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Can I "register" ANY DECT handset to a Smart Hub 2?

PeterMartinez — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 07:03:53 GMT

I did search for an answer to this question but didn't find it, so here goes...

I was recently "migrated" to DV. My old DECT cordless phones stopped working of course, but they don't work reliably plugged into the hub or into a Digital Voice Adaptor either (sometimes don't ring, sometimes won't dial out). This set-up will have two DECT radio links so I suspect interference between them (I was a radio engineer!).

My question is: can I just register one of the old handsets (unknown manufacturer, branded "John Lewis") with the Smart Hub 2? The handset's menu and the SH2's web page both talk about "registration". If this does work, I can ditch the old DECT base unit and the one DECT base in the SH2 will handle both old and new BT handsets.

Maybe it's too much to hope that all DECT phones are interchangeable.

Peter M

Re: Can I "register" ANY DECT handset to a Smart Hub 2?

jac_95 — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 07:07:39 GMT

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Re: Can I "register" ANY DECT handset to a Smart Hub 2?

imjolly — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 07:37:28 GMT

registering a 3rd party dect handset is try and see and if if you do get it to register then you probably find that many of the functions do not work the same as they do connected to the correct base unit

Re: Can I "register" ANY DECT handset to a Smart Hub 2?

Colin_London — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 14:26:44 GMT

The answer is ‘probably yes’. Whilst I still had DV I successfully linked my old DECT handsets. Had a few odd behaviours like emitting a burst of noise when pressing the call button, but they worked. But unfortunately features like HD voice are restricted to BT proprietary devices - it’ll be bog standard sound quality.

Re: Can I "register" ANY DECT handset to a Smart Hub 2?

PeterMartinez — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 07:04:55 GMT

Thank you imjolly and Colin_London for your replies. I guess there are some unknowns with unknown handsets. I decided to try it and see, using the "register" option on the web page in the Smart Hub 2.

I survived the "register" process without problems. At one point the handset asked me to enter a 4-digit PIN. I have no idea why it wanted a PIN, but it seemed happy when I entered "0000". I confirmed that I could make and receive calls, but have not tried any other "features" which might perhaps not work (but which I may never need). I repeated the registration with the other old handset - again with PIN 0000.

The only odd thing is that the Smart Hub 2 embedded web page shows the newly registered handsets as Handset 4 and Handset 5, with the existing Adaptor as number 2 and the supplied BT handset as number 3. There is no "Handset 1" shown. I suppose this may appear if I get yet another handset.

Registering the old handsets with the SH2 direct rather than via the Digital Voice Adaptor means that I will be able to use these handsets during a power cut, so long as their batteries (and the Battery Backup Unit I have) are kept charged-up.

Again, my thanks to imjolly and Colin_London

Peter M

Re: Can I "register" ANY DECT handset to a Smart Hub 2?

johnh510 — Tue, 06 Jan 2026 13:18:00 GMT

It looks like handset 1 is the green socket on the back of the hub.

I currently have a DECT phone base station plugged in there and the hub status shows it as handset 1.

Re: Can I "register" ANY DECT handset to a Smart Hub 2?

johnh510 — Sun, 18 Jan 2026 13:03:46 GMT

As I can't find a way to update my message above...
I have now removed my DECT phone base station and have a new digital voice phone as my main phone, and two of the old DECT phones are now registered with the Home Hub 2 (handset 2 and 3).
When I deregistered the old base station (handset 1) I registered the DV phone and it is handset 1 - much to my surprise.
The other surprise was that caller display no longer worked.
It was restored later during a "chat" session. BT email shows caller display added, which I suppose is a way of accounting for the "repair".
The old phones work OK, so far.