How to setup a VOIP phone via Mac's Internet Sharing from Wi-Fi to Ethernet
Keep in mind this is a method that worked for me with my VOIP phone provider which is phone.com with a polycom VVX 400. Results may vary, but worth an attempt.
My full setup works like this : Router sends Wi-Fi signal, Macbook Pro receives the Wi-Fi signal for internet, ethernet cable from macbook provides internet from the Wi-Fi signal to a PoE ethernet switch, and ethernet switch is connected to the phone. The ethernet switch isn't required but I wanted it so I could use Power of Ethernet (PoE) so I wouldn't need any power cables for the phone. Not all ethernet switches have PoE.
Skip to Step 2 if your phone is already setup and working when directly connected to the modem/router.
Step 1 - Verify the Phone Works Normally
Most likely you have to first provision the phone and activate it with the service provider. Once you activate it and can hear a dial tone and make outgoing calls, we can move on to the next step.
Step 2 - Configure Router to Disable SIP ALG
On my Netgear C7000 router, I went to the "Advanced" Tab -> "Setup" and then to "WAN Setup" and checkmarked "Disable SIP ALG". Click Apply. Might be a good time to restart the router if it doesn't do it automatically.
I was told by customer service that SIP ALG is finicky on different routers and messes with the phones, so they advised to simply disable it to prevent issues.
Step 3 - Activate Internet Sharing on your Mac & Service Order
Go to the apple on the top left of the screen and click "System Preferences". Go to "Network", then click on the little gear on the bottom left. A dropdown appears, and click on "Set Service Order" and drag "Wi-Fi" to the very top of the list and click "ok".
Now go to "System Preferences" again and click on "Sharing". Click on the word "Internet Sharing" on the left side (don't checkmark it) and you'll see some information on the right side. "Share Your Connection From" should be set to "Wi-Fi", and then checkmark "Ethernet" undeaneath it. Finally checkmark "Internet Sharing" on the left. It'll bring up a "are you sure?" and just confirm it by clicking "Start".
Step 4 - Connect the Phone
Connect the computer via ethernet to the ethernet switch or phone, then power on the phone. Once the phone starts, it may not have a signal yet. This was the case for me. I then went to the Mac's "System Preferences" -> "Network" and clicked on "Wi-Fi" on the left and clicked the "Advanced" button on the bottom right. Then click on "TCP/IP" and click on "Renew DHCP Lease". I restarted the phone again and it was working.
I have dealt with this phone on other ethernet switches like a Netgear GS116 which for some reason the phone or the switch REALLY didn't like each other. The phone simply would not connect to the switch (no light turns on the switch when phone is connected). For that to work I had to configure the phone manually. First did a factory reset, reprovisioned the phone with customer support and then I went into the admininistration -> ethernet menu and set a static IP for it's IP, used google's DNS of 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 with my ISP's domain DNS. Then set the LAN mode to 100FD and restarted the phone after saving the changes. Only then, did it want to work.
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