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[tatonca]

Looked through the threads here and there are a few mixed comments related to Protector Plus and VoIP offerings.  I'm in Canada using Rogers Digital Phone and unfortunately it appears I have a compatability issue.  Good news in I'm tracking down a lead as to why...

It would appear that some Voice Routers (the hardware they install to interface with your exiesting phones) may require a very specific voltage in the off hook position...

Quick tutorial :   When the phone loop is closed (ie all phones are on the hook) your phone system will generate 50 - 60 VDC.  On a VoIP system with a hardware interface, this is generated by the Voice Router.  When you pick up a phone, the resistance that is caused will drop the voltage down to between 4 - 6VDC.  What I've found is that as long as you are at the extreme low or high end of this spectrum (4 or 6) the VoIP router will give dial tone and everything is great.  However if you you aren't bang on it won't work. 

The X10 Protector plus seems drop the voltage to 4.9 VDC when it dials.  The Voice router doesn't seem to like this.  If I pick up another phone extensio, the voltage drops to 4 exactly, and in that situation the number will be dialed, even if I hangup the extension after the first number is dialed.

I imagine, if one could figure out how to add resistance to the line when the when the protector plus dialed out, it would work!  Certainly I'm not suggesting modifying your equipment - more I'm envisioning something you plug the Protector Plus into to increase resistance and drop over all voltage to 4 VDC on the money...

Anyone seen anything that does this, or have ideas on it?  Even folks with similar expereinces that may add credance to my hypothesis that may compel X10 to make a changein the line?

Cheers
~Tat~

[tatonca]

A little more information...

The voltage difference is just a measurable symptom of the problem.  VoIP devices detect off hook status by measuring amperage.  When a current somewhere around 20mA pulls through the line (some sites say 18mA) then the gateway decides it's time to emit dialtone.  Because of the resitance being greater through the Protector Plus there is not as much current going through, and I imagine the gateway doesn't detect it as enough to emit dial tone.

I am still trying to find a way to add the current necessary (as best as I can make out, about 5mA) so messing with the protector plus is not necessary.  It would be great if X10 would address the issue, as I'm sure there are likely going to be more and more incompatibilities as VoIP becomes mainstream.  I think it really is as simple as adjusting the resitance used in the protector plus to initiate the off hook state - since the device doesn't actually have a hook, there is likely a logic circuit controlling something inside that causes the circuit to travel through some resisotrs to fake a rocker switch.  All it would take is changing the restance on that circuit for this to be corrected...

...I think...



Still searching and learning...

~Tat~

[nswint]

Check This Out

http://kbase.x10.com/wiki/Voice_Dialers_And_VOIP

From X10Wiki
Question

Are your Voice Dialer products compatible with Voice over IP (Internet) phones?

Answer

Both the DS7000 and the PA5800 dialers are compatible with VoIP phones as far as we have seen. We have not done any in-house testing, but many customers have reported success. You need a VoIP router with a regular RJ11 phone jack on it that puts out a normal dial tone. However, you can't use VoIP to call ORCA from a DC8700 or PA9200 (the monitored consoles.) We use caller ID to recognize where the call came from, and then look up your records based on their phone number. If we don't know where the call came from, we ignore it. VoIP doesn't tell you where the call came from unless your service provider assigns them a specific phone number (which most of them don't).

If you are having problems getting a voice dialer working, here are a couple of things to try:

    * Use a DSL Filter before the DS7000.
    * If you are using Vonage, please email them and ask them to change your "packetization" to 10 milliseconds from the default value of 20 milliseconds.




Or by a long shot you could setup an Asterisk PBX and put a telephone adapter on the Console and have it to dial over sip or pots.