Wednesday, October 13, 2010

How do I install more than two lines of Vonage Service?

These instructions apply to the following Vonage phone adapters:
Vonage V-Portal
Motorola VT2542
Motorola VT2442
Motorola VT2142
D-Link VWR
Linksys RTP300
Linksys WRTP54G

To install two or more lines of Vonage service, perform the following steps:
1. Install the first Vonage phone adapter by following the instructions provided in the quick start guide. Be sure you have a dial tone before continuing. If one of your phone adapters is a Vonage V-Portal, we recommend the V-Portal be the first phone adapter installed in the sequence (i.e., directly behind your modem). If your Vonage phone adapter is already installed, continue with Step 2.

2. Connect an Ethernet cable from any yellow Ethernet (LAN) port on the previously installed Vonage phone adapter to the blue Internet (WAN) port of the next Vonage adapter in sequence.

3. Connect the power supply provided with the Vonage phone adapter to the power port located on the back of the adapter. Plug the other end into a power outlet.
NOTE: DSL users do not need to configure PPPoE settings for additional phone adapters in sequence.

4. Wait for the Vonage phone adapter to go through its start up sequence. You may notice that the phone adapter will reboot itself one time. This is normal. There may be updates that need to be downloaded. Do not interrupt the process by unplugging the power or lifting the receiver on your phone during the startup process.

5. Once the Vonage phone adapter has completed its power up sequence (for the V-Portal, this means the Phone Line 1 icon is displayed, or if you have another phone adapter, this means its power light is solid and no longer blinking), continue with Step 6.

6. Connect a telephone to the green Phone 1 port on the Vonage phone adapter. Check for a dial tone. If you hear a dial tone, continue with Step 7. If you do not hear a dial tone, go to the troubleshooting section below.

7. Connect an Ethernet cable from any of the yellow Ethernet (LAN) ports of the phone adapter you just installed to a computer. Open a Web browser and enter www.vonage.com or any Web address. If you can access the Internet, you have finished the installation of this phone adapter. If you cannot access the Internet, go to the troubleshooting section below.

8. Repeat Step 2 through Step 7 for each additional Vonage phone adapter you are connecting. Make sure to connect the first adapter to the second, the second to the third, and so forth. If your phone adapter has multiple yellow Ethernet (LAN) ports, you can connect a Vonage phone adapter to each of these ports.
NOTE: The number of phone adapters you will be able to install in sequence while maintaining optimal voice quality is determined by the available upstream bandwidth of your high speed Internet connection. In general, we recommend allowing an estimated 90 Kbps per active call. The total estimated bandwidth for all active calls must be less than your available upstream bandwidth.


Troubleshooting an installation of two or more lines of Vonage service
If one or more of your Vonage lines does not have dial tone, or you are having trouble accessing the Internet, you need to change two settings on your phone adapter. Refer to the user guide for your adapter for details on performing any of these steps.

1. Remove the Ethernet cable from the blue Internet (WAN) port of the Vonage phone adapter currently being installed.

2. Log in to the Web user interface of the Vonage phone adapter you just connected.

3. Locate the setup page for the local area network.

4. Change the local IP address of the Vonage phone adapter from the default value of 192.168.15.1 by incrementing the third octet in the IP address. Each adapter installed must have a unique local IP address. For example, for the second phone adapter installed in sequence, change the Local IP Address to 192.168.16 .1, for the third 192.168. 17.1, and so forth.
NOTE: If you change the Local IP Address on your Vonage phone adapter, you need to use the new local IP address you assigned to log in to the Web user interface.

5. Configure your phone adapter to use your ISP's DNS servers. This option most often appears as a check box labeled Assign ISP DNS, SNTP or a radio button labeled DNS Proxy . If the option appears as a check box labeled Assign ISP DNS, SNTP on your phone adapter, be sure it is selected. If the option appears as a radio button labeled DNS Proxy on your phone adapter, be sure the radio button Disable is selected. This step is not applicable if you are installing a V-Portal.

6. Save the settings.

7. Power cycle your phone adapter. To do so, remove the power supply connected to the power port located on the back of the adapter, wait 5 seconds, and plug it in again.

8. Reconnect the Ethernet cable to the blue Internet (WAN) port.

9. Once the Vonage phone adapter has completed its power up sequence (for the V-Portal this means the Phone Line 1 icon is displayed, or if you have another phone adapter, this means its power light is solid and no longer blinking), or if you have another phone adapter, its power light is solid and no longer blinking, check to see if you can get online and have a dial tone. If so, continue installing the remaining phone adapters following the steps outlined above. If not, contact Vonage Customer Care for assistance.