Analog vs Digital Phone - still confused
FacelessUser
Enthusiast - Level 3

I just switched to FIOS via the Triple Play, Phone, TV, and Internet.  Given the option, I asked to remain with the analog phone service figuring a) One less thing to break and b) I didn't have to deal with the battery backup thing.  During installation of the fiber my phone did go dead until it it was reconnected.  So, I have to assume that Verizon switched me from copper to fiber.

My first question is, so what is the difference if my phone service is coming over the fiber to the ONT then converted to analog (analog phone service) or if it comes over the fiber via VOIP to the same ONT - only with a battery backup?  It seems like the same deal, only "digital" requires the ONT to be battery backed up to provide several hours of phone service.

I have to assume that analog phone service will continue during a power failure?

On my ONT, I have only one green light.  The battery light is not lit in any color, red or green.  This makes sense since the battery is only used for digital phone service and I assume I do not have a battery installed?

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Re: Analog vs. Digital Phone - still confused
jumpin68ny
Master - Level 2

Analog phone service is commonly referred to as POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service).  Before FIOS a set of copper wires would run to each home.  At the Central Office the copper wiring gets cross connected into a phone switch.  The phone switch connects the calls.

With the advent of FIOS the analog service is the same, a connection is made into the phone switch at the central office but instead of the copper cable running from the Central Office to the home, that is replaced with fiber optics.

The digital phone service uses SIP (VOIP) and instead of going into the phone switch goes into a different piece of equipment than the phone switch used for the analog service.

I hope this helps and explains why digital phone service is not available in your neighborhood.

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Re: Analog vs Digital Phone - still confused
prisaz
Legend

@FacelessUser wrote:

I just switched to FIOS via the Triple Play, Phone, TV, and Internet.  Given the option, I asked to remain with the analog phone service figuring a) One less thing to break and b) I didn't have to deal with the battery backup thing.  During installation of the fiber my phone did go dead until it it was reconnected.  So, I have to assume that Verizon switched me from copper to fiber.

My first question is, so what is the difference if my phone service is coming over the fiber to the ONT then converted to analog (analog phone service) or if it comes over the fiber via VOIP to the same ONT - only with a battery backup?  It seems like the same deal, only "digital" requires the ONT to be battery backed up to provide several hours of phone service.

I have to assume that analog phone service will continue during a power failure?

On my ONT, I have only one green light.  The battery light is not lit in any color, red or green.  This makes sense since the battery is only used for digital phone service and I assume I do not have a battery installed?


The Analog Phone with FIOS is through the ONT and also battery backed up. Analog means it is not VOIP and still regulated as a public service(You pay taxes and such). The digital voice uses a session intiated protocol  (SIP) which is VOIP and it is not regulated as a public service(Save on taxes and fees) also has other features that I like and some I do not like. I decided to pay the extra taxes and fees to keep analog.

My battery backup has a green system status light that is on. If you have questions regarding your installation and battery backup operation, I would call tech support and have them check the system. They can run diagnostics and look at your ONT status. One way to check your battery is to unplug your power plug and see if your phone still operates. If it does not the install was not properly performed.

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Re: Analog vs Digital Phone - still confused
jumpin68ny
Master - Level 2

From my understanding the Digital (VOIP) solution has many more features vs. the non-digital phone service.  Also, the digital service requires 10 digit dialing for local numbers (area code + number) 

Re: Analog vs. Digital Phone - still confused
FacelessUser
Enthusiast - Level 3

Thanks - I am a little less confused.  I do have a battery backup, although I have an "analog" phone.  I see no difference in the physical connection between the "analog" phone and the "digital" phone.

As for the battery indicator, there is a green light on for the system.  However, for the battery indicator, green means "bad."  If it's on constant then the system is running on battery power e.g.. bad.  If it's blinking green, it means it's charging e.g. not as bad as solid green but cause for concern.  Red means "very bad."  The only "good" indicator is when it's off entirely.

I understand "digital" phone to mean "VOIP" which is probably going through the router in a way similar to the STB using the router for VOD and the Guide.

So, apart from features, taxes, and the status of a public utility, the only question I have left is how is the "analog" phone operating?  I mean, it's obviously digital since it's going through the same ONT as the "digital" phone connection.  Isn't it?  Does it use a different protocol?

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Re: Analog vs. Digital Phone - still confused
jumpin68ny
Master - Level 2

The phone service does NOT go through the router.  It is a direct connection into the ONT.

The digital service uses SIP (session initiation protocol).  

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Re: Analog vs. Digital Phone - still confused
FacelessUser
Enthusiast - Level 3

@jumpin68ny wrote:

The phone service does NOT go through the router.  It is a direct connection into the ONT.

The digital service uses SIP (session initiation protocol).  


Ok.  How does the fios "analog" phone line work?

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Re: Analog vs. Digital Phone - still confused
jumpin68ny
Master - Level 2

Analog phone service is commonly referred to as POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service).  Before FIOS a set of copper wires would run to each home.  At the Central Office the copper wiring gets cross connected into a phone switch.  The phone switch connects the calls.

With the advent of FIOS the analog service is the same, a connection is made into the phone switch at the central office but instead of the copper cable running from the Central Office to the home, that is replaced with fiber optics.

The digital phone service uses SIP (VOIP) and instead of going into the phone switch goes into a different piece of equipment than the phone switch used for the analog service.

I hope this helps and explains why digital phone service is not available in your neighborhood.

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Re: Analog vs. Digital Phone - still confused
FacelessUser
Enthusiast - Level 3

It sounds to me as if Verizon has chosen poor terms, Analog and Digital to describe POTS and VOIP.  They are both digital connections going through the ONT which requires a battery to operate in the event of a power failure.  Digital Voice aka VOIP has fancy internet features but is more prone to break in the event of a power failure.  All phone numbers require an area code since there are no "local" numbers any longer (so I have been told).  But, there is a cool call manager web page where where you can manage your phone calls.

Analog aka POTS is the traditional service.  You're still loosing your copper connection to the CO but gaining a cleaner digital connection over fiber.  You still have to maintain the battery.  It's more expensive since it's regulated as a public utility e.g. taxes and fees.  History has shown POTS to be more reliable than VOIP, although that should change once VOIP becomes mature.

The big gotcha between POTS vs VOIP are fax machines.  If you are using a fax machine or fax modem you are far better off with Analog aka POTS service.  Breaking up the signal into packets causes jitter which simply wrecks phase modulation of anything faster than 9600 baud.  And, ECM will stop working - Error Correction Mode which causes a re-transmission of packets in the event of data loss.

Re: Analog vs. Digital Phone - still confused
jumpin68ny
Master - Level 2

The terminology VZ is using is confusing.  I work in the telecommunication field and trying to understand what VZ is doing was confusing at first.  Regardless of which service one chooses both go through the ONT and NOT the router.

Most folks have cordless phones so if you lose power your phone is out of service anyway.  I currently use Vonage for Telephone and if the power goes out or the Internet connection goes down I have a designated number all calls will go to which is my cell.  This is a real nice feature.  

Regardless of which phone service you have, Digital or VOIP they have the same reliability with regard to power since they require the ONT to be operating and if the battery back up fails during a power outage all services will be down.

I have been using Vonage for about 4 years now and can count on one hand the number of times the service did not work.  When I had VZ phone service (before FIOS) the northeast had a power outage that occurred at 3pm.  My wife was on a wired phone and at 4:30pm the phone went dead.  The CO had poor backup coverage so where is the reliability?????

I have a second phone line from Vonage which is a fax line.  I use the fax machine on a regular basis without issue.  Additionally prior to having FIOS TV I had DirecTV and my TIVO unit would make a daily call to DirecTV for guide updates and software updates.  That too worked flawlessly.   I don't know the speeds of the Fax or TIVO service but it all works good with Vonage.

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Re: Analog vs. Digital Phone - still confused
6kydmann
Newbie

What about home security monitoring and quick 911 calling via the security keypad - does the digital VOIP support this?

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