How Does POTS IN A BOX® Work? Your Guide to Understanding POTS Replacement Systems

Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) lines run much more than just your business’ phones; necessary life safety devices in your business also depend on these outdated analog lines. It is crucial to take note of this now because the phone companies are decommissioning local central offices supporting POTS lines nationwide. In short: It’s time to replace the copper lines with a digital POTS IN A BOX replacement system.

In this blog, we will answer a common question we hear often: how does POTS IN A BOX work? We’ll also look at how easy a POTS IN A BOX® installation can be and help you determine the best supplier for your needs.

What Are “POTS” Systems?

As we mentioned, simple phone calls are only a tiny percentage of what copper, analog phone lines can be used for. You’ll find numerous, critical business systems that operate on POTS systems – or at least they used to.

These systems include fire alarms, burglar alarms, elevator emergency lines, fax lines, point-of-sale systems, and much more. As we’ve progressed into a more digital era, POTS lines have fallen by the wayside and are being upgraded to faster, more reliable connection methods.

Why Do We Need POTS Line Replacement Options?

All businesses that use POTS lines for any of their systems must have switched to digital methods by August of 2022. This means that many businesses across America are operating on sunsetted copper lines and will no longer be able to get support for issues that arise on those systems.

This is a serious problem since many systems operating on POTS lines are critical, lifesaving services. Furthermore, copper lines for POTS systems are deteriorating without your knowledge; they can be costly (or impossible) to repair nowadays.

Until the POTS IN A BOX hardware was developed by DataRemote, VOIP (voice over internet protocol) was the only “quasi solution.” VOIP was only moderately reliable, and some businesses had hiccups when transferring, causing service disruption. If you’ve ever worked with a VOIP translation of POTS systems, you’ll know it’s not an end-all solution.

This is where the POTS IN A BOX system shines – in maintaining those expectations from before the switch.

How Does POTS IN A BOX­®­ Work?

The POTS IN A BOX® system was designed to be easy to install and have no learning curve. Plug and go – and that’s precisely what it does. In a simple explanation, a system intercepts the signal outputs that all your systems are creating – via copper lines – and collects them in your modem.

This eliminates the business-to-street connection that would need to happen at some point along the line. Once intercepted at your device, the signals are converted to digital signals that can be sent over Wi-Fi, LAN, WAN, or even LTE for access from anywhere.

From here, how you manage the outputs is up to you – and where Velocity’s managed services come into play.

How Difficult Is POTS IN A BOX® Installation?

While it’s still highly recommended that you have an IT professional install your POTS IN A BOX device, it’s not incredibly difficult. There may be some configuration required to establish proper routing to your digital management systems, but this can all be configured by our professional networking experts. The POTS replacement device is quite simple to install – but if you need help, we’re here for you.

How Do We Find the Best POTS IN A BOX® Supplier?

If you’re looking for a POTS IN A BOX supplier, and you aren’t sure how to set up all the managed services on your own, we highly recommend you choose a managed solutions provider like Velocity.

Here at Velocity, we offer congruent services that complement your new POTS replacement device. As a POTS IN A BOX supplier, our team is uniquely qualified to help you with your installation and network setup of the device. Furthermore, we have user-friendly portals, proactive monitoring, and simple, transparent, per-line pricing.

To find out more about using the POTS IN A BOX system through Velocity, contact our team to set up a meeting.

POTS IN A BOX® is a registered trademark of DataRemote. It provides enterprises the core voice and data functionalities of POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) without the slow-to-install and expensive copper infrastructure.