POTS telephone service is no longer an option for customers. There are a few options though for telephone service, and each unit must make a decision that would be best for that unit. The options are as follows:
- Cellular
- VOIP
The choice for the telephone service will depend on the floor’s need. I will assume that the business on the first floor will use a solution that is best for them, and likely to be a VOIP solution. This will use the business’s WAN connection to make the call, and if needed, faxes as well. Since the business is separate from my apartment rentals, I will not go into much more detail about the business’s telephone capabilities.
If you were on the 2nd floor, you would have to make choices on telephone service. Most likely, this will just be your cellular phone that you might even be using to read this page. With that said, there is already a telephone number associated with you, and that telephone number is tied to you, and not the location. I would assume that you are not technically savvy, so if you were to want a home phone – then Ooma will be your best option. You would have to purchase their ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter), and any hardware you would want from them, but once that is done, it will be just a matter of plugging the ATA into one of the ethernet lines in the apartment. You can also choose to use your own POTS phone by plugging it into the ATA.
For my personal needs, my Ideal Phone Setup will be pursued. For my personal lines, a Grandstream WP825 (phone), and Grandstream 801+ ATA (fax). These lines will be based in the office space in case I would need privacy. In addition to my personal lines, the residence will have a family line which will be a telephone line, and a fax line. The residence telephone line will be different from the fax line. There will be a Grandstream WP815 in the great room, and in the library. Both extensions will display the residence’s line when making a call.
For the elevators, each elevator will have a Grandstream HandyTone 801+ for the ATA to connect the elevator with the LAN, and therefore call the maintenance service in the even that the elevator is not working. The ATA will connect in the appropriate elevator room therefore assuring a proper connection with minimal wiring of the telephone network in the location.
Every room will have a Grandstream WP815 which will be a good quality phone for home use. Each phone will have its own extension, and one could dial an extension to ring that phone only. If I for example fostered a child, and need to call her for dinner, I will dial either the library line, or the bedroom’s line. This eliminates the need to yell, or go looking for them.