Help
Here you'll find help with setting up and using your Tesco Internet Phone. Simply click on any of the FAQs listed below to find out more.
If you need more help, please click on any of the topics listed below.
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Click here to play this video on how to set up your Siemens DP450 dual phone. For further information about this phone please click onto this link, Phone Guides
Simply pick up a Tesco Internet Phone pack in store or online at www.tescointernetphone.com. Inside the pack, there are instructions on how to set up your phone. You'll be able to choose a normal UK landline number with a choice of area codes.
Alternatively, if you already have compatible VoIP hardware you can click here to register.
Please click on the link here, Registration and login page which will take you to the login page. Enter your Tesco Internet Phone number and password in order to log into your online account.
When dialling from the Tesco Internet Phone, make sure you dial landline numbers using a country code, if applicable, and then the area code before the number. For example, to call the USA you might dial 00 1 <area code> <number>
Also, make sure you don't put a "+" before the number.
Finally, ensure that you have sufficient credit in your account. You will be notified at the start of the call if you need to top up your credit.
Make sure that your firewall is allowing incoming connections to the Tesco Internet Phone or IPA. See below for IPA specific questions.
Check that your volume levels are set high enough. Also, if using the onscreen Tesco Internet Phone, make sure that it's set to use the correct audio device and that you have the audio device correctly connected. Allowing the UDP ports 5070 and the RTP port range (as defined in 'Edit network settings' on the onscreen Tesco Internet Phone) through your firewall or switching to Secondary Connection Mode in the onscreen Tesco Internet Phone may also help resolve this issue.
Applications that use a high proportion of your internet connection, such as streaming video or peer-to-peer downloading (for example Limewire, Bittorrent etc), can cause poor call quality regardless of your internet speed. We recommend that upload speeds of at least 128kb be available for good call quality.
Also, call quality can be affected by using an older sound card or input device. Switching to a USB sound device can solve both these issues.
Some laptop/notebook PC's have very poor sound devices. The recommended setup for a laptop is to use an USB headset or handset.
Please click on the link here, which Internet phone? for a range of Internet phones to choose from.
If you are having problems making a call please run through the following troubleshooting checklist for your account and phone settings first,
If you are still having problems, please call our customer care team on 0845 300 20 20 between 9am - 9pm Monday to Saturday and 10am - 4pm Sunday, you can also email us at tescointernetphone@tesco.net
Topping up your account is easy - just choose the way that's most convenient for you. You can go online anytime and use your credit or debit card or an e-voucher to top up your account. E-vouchers can be bought from your local Tesco store at the till.
Log-in to your online account at www.tescointernetphone.com and follow the link to top-up your account. You can also arrange for a regular payment to be made into your account using your credit or debit card. Another option is to set up an automatic payment to be made when your account reaches a certain level, so you'll never run out of credit.
Before you can use your credit or debit card you must first activate this facility on your account. You can do this in one of three ways:
Please click on the link here, for more information on call costs. To view actual call costs, you can log onto your account and view the call costs under the call history.
Please click on the link here, IPA manual and download the guide for further information on getting started and connecting the IPA.
If you need more help, please call our customer care team on 0845 300 20 20 between 9am - 9pm Monday to Saturday and 10am - 4pm Sunday, you can also email us at tescointernetphone@tesco.net.
The handset you plug into your computer needs to be a Tesco Internet Phone. However, if you have bought a Tesco Internet Phone Adapter, you can use any landline phone with your adapter. Alternatively you may also use a SIP compatible device from leading manufacturers.
We make sure all our products are high quality. But if your handset or adapter is not as good as you'd expect from Tesco, we'll give you a refund or exchange the item. Simply return it
within 28 days of purchase, along with your receipt.
If you change your mind and decide you no longer want the product, we'll exchange it or give you a refund as long as it's returned to us within 28 days in the same condition as when you
bought it. So please keep all the original packaging, tags, labels and accessories just in case you want to return it. You'll also need your receipt.
If you bought the product in store, take it to the customer service desk for a refund or an exchange. If you bought the product at Tesco Direct, find out how to return it at http://direct.tesco.com/help/returns.aspx.
Remember, you will need to cancel any calling plans or add-ons separately.
Your statutory rights are not affected.
It takes a couple of weeks to arrange a direct debit with your bank. So you can get calling straight away, we take your first payment from your credit/debit card.
Topping up your account is easy – just choose the way that's most convenient for you. You can go online anytime and use your credit or debit card or an e-voucher to top up your account. E-vouchers can be bought from your local Tesco store at the till.
Log-in to your online account at www.tescointernetphone.com and follow the link to top-up your account. You can also arrange for a regular payment to be made into your account using your credit or debit card. Another option is to set up an automatic payment to be made when your account reaches a certain level, so you'll never run out of credit.
Back to topNo, we can only accept payment in pounds sterling.
Don't worry if you don't use your Tesco Internet Phone for a while. Your credit does not expire and it will still be there when you next use your phone.
There are 4 call plans and you can find all the details online at www.tescointernetphone.com
We will let you know of the price change by sending you an email before your bill is due. Please see our Service Terms and Conditions for full details.
'Unlimited calls' means you can make as many calls as you like as long as it's a reasonable amount. After all, Tesco Internet Phone is for personal use not businesses, so it's unlikely you'll be on the phone all day. It's what we call our 'fair use' policy.
Our 'Fair Use' policy is in place to protect the Tesco Internet Phone service from abuse that may impact the service we provide for the rest of our customers.
It's unlikely that this would happen because Tesco Internet Phone is for personal use, not businesses that make calls all day. But if it does happen we will contact you to discuss your usage. In rare circumstances we may need to suspend your account if we reasonably suspect fraud. You will not be able to make any more paid calls until you have contacted us. We do this to protect you and will always try to contact you first. If you do exceed a reasonable fair usage level you may need to pay for excessive calls.
Yes. If you join Tesco Internet Phone you can call people on the Voicedot Network for free.
This time limit is in place to protect the Tesco Internet Phone service from abuse that may impact the service we provide for the rest of our customers.
If the number you have called is not listed in your call plan, you'll be cut off immediately your credit runs out. So remember to always keep your credit topped-up.
Calls to other Tesco Internet Phone numbers are free, and there's no time limit. So you can chat for as long as you like without it costing a penny.
Add-ons help you get even better value for money from Tesco Internet Phone. There are two types of add-ons available. There are mobile add-ons that give you 25% off all calls to UK mobiles; and international add-ons that let you buy up to 5 hours of call time to selected destinations at a lower rate.
You can buy mobile and international add-ons as a Pay as you go customer.
Yes, you will need a DP450 Dual Phone which plugs straight into a free Ethernet port on your router or modem. The handsets and headsets cannot currently be used with a Mac computer.
Yes, it does - but not if you have either of the handsets FF128 or E212. If you have one of these devices you will need to upgrade to one of our other great handsets or the DP450 Dual Phone which lets you use the Tesco Internet Phone service without your PC.
If you have a firewall, you may need to make some small changes before you can use your Tesco Internet Phone. In order for your phone to work, port 4569 UDP and TCP need to be open. How you do this will depend on the type of firewall you have. If when installing or using Tesco Internet Phone you get an on-screen message from your Firewall you should choose to 'Unblock' or 'Allow' the TescoIP.exe program.
If you have any problems, you can contact our customer care team on 0845 300 20 20.
Tesco Internet Phone only uses a small amount of your broadband's capacity. But if you are downloading big files, your Tesco Internet Phone service may be affected.
It may be that your computer's 'sound settings' are set to use your handset instead of your speakers. Simply change the settings to go back to normal.
If you are running Windows, all you need to do is:
One of your settings may not be right. To solve the problem, try running the audio wizard.
If this has not solved the problem, start the audio wizard by clicking the 'Start Audio Wizard' button. Click 'Next' and follow the steps.
If you have an Internet phone adaptor, certain older handsets will not ring when a call comes through.
Make sure the volume is not set too low by checking the volume slide (
sign) on the left-hand side of the softphone (left = quieter, right = louder). Then check your computer does not have volume set to 'mute' by following these steps:
This could also be caused because you need to allow Tesco Internet Phone access through your software firewall or router.
If you are a pay as you go customer you may have used up all the credit in your Tesco Internet Phone account. So this does not happen again, it is a good idea to sign up for automatic top-up, which means your account will be automatically topped up when it reaches a certain level.
If you have an Internet Phone Adapter and you are still having problems, unplug the device from the power supply, wait 30 seconds and then reconnect the power. The light will flash red, amber, and then go continually green. Once the light is continually green, you can start using your phone again.
You cannot do this at the moment, but we are always updating our service.
If you are using one of our headsets or handsets, you can have as many accounts as you like - although only one can be logged into one PC at one time. With the IPA, you can have only one account associated with each IPA. If you have spare Ethernet ports on your router/cable modem you can have more than one IPA, but each will need a separate Tesco Internet Phone account.
Yes, you can - you just need to 'logout' from one account and log in with the new account details. To do this, select 'Log out' from the 'Menu' button on the softphone. Then enter the Tesco Internet Phone number you want to use - and its password - where you are asked.
No, but you can send Instant Messages to other Tesco Internet Phone numbers. To do this, right-click on the contact details and select 'Send Message'.
You need to install Java on your computer so you can use the Tesco Internet Phone website. It's free to install, and easy to do.
To switch on Java in Microsoft Internet Explorer:
To switch on Java in Mozilla Firefox:
For more information on Java, go to http://www.java.com/en/download/index.jsp
You can configure standard SIP desk phones to use the Tesco Internet Phone service. Just use the TIP number and Passwords as your username and password respectively. You will need to use sip.tescointernetphone.com as the domain. Please also use G729 as your preferred coded, using other codecs may result in calls terminating prematurely.
When you run out of credit the call will automatically hang up. The next time you attempt to make a call a recorded message will let you know that you are out of credit. So make sure you always have your Tesco Internet Phone account topped-up.
www.tescointernetphone.com and click on the 'Lost your password?' link, near the login area. After entering your login and submitting the form you will receive your password in an email from the customer care team at Tesco. If this doesn't work ring the Support Team on 0845 300 20 20 and they will be more than happy to help.
Calling from a standard landline or mobile will incur standard charges set by the caller's telephone service. Calls made between Tesco Internet Phones are free.
In the first instance, restart your Internet Phone Adapter. If that is not successful then call the helpline number.
To retrieve voicemail, dial '*123' on your handset when connected to the Internet Phone Adapter. You will not be charged for retrieving voicemails. Please note that the Internet Phone Adapter will not automatically tell you when you have missed a call or have voicemail.
Yes, but you will need to purchase an ethernet hub so that you can connect it to the Internet Phone Adapter.
Yes, but the account registered with the Internet Phone Adapter cannot be accessed with the on-screen phone, while all other accounts will need to use the on-screen phone.
Yes, the Internet Phone Adapter is independent of your computer's operating system.
When the power is first connected to the IPA, the light will blink RED to indicate that the IPA is in the process of starting up. During this time the IPA will not respond.
If the IPA light flashed RED quickly, this indicates that an update or new setup information is being downloaded. This could take from 30 seconds to 5 minutes to complete.
If the IPA light flashes ORANGE this indicates that the IPA cannot connect to the Tesco Internet Phone network. This may happen if your IPA cannot access the Internet or there is a problem with the network.
If the IPA light shows as solid GREEN, this indicates that the IPA is online and able to make calls.
The IPA light flashes GREEN to indicate you have lifted the telephone handset and are in a call, or navigating the IPA voice menu.
This could mean that your broadband modem, router or firewall device is blocking the IPA’s access to the Tesco Internet Phone network. To resolve this, you will need to open the
appropriate ports on your modem, router or firewall. The IPA requires that port 4569 UDP and TCP be open for incoming and outgoing traffic. Please see the user manual for your modem,
router or firewall for more information on how to open ports.
If you have connected the IPA in an office or corporate environment, please contact your Network Administrator.
Ensure that the power is switched on at the socket and that the socket is providing power. Unplug and replug the power adapter for the IPA to ensure the plug is connected firmly. If the IPA still does not start please call the contact centre for further instructions.
If the red light is flashing rapidly, the IPA is updating. Do not disconnect the power or reset the IPA. This process may take a few minutes and it will reload itself automatically.
If the light flashes red slowly, unplug and replug the power adapter for the IPA to reload the system.
If there is a dial tone, try a full reset as described below in ’How can I reset the IPA’.
Your IPA may not be able to access the Internet. Ensure it is not being blocked by a router or firewall. If your IPA is connected in an office or corporate environment, please see your Network Administrator.
The IPA could not log in to the calling server. Ensure that if you have a firewall running that UDP and TCP port 4569 has been allowed. Please contact your network administrator for more information.
Pick up the telephone receiver on the phone connected to the IPA, and dial '* * *' to hear the IPA read back the IP address that you have configured.
Firstly you must obtain the IP address of your IPA as described in question 8. Once you have done this open an internet browser window and type in the IP address given above. The format will be http://x.x.x.x (e.g. http://192.168.0.4). You will then be prompted to type in a user name and password. The default values are 'admin' (lower case, do not include quotations) for both fields. If you have already provisioned your IPA, the password will be the same as your Tesco Internet Phone password, while the login remains 'admin'.
If the IP is 0.0.0.0, your IPA does not have a valid IP address. In this case you need to:
Customers using Static IP on their home network may wish to configure the IPA with a static IP.
If you have obtained a static IP from your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and wish to configure your adapter with your static IP settings, please follow the instructions below:
Method 1 – IPA Administration system
To use the first method (IPA Admin system) please complete the following steps. Note that this is the preferred method of updating the information on your IPA.
To verify the configuration was correct, please pick up the telephone receiver on the phone connected to the IPA, and dial '* * *' to hear the IPA read back the IP address that you have configured. If the IP read out is not the same as what you have entered in, please repeat steps (a) through (i) above once again to ensure the settings are correct.
Method 2 – Configuration via Handset
To use the second method (configuration via handset) please complete the following steps. Note that this is the
secondary method of updating the information on your IPA.
To verify the configuration was correct, please pick up the telephone receiver on the phone connected to the IPA, and dial '* * *' to hear the IPA read back the IP address that you have configured. If the IP read out is not the same as what you have entered in, please repeat steps (a) through (k) once again to ensure the settings are correct.
If your IPA stops working, you may be able to resolve the problem by performing a 'Factory Reset'. This will cause the IPA to reconfigure itself for the Tesco Internet Phone
service.
To perform a 'Factory Reset':
First, try adjusting the volume directly from your telephone handset. Most phones will have a volume slider, or volume option within the phone menu.
If your phone does not have a volume adjustment, or you still need to raise/lower the volume, please follow the below steps.
The IPA administration pages contain a setting that allows you to adjust the audio quality based on the type of Internet connection you have. If you have a very fast Internet connection
(512kbps download/128kbps upload or greater) you can try and increase the 'Connection Type' setting. On a fast, high quality Internet connection this can provide better audio.
If you have a slower or low-quality Internet connection, you may need to lower the 'Connection type' setting in the IPA. Having the incorrect 'Connection Type' selected will cause poor
audio quality.
To change the 'Connection Type' setting:
If the IPA is connected directly to your computer, ensure that you are using an Ethernet Crossover cable. You may need to manually assign an IP address. Refer to question 11 for instructions on how to do this. If you are on a network with a DHCP server, you may need to allow the MAC address. This can be found on the underside of your IPA. Please contact your network administrator for more information.
Ensure that the other party is not using a microphone near a speaker which could cause echo.
Adjust the volume levels in the web administration page as described in question 13.
We will have some help on routers coming soon, in the meantime please call our customer care team on 0845 300 20 20 between 9am - 9pm Monday to Saturday and 10am - 4pm Sunday, you can also email us at tescointernetphone@tesco.net for help if required.
To make emergency calls, you will need to confirm your address in the UK. To do this, go to www.tescointernetphone.com and log in to your account. In the 'My account' section select 'My details', click on 'Update my personal details' and then fill in your address details.
You can update all your address and payment details within the 'My account' section of the www.tescointernetphone.com site.
There are several reasons why you may not be able to log in to your account:
Select 'Menu' on your on screen phone, select 'New Contact' and then follow the on screen instructions.
You can contact us by phone, email or letter. Our customer care team is available between 9am - 9pm Monday to Saturday and 10am - 4pm Sunday. Just call 0845 300 20 20 and one of our friendly staff will be happy to help. Or, you can email us at tescointernetphone@tesco.net or write to us at Tesco Internet Phone, P O Box 437, Stevenage, SG1 9GD
It's free to call our helpdesk from your Tesco Internet Phone.
We hope that you are happy with your Tesco Internet Phone and the service we offer. However, if you are not happy and you want to make a complaint, please contact us by phone, email or
letter.
You can call our customer care team on 0845 300 20 20 between 9am - 9pm Monday to Saturday and 10am - 4pm Sunday. One of our friendly advisers will try to solve the problem during your
phone call*. If they cannot, the next step will be agreed with you.
You can also email us at tescointernetphone@tesco.net or write to us at Tesco Internet Phone, P O Box 437, Stevenage, SG1 9GD
We will do our best to deal with your complaint and make sure you are happy. However if you are still not satisfied, we will write a letter so that you can make a complaint through
Otelo, an independent scheme that resolves disputes.
You will, of course, want the matter dealt with as quickly as possible, so if you have not heard from us within 8 weeks of making your complaint, please contact Otelo direct. You can
write to Otelo at PO Box 730, Warrington.
