The first problem we encountered was the need to be able to log into the device via a web browser. We couldn't actually do that the way the manual suggested. The tech support people at MyNetFone were keen to help but they turned out to be no wiser than we were. They suggested that we wouldn't be able to use the web admin pages without first unplugging the
SPA3102's internet port, then connecting it directly to a PC via its ethernet port — the sort of tedious procedure that tends to drive Bleeding Edge to distraction.

We did some more searching and discovered that web admin access first had to be enabled on the device. You can do that using the Interactive Voice Response menu, the details of which are appended to the manual as
an apparent afterthought.

In fact, those IVR capabilities are among the most important features of this product. You access them first by pressing the star-key on your attached phone handset four times, then entering the command sequence
from the number pad. The numbers that enable Web admin access are 7932, followed by a hash or pound key (that noughts'n'crosses symbol), then a 1 to enable the feature, another hash, then a final 1. The sequence then is:
****7932#1#1.

We'd suggest that Linksys should give the details of the IVR commands more prominence in the manual, particularly the step that activates the web menu.

Alas, once you do gain access tc the menu, the manual is equally unhelpful in configuring it. Far better is the introduction written by Jason Gorham, of JMGTechnology, which is among the cheapest places to buy theSPA3102. There's some more information in the manufacturer's FAQ.
We used both to refine our -settings, to make our home VoIP service as indistinguishable as possible from the Telstra landline service — in everything but cost, of course.

You can increase your savings substantially with this box's ability to provide "least-cost routing" — a concept that springs from the fact that many VoIP providers offer cheaper rates for certain calls. PennyTel, for instance, has the cheapest rates for calls to Australian mobiles — 12.78 cents a minute.

You can use the SPA3102’s web admin pages to set up different providers under different gateway accounts and then alter your dial plan so that the SPA3102 dials out specific sets of numbers via a particular gateway.
To use Pennytel for mobile calls, you could enter the details of your Pennytel account under Gateway 1, then set up your dial plan so that any number starting with "04" is routed through that gateway.

You can find an explanation of dial plans at the Whirlpool VoIP
Forum. Another good resource is the OzVoip forum on self-contained analog telephone adapters.

Exploring the SPA31O2's more powerful features requires a degree of enthusiasm for tech¬nology beyond that of most people, including Bleeding Edge's spouse and, for that matter, the vast majority of people.
The best way to set up her office phone system is via a VoIP service provider specialising in business applications. We're starting with the Melbourne-based provider Mytel, which services companies
ranging from tiny operations to large enterprises with big call centres.

She'll be paying $12.95 a month for the IP Office plan, which includes an in-dial number, with local and national calls at 10 cents, untimed. Later she'll probably move to a hosted system with an auto-attendant or virtual receptionist for an extra $25 a month. To give her the sort of features you can expect from a good business handset, we’re getting her a Polycom IP320 SNOM 320 business phone she won't have to program. It seems a more realistic alternative for the professional and the non-obsessive.