Considering a switch to Cox Phone Service for your home? Moving from a traditional copper phone line to a digital voice service like Cox Voice can raise several questions, especially if you already have existing phone wiring in your house. Many users are curious about the setup process, equipment options, and how Cox phone service integrates with their home. This article aims to clarify common points of confusion regarding Cox phone service, covering everything from modem setups to utilizing your existing home phone jacks and customizing features.
Separate Modem for Cox Voice: Is It Possible?
One common question is whether you can have a dedicated modem solely for Cox phone service, especially if you already use your own modem and router for internet. The answer is yes. Cox typically provides an eMTA (Embedded Multimedia Terminal Adapter) device, which functions as a modem specifically for voice services. A model like the Arris TM3402 can indeed be activated for voice only. This means you can keep your existing internet modem and router setup completely separate from your Cox phone service, ensuring no interference and potentially optimizing performance for both services.
Placement Flexibility of Your Cox Voice Modem
When installing a separate voice modem, placement is a key consideration. Fortunately, the placement restrictions are quite minimal. The primary requirements are access to a power outlet and a cable outlet. Unlike some setups, your Cox voice modem does not need to be directly connected to your internet modem. This offers considerable flexibility in choosing the most convenient location in your home for your voice modem, as long as it has the necessary power and cable connections.
Utilizing Your Home Phone Wiring with Cox Voice
Perhaps the most debated point is whether you can connect your Cox voice modem to your existing home phone wiring. Many are told that the TEL port on the modem must connect directly to a phone, necessitating rewiring for whole-house service. However, this is often a misunderstanding. Standard home phone wiring is indeed analog, and so are traditional telephones. Cox phone service, while digital in delivery, outputs an analog signal at the modem’s TEL port, designed to be compatible with standard analog phones and wiring.
In most cases, you can connect the TEL port of your Cox voice modem to one of your existing phone jacks. This effectively backfeeds the analog phone signal throughout your home’s phone wiring, allowing you to use any phone jack in your house to access your Cox phone service. This eliminates the need for extensive rewiring and makes the installation process much simpler for homes already wired for phone service.
Customizing Voicemail Ring Count
Cox phone service typically offers customization options for voicemail. A common feature is the ability to adjust the number of rings before a call is routed to voicemail. This setting allows you to control how long your phone rings before voicemail picks up, giving you more flexibility in managing your calls. You can usually adjust this setting through your Cox account online or by contacting Cox customer service.
Call Waiting Options: Disabling and Call Handling
Call waiting is another feature that can often be customized with Cox phone service. You can typically disable call waiting if you prefer not to be interrupted by incoming calls while on another call. When call waiting is disabled, the behavior for incoming callers can vary. In most cases, callers will be sent directly to voicemail if you are on another call, rather than receiving a busy signal. This ensures that you don’t miss important calls even when you’re already on the phone.
By understanding these key aspects of Cox phone service, you can make a more informed decision and ensure a smoother transition to this modern phone service for your home. Cox Voice offers a reliable and feature-rich alternative to traditional phone lines, often with simplified installation and flexible usage options.
