[junliu]

I am totally new so please padon my ignorance. I am interested in getting a PhoneGnome box. But currently all my phones (and numbers) are cell phones. How do I use PhoneGnome? Do I need to sign-up with a VOIP provider first and then use the number (either transfered or new) that I have from the provider for PhoneGnome? Thanks for any help you may provide.

Jun

[mberlant]

The PhoneGnome is a device that is designed to front-end your POTS line (your ordinary phone line). It provides automated interfaces that reduce your long distance phone bill by deciding which phone calls should go via VoIP and which others should go via the phone company. It seems to me that putting a PhoneGnome in front of a cell phone wouldn't give quite the same utility.

[DracoFelis]

Originally Posted by junliu

I am totally new so please padon my ignorance. I am interested in getting a PhoneGnome box. But currently all my phones (and numbers) are cell phones. How do I use PhoneGnome?

It probably wouldn't hurt to check with PhoneGnome support, to see if they have an option for people without phone lines. But as far as I can tell (from their web site), the PhoneGnome is designed to require you to plug a real "phone line" into it. Since you don't have a phone line, you probably don't have the requirements for a PhoneGnome.

However, you can get many of the same features that PhoneGnome has (without the requirement for a "real phone line") with other VoIP devices (such as the Sipura SPA3000 I use). In fact, a properly setup SPA-3000 should even be able to call (and be called from) a "PhoneGnome" user "for free" (as PhoneGnome does allow interconnect with other VoIP devices).

However, "the down side" of using another VoIP device, is that they are generally a LOT more work to setup initially (then a "PhoneGnome" would be). As far as I can tell, one of the key reasons "PhoneGnome" was created, was to make the setup "easy". OTOH many of the VoIP adapters out there (including the SPA3000 I use) make "programming a VCR" look easy by comparison! Yes, there are some VERY POWERFUL (and cost effective) VoIP devices out there, but there is often a "steep learning curve" getting them setup correctly in the first place...

OTOH you may not have any choice. If you don't have a phone line, and therefore PhoneGnome won't work for you, PhoneGnome may not be an option. So if you want to use VoIP, you may be "stuck" getting a more "generic" adapter, and configuring it yourself "the hard way"...

NOTE: Voxilla.com sells unlocked SPA3000's for around $97, which is slightly cheaper than a PhoneGnome. And a properly setup SPA-3000 appears to do most of what the PhoneGnome does (but doesn't require you to have a POTS line, even though the SPA-3000 can use it, if you have one). In fact, the PhoneGnome even uses the same "hardware" as an SPA-3000 (even though its programming "under the hood" is quite different). So the main "end user" difference between an SPA-3000, and a PhoneGnome, is that the "PhoneGnome" will be a LOT easier to setup (but the SPA3000 will be slightly more flexible in its setup, if you really know what you are doing).

[junliu]

Sorry that I wasn't clear to begin wih. I do have phone lines. The whole house has been wired with phyiscal phone lines. We dropped the landline and opt to have all cell phones sometime ago. For reasons that you may not appreciate (wanting to work from home more, taking more conference calls at home etc.), I am exploring an alternative, rather than going back to the local phone company. So I do have phone lines, but not regular phone services from the local phone company. I don't know whether it makes any difference. Thanks again for your responses.

[mberlant]

The PhoneGnome needs an analog phone line with a Dial Tone on it. That is typically an ordinary phone line, but it can conceivably be a cell phone tethered to a Dock-n-Talk or equivalent device.

[AlexandreUVa]

Hi,
You do not necessairely need a phone line connected to your phoneGnome. If you only need to use the VOIP or PhoneGnome calls, you can disconnect the line and leave the PhoneGnome connected to the a phone and the internet. (You will loose however, the security of 911 and any other PSTN services). The only problem that I see is the regitration process and which number to associate to your PhoneGnome. An easy solution would be to use your cell phone's number (xxx-xxx-xxxx) to create a xxxxxxxxxx@sip.phonegnome.com address. I'm sure that it should work as I use the same type of process to connect PhoneGnome in Belgium. You do not need the line to autoconfigure the Gnome. You just register online a phonenumber, they send you a password and the phoneGnome uses only the internet connection to get ready. So, the use of a PhoneGnome without a phone line is permitted... and works well. I used mine disconnected to the line at the begining as I had no internet plug close to a phone plug. Hope that it helps...

[tphank]

You can setup your cell phone with a Dock n Talk, then use the phone lines in your house to place and receive calls thru your cell phone. Works great. Then, you can also hook up the phonegnome to the dock n talk unit. SO it PG can;t place a VOIP call, it will use your cell.... I have both, but use the PG on the landline... maybe I'll give it a shot tonight...