TLDR: How to get Digital Voice working with established Draytek MESH network (Vigor 2866ac)  and Fritz!Box 7530AX

I've read through this thread: 

https://www.draytek.co.uk/forum/routers-and-firewalls/25506-connecting-vigor-2866-to-zen-7530-ax-to-internet 

which has similarities to my situation, but as it's a bit old I thought I'd start a fresh topic.

I have an established Home network with a Draytek Vigor 2866ac, several access points and a nicely working MESH network. I'm quite keen not to mess about with it as it ain't broke. But I've realised that the upcoming Zen switch to Digital Voice will likely not work with my system. I've had a good chat with Zen support and they've sent me a Fritz!Box 7530AX to try. The route of least hassle was to plug it into my existing router, set it into IP mode, and treat it simply as a way to keep my existing phone line. This looked promising but hasn't work. The phone isn't recognised. I can get a dial tone but it doesn't connect to anything.  I'm guessing that for telephony Zen expects the Fritz!Box to be the main router.

I tried again this time with the Fritz!Box as the main router but still didn't manage to get the phone working. However I was getting a bit time-pressed and wanted my network back so didn't persevere as much as I could have. I've a feeling I will need to allow the the Fritz!Box to be in charge and somehow try and retain my existing MESH network with my existing Vigor 2866 no longer acting as the router. I'm not sure how to tackle this. I'd appreciate any suggestions on a the best strategy that will be simplest in the long term. This is a Home Office environment.

 

How about running the 2866 behind the Fritzbox as an "exposed host"?

https://en.fritz.com/service/knowledge-base/dok/FRITZ-Box-7530/131_Setting-up-an-exposed-host-in-the-FRITZ-Box/

The Vigor would use a Static LAN IP from the Fritzbox in the "Static or Dynamic IP" internet access settings WAN IP

I have no experience of this but it reads to me as though the 2866 could then carry on "as normal" and the Fritzbox telephony should still work, but it doesn't need to do anything else, such as wifi, which you could turn off?

I'd more or less given up on the idea of having digital voice - but if you can get this to work I might be tempted - Zen have never sent me a router of any kind, but if they're happy to send me a Fritzbox.....
..although I'm presently on a "guaranteed no price increase" contract so that would change, unfortunately...

Just to check, when you say that the phone wasn't recognised - is the Zen digital voice service set up on your line?

Good afternoon both,

I have a Vigor 2866 which is used as the gateway for my Zen connection.

Setting up the FRITZ!Box 7530 to provide digital voice services is simple.

Configure the FRITZ!Box as part of an existing network
1) INTERNET - ACCOUNT:- Connection to an external modem or router
2) OPERATING MODE:- Share existing internet connection in the network (Mesh Wi-Fi / IP client mode)
3) TELEPHONY TELEPHONE NUMBERS :- Add your Digital Voice Number and settings from this link  https://www.zen.co.uk/help-support/general-sip-settings/
4) In the LINE Settings TAB ensure that you scroll to the bottom and click on "Change the settings" and make sure that you tick "Keep Port Sharing enabled with a time limit of 1 Min.
5) You should also OPEN PORTS on the draytek for the servers listed in the linked firewall settings above. It also helps if you configure a fixed IP for the Fritzbox or set "Bind IP to MAC" on the Vigor so that DHCP always gives the Fritz a fixed IP thus making it simpler to create the firewall rules!
6) When everything is configured connect an ethernet cable from the Vigor to port one of the Fritzbox and power up.
7) You can plug an analogue phone into the Fritzbox, or better still shell out on a Fritz!fon (about £70) which you can add in the telephony devices section (The Fritbox is also a DECT base station).

Hope this helps, and if you get stuck I'm usually around this forum every day. BTW all of this is hard won info - nobody wanted to help me!!!!

John.

 

FWIW I went doya completely different route. I use VoipFone and eschew hardware entirely using an app on my mobile device; people who call me (in reality only my elderly parents and scammers) don’t know I’m actually talking to them via my mobile. Voicemail comes to me via an email attachment.
They are very easy to deal with, support have always been courteous and knowledgeable. The only thing I don’t like is that every few (couple of?) weeks, the app says it’s still running and I have to start the app for it to continue answering calls (I don’t use my landline very much; if I used it more, I guess the problem wouldn’t exist). This seems unnecessary and poor usability but not really a drama.

I'm probably late to the party but would recommend going down @anaglypta's route as it's what I did when I migrated last month.  After a worrying first day where I couldn't register my connection, the Zen support guy realised that I'd been given the wrong password (they're case sensitive) & all has been fine since. My 7530 is cabled into my loft acting as an AP but also providing telephony both via a DECT phone registered to it (which doesn't show caller's numbers), my old DECT base station plugged into the FON port (these phones do show the caller's ANI & work exactly as they did before) and the Fritz Fon app on our mobiles.

This might help you if you're struggling  https://james-batchelor.com/index.php/2024/11/01/zen-digital-voice-connecting-to-sip/

Thanks all for the responses. I'm in a bit of a holding pattern at the moment. Regarding:

"Just to check, when you say that the phone wasn't recognised - is the Zen digital voice service set up on your line?"

I think the answer is no, and that's why it won't work. The route of least resistance so far has been to allow the Fritz!Box to be the main router and setup the Draytek as an AP and Mesh master. This has been quite straightforward. I have to say that now that I'm more familiar with the Fritz!box I find it has quite a nice UI and it's been pretty straightforward to manage. I don't run anything mission critical so these upheavals are sometimes an opportunity to tidy things up and have a rethink.

But it doesn't look like the migration has happened yet but Zen assure me there's no rush and no danger of losing my landline any time soon. So I'm adopting my usual strategy of waiting until something breaks and then figure out what's required to make it right.