Being forced off POTS and converted to VOIP. I'm getting an AP-A unit sent to me and the instructions indicate to not connect the AP-A phone outlet to the home phone jack.

However, the phone company website indicates that this is technically possible but requires a technician be sent to the house ($150 visit).

I don't want to use the AP-A phone jack to connect directly to my (cordless) phone set since the AP-A unit needs to be near wired LAN connection which is not convenient for the phone base.

It seems, via webz searches, that I can connect the AP-A phone outlet to a phone wall jack (connecting to the phone base elsewhere in the house like its current location) as long as I disconnect the external incoming phone line from the phone company to the house. This is very easy to do (it's an RJ(?) connector and not individual wires like before). I can do this outside the house or inside the closet (the home hub where phone, cable and cat5 are sent to various rooms in the house).

Need some expertise: To connect the AP-A to the home phone wiring and my cordless phone base (in its current location in another room), can I connect the AP-A outlet to the hub phone jack in the closet assuming I've disconnected from the external incoming phone company line (which should be disabled once I terminate landline service). Or is it more complicated than this? Would the phone company tech do anything more than this?

The reason not to connect the VOIP>POTS (AP-A) adapter to a connected POTS line is that there is AC voltage on the POTS from the telco.
The AP-A will become your telco & provide the power to drive a normal phone.

If you isolate your POTS system from the telco, you can use multiple phone jacks around the house with the same AP-A. I've done this multiple times, however I don't know your hardware or line setup, so I'm being vague. If you do as you suggest, you should be fine.

Thx. I was thinking that’s all it was and should be fine. But wasn’t completely sure. Expert insights appreciated.

I’ll disconnect the external incoming phone line.

Check for a plug-in transformer connected to your in-house lines. Would see these for power to the night light on Princess style phones on older systems. A few times I have seen a wire pair used to power an alarm system.

quote:

Originally posted by snidera:

The reason not to connect the VOIP>POTS (AP-A) adapter to a connected POTS line is that there is AC voltage on the POTS from the telco.

Old timey Central Office systems design engineer (long retired) chiming in: Traditional POTS lines have 48 volt DC. The only time AC was present, was when ringing was applied to the line.

To be clear, there should be no voltage and connecting the AP-A to inside jacks should be okay after disconnecting the external telco line at the interface box?