[SOLVED] Extend VOIP range

AnotherBigAl · 4 Oct 2022 at 08:04

Hi all. This is my first post here.

I use Zen as my ISP and they have supplied me with a Fritzbox 7530 router to run with my full fibre 900 connection. It is situated right next to the BTONT in my office. My house, some 20 or so yards away is old and has stone walls around 3 feet thick so internet to the house is piped via an underground Cat5e cable which terminates at another Fritxbox 7530 set up as a repeater and serves several wired devices as well as WiFi in the house. However it does not repeat my VOIP ‘phone service so my ‘phone connection is, to say the least, patchy as it relies on the Zen supplied box. I am using stand alone Gigaset C430HX handsets.

Despite searching around I am at a loss to see any way I can use the second Fritzbox to ‘Repeat’ the VOIP signal from the first box. Can anyone help please?

AnotherBigAl · 4 Oct 2022 at 08:38

The second router is already connected to the first by cable. I have ‘phone handsets in both my office and house all using just one landline telephone number.

The second router is set up in accordance to the instructions in the manual (and from Zen) as a mesh repeater but is failing to repeat the VOIP connection. This is what I am trying to get working.

AnotherBigAl · 4 Oct 2022 at 10:29

Hi Bouton Aide, and thank you for looking at my question.

As I said, yes I have set up the second router as a Mesh repeater and both router are up to date

I only have, and only want one landline number but I am aiming at having that number available both in my little office as well as in my house. The router in the office is the base station for all my VOIP telephones. I do not have any others. That means that all my calls are routed through that router. It also means that all my contacts, well over 100, are stored on that router as it is my base station. It also means that all the other advantages of VOIP, Zen call it Digital Voice, are available on all my handsets from that base station. I have no desire to change any of that.

As far as I understand the Mesh repeater is acting rather like a managed switch but with WiFi thrown in. Perhaps this is a too simplistic view. Where my understanding falls down is that while all my internet connections use protocols from the TCP/IP suit and can be repeated in a Mesh network the packets of data in voice transmissions cannot be repeated although they too are being passed using the their appropriate TCP/IP protocols. After all, VOIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol doesn’t it?

I am at a loss trying to understand that if the former can be done why the latter cannot.

AnotherBigAl · 4 Oct 2022 at 10:32

The handsets in the house, where they work, do indeed have all the numbers available from my (Office) base station. That is not the problem. It is the signal strength that is the problem. A repeater, as opposed to an extender, will solve that. It seems that the second router will 'repeat' the internet signals but not the VOIP signals.

AnotherBigAl · 4 Oct 2022 at 13:52

Hi Caged. Yes, that is correct. The Zen Fritzbox in my office is my phone base station and all my telephone handsets, both in my office and house are Gigaset C430HX.

I have ordered a AVM FRITZ! Fon C6 to see if that will help the situation but am net expecting delevery untill the middle of nex week.

AnotherBigAl · 4 Oct 2022 at 14:13

The house Gigaset handsets are registered to the base, Fritzbox, in the office. In one or two places in the house do connect and work correctly and can access the base telephone directory etc. However the connection is poor, unreliable and also very dependant both in which room you are standing in as well as where in that room you actually are. The VOIP signal is obviously very weak and the handsets are not usable in some of the rooms. This is why I thought setting up the second Fritzbox as a repeater would be the solution. It appears that this, at present, is not the case.

AnotherBigAl · 4 Oct 2022 at 17:34

Thank you for that link. I thought I had read all the KB pages that refered to this but obviously not. I will go through the instructons and put them into practice this evening and let you know how I get on.

AnotherBigAl · 4 Oct 2022 at 17:47

All done as you and the (KB post) suggested. I now have good ‘phone reception in the house as well as in my office and can use the telephone directory in the main, office, Mesh base from all handsets.

A big ‘Thank you’ for your help - as well as for expanding my personal knowledge base. In other words, I have learnt something from all of this and am grateful for that.

As a by–the–way, in the throws of going through the documentation I looked up the Fritz!DECT extender 100. They do not seem to be available in the UK and even from countries where they are available they are well over £100.00 each plus delivery. I don’t think I will be buying one at those prices. Yes I also saw the other makes are available but always think it is better to keep to one manufacturer.
All the best

AnotherBigAl

AnotherBigAl · 4 Oct 2022 at 18:13

Bouton Aide said:
awesome. I wasn't 100% sure if VOIP could be used with a mesh. Until I read that link it could (even though I said it couldn't).

I personally would use pure voip over ethernet which is what I have and not had a single issue at all since installing it years ago.

Out of interest then, can you explain exactly what you mean by pure VOIP please? (Add to my learning curve).

AnotherBigAl · 4 Oct 2022 at 19:15

Bouton Aide said:
Just the connection - VOIP ethernet (RJ45) rather than VOIP analog (RJ11).

Wasn't sure which version you were using but the fritz box has RJ11 on it.

Are you on Zen Internet by any chance?

Thank you for the clarification. I have been with Zen for several years now and found them to be exceptionally helpful. I would recommend them to anyone. As far as VOIP is concerned I only signed up for their Digital Voice (VOIP) package a month or so back so this business with the second router is fairly new. Prior to that I was using a Cisco WAP4410N WAP but it was getting old and tired and beginning to give intermittent problems so the change to the second router solved that as well.

None of my Gigaset handsets are connected through the Fon port on either router; all use VOIP. Both routers are physically connected via Cat 5e cabling as are most of my fixed assets and are therefore using RJ45 plugs. The layout here is quite difficult – the cable running in underground piping. I suppose my next big change will be a move to Cat 6e but I am holding off as I can’t pluck up the energy to digging up and changing the piping which is, at present, too small to pull a second cable through and in any case has several bends, curves, in it that will make life difficult. ‘If it ain’t broke don’t mend it’ seems a good option at the moment.