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Re: Using the mobile plan's unlimited calling feature for home phone service

Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2020 1:17 pm
by Dazed-and-Confused
Didneywhorl wrote: Fri Jun 19, 2020 12:19 pm Im not following your question on tbe we826. The router can use a phones SIM to get onto the data network, but it is incapable of voice usage directly.
I was unsure what the facts of the matter where. Thanks for clearing that up. It's a shame tough, my Linksys PAP2T needs a new home.

Re: Using the mobile plan's unlimited calling feature for home phone service

Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2020 7:14 pm
by LoveMeSomeCALTE
BillA wrote: Fri Jan 17, 2020 4:13 pm The mobile data plan we use in our routers usually includes unlimited calling too, which is normally unused and wasted every month (except on the ATT iPad plan which doesn't include calling).

Most modems are both data and voice compatible, so I was wondering if anyone has been able to tap this unused calling feature from the router?
Intriguing idea Bill - trying this out would require us to play around with not only datasheets but also solder some wires onto the voice channels and out of band signals pins from the modem.

The modem would expect a PCM or some GSM compliant audio stream, which could be done with a USB soundcard plugged into the typical OpenWRT router.

In other words, we would have a DIY phone.

Our OpenWRT routers can already text and do data - so why not go the last mile!

If there's some interest and time commitments from you all, I would be interested in this idea together.

My concern are:

1. Voice quality
2. Sitting around near the router/modem is so 2000. If BT 4 is going to be used, how will it interfere with the peripherals
3. below:
BillA wrote: Fri Jan 17, 2020 4:13 pm Using the mobile plan's native unlimited calling, usually it will drop the LTE connection to 3G during phone calls since most modem don't have VoLTE capability, which would make your router's data speed slows down during phone calls
I wonder what the bandwidth use of VoLTE is and how a VoLTE call in progress affects the residual data speed.

Re: Using the mobile plan's unlimited calling feature for home phone service

Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2020 9:51 pm
by BillA
LoveMeSomeCALTE wrote: Mon Jul 06, 2020 7:14 pm My concern are:
1. Voice quality
2. Sitting around near the router/modem is so 2000. If BT 4 is going to be used, how will it interfere with the peripherals
3. below:
You could use a cordless phone with its base connected to the router's magical DIY voice port. lol

I wonder what the bandwidth use of VoLTE is and how a VoLTE call in progress affects the residual data speed.

Voice uses very little data, the issue is that most modems drop the connection down to 3G (GSM channel) during voice calls since it's unable to use VoLTE like phones do. It's probably easier to use a VOIP box like Obie which has the necessary POTS interface, so you could just plug in any phone, though the initial idea of this thread was to use the mobile plan's native unlimited calling feature.