Are you running a business that hinges on voice calls? Did you get a modem with a phone jack and are looking forward to connecting a landline phone to the modem? You’ve come to the right place.
The first thing to consider is the type of voice modem in play. You can have a standard cable modem or a DSL modem to work with. Regardless, setting up a voice plan for either isn’t that tricky. And I shall touch upon both over the next few sections.
Note: The process changes for each modem type but is still straightforward.
Things You Need [Pre-Requisites]
- Modem or Router Modem Combo with a phone port
- Ensure the device is compatible with your ISP
- Ethernet cables & RJ11 cable
- DSL cable for modem-to-wall connections
- Router, if the modem has fewer ports than expected.
- Subscribe voice or internet + voice bundle
Is everything ready? Let’s get your modem with a phone line connection up and running in no time.
How To Connect a Landline Phone To a Modem?
There are 3 types of connections; jump to the relevant option (based on your connection) and follow the steps to set up a telephone to the modem:
- Cable internet with a modem or gateway
- DSL internet with a DSL modem or gateway
- Fiber internet with FiOS router or gateway
Scenario 1: You Have a Cable Modem/Gateway
Step 1: Check whether the cable modem has a dedicated VoIP port or a port with ‘Line’ or ‘Phone’ mentioned.
Step 2: Also, check if your device is a standard cable modem or a modem-router gateway.
Note: Most modems do not offer telephone ports right out of the bat. In that case, you need to look for modems with a phone jack or a modem-router gateway.
Step 3: Ensure that the phone isn’t plugged into the power supply, and then plug it into the phone port of the modem or gateway device using the RJ11 cable.
Note: If you only have one telephone to connect and two voice ports in play, use the Phone 1 port first.
Step 4: Plug the ethernet cables into the LAN port of the device and connect it with the modem and the PC, in case you are using a gateway device.
Once connected to the modem, you can get internet and voice access. And the PC connection is to take care of the configuration issues, if any.
Step 5: Once every connection is in place, you can start using your landline telephone.
Note: You can establish ethernet-only connections with the router/modem for VoIP phones.
Scenario 2: You Have a DSL Modem
Note: Most DSL modems work as ADSL or xDSL Wi-Fi routers. And you should pick one with a dedicated phone port, which is provided separately on specific devices.
You should know that a DSL connection uses the phone wiring to offer internet. Therefore, it is appropriate for it to work better with a landline telephone.
Step 1: Pick a Splitter/Dual Port Filter and plug it into the wall jack or wall socket to get the DSL connection in the first place.
Step 2: Plug an RJ11 cable into the splitter and the other end into the rear panel of the DSL Modem.
Step 3: Plug another RJ11 cable into the remaining splitter jack and connect the other end to the landline telephone.
Step 4: Connect the DSL modem to the PC using an Ethernet cable to see if the configuration is correct or not.
Scenario 3: Fiber Modems/Routing Devices
Step 1: Pick a relevant FiOS internet plan that comes with a GPON port.
Step 2: In most cases, you will find a phone port right beside the GPON port.
Step 3: Connect the landline telephone to an RJ11 cable and plug the other end to the mentioned phone port on the fiber optic device.
This guide is applicable to all cable modems with voice connectivity:
- Netgear Nighthawk CM2050V
- ARRIS Surfboard T25
- Motorola MT7711 (modem/router combo)
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can plug your modem into any phone line, provided it has a telephone port corresponding internet-voice plan. However, if you have a DSL modem with you, the port shouldn’t be a concern as the DSL port works well with any RJ11 cable and a phone socket.
Landline phone service ensures that voice is broken down into smaller acoustic waves, converted into electrical energy, and sent across to other phones, where the electrical energy is converted back to sound. And this is also the basis for DSL connections. For IP telephony, voice data transmission is more of a packet-based system, adhering to the VoIP protocols.
Spectrum and Xfinity are the more popular cable service providers that also offer voice plans. For DSL services, Verizon and AT&T steal the show.
Conclusion
Hooking up a landline phone to a modem seems straightforward. However, there are quite a few things to consider before you can pick a modem, router, gateway device, landline device, and even the voice plan of choice. You must understand that not every modem/networking device works on similar technologies. And this is what causes a difference in the rollout, availability, and usage of voice services.
