CloseCall Advantage - Digital Phone Service

CloseCall Advantage - FAQ

Installation

Q: Is it easy to install CloseCall Advantage?
Q: Do I need a router?
Q: Which is the port on the Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA) that needs to plug into the modem?
Q: Which phone port on the Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA) is active?
Q: What needs to be configured on my computer when it is connected to the LAN port on the Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA)?

Q: Is it easy to install CloseCall Advantage?
A: The CloseCall Advantage Digital Phone Service is easy to setup and use. You will simply need to connect the WAN or Internet port on your Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA) to your cable or DSL modem and then power it on. You may have to restart your cable or DSL modem once to get it to recognize the ATA. Then plug you regular telephone handset to the Phone 1 port and you are ready to start using our service.
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Q: Do I need a router?
A: If your computer is currently connected directly to your cable or DSL modem, you can connect your computer to the Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA) and then connect the ATA to your cable or DSL modem. The ATA has a built in router and therefore you do not need to purchase an additional one. The ATA also has some of the basic firewall functions that keep your computers safe from the public Internet.
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Q: Which is the port on the Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA) that needs to plug into the modem?
A: The WAN or Internet port on the Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA) needs to be connected to the Ethernet port on your cable modem or router using a straight Ethernet cable.
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Q: Which phone port on the Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA) is active?
A: The phone port that is used by the CloseCall Advantage service is the Phone 1 port. The Phone 2 port is only used if you have ordered a second line.
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Q: What needs to be configured on my computer when it is connected to the LAN port on the Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA)?
A: You simply need to configure your computer to obtain an IP address automatically and then connect it to the LAN port on the Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA) using a straight Ethernet cable.
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General Questions

Q: Can I use my computer and talk at the same time?
Q: When calling others, do they need to have CloseCall Advantage service?
Q: How does the sound quality compare to a regular phone?
Q: How do I contact customer service?
Q: How does CloseCall Advantage - Digital Phone Service work?
Q: What do I need to sign up for CloseCall Advantage service?
Q: What is CloseCall Advantage - Digital Phone Service?
Q: Can I travel with my CloseCall Advantage service?
Q: What happens to 911 when I travel or move with my CloseCall Advantage service?
Q: Will CloseCall Advantage - Digital Phone Service work over a dial-up connection?
Q: Does having CloseCall Advantage service affect my regular phone service?
Q: Do I need Broadband Internet service for CloseCall Advantage - Digital Phone Service?
Q: Is there a difference using cable or DSL with CloseCall Advantage?
Q: Do I need to cancel my current service when porting to CloseCall Advantage?
Q: How do I port my number to another provider?
Q: Do I need to return my device if I cancel?

Q: Can I use my computer and talk at the same time?
A: Yes, the CloseCall Advantage service functions using a stand-alone unit, Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA) and therefore the operation of your computer does not affect the phone service. If you are using bit-torrent applications that consume a large amount of bandwidth, the overall quality of your internet connection may be affected. Since the service utilizes your Internet connection, certain applications such as the mentioned, could cause degradation in voice quality. Our service requires 120kbps of bandwidth to deliver premium voice quality to you.
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Q: When calling others, do they need to have CloseCall Advantage service?
A: No they do not. The CloseCall Advantage service works exactly like a regular phone service.
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Q: How does the sound quality compare to a regular phone?
A: The equipment and network that we use delivers premium call quality to our customers. You will find that the quality on most calls, are significantly better than the regular phone service. The call does use the internet and if your internet connection has problems it could affect the quality of your applications including your telephone calls. In these cases, our recommendation is to call your Internet Service Provider and request that a line-test to be done if your connection is not optimal. They will either, re-run the lines or upgrade/replace your modem equipment.

Bandwidth intensive Internet applications can affect the quality of the call since our service relies on your Internet connection to deliver the call. Our service requires at least 120kbps of bandwidth to deliver "toll-quality" voice.
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Q: How do I contact customer service?
A: You can contact customer service by:
- Dialing 1-888-730-1233 for sales/billing/general questions
- Dialing 1-800-249-1984 for technical assistance
- Email voip@closecall.com
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Q: How does CloseCall Advantage - Digital Phone Service work?
A: It's amazingly easy to use CloseCall Advantage! You can make and receive calls to any phone, anywhere, just like you do with a traditional phone. If you have a high-speed Internet connection (cable or DSL), you can get started right away!

CloseCall Advantage Service is based on an emerging technology called Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). CloseCall Advantage takes analog voice conversations and converts them into data that can be sent across the Internet using a high-speed broadband connection, such as Cable or DSL. At the other end, the data is converted back into a signal that the conventional telephone system can deliver. Thus, you can use regular telephones at both ends - the number you are calling does not need to have an Internet connection or computer.

How does this benefit you?
   * You save money because you are leveraging the Internet for your phone calls rather than the traditional telephone network.
   * You can customize your phone's features using an online Members Portal located at http://oss.closecall.com.
   * Your service includes powerful new features you can't get from regular phone service, such as Do Not Disturb and Call Logs and much more.
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Q: What do I need to sign up for CloseCall Advantage service?
A: To use CloseCall Advantage Service, make sure you have:

High-speed broadband service in your home - either through a cable or DSL modem. Your modem speed will need a minimum upstream and downstream capacity of 120 kbps. Test your broadband speed now.
A modem that uses an Ethernet cord, not USB. If you don't have an Ethernet port, you should be able to purchase a USB adapter for use with the Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA).

Additional Tips:

If you are using a Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA), an expandable cordless phone system with more than one handset is recommended so that you will be able to use your CloseCall Advantage Service throughout your home.

To use the Member Account Manager, make sure your computer's Internet browser is Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher (for Windows), or Apple Safari 1.0 or higher (on Mac OS 9 or OS X). All versions of Opera and Mozilla, including Firefox, are compatible with CloseCall Advantage.
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Q: What is CloseCall Advantage - Digital Phone Service?
A: CloseCall Advantage provides home phone service over a broadband connection. You must have a broadband service such as high-speed cable, DSL or FiOS to use CloseCall Advantage.CloseCall Advantage – Digital Phone Service can replace your current phone company and you can even keep your existing phone number. With CloseCall Advantage, you can call anywhere in the U.S., Canada and Mexico for one low price of $17.99 which includes all sorts of useful features.
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Q: Can I travel with my CloseCall Advantage service?
A: One of the great benefits of CloseCall Advantage Service is that you can take your number anywhere in the U.S. Bring your CloseCall Advantage equipment with you and connect it anywhere that you get a high-speed connection. You'll be able to make and receive calls as if you were home. Remember, Enhanced 911 Service will not function properly if you are using the service away from home, and you must alert CloseCall America if you plan on moving or using your service for an extended time at a different location so that the Enhanced 911 Service address can be changed.
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Q: What happens to 911 when I travel or move with my CloseCall Advantage service?
A: CloseCall Advantage service is portable to any location with broadband Internet access. If you travel, you can take your CloseCall Advantage equipment with you and your service will work in any location with broadband Internet access. However, do NOT dial 911 whenever using your CloseCall Advantage equipment in a location other than the service address associated with your CloseCall account, since emergency service will not be properly rendered.

If you move or intend to use your CloseCall Advantage Service away from home for an extended period of time, you must update your new location in order for 911 to function properly. Call CloseCall Customer Service to make a change to your home address. Remember, it will take up to 30 days for this change to complete, and you should always maintain an alternative means of accessing emergency service.
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Q: Will CloseCall Advantage - Digital Phone Service work over a dial-up connection?
A: No, CloseCall Advantage Service uses broadband or high-speed Internet connections only - not dial-up connections. The higher connection speeds and greater bandwidth supported by broadband are required to allow both your computer and your phone to work simultaneously and to deliver quality reception.
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Q: Does having CloseCall Advantage service affect my regular phone service?
A: No. Your regular phone service is not affected by CloseCall Advantage Service. CloseCall Advantage Service operates through your broadband connection and does not interfere with your regular phone service. However, once you realize the great value and savings from CloseCall Advantage, you may want to downgrade your traditional plan to something less expensive or do away with traditional service all together.
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Q: Do I need Broadband Internet service for CloseCall Advantage - Digital Phone Service?
A: Yes. The CloseCall Advantage service utilizes your Broadband Internet connection to provide you the phone line. This can be DSL, cable, FiOS and even wireless broadband and satellite. You will need to have at least 128kbps of symmetric bandwidth.
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Q: Is there a difference using cable or DSL with CloseCall Advantage?
A: As long as you have a broadband Internet service such as cable, DSL or FiOS your CloseCall Advantage service will work just as well. We recommend at least 128kbps of bandwidth for the service.
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Q: Do I need to cancel my current service when porting to CloseCall Advantage?
A: You must maintain active service with your current provider when porting to CloseCall Advantage. Once the port is complete and you have been notified, you can then cancel services with your current provider. Most providers require you to call and cancel their services after you port away to another provider.
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Q: How do I port my number to another provider?
A: If you are trying to port your number away from CloseCall Advantage to another provider, you will need to follow the procedures of the new provider for porting the number. However, once the port is complete, you will need to call CloseCall and cancel your service. If you do not call and cancel your services with CloseCall after porting out, you will continue to be billed as per the Terms and Conditions of the service agreement.
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Q: Do I need to return my device if I cancel?
A: No. The device does not need to be returned.
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Problems With The Service

Q: I do not have dial tone.
Q: I just lost dial tone.
Q: Why do I sometimes lose dial tone or the WAN light?
Q: My WAN/Phone1 light was lit at one time, but now it is no longer lit?

Q: I do not have dial tone.
A: In order to make calls the WAN light on your Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA) needs to be lit. This indicates the ATA is connected and registered to the Internet.

If this is your initial install:

Check that all the cables are properly connected.
Confirm the power light on the ATA is lit. If not, check the power connection.
Confirm that the provided Ethernet cable is connected between the DSL/Cable modem and to the WAN port on the ATA.
Power OFF/ON the DSL or Cable modem. Make sure the ATA is ON and connected to the modem when you power-cycle the modem. Leave your DSL or Cable modem powered off for at least 5 minutes.
Power OFF/ON the ATA. It may take up to 5 to 7 minutes for the WAN light to become solid and for dial tone to be restored.

If the dial tone is not restored after following the steps above please contact Technical Support at 1-800-249-1984.
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Q: I just lost dial tone.
A: If your service is working properly and you suddenly lose dial tone, this is generally due to intermittent maintenance that is done by your Internet service provider. Sometimes, based on the extent of the maintenance, your modem will not recognize the device connected to it and real-time applications (such as voice) are affected. The fix is simple. Restart your cable or DSL modem first. Wait one minute and then restart the Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA).
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Q: Why do I sometimes lose dial tone or the WAN light?
A: This generally happens when your broadband modem does not recognize the Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA). Restarting the modem and then the ATA should fix it. There are also instances where your modem has a built-in router, or your router dynamically changes the ports that it uses to pass traffic through. If your router is set for "high-security", these ports tend to change a lot quicker, which will affect most voice applications.

Since the ATA sends a heartbeat to home base, the changing ports can cause problems. If you reduce the security level or place the ATA in front of the router, it should resolve the problem. If your Internet service provider controls the router, you may have to contact them.
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Q: My WAN/Phone1 light was lit at one time, but now it is no longer lit.
A:

Check that all the cables are properly connected.
Confirm the power light on the ATA is lit. If not, check the power connection.
Confirm that the provided Ethernet cable is connected between the DSL/Cable modem and to the WAN port on the ATA.
Unplug the ATA and leave it unplugged for 1 minute (Note: It can take up to 3 times of powering OFF/ON the ATA to get a dial tone.)
If this is not your initial install and your ATA WAN/Phone1 light was lit previously, wait time for the WAN light to become solid should be under one minute.

If the WAN/Phone1 light is still not lit after following the steps above please contact Technical Support at 1-800-249-1984.
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