Uboss VoIP Service

[Tacitus]

Has anyone any experience with the UBoss VoIP service?

Not sure of the exact date the PSTN service will be switched off round here, but end of 2025 appears likely.  In view of that I'm having to start considering options.

Virgin (NexFibre) have installed full fibre in the area but Virgin are the only supplier at present.  The fact they took three visits to install a working service at a neighbours is hardly encouraging.....  I expect Virgin to maintain a monopoly round here for as long as they can get away with it. 

[Simon]

It might be worth you skimming through this thread:

https://www.idnetters.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,34434.0.html

I'm not sure if was ever established whether this was an isolated issue or is a general thing with UBOSS, but if caller display functionality is important to you, it might be worth checking before making the jump. 

I'm still awaiting any confirmation that PSTN in my area is due to be switched off, so I'm holding fire for now. 

[Tacitus]

It might be worth you skimming through this thread:
https://www.idnetters.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,34434.0.html
I'm not sure if was ever established whether this was an isolated issue or is a general thing with UBOSS, but if caller display functionality is important to you, it might be worth checking before making the jump.

Thanks Simon.  I took a look through that.  Caller display is important to me as it's one of the ways I use to distinguish between spam calls and the genuine ones.  I ignore any number not flagged as being in the address book, taking the view that if they really wish to contact me they'll leave a message.

I get the impression that Uboss is rather flaky.  Despite trying to discover who owns it I cannot find a thing.  iDNet are simply resellers for both that and the Centrex services. 

I'm still awaiting any confirmation that PSTN in my area is due to be switched off, so I'm holding fire for now. 

At present it's the end of this year for me but I'm not in any hurry since the date keeps getting pushed back.  Given the paucity of information regarding Uboss, I'm likely to move the number from iDNet to one of the other suppliers such as Voipfone. I currently have a Gigaset system which should do VOIP as well as PSTN so have no wish to buy another router. or a completw Yealink setup. 

[Simon]

I currently have a Gigaset system which should do VOIP as well as PSTN so have no wish to buy another router. or a completw Yealink setup. 

I also have a Gigaset system which I hope will be compatible.  You do of course also need a VoIP enabled router, or one of those boxes that seems to cost almost as much as a new router.  When I moved to Fibre with IDNet I bought a TP-Link VX230v router from them, which is VoIP compatible, but I've yet to make the switch yet.

[Tacitus]

I also have a Gigaset system which I hope will be compatible.  You do of course also need a VoIP enabled router, or one of those boxes that seems to cost almost as much as a new router. 

. The N300A does both VoIP and PSTN. It's currently setup for the latter.

When I moved to Fibre with IDNet I bought a TP-Link VX230v router from them, which is VoIP compatible, but I've yet to make the switch yet.

I'm currently using a Draytek which should be OK with a separate base station.  At worst I might have to do some port forwarding.  The alternative I was looking at is the FritzBox.  There are quite a few on fleabay, mostly I suspect ex-Zen models.  So far as I know, they aren't locked down and a factory reset should see them OK.  They have a built in base station which should be compatible with a Gigaset system.  Unfortunately, Gigaset have handsets to the nth degree so I guess it's inevitable that some will not be compatible.  Also, I suspect many of those offered to the UK market are grey imports.  Nonetheless, if I could get a Fritz at a reasonable price I'd be prepared to give it a punt.

[john7]

It might be worth you skimming through this thread:

https://www.idnetters.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,34434.0.html

I'm not sure if was ever established whether this was an isolated issue or is a general thing with UBOSS, but if caller display functionality is important to you, it might be worth checking before making the jump. 

I'm still awaiting any confirmation that PSTN in my area is due to be switched off, so I'm holding fire for now. 

I have only ever been told UBOSS uses +44 and as such can't use phone numbers held in a domestic phone. Gear for firms use +44 and have programs in them  that convert it to internal use so  UBOSS is not a domestic phone system. I tested two phones on other digital users system and they displayed callers numbers as BT in this case was  providing a domestic service. If you can setup a system that can convert +44 into a UK number it will work or if you can can add +44 numbers to your system (no domestic phone makes allow that as far as I ever found)again UBOSS will work domestically displaying callers names. Nearly all our phone use is via mobile phones now as we had so many problems with UBOSS and when I get my hearing aids able to link with my mobile we will be geeing rid of the land line phone altogether as its a wast of money as it is.

[peasblossom]

Anyone tried number redirection? Your experience?

(I'm holding out for a cheaper deal re fibre but not with a huge amount of hope. Only got to the end of this year on PSTN.)

[Arctophile]

Anyone tried number redirection? Your experience?

(I'm holding out for a cheaper deal re fibre but not with a huge amount of hope. Only got to the end of this year on PSTN.)

I recently swapped my landline over to the IDNet redirection service.  It works fine, including Calling Line Identification on the destination VOIP telephone.

I wanted to swap my FTTC broadband over to the much cheaper SOGEA service and at the same time get ahead of the curve in swapping my landline to VOIP.  The problem is the timing of the changes.  Cancelling the telephone service would automatically cancel the broadband and I would need to re-contract for broadband.  Switching to SOGEA first would, potentially, leave the telephone number in limbo.

IDNet are able handle the change if both broadband and telephone services are revised at the same time.  I considered IDNet's UBOSS service but they now insist that only hardware supplied by themselves may be used (despite telling me the opposite on a previous occasion).  I already had suitable VOIP hardware, in addition both the telephone service and the equipment supplied by IDNet are expensive.

In the end I swapped to SOGEA and the redirection service at the same time.  The telephone is redirected to a VOIP service that I have with another provider.  In a month or two, once I confirm that I am happy with my VOIP service, I will port the telephone number to my VOIP line and cancel the redirection.

The only slight problem I have with my VOIP service is that voicemail is only provided by email. I am emailed a MP3 file of any voice messages.  This means that I cannot use an answering machine to screen calls and then pick up the phone halfway through a message if I am happy to speak to the caller.  I could probably resolve this, if it becomes a bigger problem, by using an Analogue Telephone Adapter and plugging my old Panasonic answering machine into it.

[Postal]

The alternative I was looking at is the FritzBox.  There are quite a few on fleabay, mostly I suspect ex-Zen models.

If you are in the UK, Amazon UK list them as new supply (https://www.amazon.co.uk/fritzbox/s?k=fritzbox) so you avoid any possible problems with the Zen updating.  Reported elsewhere on the internet that there were huge problems with a recent Zen update to the firmware which it was impossible to row back.