HELLO & WELCOME

[WelshPaul]

It can be a nightmare setting up your new VoIP hardware, thats one of the many reasons why VoIP providers sell VoIP equipment...

By purchasing your VoIP Phone or ATA directly from your chosen VoIP provider you know it's going to work well with their network and that it's guaranteed to work 'straight out of the box'.

This has it's advantages, it also has some disadvantages...

1. The price you pay for the hardware costs more than buying it directly from a retailer or authorised distributor. Expect to pay between £10 - £20 more for the device if purchasing from a VoIP provider.
   
   Many VoIP providers argue the reason why they charge more for hardware is because of the costs involved in setting up the device, remote provisioning and making it plug and play out of the box. I agree with them! It costs money, time and resources to provide us with plug and play devices.
2. Some VoIP providers lock their telephones and adapters, you are not allowed to change it's configuration or use it with a different VoIP provider.
   
   Yes you read that correctly, you pay full price for your hardware, if not more, and they lock you out of it! Oh and you can forget about using it with any other VoIP provider too!

My advice... Purchase your hardware directly from a retailer or an authorised distributor as they supply you with factory unlocked equipment. If you do want an easy install, I suggest you do your homework and choose a VoIP provider who won't lock you out of your own device, Voipfone being one:

Unlike some service providers who lock their telephones and adapters, you can change our configuration if you wish and it will work with other providers.