VoIP telephones ?
 

My mother's Assisted Living Facility is using VoIP telephones. I'm not very familiar with these. Her phone is a large corded base unit. I'd like to swap it out for a cordless model. How could I go about doing this ? Can I just connect the new phone, or does it need to be programed in any way ? Both phones will be from the same company.


Current phone...
SIP-T30P - Single line entry level IP phone | Yealink

Cordless...
W73H - Professional Business DECT Phone System | Yealink

A phone is a phone. Just swap it out and it should work. Usually, these cordless units come with a base unit that connects to a phone jack and several slave units that just connect to a power outlet. If the current phone connects to a phone jack, then the cordless unit must also connect to a phone jack. For less than $100, you can buy a master unit and 4 slave units. That way, you can have 5 phones, one in every room. Panasonic and AT&T are typically brands that are sold at Best Buy or Amazon.

No, there's no phone jack. These VoIP phones connect via Ethernet. Looks like a Cat6/7 cable. They work over the internet.

It looks like you can buy an ethernet to phone jack adapter from Amazon for about 10 dollars.

You will need to call the phone provider, but you should be able to swap out the unit, for a cordless type. There will still be a BASE unit required, and there may be some form of activation required. I did a quick look at the instructions for the unit you have and did NOT see any jacks for adding a wireless unit. I did not notice if an additional WIRELESS phone could be added.

Personally, I don't think you need to call the phone provider or do any activation. I think you need to get an ethernet to phone jack adapter, and connect a base unit to the phone jack. I would not use the current unit that you have, but buy a Panasonic or AT&T system with a base unit and several cordless auxiliary units. I could be wrong, but I think it will work fine. My opinion.

Might also ask the assisted living people as I’m sure your not the only one at the home to consider this?

You're not wrong - exactly right. We have VoIP - OOMA. Have it for 8 years, only pay Fed tax each month - like $8.

We have a Panasonic base unit to ethernet/internet connector and 3 cordless phones-remotes around the house. Works great. We use as a backup to our cell phones.

A VOIP phone is essentially a computer. There is no RJ11 connection (old-school phone jack), but an RJ45 (ethernet) connection. You will see the difference if you unplug the cord; there are four pins on the RJ11 and eight on the RJ45. Google search "VOIP phones for home" and you should find what you are looking for. I suggest Amazon, since her service provider might not allow devices not their own.

The OP is not asking if the phone will work on a VOIP system. Yes, most any phone can work on a VOIP system, with the proper "adaptor".

The OP is asking if the phone will work, with a proprietary, business phone system (that just happens to use VOIP). It's not the same thing as plugging a phone into a telephone jack or ethernet jack, to access VOIP lines that someone like Xfinity has provided to your home.

The answer to the question, is "yes" with some reservations. All functions of the system may not be available. Some modicum of "programming" may be necessary, depending on the functions the Assisted Living Facility has programmed into their system.

Yealink is one of the premier providers of commercial phone systems. When you plug the phone into the system, the phone should update automatically, with the compatible software. Some functions may not be available, without some modicum of simple "programming". [This from the Yealink website]

Is forwarding the calls to a cell phone a simple option? Maybe interim?

I've converted someone with, what they thought of as a "land line". What they REALLY had was a Comcast modem with a phone jack, they had the 3 deal (internet, TV and phone), to OOMA. OOMA replaces the need for a Comcast modem with a phone line. However, we had to notify Comcast that they were going to OOMA (took a few days). When they transferred the number to OOMA we just had to set it up. They pay about $8/mo. and they can get their own modem/router (which they could do before anyway) but save on the phone bill.

I interpreted the OP's post as just wanting to replace a corded phone with a cordless phone.

No problem, just swap it out with any cordless phone. Just try to get one that is different from her neighbor's’, to avoid crosstalk. You don’t want a party line.

I connected my old phones (Base unit which requires a hard wire signal and 4 satellites to a Magic Jack). Since I wanted the base unit in the kitchen and my router is in the study, I connected my Majic Jack into the router and then into the study phone Jack line which is part the house wiring. That takes the phone signal to my base unit which then connects to the satellite phones. Sounds complex but works great without need to buy new phones.