Forum Discussion

deanchat's avatar
deanchat
Contributor
6 years ago

Looking for clarifications regarding Cox phone installation and service

Hi Folks,
I currently have a copper based phone line (Verizon) and want to move to Cox’s voice (phone) service (I currently use Cox for TV and Internet).  My house was built in the early 1990s and is wired with basic analog wiring common at that time, with several phone jacks spread out throughout the house.

I went to a Cox store and spoke with a rep and got info that seems odd.  So, I’m looking for some clarifications regarding Cox Voice installation and features...

1) I have my own internet modem and router and want the voice equipment to be separate. I was told that I could have a separate modem for voice and that they would issue an Arris TM3402 for that.  I want to make sure that particular model can be activated for voice only (essentially eMTA only).

2) With a separate phone (voice) modem, is there a restriction on placement other than access to power and a cable outlet (does it need to be connected to the internet modem for example)?

3)  I was told that I could not connect the voice modem to my home phone wiring by plugging the TEL port on the voice modem into one of my phone jacks. I was told that the TEL port on the voice modem must be plugged directly into a phone and that I would need to rewire my house for digital phone service if I want to use multiple jacks throughout my house.  This makes little sense to me since a phone is an analog device and so is the analog phone wiring that is in my house.  Can I connect the voice modem to one of my home’s phone jacks to enable the Cox phone service to be accessed on other phone jacks?

4) Can I change the number of rings that occur before VoiceMail picks up a call ?

5) Can Call Waiting be disabled and if it is disabled do callers get a busy signal or get sent directly to voice mail?

Thanks a bunch for any help!
Dean

  • Bruce's avatar
    Bruce
    Honored Contributor III
    6 years ago

    All houses have basic analog telephone wiring.  It's what the modem does:  converts a digital signal to analog.  If your rep was correct (not) we'd all need digital telephones.  Not digital features...but new telephones capable to receive digital signals.

    Mouth is correct.  Cox can provision the modem for Voice only.  You'd probably need a 3-way splitter.  Primary > Cable Box, DOCSIS, eMTA.

    You can configure VoiceMail and Call Waiting online (Cox.com).

    • deanchat's avatar
      deanchat
      Contributor
      6 years ago

      When I bought the house 12 years ago I had Verizon run new copper lines to the house and that has been my phone service ever since. I have a grey plastic box on the outside of the house labelled "Telephone Network Interface", which I am assuming is the demarc (it has a plug+jack that appears to connect the house wiring to Verizon's service). What gets changed to make it work with packet-switching?

      I read about the battery backup of the TM3402 requiring the phone be directly connected to the voice modem (it must go into some "low power" mode when running off battery). I asked the rep if I could just run the 3402 off a regular UPS (a computer sized UPS should power the modem for quite a while) but he said that would not work. That does not seem right.

      • Bruce's avatar
        Bruce
        Honored Contributor III
        6 years ago

        I don't know what wires get changed.  I live in a townhouse community and he was too fast removing and reinstalling wires for me to observe...and it was just a thicket of phone wires.

        The manufacturer probably did design the eMTA to not work off a UPS.  Manufacturers love to sell the proprietary batteries.

  • deanchat's avatar
    deanchat
    Contributor
    6 years ago


    Had my “service” call. The tech shows up and says he is there for a “self install” (if that’s all it was I would have done it myself). I explain that the demarc will need to be rewired and he knows nothing about how to do that. I also asked him about moving the power source for my drop amp from the garage to inside the house (if I rely on the signal for phone, I want the amp power inside so I can have battery backup). He does not know what a power inserter is. So, he basically hooked up the voice modem and provisioned it. I am being charged $75 for this?

    The old copper phone line is still hooked up to my house at the demarc. The old land line is currently dead, so it apparently does not interfere with Cox voice using my phone wiring, but I bet if Verizon does something to the land line it will screw things up in my house.

    Verizon offered to convert me to fiber-base phone for free, but I wanted to move to Cox. Starting to regret the choice. This entire process from start to finish has been a disappointment (grand understatement).

    • Bruce's avatar
      Bruce
      Honored Contributor III
      6 years ago

      It's probably my terminology.  "Demarc" is probably old school.  The tech, however, knew to disconnect the phone line from the outside world.

      What do you mean your phone line is dead?  Didn't the tech connect the eMTA to a phone outlet?  They should be checking all this stuff.

      Why can't you move the amp?  Do you need longer/shorter coax?

      Cox is supposed to be transitioning customers to Cox Voice for free.  The moderator said it depends on the market but that sounds like BS.

      • deanchat's avatar
        deanchat
        Contributor
        6 years ago

        Sorry for the confusion.  I didn’t use the term “demarc” with the tech, I said “where the old phone line enters my house” or something similar. The tech did NOT disconnect the phone line from the outside world.

        When I said the phone line is “dead” I meant the old landline (from Verizon). The box that serves my street is in my neighbor’s yard and he smashed it with his weedeater (seriously) and it knocked my phone out.  Verizon refuses to fix it and used it as an opportunity to try to force me to go with fiber phone (for free) and I decided to switch to Cox.  So, the old Verizon line is still hooked up to the entrance of my house, it’s just a non-functioning line (so apparently it does not mess with the eMT's use of my house phone wiring).

        The eMTA is connected to a phone jack in my house and send phone to all jacks in my house.

        The drop amp is where the Cox cable enters my home (outsider). It gets power from a power supply in the garage that sends power via a coax line through the garage wall and to the amp.  Moving the power supply is doable, moving the amp is not really a good option.

  • CurtB's avatar
    CurtB
    Valued Contributor III
    6 years ago

    To add to what WiderMouthOpen and Bruce said:

    4. You can change the number of rings before Voice Mail picks up to 2-9 rings in Voice Tools.

    5.  You can permanently disable call waiting, also in Voice Tools.

    I have an Arris TM3402A modem for telephone and Internet.  I have phone service at all the phone jacks and I didn't have to rewire my house.

    • Bruce's avatar
      Bruce
      Honored Contributor III
      6 years ago

      ...just the demarc, right?

      • CurtB's avatar
        CurtB
        Valued Contributor III
        6 years ago

        There was a faulty tap at the pole that prevented phone service from working with the new modem.  I was without phone service for 5 days.  I can't really say everything that Cox did, but my house wiring wasn't replaced.

        Update: I previously had Cox phone service with a Docsis 3.0 modem that failed.  When it was replaced with the current Docsis 3.1 modem, the tap issue prevented phone service.  It's been years since I switched from AT&T to Cox phone service, but Cox would have done some re-wiring outside the house then to switch over.

  • deanchat's avatar
    deanchat
    Contributor
    6 years ago

    Okay, it looks like I need demarc rewired.  I set up an appointment for a tech to do that and provision the voice modem and I am being charged $75 for the tech to come out.  Is that normal?  Seems a bit exorbitant since I am adding a service to an already large bill.

    • KevinM2's avatar
      KevinM2
      Former Moderator
      6 years ago

      Hello, this depends on the situation. If the issue is related to the Cox equipment or Cox wiring, there is no charge. If the technician determines the issue not to be related to the Cox equipment or wiring, a $75 fee may be assessed on the account. This is for a standard appointment to address service-related issues though. If a customer has an installation of services, there is typically a $75 fee. -Kevin M. Cox Support Forum Moderator

    • Bruce's avatar
      Bruce
      Honored Contributor III
      6 years ago

      I thought "upgrade your service now!" was free?  A moderator would need to clarify.

      • KevinM2's avatar
        KevinM2
        Former Moderator
        6 years ago
        @Bruce, it all depends on the market that the customer resides in, as well as the product (or products) that need to be upgraded. -Kevin M. Cox Support Forum Moderator