[Gllug] [OT] FRITZ!Box Fon

[Holger Duerer]

>>>>> "JC" == Jason Clifford <jason at ukfsn.org> writes:

    JC> There is nothing special about the Fritz box - it's just an
    JC> ADSL router with an inbuilt VoIP ATA.
Plus ADSL modem, plus Wifi (with a physical switch to turn it off if
you want!), plus USB host with support to be a file server in the
local network (for the 7050 at least) or print server if you connect a
printer...

What I like about it is that it comes with at least acceptable
documentation on the web so you know roughly what you get before you
buy it.

Others seem to have specs from engineers for engineers -- and quite
frankly I neither know nor care what an ATA is or what this
manufacturer's definition of "ADSL router" is (just a router or also a
modem?).  What I want is a transparent internet and telephone solution
where I connect one phone and let either the software and/or me decide
whether to use the regular land line or some other VOIP provider (and
yes, I might want to use more than one so it would be kind if they
could tell me before I buy if that is possible or not).

    JC> Zyxel, Billion, Zoom and others offer exactly the same kind of
    JC> thing.
It might be that others provide similar features.  Shame they hide
them so well...

    JC> Note that ADSL in Germany is over ISDN rather than over
    JC> analogue
It usually is.  Deutsche Telecom is keeping quiet about the option
to have it over analog as they make less money with that option.
    
    JC> as here so that device might not even work here (I may be
    JC> wrong on that one but do check before buying).
That was something I was afraid of -- the UK dealers have model
numbers with a 'uk' in it.

The manuals of course say that you can connect either analog or ISDN
which made sense to me as I always assumed that DSL was in a
completely separate frequency range whereas analog and ISDN use the
same frequency ranges.

    JC> More router suppliers are looking at integrating ATAs already.

That's what I am hoping as well.  So far I have found only the
FritzBox that I like...

  [...]


  Holger
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