摘要 |
An outlet (75) for a Local Area Network (80) (LAN), containing an integrated adapter (21) that converts VoIP to and from analog telephony, and a standard telephone jack (72) (e.g. RJ-11 in North America) for connecting an ordinary analog (POTS) telephone set. Such an outlet allows using analog telephone sets in a VoIP environment, eliminating the need for an IP telephone set or external adapter. The outlet may also include a hub (31a, 31c) that allows connecting both an analog telephone set (22a, 22c) via an adapter (21a, 21c), as well as retaining the data network connection, which may be accessed by a network jack (73a, 73c). The invention may also be applied to a telephone line-based data networking system. In such an environment, the data networking circuitry as well as the VoIP/POTS adapters are integrated into a telephone outlet, providing for regular analog service, VoIP telephony service using an analog telephone set, and data networking as well. In such a configuration, the outlet requires two standard telephone jacks and a data-networking jack. Outlets according to the invention can be used to retrofit existing LAN and in-building telephone wiring, as well as original equipment in new installation. |