
Re: [Optimum Voice] Questions about OV install

If you are a business multi-line customer, you'll get the battery free of charge (one for each modem).

As a residential customer, you can either hook up your modem to a conventional UPS (which I'd recommend, with 600VA units running about $120, it's the cheapest insurance policy I can think off for all my AV equipment worth 1000's) or buy a battery at the optimumstore.com site for your specific modem - search for "battery".

There's currently 4, I believe, and all of them are around $45 (you can probably shop around elsewhere, but these are fairly special batteries):

- external PSU/Battery combo pack for Moto SBV5120/5121
- battery and snap-on frame for Cisco (still Scientific-Atlanta-branded) DPX2203 (doubles form factor!)
- battery cell for Cisco DPC2203 (has internal battery compartment)
- battery cell for Moto SBV5222/5322 - these models take one or TWO batteries (double-size compartment), for more than twice the backup time, if you so desire.

Note that the DPC2203 and SBV5222/5322 use the same battery packs (10.8V), yet have different order codes.

And yes, your Internet service will work as well when on battery power. But have you thought about your router and cordless phones desiring a little juice during a blackout, too :) ?
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john150 @ 17th Nov 05:00PM:
Re: [Optimum Voice] Questions about OV install

Do all jacks in the house have to be connected individually or do they become active on OV when the first jack is connected?
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IncognitoOOL @ 23rd Nov 01:03AM:
Re: [Optimum Voice] Questions about OV install

The modem can be plugged into any phone jack in your home as long as your old outside phone lines are disconnected first. All of your phone meets up at some type of junction anyway. So regardless of which jack the modem is hooked up to, all of them will function with OV.
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stu @ 23rd Nov 11:28AM:
Re: [Optimum Voice] Questions about OV install

If you have an alarm it grabs the line at or just before the POTS junction box to send an emergency call. Therefor the alarm line, if one exists, must be plugged in at the junction box and not anywhere after that.

Stu
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anon @ 23rd Nov 10:04PM:
Re: [Optimum Voice] Questions about OV install

if your lines in the house are all direct home-run to the junction box this is still not an issue. However, if all of the lines in the house are daisy chained off each other then the tech might have to run a phone line from wherever you have your modem directly to the outside panel, or straight to alarm panel.
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