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Michael2062's avatar
Michael2062
New Contributor II
7 years ago

DPQ3212 DIGITAL PHONE SERVICE AND PANASONIC TA624

THIS POST WOULD PROBABLY APPLY TO ANYONE HAVING A PHONE SYSTEM IN THEIR HOME. MINE IS A PANASONIC KX TA624 WHICH HAS WORKED FINE FOR 10 YEAR. COX GIVES ME THREE INCOMING PHONE NUMBERS (TRUNK LINES) AND THE PHONE SYSTEM (SWITCH) SERVES IT OUT TO 16 PHONE STATIONS IN DIFFERENT ROOMS AND LOCATIONS. EACH PHONE SHOWS ALL THREE LINES SO YOU CAN PICKUP IN ANY ROOM, AND THE PHONES HAVE CONFERENCE CALLING, INTERCOM INCLUDING FRONT AND REAR DOOR, AND MANY OTHER FEATURES.

NOW I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT I MUST INSTALL THE DPQ3212 FOR MY PHONE SERVICE - I WILL NEED TWO UNITS BECAUSE THEY ONLY HANDLE 2 LINES PER MODEM - AND I MAY GET CUTOFF ANY DAY NOW BASED ON MY LOCATION.

NOBODY AT COX CAN TELL ME (SO FAR) IF THE OUTPUTS LINES OF THE DPQ3212 ARE COMPATIBLE WITH MY PANASONIC INPUTS SO THAT WE CAN JUST PLUG THEM IN OR WHETHER MY WHOLE SYSTEM GOES DOWN WITH NO SOLUTION IN SIGHT. THE TECHNICIAN WHO CAME OUT THE FIRST TIME TO INSTALL THE MODEM STOPPED THE INSTALL AND SAID IT WOULDN'T WORK WITH MY PANASONIC.

I TALKED TO RESIDENTIAL SUPPORT SEVERAL TIMES AND WAS LEFT WITH THE IMPRESSION THAT THEIR SOLUTION WAS TOSS MY PANASONIC AND CONNECT UP A COUPLE OF PHONES IN A ROOM OF MY CHOICE - ONE PHONE FOR EACH OF THREE INCOMING LINES AND BE SURE TO REMAIN IN THE ROOM THAT I WANT TO USE TO ANSWER THE PHONE.

JUNK MY PANASONIC AND 16 STATIONS I'M CURRENTLY USING AND GIVE UP ALL OF THE FEATURES WE USE.

I SPOKE TO COX BUSINESS AND THEY SAID THEY DO NOT HAVE A SOLUTION FOR ME TO GET THE SAME FEATURES USING THE RESIDENTIAL NETWORK. THEY HAVE OTHER NETWORKS AVAILABLE ON BUSINESS LOCATIONS THAT THEY DON'T HAVE ON RESIDENTIAL.

1. CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHETHER IT'S TRUE THAT THE DPQ3212 AND THE PANASONIC WILL NOT PLAY NICE TOGETHER?

2. CAN ANYONE CONFIRM HOW MUCH TIME I HAVE LEFT BEFORE MY WHOLE SERVICE SHUTS DOWN?

3. CAN ANYONE SUGGEST WHAT TO DO IF #1 ABOVE DOESN'T WORK?

  • Michael2062's avatar
    Michael2062
    New Contributor II
    7 years ago

    I HAVE AN ADDITONAL QUESTION AFTER READING HUNDREDS OF POSTS AND GUIDES IT APPEARS THAT THE PHONE JACKS ON THE BACK OF THE DPQ3212 ARE REGULAR PHONE JACK CONNECTIONS. THEY'RE ALWAYS DESCRIBED AS CONNECTING TO EXISTING PHONE CABLES IN THE HOUSE OR DIRECTLY TO A PHONE.

    NOW I DON'T KNOW FOR CERTAIN BUT IT OCCURS TO ME THAT THE 3 LINES I HAVE CURRENTLY COMING IN FROM OUTSIDE THE HOUSE WHERE THE CURRENT MODEM IS LOCATED IN A UTILITY CLOSET, PLUGS DIRECTLY INTO MY PHONE SYSTEM (PANASONIC) AND THOSE MUST ALSO BE STANDARD PHONE LINES BECAUSE THEY COULD JUST AS WELL BYPASS MY PHONE SYSTEM AND GO DIRECTLY TO ONE OR MORE PHONES RIGHT?

    SO IF THAT'S TRUE, THEN IT WOULD APPEAR THAT IF I GET TWO DPQs I WOULD HAVE MY THREE LINES COMING IN AND COULD PLUG THE PHONE JACKS ON THE BACK DIRECTLY INTO MY PHONE SYSTEM TRUNK LINES SAME AS CURRENT AND EVERYTHING SHOULD WORK THE SAME?

    ANYONE KNOW IF THAT'S TRUE?

    • dward5665's avatar
      dward5665
      Contributor
      7 years ago

      I don't think there should be any problem.  KXT's are great little switches.

      • Michael2062's avatar
        Michael2062
        New Contributor II
        7 years ago

        Thanks. Talked to Cox Business. They rely on a different network according to them and would not have any solutions different from this on the residential network. Looks like it comes down to whether the DPQ3212 output lines will be compatible with the KX-TA624 incoming trunk lines. The last installer who came out seems to be adamant that it wouldn't work.

    • Michael2062's avatar
      Michael2062
      New Contributor II
      7 years ago

      And by the way...FCC part 68 says that any service provider of services must conform to the standards. Those who make equipment to connect must also adhere and get their equipment certified (it turns out there are 4 ways equipment can harm the network so these are also a part of the standards - "the 4 harms") but if you're a COX and have delegated authority from the phone company to offer phone services, then you have to meet those standards and in one way that's very simple - you have to give the customer one or more CO LINES that are standard and work with their equipment including phones and yes, phone systems. The Panasonic KX TA624 is a registered and certified piece of equipment that is fully compliant with the CO LINE standards. If you're a delegated phone company and you don't give me standard CO LINES that work, you have to fix that. Now I'm not an expert and all I know comes from reading a very painful 440 page Panasonic manual and an even more painful FCC regulations site with 1000+ pages so if I'm misstating something, please be kind but by all means correct me. 

      So meanwhile the equipment used in the NIU is obsolete and cannot be maintained so COX has to change it and has been trying to do that since 2012. Replacing the NIU so that they can get parts to do that is one driver while putting in a better network is another (the "digital" network) So here comes the DPQ3212 modem which should take the new digital network signals and convert them to the FCC part 68 standard so it can talk to all of your equipment which is also compliant including your phones and your (that's right) Panasonic phone system. It just has to give you a standard CO LINE just like you got before.

      Now if your equipment is FCC Part 68 compliant and chances are since it's been operating OK for many years it is, then there is no basis for COX, the delegated phone service company, to hook up something new, take down your phone system, and then tell you it's your equipment. Suddenly we see that we're going to have to put a lot of faith in the DPQ3212.

      So now we've laid out the story for the simple home user and next I'll post the outcome of the installation.