This topic

Using BT digital phones with a different VOIP provider

JillW — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 13:29:38 GMT

My elderly mother has BT broadband and phone, and is on Digital Voice (using a BT essential digital home phone). We've thinking of moving to a third party VOIP provider for the phone element. Does anyone know if the BT digital phones work with other VOIP providers or are they 'locked' in some way to BT? Just trying to work out if we need an adaptor from the new provider.

Re: Using BT digital phones with a different VOIP provider

jac_95 — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 13:32:39 GMT

Hi JillW,

Thanks for the post and welcome to the Community.

This is an automated response as I can see you have a question about BT’s Digital Voice service. Rather than waiting for a response from the Community, you may find an answer to your question by using the search bar on the Community homepage. We also have a thread that contains a wealth of info related to BT’s Digital Voice, click this link to take a look, Digital Voice FAQs.

Got some questions or want to learn more about BT’s Digital Voice rollout? BT are running localised events as part of the regional rollout of Digital Voice - Click here to view the Digital Voice events

To learn more about the nationwide change to this Internet based voice service visit landlinesgo.digital

If you have already looked for the answer to your question and have not found anything that can help, then please ignore this message. One of our Community members will be along shortly to help you further.

Re: Using BT digital phones with a different VOIP provider

licquorice — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 13:35:31 GMT

BT Digital Voice is totally proprietary, if you switch to a different provider you will need an ATA supplied by them.

The BT phones use a DECT base station built into the hub.

Re: Using BT digital phones with a different VOIP provider

Keith_Beddoe — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 13:44:57 GMT

@JillW

Ceasing or moving your phone service, will cancel your broadband.

Re: Using BT digital phones with a different VOIP provider

JillW — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 13:51:36 GMT

Thanks for your response. I'm not techy so could you explain what an 'ATA' is?

Secondly, what is a DECT base station which you say is built into the hub?

Re: Using BT digital phones with a different VOIP provider

JillW — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 13:53:47 GMT

Not necessarily, if you have a new phone number with the VOIP provider. It runs over the internet so isn't the same as a normal landline service, so I wouldn't be ceasing or moving the phone service

Re: Using BT digital phones with a different VOIP provider

licquorice — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 14:02:54 GMT

Why would you want 2 phone services?

Unless you cancel DV (which will also cancel your broadband) you will have 2 services if you also go for a third party VoIP provider.

ATA, Analogue Telephone Adapter, the interface between your router and a telephone.

DECT is just normal cordless telephone technology.

Re: Using BT digital phones with a different VOIP provider

JillW — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 14:24:11 GMT

Thanks for explaining the techy bit.

While it might sound counterintuitive to have 2 phone services, there are third party VOIP providers who offer a more comprehensive service than BT (eg online contact book so that saved numbers are not lost if the handset plays up, umlimited call duration - BT is only up to an hour) and are cheaper.

BT doesn't offer broadband without a landline option, but moving to another broadband provider is a hassle as it would involve a new router etc and prices are comparable to the BT most basic package anyway.

So all in all, it would be cheaper for my mum if we could simply renew the BT broadband (including the phone, even though we don't want it), and to then take out a VOIP contract with a different VOIP provider, and she'd have a better phone service than she has now. It would mean having a new phone number, with the BT one essentially dormant.

However, it only makes sense if we can use the same handset as buying new phones cancels out the savings. But it sounds as if that isn't possible from what you've said, and having also spoken to the potential VOIP provider.

The key thing I really want is for the numbers saved in my mum's BT handset to be backed up somewhere as she keeps having problems with the phone and the only option that BT can offer is to reset the handset which means all the numbers are lost and we have to re-enter them manually which is very laborious and time consuming. This will be the second time this year we have had to do this, hence thinking about moving away from BT for the phone side of things.

Re: Using BT digital phones with a different VOIP provider

iniltous — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 14:35:41 GMT

If your intention is to remove the ‘phone element ‘ that’s the BT DV service, but keep BT Broadband, as stated , this can be tricky to arrange without having a break in broadband service ( as it’s changed from a broadband with DV voice service to broadband only service ) , something to have in mind , it probably won’t be a seemless transfer .

If you do cease BT DV , ( which ceases broadband ) and get BT broadband reinstated ( as standalone broadband ) the phone port on the BT Hub will be ‘dead’ , any alternative supplier of VoIP Telephony ( as stated ) will need you ( or them ) to provide the ATA to access their phone service , if you have a BT DV ‘handset’ it won’t ‘work’ with this other VoIP provider either .

You could run a third party VoIP service and BT DV at the same time , but that seems pointless, porting the existing telephone number to a VoIP provider ( assuming the existing phone number is important and needs to be provided by the third party VoIP company ) will result in the associated BT broadband being ceased .

Re: Using BT digital phones with a different VOIP provider

VeteranISPUser — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 14:51:57 GMT

@JillWwrote:
The key thing I really want is for the numbers saved in my mum's BT handset to be backed up somewhere.

Hi @JillW Unless I am mistaken, you said it was a DV HD phone? In which case the contacts are stored on the SH2 and can be backed up and restored. It wouldn’t matter if the handset completely failed. A new DV HD phone would load the saved contacts.

Re: Using BT digital phones with a different VOIP provider

JillW — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 15:04:15 GMT

Yes, I think that sums it all up pretty well! Thanks

Re: Using BT digital phones with a different VOIP provider

iniltous — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 15:12:46 GMT

Just to correct a few inaccuracies, calls on DV are not limited to an hour , or become charged for , any time after that first hour ( if on the unlimited calls plan ) the ‘redial after an hour to avoid charges’ doesn’t apply to DV ,that’s the legacy PSTN unlimited plan.

Anecdotally, it’s been noted various times that the BT unlimited calls plan ( list price £18 ) can be negotiated to £12 , so if a typical alternative VoIP providers residential call plan is £10 a month then 1p a minute, the costs are not that different (after 200 mins of landline calls ) and depending on the mix of call types ( lots of calls to mobiles for example , which usually are more than 1p a minute on VoIP provider plans ) , the £12 BT Unlimited plan may actually be better value.

BT do offer broadband without a telephone service .

BT DV doesn’t need specific BTDV handset to work , any modern phone from any manufacturer works , so a phone that stores its own numbers ( rather than on the hub ) will obviously be immune any factory resets of the BT router

Re: Using BT digital phones with a different VOIP provider

JillW — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 15:09:08 GMT

@VeteranISPUser the phone is a BT "essential digital home phone" - I'm not sure if it's type A or B. The BT tech team have told me that the numbers stored in the handset are not backed up anywhere and there is no way to restore them if we reset the handset - two different people have told me this on two separate calls. If that is wrong and there is a way to do it that would be incredibly helpful.

What is the SH2 and how do we back up the numbers there then restore them onto the phone?

Re: Using BT digital phones with a different VOIP provider

licquorice — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 15:18:45 GMT

The 'tech' told you complete nonsense.

With BT Digital Voice the contacts are stored on the hub (SH2) NOT the handset. They can be backed up and exported to a PC or laptop if required.

Re: Using BT digital phones with a different VOIP provider

JillW — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 15:40:11 GMT

@iniltous ah, thanks for the info about the anytime minutes not being limited to an hour - I was basing it on what the BT website says here https://www.bt.com/help/landline/more-about-the-cost-of-calls under 'unlimited anytime calls' which doesn't specify it's only for legacy plans. Do you have a link to where it says it's truly unlimited on Digital Voice?

Re not offering without the phone line - this is what the BT person I spoke to on the phone told me, but it might be that he meant I couldn't renew as broadband only but would have to start a whole new contract with new router etc as you suggested. I'd rather not do that.

The VOIP service I was looking at does include calls to mobiles in the plan. It would be just under £10 a month for essentially the same as we're getting with BT DV with the added bonus of an online phone book. BT are quoting me £15.42 for their anytime plan, therefore there would be a saving of somewhere in the region of £5.50 a month which would be significant for my mum. For just under £15 a month the VOIP provider was offering added benefits including the option of a 'trusted person' to join calls if needed which could be a real benefit for us. But maybe if BT are open to negotiation it might be worth trying to negotiate them down on the call price plan. So far they haven't shown any sign of being able to offer anything better.

And finally, the issues seem to be with the handsets rather than the router, but buying new ones would also be expensive. These ones are under 2 years old and were bought when we took out the BT broadband & phone package originally.

Re: Using BT digital phones with a different VOIP provider

VeteranISPUser — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 15:26:11 GMT

@JillWwrote:
@VeteranISPUser the phone is a BT "essential digital home phone" - I'm not sure if it's type A or B. The BT tech team have told me that the numbers stored in the handset are not backed up anywhere and there is no way to restore them if we reset the handset - two different people have told me this on two separate calls. If that is wrong and there is a way to do it that would be incredibly helpful.

Hi @JillW Apologies, then you don’t have DV phones. They are “ordinary” phones that will simply plug into an ATA or telephone socket, however I don’t understand how they would use a network directory. I use a Gigaset Go-Box 100 (ATA) with S700H Pro phones with my VOIP provider. My contacts are stored and backed up on my Go-Box 100.

Re: Using BT digital phones with a different VOIP provider

JillW — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 15:26:30 GMT

@licquorice could you explain how to back up and export the numbers to a PC then back to the phone handset once it's been reset? Or point me to somewhere which shows how?

Re: Using BT digital phones with a different VOIP provider

JillW — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 15:31:33 GMT

@VeteranISPUser I'm not sure - the base for each handset only has a power cord, they don't seem to plug into the router at all. I'm not at my mum's at the moment so can't double check exactly what there is but did look at it all thoroughly last week and seem to think that the only things plugged into the hub were her telehealth (falls) alarm - into the 'phone' socket - and an ethernet cable. I didn't check what the ethernet cable was plugged into at the other end but it definitely wasn't either of the two phones.

Re: Using BT digital phones with a different VOIP provider

licquorice — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 15:32:00 GMT

If you access the hub manager by entering 192.168.2.254 in your browser address bar, select the box with your phone number and you will see the backup options.

Re: Using BT digital phones with a different VOIP provider

JillW — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 15:34:41 GMT

@licquorice I just get a 'this site can't be reached' message for that - do I need to be on my mum's wifi for it to work? I'm at home, not her house, at the moment