Hardware Overview

To get the best balance of cost savings and quality, you really need to invest in some hardware. You will need an ATA and a Router. It is assumed that you aready have broadband. What type of ATA you purchase really depends on your situation.

• If you don't have a router, then consider buying a combined Router/ATA such as the WRT54GP2.
• If you are not technically inclined, consider buying an Engin Voice Box. The benefit of this is that Engin manages the ATA remotely, and you cannot change any settings yourself - so you can't muck it up. If your not a techo, then this is a great option for you.
• If you are technically inclinded or want to learn, then there are lots of options out there. The Sipura SPA-2000 and SPA-3000 are very popular.

How an ATA works

An Analogue Telephone Adaptor (ATA) is a self contained computer device that as its name suggests, converts a voice signal from an analogue telephone (ie normal househould phone) into a digital signal that can be sent over the internet. When you configure your ATA to register with a VSP, the VSP can 'see' your ATA over the internet and hence calls can be sent to and from your ATA back to the VSP and then into the telephone network (if need be). You can therefore take your ATA and plug it into any internet connection anywhere in the world, and your VSP will still be able to route your calls to and from you. However you need to be aware that you would normally provide your home address to your VSP when you set up your account, particuarly if you have a Direct Inward Dialling Number (DID) as part of your VoIP service. If you take your ATA to another address, and then dial 000, the emergency services will think you are calling from your home address. And you don't want them dispatching an Ambulance to save your life to your home address if you are lying on the floor dying at another address, now do you?
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List of Hardware

This is by no means a comprehensive list of ATA hardware devices. Keep in mind however that if you have problems configuring your ATA, you will need to find someone that can help you. If you stick to the more popular devices, there will be more people that can help you out, and more self help information available. Also, make sure you read the section on routers before you decide what ATA to purchase.

Hardware	Type	Features
Engin Voice Boxes	Stand alone ATA	Tech configuration is managed remotely by Engin so you don't have to do anything
SPA-2000	Stand alone ATA	Two VoIP lines that can be configured with unique phone numbers, no PSTN fallback
SPA-3000	Stand alone ATA	One VoIP line, One PSTN line combined and PSTN fallback
Billion 7402VGP	Combined ATA/ADSL Modem/Router	Only for ADSL, has PSTN line combined and PSTN fallback
WRT54GP2	Combined ATA/Router	Can be used for Cable or ADSL, no PSTN fallback
D-Link VTA	Stand alone VTA	Two VoIP lines that can be configured with unique phone numbers.

If you have more questions or need help, refer to the advice at getting help. Back to Top