EvaFam
New Contributor
Joined 7 years ago
User Profile
User Widgets
Contributions
Re: Cox to eliminate traditional copper phone and replace with VOIP.. BAD NEWS
I just spoke with the Cox telephone team again (on the phone number they tell you to call for the conversion). I learned a little bit more: They do know your cutoff date for conversion.People in the forum have been unable to get date information from Cox, myself included. I ended up speaking with a supervisor, and she was able to tell me my conversion window, and it's comforting. My conversion wave started in January 2018 and it ends in December 2019 (yes, 2019, not 2018), so at least I know my phone isn't going to get cut off next month and I have some time to figure out wiring issues, etc. The supervisor told me that some Cox people don't know where to look for the information, but it is on your account. So, if you can't get it, ask for a supervisor. That's the most helpful information Cox has been able to give me. Hooray! I thanked the supervisor. I also found out that the conversion deadlines have been extended a few times. My guess is they aren't getting people converted as quickly as they had planned. Apparently they do offer a battery for the Arris TM3402. It's also $29.95. The supervisor told me they are required by law to provide a battery backup option for all landline modems. She said many landline customers preferred having a separate telephone and internet modem and it's no problem to set it up that way if I want to do that. The supervisor also said the modems would handle alarm and fax signals (something most Cox people have avoided answering). I'm starting to believe it might work (as long as it's wired properly). I've been doing some searches on the topic. I don't remember all the technical things I've read about how the calls are handled, but the cable company VOIP systems can have higher quality than what you'd get with a service like Vonage or Ooma. The age of your alarm system might also have an impact. The supervisor said she's only seen one case where a tech wasn't able to convert a residence to the new system. (I'll likely be the second unless I rewire things before the tech arrives). I couldn't get any comment about whether their techs would run wires inside of walls, etc. I'm pretty sure they won't. Maybe I could have the tech come out and see if he's baffled or not. Anyway...I hope that's helpful information to some people. I'm glad to know I have a little bit of breathing room on the conversion. That will give me some time to figure out what to do with my wiring.0Views0likes0CommentsRe: Cox to eliminate traditional copper phone and replace with VOIP.. BAD NEWS
bryaninphx said: I have never had an Issue with my Cisco DPQ3212 eMTA, I rarely have to reboot it, and that is usually for Internet related issues not phone issues. I switched from the outdoor ARRIS NIU to the indoor eMTA several years ago. My entire home-office is on a Tripp Lite 1500VA 900W UPS Battery Back Up this UPS will keep me up for 45mins w/ the PC running (~125W) or several hours with the PC in sleep mode. Looks like Cox could put theARRIS TM3402A in to FULL bridge mode.Then you would use LAN / Ethernet port # 1 to connect your own router. Not sure if Cox is willing to do this or not. Thank you bryaninphx for your report on converting from the Arris Cornerstone NIU. It's comforting to hear from someone and that it's working well. My understanding is that if you want to use the TM3402 as your cable modem, you can do so. Although it has 4 ethernet ports on it, only port #1 works, so you need to plug it into a router unless you only have one device.0Views0likes0CommentsRe: Cox to eliminate traditional copper phone and replace with VOIP.. BAD NEWS
keddy said: Thanks for the link to the Arris TM3402 on the Cox web-site. On the first page of that link it says "For Gigablast or Ultimate Only", so apparently that would not be available to customers on lower levels . I am on the "Preferred" level. The person at the Cox Solutions Store told me that they're now giving the Arris box to everyone, regardless of the level of internet they have. I don't know if that's a local decision (I'm in California) or a national decision. Someone else mentioned (on this thread or another) that the Cisco box has been discontinued by Cisco, so that may have something to do with the decision, if that's a true statement. I suggest you check with your local Cox people to find out what they're doing. I need to make more phone calls about the Arris box, but I haven't had time to do so yet.1View0likes0CommentsRe: Cox to eliminate traditional copper phone and replace with VOIP.. BAD NEWS
bryaninphx said: Arris TM3402A eMTA - Router Question? If I upgrade to the Arris TM3402A am I forced to use this as my Router ? Or can the Router be bypassed in configuration? so I can continue to use my own Router? I'm not Cox, but from what I've heard, you can have the option of using the Cox phone modem as your internet router, or keeping your existing router. I imagine they'd just put in a splitter and connect both devices to cable. I'm currently contemplating the pros and cons of each approach. One pro is that the routers can be reset individually. Therefore, if your internet is out and you need to reset the router, it doesn't take out your phone, and vice-versa. From my experience, I end up power cycling my cable modem many times a year to get the internet to work, and fewer times a year I need to use the automated Cox reset thing. In contrast, my current Cornerstone NIU landline unit never ever has problems and the phone service rarely ever goes out. This is why I cringe to think of moving to Cox's new system: will it be constant resetting of the phone modem to keep my landline running? Much as I'd prefer to have less equipment, I'm leaning toward separate modems for phone and internet in the hopes that the phone system might be more reliable. I just have to figure out where to put yet another piece of equipment (and rewire my house to support the new location...thanks Cox).1View0likes0CommentsRe: Cox to eliminate traditional copper phone and replace with VOIP.. BAD NEWS
LynnL999 said: Did you see an Arris? How big is it compared to the apparently huge Cisco? It's a little smaller than the Cisco unit. I think why the Cisco is big is so that it can accommodate the internal battery. The Cisco unit doesn't seem quite as big as I had expected, but it's taller (or thicker) than other comparable devices. According to Arris (http://www.arris.com/products/touchstone-tm3402-emta/), the unit is "7.6”x 2.2” x 6.2”- excluding F-connector" LynnL999 said: Did you get a price from AT&T for a POTS line? All I want is a landline I can plug into the wall without additional equipment in my house. I don't understand why this is so unreasonable considering they've been available for about 90 years now. You can find AT&T's pricing here:https://www.att.com/home-phone/landline.html Be aware there are other taxes and fees. The AT&T person told me they would likely be similar to what's on my Cox bill. He said they typically ranged from $5-20/month, depending on your location. If you order an AT&T landline, you may need to talk to a human to ensure you're ordering copper and not U-Verse. I know AT&T is lobbying to no longer be required to provide traditional telephone service (and abandon a lot of people, including rural customers who have no other options). I live in California where they haven't yet succeeded, although I think in other states they have succeeded and no longer offer POTS. The AT&T person I spoke with said if I had POTS, I would probably be grandfathered in if they discontinued it (but for how long, I don't know). Also, if you're in California, it looks like AT&T still has this Zone 1, Zone 2, and Zone 3 system. Zone 3 calls aren't local and aren't long distance and you may pay extra for those. Cox includes Zone 3 in its phone system. AT&T doesn't have fiber in my area (which is surprising, considering I live a couple of blocks from the CO and the utilities are mostly above ground and it's a fairly wealthy area). Maybe Cox stole all their business years ago. I still remember the AT&T person who told me years ago when I complained about their DSL rates going up (and Cox's were low to attract customers): "There's competition and if you don't like our prices, then you're free to go elsewhere." So, that's what I did. Overall, I think Cox's landline rate is cheaper than AT&T, but if it turns out it doesn't work for me anymore, I may go back to AT&T. If you're just looking for an alarm system setup, you could consider going cellular. My alarm company wants $10/mo extra for monitoring cellular (+ equipment purchase). Based on what I've seen online, that's somewhat of a standard extra monthly fee for cellular monitoring. We use our landline and another VOIP line for most of our calls. My wife and I really don't like the cost and the typically bad connections of many cell phone calls. We just have a pay-as-you-go mobile plan and probably pay less for a year of service than most people pay for a month of service.0Views0likes0CommentsRe: Cox to eliminate traditional copper phone and replace with VOIP.. BAD NEWS
After the people at the upgrade phone number told me to visit my not-so-nearby Cox Solutions store to see theDPQ3212, I made a trek there today to find out more about this device. Unfortunately, the people at the store are pretty clueless about wiring and really didn't understand what this change means. At least some of the Cox people responding here seem to have some idea, Even though I couldn't get a lot of information from the Cox Solutions store, I did find out some things: I was told the CiscoDPQ3212 was "decommissioned" about 2 weeks ago. Instead, they're now giving telephone customers the Arris TM3402A. He said the Arris unit was DOCSIS 3.1 and the Cisco unit was DOCSIS 3.0 and they didn't want to have to deal with upgrade issues down the line. (Maybe it also has to do with someone else mentioning on this thread that theDPQ3212 has been discontinued.) He did find oneDPQ3212 in the back I could see. He seemed to hint that customers with the Cisco unit could get stuck with paying an upgrade fee later, so the Arris unit is better. I was also told that the Arris TM3402A doesn't have a battery option. I complained about the landline not having power and I don't think he really understood. Then he told me I could buy an APC battery backup unit for around $60 and plug the modem into that. (It didn't sound like Cox sold the APC unit; he just told me I could buy one to solve the problem of the landline not functioning if the power went out.) That's crazy. I found the Arris unit on the Cox website and Cox says there is a battery option for it, although it's external. Scroll to the bottom of this page (https://www.cox.com/business/support/arris-tm3402.html) and click on Battery Guide.Why is it that the person at the store doesn't even know about this option? He called it VOIP even though earlier in this thread, another Cox person said it's not VOIP. He said Cox recommends having separate modems for telephone (provided by Cox) and internet. He had no idea when Cox would shut off the Cornerstone system. I also called AT&T today to find out about getting a real POTs line. I'm trying to figure out alternatives in case the Cox system doesn't work. I've googled a lot of things and seen various good/bad reports from people using other cable companies' telephone systems, as well as telco non-POTs systems (U-verse, FIOS). On the back end, it's all IP telephony, but the real issue seems to be how good the equipment is that's doing the conversion from analog to IP. I'm also surprised that Cox doesn't include a battery automatically. Some threads I read said that because of E911, the telcos have to provide battery backup if it's not powered by the telco. Has that regulation changed? It sure would be nice if Cox people had consistent stories about this equipment. I seem to get more confused the more I try to figure things out. I'm also going to have to rewire some things to make this work and find a place to put the modem. Cox has no appreciation for that hassle.0Views0likes0CommentsRe: Phone upgrade Letter
I just spoke with someone at Cox (after getting my FINAL REMINDER notice today). They can't tell me when service will stop with the old system. They said my fax shouldwork. They told me to call my alarm company about the new phone system and didn't know if it would work (I had to go to Level 2 support to find that out). I don't think they understood the need to rewire my house to support the service change from outside to inside. They just told me their technicians are trained to do this. My existing Cornerstone NIU is inside of a shed and they said the tech would have to decide if the new unit could go there. They tried to tell me my existing unit is powered from my house and so it wouldn't be different that the new unit is powered from the house. I corrected them that power to my NIU comes from Cox. They don't seem to understand that not being powered by Cox and requiring a battery that I have to pay for is a downgrade. They're trying to tell me that the 7" x 6" x 3" unit is small.They did encourage me to go to the Cox store to see one (that's about a 20 min drive away for me). Cox: what a mess this is.1View0likes0CommentsRe: Cox to eliminate traditional copper phone and replace with VOIP.. BAD NEWS
In response to my question about the new phone system not being VOIP, Cox replied that it's now packet switch instead of circuit switch. From my understanding, packet switch = VOIP. How is this not VOIP and how does it work better with fax and alarm than a traditional VOIP system? I doubt the tech is going to be able to answer the question about why Cox isn't powering the modem from its network anymore. Has anyone had Cox force this new thing on them yet? I think I just received my third urgent letter about it yesterday. Is anyone having success with the new system? As near as I can tell I'm paying the same price--plus the cost of a battery--for a downgrade in service. Why doesn't Cox lower the price for the new, worse phone system?1View0likes0CommentsRe: Cox to eliminate traditional copper phone and replace with VOIP.. BAD NEWS
DannyS, thank you for your speedy reply. I do have more questions. You mentioned this is not a full VOIP product. What is it? The Cisco DPQ3212 manual that I downloaded from the Cox website calls it VOIP. Are you guaranteeing that this new DPQ3212 will work with alarm and fax signals? Besides my current Cox Cornerstone NIU landline, I also have a VOIP line and I can tell you the fax doesn't work with it, despite all the claims to the contrary. Although I don't use fax a great deal, it's handy to have sometimes and works just fine on my Cox Cornerstone NIU landline. Reliability: I've seen several online comments about DPQ3212 failures, so I have concerns about how reliable this thing is. If I don't connect my internet to this and keep my separate cable modem, what does your modem reset tool do? How does it know which modem to reset? Does a telephone-only install require fewer modem resets? Cox internet reliability for me is nowhere near the reliability of the Cox phone. Is the phone line technology somehow separate from cable modem that's included in the box? If it's really as reliable as you indicate, why isn't this packaged as an outside, non-user-serviceable device like the Cornerstone NIU (and other Telco/Cable devices I've used over the years)? The DPQ3212 is huge. Cox marketing tries to make it look small, but it's 8 x 8 x 4. I might have to put an addition on my home to find somewhere to put this thing. My Cornerstone NIU is currently inside of a shed, so it's not outdoors. Maybe I can put the DBQ3212 in place of it in the shed? (I have power in the shed.) That would minimize wiring issues. If I have to find a place to put this thing in my house, what wiring is the Cox technician going to do? I'm pretty sure you're not going to go in attics, under the house, fish wire through walls, pull new wiring through conduits, etc.? I may have a punchdown block, but I don't have an APU. Why doesn't Cox continue to power these devices from its reliable infrastructure? You already have 90v going to the Cornerstone NIU. I'm sure with the quantity you purchase you could get Cisco to work with 90v, if it doesn't already. Maybe it requires more current than the wires carrying 90v to my house because it's also a cable modem? And then you want me to buy a battery? How is this "just as reliable" as the Cornerstone NIUs? The overall system design is less reliable.1View0likes0CommentsRe: Cox to eliminate traditional copper phone and replace with VOIP.. BAD NEWS
I just got notified that my phone is moving FORWARD (marketing speak for backwards). I currently have the Cornerstone NIU. It's immensely reliable. It's powered by Cox, so my power can go out and my phone still works. It also works when my internet goes out. They can reset my cable modem and it doesn't knock out my phone line. One Cox support tech also told me a year or two ago to NEVER let Cox take that NIU box away because that system is very reliable. My system works perfectly and I have no interest in Cox messing with it. I also have an alarm system and a fax machine and a fax switch. Typically, these things have problems working properly with VOIP lines (my HP unit even says it doesn't work with VOIP). Are the signals from these systems even going to work on my "new improved" Cox VOIP landline? I understand the wiring for making all that work. I also have 66 punchdown blocks in my house with home runs to all the jacks, along with CAT5 panels for internet. Residential techs tend to be baffled by my setup (although Cox is better than AT&T when I used them, as the AT&T people were completely clueless). I also have a wiring problem if Cox is going to mess with this. My lines run to the demarcation point. You can't just plug it in to a phone jack inside and have it work because of the alarm and fax wiring. All my wires are inside the walls. Is Cox going to fish more wires through my walls, patch, and repaint them to make this new system work? I doubt it. Also, I wonder how well these VOIP systems work. I put AT&T U-Verse at my parents' house a few years ago. What a nightmare. A beautifully-working landline that had been there for 50 years became a problematic VOIP line. Telephones that worked just fine (from the 70s and 80s) would no longer work with the new VOIP line and AT&T was clueless. I ended up having to buy new phones and a new TV. Although Cox is way more competent than AT&T, I fear I'll have similar problems. I can't believe I'm actually thinking about calling AT&T to put in a POTS line. I'm in California where AT&T hasn't yet convinced the lawmakers they can stop offering POTS service (but they're working on it...) Cox internet is nowhere near as reliable as my Cox landline service. Here's how I see it: Cox annual price increase: 100% reliability Cox landline service via Cornerstone NIU: 99.9% reliability [8.76 hours/year max outage] Cox internet service: 98% reliability (and getting worse) [7.30 days/year max outage] (along with several modem reboots or it would be worse...that's what I have to look forward to on my "improved" landline?) Cox...I don't want this backwards move. Why not place a big order and get Arris to make more boxes and install them? Your customers will be much happier.0Views0likes0Comments