Wiring diagram to connect PAP2 E20B and RC2a Door Phone set up

Someone emailed me and asked me how to set this all up, so here it is, a simple wiring diagram so that you can get your door phone connected to your VoIP system and be able to buzz back the door.

The ATA device should be set to hotdial an extension group so that you can add or remove extensions in that group depending on if that user requires the ability to answer doorphone calls.

Verizon DSL new activation process

Previously I had posted a method to quickly set up a Verizon DSL modem so that it could be connected to a customers line in no time. In fact the method that I provided would have allowed you to set up the modem in less than 5 minutes far away from the location where the DSL service was located and just ship the pre-configured modem to your customer so that an on-site visit was not required. That post can be viewed HERE

Recently Verizon has decided that they are going to change the way that new Verizon DSL accounts are set up, thus breaking the previous methods described in the above linked post. Now Verizon requires that all new DSL accounts go through an activation process. This brings us full circle back to basically how it was before the above method was discovered, when you were required to run the Verizon CD to set the modem up. However, even though the CD method was longer than the work around, it still was able to be performed off site by the customers IT vendor and shipped to them so that the customer could just plug it in and it would work.

This new activation system that has been set up by Verizon is a greater waste of time. First it requires that you know the order number. This usually requires a phone call to DSL customer support if you did not order a new modem from Verizon at the time of install (the order number is supposedly included in the DSL modem package). Once you have the order number you need to connect a PC to the modem and have it connected to the DSL line that needs to be activated. After that is completed you will go through several steps to complete the activation, one of which being that you must click the check box that you have read and agree to the terms of service. When you click this check mark the TOS pops up in a window, that you must then close in order to check the agree check box. You then have to uncheck all of the check boxes next to the bloatware that they try to install on your system, and finally download a file to complete the installation. Once this is done, then you can continue on to set up your modem into bridge mode, and enter the user ID and password for your DSL account on the router. I do not believe that they are using open PPPoE any longer, although I may be mistaken on this, I have not attempted with a false user name and password yet.

The one rep that I spoke with and voiced my frustration at this new policy claims that this was done because no one was reading, or agreeing to the TOS. There is absolutely no logic to this statement. Most businesses have an outside IT firm set up their internet connection and network, so the IT vendor is the one setting up the DSL for them, meaning the customer never goes through this activation process, a tech for their IT company does. Also, agreeing to the terms of service is something that should be done when the service is ordered, not after the equipment has been shipped and the line provisioned. This is when Verizon is usually dealing directly with the customer and not someone from an outside IT company. This activation process requires that the IT vendor must send a technician out to each and every DSL installation to install and activate the DSL modem for the customer. The cost of sending a tech out to complete these activation installations can not always be recovered from the end user, and if Verizon insists on keeping this ridiculous activation process then it should be responsible to pay market rates for a tech from the end users IT vendor to complete the activation process.

I can understand the need to use some type of activation process like this for residential customers, however business, and enterprise customers should not be required to go through this process, which only becomes more complicated when load balancing or fail over multi-WAN routers are involved.

If you are in the industry, or if you have had to deal with this activation process I suggest you voice your displeasure with this new system to Verizon. Hopefully together we can work to get Verizon to abandon this retarded practice and allow businesses the ability to easily add new lines of DSL service as they need them.

New post at Train Phones, COCOT in subway + gutted payphone.

Finally after neglecting that blog for quite a while I have got two new additions to the site.  The first COCOT that I have come across in the NYC subway system - it had no dial tone, and when called the # was disconnected, and pretty much just the internal guts of a second payphone just a few pillars down from this COCOT.

Here is the link. http://trainphones.nyphonejacks.com/2012/05/cocot-found-in-subway-system.html

Tmobile's false claims on their "set the record straight" ad campaign.

Don't get me wrong, currently I am a Tmobile customer, however with an ad campaign stating that it is "time to set the record straight" It seems unethical to blatantly provide false advertising.

Tmobile has an HSPA+ network. This is far from a 4G network. At most it is a 3G+ or 3.5G network. Technical specifications aside, HSPA+ is merely just an upgrade of the existing HSPDA 3G data network, unlike LTE or WiMax which are entirely new networks that need to be deployed. While none of these technologies reach the speeds that the ITU originally used to define the term 3G, an upgrade to an existing network can hardly be considered a completely new generation of technology. It would be like tuning the engine of an older car and claiming that it is a new car.

Lets move onto the comparisons on their website:
For the Tmobile vs Sprint comparison, they compare a HSPA+ Samsung Galaxy S II with a 3G capable iPhone 4GS. Right off the bat due to the hardware specifications of these two devices the comparison is weighted in Tmobiles favor. It also is misleading to iPhone fanboys who may think that they can get similar results by bringing an unlocked iPhone over to Tmobile. The fact is that the GSM version of the iPhone sold by AT&T uses different frequencies for 3G than what Tmobile uses, so in reality if you put an iPhone onto Tmobile at best you will only be getting EDGE 2G speeds.

The AT&T comparison again pits a Samsung Galaxy II capable of HSPA+ speeds against an iPhone 4GS that can only obtain 3G HSPDA speeds. Again based solely on hardware Tmobile has an unfair advantage. As well as misleading people into believing that the network is what is faster. AT&T has the same "4G" network as Tmobile in most areas, a HSPA+ network, and has been lighting up their LTE network in most major markets recently. LTE could be considered an actual 4G network, unlike HSPA+ and it also offers greater speeds.

Finally the Tmobile vs Verizon comparison once again pits the iPhone 4GS against the Samsung Galaxy II. Same situation as the other two carriers that they compare above. This is misleading advertising. It is like comparing the speeds of a Porsche with a Chevy Volt on a public highway, while the owner of the Volt has a Ferrari and a race track to prove that they are faster.

Not sure why Tmobile would want to "set the record straight" with an apples to oranges comparison.

I am a Tmobile customer, not because of the blatantly fraudulent advertising, but because the pricing structure of their prepaid plans provides me the greatest benefit at the current time. Until Verizon or AT&T show reasonable rate plans for prepaid LTE service, or Sprint opens up their LTE network that they are going to replace their WiMax network and offer it on Boost or Virgin, then Tmobile remains a fairly decent value for the speeds provided on their prepaid plans. However, pay careful attention to the fine print, the $50 plan only provides around 100MB of "4G" data - when you go over the allowed data on your plan you are throttled down to 2G EDGE speeds, not 3G. Why? well that is fairly easy to answer - because HSPA+ IS 3G, so the only lower tier would be 2G.