This topic

Connecting Digital Voice adapter without using WPS

glitchcrab — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 14:14:50 GMT

I have an adapter to connect my DECT phone when my connection transitions over to digital voice, but I won't be using this with the Smart Hub because I have my own networking equipment. Is there any way to connect the adapter to my wifi without using WPS?

Re: Connecting Digital Voice adapter without using WPS

imjolly — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 14:17:24 GMT

digital voice from BT will only work with SH2 unless you have your own VOIP provider

Re: Connecting Digital Voice adapter without using WPS

Keith_Beddoe — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 14:19:22 GMT

@glitchcrab

No, the adapter connects using DECT not Wi-Fi, back to the smart hub 2.

Re: Connecting Digital Voice adapter without using WPS

glitchcrab — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 14:20:24 GMT

well that's a non-starter for me. is it possible to use the smart hub in bridge mode? i could connect it as a client of my main firewall.

Re: Connecting Digital Voice adapter without using WPS

licquorice — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 14:24:55 GMT

Digital voice doesn't use wifi, the WPS button is a dual purpose button on the the SH2

Re: Connecting Digital Voice adapter without using WPS

licquorice — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 14:25:16 GMT

@glitchcrab wrote:
well that's a non-starter for me. is it possible to use the smart hub in bridge mode? i could connect it as a client of my main firewall.

Re: Connecting Digital Voice adapter without using WPS

licquorice — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 14:26:58 GMT

If you wish to use a third party router, you will need to use a third party VOIP provider instead of BT's Digital Voice.

Re: Connecting Digital Voice adapter without using WPS

Keith_Beddoe — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 14:27:18 GMT

The smart hub is the only device configured to communicate with the BT Digital Voice network. Its done that way by design, to ensure a secure connection.

Re: Connecting Digital Voice adapter without using WPS

glitchcrab — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 14:28:26 GMT

sure, i get that - the problem is more that I cannot use the SH2 as a client of my current firewall.

Re: Connecting Digital Voice adapter without using WPS

Keith_Beddoe — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 14:39:39 GMT

@glitchcrab wrote:
sure, i get that - the problem is more that I cannot use the SH2 as a client of my current firewall.

Because the SH2 needs a direct connection to the broadband path back to the exchange, as the DV service is carried over the BT Wholesale IP network.

Re: Connecting Digital Voice adapter without using WPS

glitchcrab — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 15:04:15 GMT

well this does rather alienate users who would prefer to use better equipment.

Re: Connecting Digital Voice adapter without using WPS

jac_95 — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 16:21:12 GMT

All communication providers (cp) that offer a 'landline' service who uses Openreach's/VM infra will need to move to a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service rather than the analogue PSTN network. In terms of BT Consumer their VoIP service is BT Digital Voice. Looking at other CPs implementation at present it looks like you will need to use that cp's own kit so BT Consumer's lock in to their own kit is no different to some of the others out there. Now the question is will this become more flexible in the future as more and more start using it and how the processes of moving to a third party VoIP provider will adapt over time? Only time will tell.

Re: Connecting Digital Voice adapter without using WPS

swinster — Sat, 09 Jul 2022 13:17:48 GMT

I have just switched to BT for fibre broadband and am now realising this is a bit of a major issue. Personally, I use a separate pfsense router/firewall. This connects just fine to the OTN without the need for the BT Hub, but I can't quite believe the BT Hub cannot be used in bridged mode. I see no other choice other than to cancel the voice service from BT

Any thoughts on other digital voice providers?

Re: Connecting Digital Voice adapter without using WPS

licquorice — Sat, 09 Jul 2022 13:21:53 GMT

How would a bridge mode for the hub help?

If it was in bridge mode it wouldn't have access to the IP layer and hence VoIP

Re: Connecting Digital Voice adapter without using WPS

swinster — Sat, 09 Jul 2022 13:42:54 GMT

In which case, that kinda sucks, and you would have thought that the DV equipment themselves would have been pure IP and could exist on any internal network.

Re: Connecting Digital Voice adapter without using WPS

licquorice — Sat, 09 Jul 2022 13:47:33 GMT

BT use a proprietary more secure form of VoIP that therefore needs BT kit to implement.

Re: Connecting Digital Voice adapter without using WPS

swinster — Sat, 09 Jul 2022 13:58:22 GMT

SIP over TLS is pretty damn secure!

Re: Connecting Digital Voice adapter without using WPS

swinster — Sat, 09 Jul 2022 13:59:27 GMT

Anyhow, if BT are unable to service a need, I wonder, are there any other recommendation of digital voice providers?

Re: Connecting Digital Voice adapter without using WPS

swinster — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 23:31:05 GMT

FWIW, I thought there might be a way around this. Whilst I didn't want to run the BT Smart Hub 2 as my edge device, I don't mind it hanging off of my internal LAN. Essentially, it's a DECT base station + router, although the WAN port uses a PPPoE client and there is no obvious way to change this, which means needing to provide a PPPoE server and "fake" the upstream BT authentication service.

PfSense allows you to do this and indeed I can get the BT Smart Hub 2 to authenticate with Pfsense and route traffic to the internet. As far as the BT hub is concerned, it is online and happy.

The only things I would connect to the Hub are the BT HD Digital Voice phones and Digital Voice adapters (no Wifi, no LAN devices). As they are DECT based, then these are able to register to the Hub and the hub connects to my internal router. I am not 100% certain this will work as by Digital Voice service has been cancelled. Unfortunately for me, this has come a bit too late as BT themselves offered no plausible solution so the only option open was to move to a standard-based VoIP provider and use what BT should have been able to provide - a standalone Analogue Telephone Adapter (ATA).

Hopefully, this might help someone else though.

Re: Connecting Digital Voice adapter without using WPS

Bob1001 — Wed, 13 Jul 2022 07:35:07 GMT

@licquoricewrote:
BT use a proprietary more secure form of VoIP that therefore needs BT kit to implement.

Well more likely to make it more difficult to change from BT, It looks as though when all the suppliers change to VOIP it will pretty well wipe out 3rd party routers and make it more difficult to move, keep phone number etc.

Perhaps something OFCOM should be looking at as it restricts trade, I am told they are but who knows what the outcome will be.