Need assistance? Call sales and support on 13 66 33

Home - Business - Phone Services - NodePhone - FAQ

NodePhone VoIP

NodePhone Frequently Asked Questions

What NodePhone offers

NodePhone is a "Voice over IP" telephone service, allowing you to make and receive phone calls via your Internode broadband service.

Designed and optimised for use on the Internode broadband network, NodePhone will also work (subject to potential reduced call quality) through other broadband services.

NodePhone is a high quality, high availability service, designed to provide the best possible results over an IP network.

What NodePhone does not offer

NodePhone is not a traditional landline telephone service:

  • The initial product, NodePhone1, is no longer available for new connections. It enabled outbound calling only.
  • All current connections are NodePhone2—enabling both inbound and outbound calls.

If you have a traditional landline, you can use our recommended hardware so that inbound calls to your landline phone number arrive and ring on the same handset you use for outbound NodePhone calls.

Outbound VoIP calls are all about saving money, and that's a good start! NodePhone 2 combines our sophisticated call handling features with the ability to receive incoming calls. Finally, use our recommended hardware for a reliable, integrated, no-fuss VoIP experience.

How is NodePhone technically better, compared to other VoIP providers?

Through intelligent network design and the use of carrier-grade voice switches, NodePhone provides high-quality voice services other VoIP suppliers simply can't provide.

Our carrier grade Broadsoft voice switches ensure high availability, using a combination of mirrored and N+1 redundant server clusters. The feature set of the voice switch is world class, offering the technical capability to offer every feature found in a conventional modern 'class 5' carrier PSTN switch.

Your VoIP connection is handled by advanced Session Border Controller units—once again installed in fully redundant mirrored pairs for high availability and seamless fail over. The SBCs provide security, reliability, automatic NAT gateway traversal, improved interoperability, and a host of other features that distinguish NodePhone from 'toy' VoIP services that may offer a simple SIP proxy server, and nothing else.

NodePhone is simply at the opposite end of the quality and feature spectrum to a 'best effort', peer-to-peer, feature-poor SIP proxy. The combination of our carrier-grade switching technology, sophisticated SBCs, high quality customer end equipment, and especially the fact that it all runs over our own private national network, leads to a world class, IP based voice calling service.

What hardware is needed to access NodePhone?

We sell and recommend a range of VoIP hardware for NodePhone.

When properly configured and installed, these devices switch calls to NodePhone automatically. They also have the option of automatic 'fail over', to hand these calls back to your landline service (if you have one), should NodePhone connectivity be unavailable for any reason—such as your broadband service being temporarily offline.

Check out our Configuration Guides for detailed instructions for how to configure any of these supported devices for use with NodePhone.

What about cheaper or alternative VoIP access devices?

Internode is continuously evaluating VoIP access devices to be offered as alternatives in future. When alternative devices are certified by Internode, we will offer them for sale and provide support information for their use with NodePhone on our web site.

However, customers who have a preferred SIP-speaking telephone adapter, gateway, soft-phone (or similar) that they wish to use with NodePhone are welcome to do so, subject to the following provisos:

  • NodePhone is a standards compliant, SIP based VoIP calling service. Your device needs to be fully compliant with the relevant standards.
  • Devices that Internode have not certified are not guaranteed to work, or to work well. In particular, some interoperability problems and/or some calling features may not work with NodePhone.
  • Internode staff are happy to provide basic configuration information but they are not necessarily familiar with your device. As a result, you may need to consult your hardware supplier for technical support if you require it.

What about business plans?

NodePhone MultiLine and NodePhone Business Trunks extend the benefits of NodePhone into the business and corporate environment.

What is the billing cycle?

All NodePhone charges are billed on a monthly basis. The monthly fee (if applicable) is charged monthly in advance. Call charges will first be deducted from any included monthly call credits. Any additional calls will be charged in arrears on your monthly invoice.

Can I check what calls I have made, and what they cost, before I get my monthly bill?

Yes, you can. Just log into My Internode and select the NodePhone Toolbox.

What about inbound calls from the PSTN to a NodePhone customer?

NodePhone1 services (no longer sold, but still supported) can only receive calls from other NodePhone customers.

All new services are NodePhone2—these support inbound calls from the public switched telephone network.

Furthermore, if your NodePhone hardware is attached to your existing phone line and configured correctly, then calls to your existing landline telephone number will arrive on the same phone handset that you are using for NodePhone.

Can I have my NodePhone number listed?

Yes, simply contact our Support team online or call us on 13 66 33 and let us know this is what you would like.

What protocols are supported on NodePhone?

NodePhone is a standards based, carrier grade voice handling service.

For call switching, NodePhone uses the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). SIP is a signalling protocol for IP based voice, video, and instant messaging services.

The voice data streams use standard RTP IP flows, using standard codecs including G.729a and G.711.

Do NodePhone calls use up your broadband download quota?

No, they do not. All NodePhone traffic is unmetered and calls do not count towards your normal download quota.

As a guideline, NodePhone calls use from 10–20 Megabytes per hour during typical calls (depending on the codec in use).

That corresponds to around 25–50 kilobits per second of traffic flow on your broadband connection (in both directions).

Note that on Internode broadband services, NodePhone traffic remains 'unshaped' even if you happen to wind up exceeding your monthly download quota. In other words, becoming 'shaped' will not impact your voice calls.

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and the lands on which we, and our communities live, work and connect. We pay our respects to their Elders, past, present, and emerging.