Orange Livebox

Livebox 1.1

Livebox 1.2

Livebox_2

Orange Livebox is an ADSL wireless router available to customers of Orange's Broadband services in the United Kingdom, Kenya, Guinea, France, Tunisia, Spain, Jordan, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Orange's Mauritian partner MyT, Lightspeed communications in Bahrain and TPSA in Poland and Orange Botswana. Depending on the model, it is manufactured by Inventel or by Sagem.

Features

• 802.11b/g (Wifi n for Livebox 2) Wi-Fi router
• Ethernet ports
• RJ11 socket for VoIP calls using 'Second Line' (The name of Orange's VOIP Service).
• USB host port specifically for using a standard USB printer on the network, which Orange is calling "Liveprinter"
• USB port for connection to a PC

Although hardware for these services is built into every Livebox, some (Bluetooth and Live Printer) are only activated by firmware updates. Currently, the latest firmware is v5.10.7-uk for the UK.

With hacking, and possibly in future firmware releases, it may be possible to use other hardware, such as hard drives, with the USB host port. Due to deliberate restrictions embedded in the firmware, Liveboxes in the UK are locked to Orange. As a result, they will not work with other ISP's. However, hackers have found ways to circumvent this restriction by overwriting the firmware.[1]

Second Line

Second Line is Orange's VoIP service through the Livebox. In the United Kingdom and Spain it is free to call landlines and other Livebox numbers. Additionally, the UK Livebox allows free calls to Orange mobile phones and 30 international countries (providing the call is made from the Orange Second Line to a landline in that country. A list of these countries can be found here.

The original Livebox second line plan "Talk Unlimited" on Orange Broadband Unlimited plan at UK's Livebox launch was calls to 100 international countries, UK 01 and 02 landlines including Orange UK mobiles (where a customer had an Orange mobile plan) as listed above in the pdf, 03 UK landlines were added when UK telecom regulator released the 03 prefix. 1000 minutes Fair Usage Policy was later introduced which effected both the 30/100 countries package when 30 countries plan launched. Free calls will be disconnected after two hours, at which time one can then redial. Orange Broadband Unlimited was discounted by £15 for Orange Mobile customers at this point to just £5.

Using the device in Jordan, it is free to call other Orange Livebox subscribers. It costs 10p per minute to call any other mobiles. UK Livebox phone numbers begin with 0845, but other UK standard area codes can be selected from the Orange Broadband members center, which allows free calls between UK to UK Livebox numbers. Using the default 0845 number provided by Orange means Livebox to Livebox call will be charged at the 0845 (lo-call) rate rather than free.

However, the free Orange Mobile calls only apply to users using the Home Select or Home Max Packages, and they must be Orange Pay Monthly users (as per the old 100 countries Unlimited plan). Users can enter their contract ID into their Member Center configuration pages.

In the firmware update of February 2008, the ability to adjust the audio quality of the VoIP service was added.

Orange Unique launched in 2006 with expensive Animal Canary or Panther mobile Unique plans allows free calls over UMA (wifi connected calls from Orange UMA enabled mobile); this allowed Orange mobile users free calls to UK landline 01 02 03 and Orange UK mobile calls and 30 countries as per the newer Livebox package when calls started over wifi (and continued to be free when call transferred seamlessly over to Orange UK mobile network). Later the Unique plan above was FREE on any price plan, then optional £1 for Orange UK calls, £3 for UK landlines & Orange or £5 for both and included the 30 International landlines. Orange dropped these Unique packages later (circa 2008?) and all Unique/UMA calls are now billed/deducted as per your mobile contract allowances/rates. Original Unique customers continue to have these additional bolt/add on plans kept on mobile plans/accounts, unavailable for new customers.

Discontinued For New Customers

The Second Line was a VOIP service which included a separate telephone number, was withdrawn for new customers on 17 September 2010^[1].

In September 2011, Orange Shops in the UK began offering the Netgear DGN1000 router which has no facility to accommodate a Second Line making the service a legacy only facility. Existing customers will have to keep their old service plan and Livebox to continue using the service.

Orange help pages still refer to the Livebox when setting up broadband and include references to the Second Line^[2].

Digital television

UK

In the firmware update of February 2008, IPTV support was added via the Yellow Ethernet port and would be for Orange customers who had was in the network area (LLU). This was in advance of a Digital Television service from Orange that was supposed to launch later in 2008. Orange did undertake trials of the service, but announced in November 2008 that they would not be rolling the service out.

Spain

An IPTV service is available to most Spanish customers via an extra decoder box that connects to the yellow Ethernet port of the Livebox. The service allows for streaming of several free channels, while others require a paid subscription.

Some sport events and movies are available on a pay-per-view scheme.^[3]

The decoder can be connected to an aerial allowing for free-to-air channel reception via digital terrestrial television.

The new generation: Livebox 2

In 2009, Orange launched in France and Spain the last and more advanced release of the Livebox: The Livebox 2. This device is Wi-Fi N enabled, the latest and most powerful Wi-Fi mode, with a wireless max. bandwidth of 130Mbps, which doubles the current Wi-Fi capabilities in b/g modes.

It includes 2 USB ports for disk and printer sharing, 2 FXS ports to connect standard phones, Wi-Fi on/off button, 4 ethernet ports and the last improvements in router technology.

The new Livebox has a new aesthetic design and includes the new pairing mode for Wi-Fi: WPS. With WPS now you can pair WPS devices in Wi-Fi with no need of introducing the Wi-Fi key and keeping security. It improves the customer experience.

The new router also includes DLNA, so all the devices connected to the Livebox (via Ethernet or Wi-Fi) can share the contents of the USB disks connected to the Livebox. The devices can also access a shared printer connected to the USB port of the Livebox.

The new JJJivebox is also the gateway for the Orange TV with exclusive contents, connecting the Set Top Box to one of the 4 Ethernet ports.

With the on/off power and Wi-Fi buttons the power consumption is reduced making it more eco friendly.

Orange currently have no plans to release the Livebox 2.0 in the UK market, Instead Opting to keep the current Livebox 1.0 (Livebox 1.2 No longer stocked) and the Siemens Gigaset 572 Router.

External links

• Livebox 2 Official Site of Livebox 2 in Orange Spain
• Liveprinter setup
• Livebox Help
• LiveBox GPL Inside

References

1. ^ http://help.orange.co.uk/orangeuk/support/personal/242687
2. ^ http://help.orange.co.uk/orangeuk/support/personal/search.action?DoSearch=1&SearchDocId=&Keyword=livebox&SearchTaxId=10&x=0&y=0
3. ^ http://tv.orange.es