BT Digital Voice - the switch to digital landline phones
Discussion
I’m currently having a nightmare with BT as they attempt to reconnect my new home, after a fault occurred somewhere, but during one of my many calls to complain, they suggested that I move to their new Digital Voice service during the reconnect and fault fixing.
I didn’t know much about Digital Voice, but they offered to send me a free phone and suchlike, and I agreed.
They haven’t managed to get it working yet…
“something something cabinet, something exchange, something to do with Openreach” etc
My problems aside, has anyone else switched to Digital Voice? Apparently they are switching everyone over from analogue landlines during the next few years.
One issue I have discovered, before I even use it, is that the new handset connects to the BT Smart Hub 2 via DECT, and not WiFi.
This is an issue for me, and probably many others, because the range of my hub is very limited due to the insulation and foil in the walls of my house, so I have a full mesh WiFi system to ensure good coverage all over my house and garden.
I am assuming the DECT range will be similarly impacted by the construction of the house, and therefore I may need some some of DECT extender, so yet another thing to buy.
I was in the category of people who didn’t even have a landline phone plugged in for years at my old house, but annoyingly my new house and it’s massive insulation kills my mobile signal indoors quite strongly, so I may actually have to start using a landline again!
I didn’t know much about Digital Voice, but they offered to send me a free phone and suchlike, and I agreed.
They haven’t managed to get it working yet…
“something something cabinet, something exchange, something to do with Openreach” etc My problems aside, has anyone else switched to Digital Voice? Apparently they are switching everyone over from analogue landlines during the next few years.
One issue I have discovered, before I even use it, is that the new handset connects to the BT Smart Hub 2 via DECT, and not WiFi.
This is an issue for me, and probably many others, because the range of my hub is very limited due to the insulation and foil in the walls of my house, so I have a full mesh WiFi system to ensure good coverage all over my house and garden.
I am assuming the DECT range will be similarly impacted by the construction of the house, and therefore I may need some some of DECT extender, so yet another thing to buy.
I was in the category of people who didn’t even have a landline phone plugged in for years at my old house, but annoyingly my new house and it’s massive insulation kills my mobile signal indoors quite strongly, so I may actually have to start using a landline again!
Lord Marylebone said:
I’m currently having a nightmare with BT as they attempt to reconnect my new home, after a fault occurred somewhere, but during one of my many calls to complain, they suggested that I move to their new Digital Voice service during the reconnect and fault fixing.
!
It's relatively simple. If your hub fails or your internet goes down your phone does to.!
This is why they want you on their digital network
https://www.efax.co.uk/blog/bt-2025-switch-off-how...
In 2025 analogue phone lines will be ceased. As will ISDN.
Open reach and their partners are busy putting in fibre everywhere..
The plus side is it should put an end to spoofing caller ids so no more calls from Microsoft and your broadband may work. Maybe.
https://www.efax.co.uk/blog/bt-2025-switch-off-how...
In 2025 analogue phone lines will be ceased. As will ISDN.
Open reach and their partners are busy putting in fibre everywhere..
The plus side is it should put an end to spoofing caller ids so no more calls from Microsoft and your broadband may work. Maybe.
I don't use the landline, not even plugged in. Infact i dont even think we have the old phone any more.
I got emails, letters recently saying that we were being switched over on a certain date, then confirmation it was done. Not optional.
As far as I can tell you plug a normal phone into the hub, rather than the wall socket.
I got emails, letters recently saying that we were being switched over on a certain date, then confirmation it was done. Not optional.
As far as I can tell you plug a normal phone into the hub, rather than the wall socket.
The big difference will be the terminal kit is powered from your domestic supply so if the power goes off so does your landline.
Currently lines are powered from the exchange which has backup power so the current phone line still works (well with a corded phone anyway) in a power cut.
This is a significant change to the availabilty of a phone line in an emergency, mobile phones have no guarantee of service but landlines are high availabilty/high reliability.
Currently lines are powered from the exchange which has backup power so the current phone line still works (well with a corded phone anyway) in a power cut.
This is a significant change to the availabilty of a phone line in an emergency, mobile phones have no guarantee of service but landlines are high availabilty/high reliability.
gottans said:
The big difference will be the terminal kit is powered from your domestic supply so if the power goes off so does your landline.
Currently lines are powered from the exchange which has backup power so the current phone line still works (well with a corded phone anyway) in a power cut.
Thing is, most people no longer have a corded phone. You can get a battery backup unit from BT if you live in an area prone to power cuts or no mobile signal. Better still put your own UPS in to power a few things like your router, ont and a dect base station running for a few hours. Currently lines are powered from the exchange which has backup power so the current phone line still works (well with a corded phone anyway) in a power cut.
boxst said:
Have Openreach stopped installing the battery backed modem? I thought that was for when the power went out and you needed the digital phone line?
I have a small UPS on my router so we still get internet when the power goes out.
You get a much smaller fibre ONT now, similar size on the wall to an old nte5 master socket but slimmer. I have a small UPS on my router so we still get internet when the power goes out.
I believe the battery backed one is still an option if you have a genuine need for a phone line that works without power - fall monitoring, medical kit, etc.
Phone numbers are going to become like email addresses in the new world of digital voice/IP telephony/VOIP/SIP in that it will be far better to have your voice service separate from your ISP for flexibility and ease of migration between providers.
Port your existing BT number to a standards based SIP provider like Sipgate - this works extremely well as there is no rental charge, you just pay for calls. They offer a vanilla SIP service that allows you to use any standard SIP device or software client to connect to the service - including clients for your PC, phone, tablet etc.
As mentioned above, if you have poor mobile signal move to a provider with decent WiFi calling - I think all the networks offer it now, but from experience EE's implementation (and their MVNO's like BT) works flawlessly.
Port your existing BT number to a standards based SIP provider like Sipgate - this works extremely well as there is no rental charge, you just pay for calls. They offer a vanilla SIP service that allows you to use any standard SIP device or software client to connect to the service - including clients for your PC, phone, tablet etc.
As mentioned above, if you have poor mobile signal move to a provider with decent WiFi calling - I think all the networks offer it now, but from experience EE's implementation (and their MVNO's like BT) works flawlessly.
colin79666 said:
gottans said:
The big difference will be the terminal kit is powered from your domestic supply so if the power goes off so does your landline.
Currently lines are powered from the exchange which has backup power so the current phone line still works (well with a corded phone anyway) in a power cut.
Thing is, most people no longer have a corded phone. You can get a battery backup unit from BT if you live in an area prone to power cuts or no mobile signal. Better still put your own UPS in to power a few things like your router, ont and a dect base station running for a few hours. Currently lines are powered from the exchange which has backup power so the current phone line still works (well with a corded phone anyway) in a power cut.
quinny100 said:
Phone numbers are going to become like email addresses in the new world of digital voice/IP telephony/VOIP/SIP in that it will be far better to have your voice service separate from your ISP for flexibility and ease of migration between providers..
Yes I'd agree with that, although I think the younger demographic are quite happy to abandon a landline completely. For the older generation it will be used to lock people in to a provider. I notice the phones BT offer now on FTTP installations only work with the BT Hub too, so a double lock-in there!The changeover appears to be being handled extremely poorly.
The mother in law has no idea about such things, I’m left to deal with technical issues. If we hadn’t been there to sort it, she would have been without phone service for a couple of days, which in her state could be a serious issue.
Even with me on the case, we were flying more or less blind. There were no headings on the BT website for digital voice. A couple of half arsed pages made themselves known via google search, but no useful information.
Turned out BT will send out a Wi-fi plug that you can plug a legacy phone into if your phone isn’t in reach of your hub. Except they are out of stock until the end of November.
I called the helpline and asked what our options were for a setup including the m-i-l’s preferred phone, a big button corded phone and a set of three cordless phones dotted around the house to save her rushing to the main phone and in case she needed emergency help. They said you can’t plug two different phones into the hub, you will need one of the out of stock adapters.
Except that was also wrong, as the cordless phones can be connected directly to the hub via dect. I only found this out from a third party review of the smarthub2, again not from a BT source
BT don’t seem to have any idea what they are doing especially when it comes to vulnerable customers.
The mother in law has no idea about such things, I’m left to deal with technical issues. If we hadn’t been there to sort it, she would have been without phone service for a couple of days, which in her state could be a serious issue.
Even with me on the case, we were flying more or less blind. There were no headings on the BT website for digital voice. A couple of half arsed pages made themselves known via google search, but no useful information.
Turned out BT will send out a Wi-fi plug that you can plug a legacy phone into if your phone isn’t in reach of your hub. Except they are out of stock until the end of November.
I called the helpline and asked what our options were for a setup including the m-i-l’s preferred phone, a big button corded phone and a set of three cordless phones dotted around the house to save her rushing to the main phone and in case she needed emergency help. They said you can’t plug two different phones into the hub, you will need one of the out of stock adapters.
Except that was also wrong, as the cordless phones can be connected directly to the hub via dect. I only found this out from a third party review of the smarthub2, again not from a BT source
BT don’t seem to have any idea what they are doing especially when it comes to vulnerable customers.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Virgin where always keen for me to keep the phone service, it was the same cost with or without, so I always kept it. Last renewal I had a haggle and they put me on a new tariff with no phone service, I asked if I could keep it but they said no, rarely used it so no hardship. I do get a free mobile SIM. Only downside is I have lost my home phone number that I've had for 30 years.
megaphone said:
Virgin where always keen for me to keep the phone service, it was the same cost with or without, so I always kept it. Last renewal I had a haggle and they put me on a new tariff with no phone service, I asked if I could keep it but they said no, rarely used it so no hardship. I do get a free mobile SIM.
Only downside is I have lost my home phone number that I've had for 30 years.
Could you not port the number to sipgate and retain it in some wayOnly downside is I have lost my home phone number that I've had for 30 years.
We were switched early, about a year ago.
1. The phones communicate with the hub by DECT which means they can’t be that far from the hub. In our house, thick walls, sprawling, phone no longer works in our bedroom, for example, which is where it needs to be to deal with late night calls from ancient relatives or teenagers.
2. As previously noted, no power, no phones. Not clear how easy it is to get BT to provide a back up power pack. Probably not easy. Their glib assurance is just use a mobile in emergency, but of little comfort if no mobile coverage.
3. Traditional wired extensions won’t work. The adaptor solution only works if within DECT range. GOTO 1.
Everyone is being switched by 2025. There is going to be a lot of noise about this ill-thought out strategy.
Once they’ve switched you they say no going back, despite the copper lines still having a dial tone.
Long standing complaints about this no closer to resolution.
1. The phones communicate with the hub by DECT which means they can’t be that far from the hub. In our house, thick walls, sprawling, phone no longer works in our bedroom, for example, which is where it needs to be to deal with late night calls from ancient relatives or teenagers.
2. As previously noted, no power, no phones. Not clear how easy it is to get BT to provide a back up power pack. Probably not easy. Their glib assurance is just use a mobile in emergency, but of little comfort if no mobile coverage.
3. Traditional wired extensions won’t work. The adaptor solution only works if within DECT range. GOTO 1.
Everyone is being switched by 2025. There is going to be a lot of noise about this ill-thought out strategy.
Once they’ve switched you they say no going back, despite the copper lines still having a dial tone.
Long standing complaints about this no closer to resolution.
Bikerjon said:
Yes I'd agree with that, although I think the younger demographic are quite happy to abandon a landline completely.
I guess it depends what the mobile coverage is at home. In our 60’s estate built house (so not what you’d call substantial) about 300 metres from an O2 mast, it’s 50/50 if our mobiles will ring if we’re in the front half of the house. I’ve got Starlink running on a UPS that is generator backed. I expect to have internet service and phone, well into the next apocalypse.
I don’t get how this works for people like my mum. I arranged for her to have broadband for a variety of reasons, but most of her friends just have a landline. They don’t have a “hub” to plug anything into.
I don’t get how this works for people like my mum. I arranged for her to have broadband for a variety of reasons, but most of her friends just have a landline. They don’t have a “hub” to plug anything into.
Gassing Station | Computers, Gadgets & Stuff | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff