Can you BUY your phone modem using WOW for internet phone? (Huntsville: rental, home)

[2Share]

Using WOW in Huntsville, AL. Currently for phone and internet.
We cut out the cable TV part last month.
So without the 3-pack bundle, they want to charge us $7.00 a month rental for the modem that provides the phone service.
WOW 1-800 says you can NOT buy, must rent forever.
However the local WOW office gave me a list of modems, say you can buy your own. Most are the data modems, which we have bought our own years ago, along with wireless router. But a few appear to be phone modems.

Has anybody in Huntsville, AL using WOW managed to BUY their own PHONE modem (this modem has the phone plug in on it)?
If so which make and model ?
Where to buy from?
Thanks.

[djmaxwell]

Originally Posted by 2Share

Using WOW in Huntsville, AL. Currently for phone and internet.
We cut out the cable TV part last month.
So without the 3-pack bundle, they want to charge us $7.00 a month rental for the modem that provides the phone service.
WOW 1-800 says you can NOT buy, must rent forever.
However the local WOW office gave me a list of modems, say you can buy your own. Most are the data modems, which we have bought our own years ago, along with wireless router. But a few appear to be phone modems.

Has anybody in Huntsville, AL using WOW managed to BUY their own PHONE modem (this modem has the phone plug in on it)?
If so which make and model ?
Where to buy from?
Thanks.

Unless they've changed in the last year, if you have telephone service, you must rent the modem from them. I don't believe there are many, if any, retail telephony modems available. That was one reason we dropped telephone service with them. That and they charge an arm and a leg for it. Data services without telephone were significantly cheaper.

[RocketDawg]

Where is the modem located? I have the same service as you ... phone and internet ... but no modem for the phone, at least inside the house. Is it in the gray box on the side of the house?

[FCEddie]

If you have phone service, you have to use their modem.

My suggestion, get a Magic Jack for your phone service. Wow for internet.

[Big Grumpy]

I would also suggest dropping phone service with WOW and going with a VOIP provider. I had NetTalk for several years and paid around $40 a year for phone service covering the US and Canada. I started having trouble with NetTalk's service last year, so I switched to Obihai's Obit200 and Google Voice earlier this year when my term with Nettalk ended. I paid $20 to port my number to Google and around $50 for the Obi200 device. Outside of those up-front costs, I don't have any ongoing costs for phone service that covers the US and Canada unless I choose to add e911 service.

[MisterEd51]

Originally Posted by RocketDawg

Where is the modem located? I have the same service as you ... phone and internet ... but no modem for the phone, at least inside the house. Is it in the gray box on the side of the house?

A multimedia terminal adapter (MTA), or phone modem, operates much the same as a cable modem, but an MTA can deliver voice (phone) service in addition to Internet service. An example is the Arris TG862G MTA Gateway Modem.

In addition to wired and wireless internet the Arris TG862G had two phone connectors that optionally allows one or two phone lines. For example if you sign up for one line you run a phone cable from phone jacks 1 on the modem to a nearby phone wall jack in your home. Then all your phones in your home will be connected to WOWs phone service. If that wall jack normally has a phone connected to it you can use a splitter so that you can use the jack with a phone also.

[2Share]

Thanks djmaxwell, RocketDawg and FCEddie, Big Grumpy, Mister Ed51. Appreciate your feedback!

Modem, an Arris TM602G, is indoors next to my data modem and wireless router.
This modem would not fit or be suited to be in that outdoor grey box. Needs 120 V with AC adapter for power and has internal back-up batteries. MisterEd51 explained a bit more on how the phone modem works-thank you.

We just re-packaged from 3 service bundle (with cable) to internet and phone so we may not be able to drop the phone service for a year. The phone service part not costing too much more than just internet on it's own.
Will consider Magic Jack, Vonnage or other VOIP phone services at that time.

[maillemaker]

I have WOW and own my own modem. Also I set up my mother (on WOW) with her own modem.

Be aware that I can now get AT&T Fiber in my neighborhood so I now, for the first time ever, have a choice in high speed ISPS. And I used it to force WOW to give me the $49/month 100MB down speed with no contract, or else I'd leave to AT&T.

[HB2HSV]

Do you have a cell phone? If so, they usually have unlimited talk & text with free nation wide long distance. I used to have VOIP phones but now I just use Skype for international calls, still the cheapest for where I call.

Alternatively; you can download apps such as LINE, WHATSAPP, WECHAT, etc., and voice chat over the internet for no cost. Works for international calls too.