This topic

New digital equioment

Noura — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 12:10:28 GMT

Age eighty, I’ve been sent a huge new phone and a new hub this morning, replete with miles of wires. After an hour I’ve got the internet going. Do I have to use the new phone, or can I continue to use my old one? My old one seems to be working ok but transfer day isn’t till 20th. I don’t understand what the new giant phone is needed for, or if it’s necessary.

Re: New digital equioment

Edinburgh-wg — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 13:07:15 GMT

If you can connect it to the back of the router - check the instructions - then you can continue using it.

Re: New digital equioment

Noura — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 13:14:39 GMT

Thank you!

Re: New digital equioment

chrisjp — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 13:29:40 GMT

Assuming that when you say "transfer day" this is the day BT has told you they're migrating you from analogue phone to digital voice phone, then you'll need to leave your old phone plugged into the wall socket until that day, when you will lose your dial tone. Then you need to unplug the phone from the wall socket and plug it into the green socket on the new hub.

When you first lift the receiver you'll probably hear what BT call an "interrupted dial tone". This unfortunately sounds to a lot of people like the old engaged tone, but it isn't and if you hear the interrupted tone your DV phone is working - the interrupted tone just signifies you've got a voicemail message waiting. Just dial 1571 and listen to BT's "welcome to DV" message. Once you've done that the dial tone will return to normal

You shouldn't need to use the new phone you've been sent but if you can't get your old phone working then try the new one, complete with its supplied connecting cable.

Re: New digital equioment

Noura — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 13:32:09 GMT

Thank you

Re: New digital equioment

imjolly — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 14:10:38 GMT

Is an openreach person coming on 20th to connect your phone and broadband or did you get instructions on how you were to connect the phone and router? do you still have the older type of connection adsl (copper all the way to the exchange) or have you moved to faster fibre to the street cabinet and copper to your home?

Re: New digital equioment

Noura — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 17:43:11 GMT

No one has said they are going to come and set up my digital service on 20th.

i received a huge new phone and new internet router this morning. I have set up the internet fine but my old phone now has no dial tone.

One end is plugged in the wall and the other into the back of the old phone with the 3 point plug into a socket. If I ring my landline number I hear it ringing from my mobile but not on the landline itself ie I wouldn’t know anyone was trying to phone me. The landline has no dial tone.

I tried transferring the end that’s in the wall into the green socket at the back of the router but it still won’t ring. I then tried plugging the new new huge phone into the back of the green socket on the router, plugging in its three point plug into the wall but still no dial tone for that either.

Im eighty and don’t understand this whole thing and am getting increasingly scared, as I’m expecting medical appointments to be phoned through on my landline.

Re: New digital equioment

WSH — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 18:37:19 GMT

If you can log into the new hub, take a look at the management page.

If the Digital Voice phone service has been activated you should see a box that has a symbol for the Phone. If you click on that and put the admin password in, it will then show your phone number, if Digital Voice has been activated early.

If it has not been activated the old phone, in the old wall socket, should still work.

Edit: A thought has just occurred. If your existing phone is very old, that may be why it will not ring when plugged into the hub. Sometimes using one of the old style microfilters has worked to correct that, as some of the old filters simulate the old bell wire.

Re: New digital equioment

Noura — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 18:22:21 GMT

I'll try tomorrow. My brain is mush after all this! I dont understand how I log into the hub. Maybe I need to sleep first. Thank you anyway.

Re: New digital equioment

imjolly — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 20:13:58 GMT

You still have not clarified what broadband package you have and if connection is copper totally or fibre and copper wire or fibre direct to your home

It could make difference how phone will connect

Re: New digital equioment

Edinburgh-wg — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 20:17:36 GMT

Rather than logging into your router, I suggest you phone the BT's helpline and ask them to check this for you. If they say your service is inactive, they can maybe do something to activate it soon. For those users that are less familiar, there should be a process to help them, rather than an expectation that they'll know what is going on.

Maybe digital voice is inevitable and the future, but since its set-up is different from the usual, more effort needs to be made by ISPs to have something ready in place to make this transition very smooth.

Re: New digital equioment

WSH — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 20:47:26 GMT

It's a lot easier to set up than A&A's.

(I've used both. Quite like A&A but DV is plug and play by comparison).

Re: New digital equioment

Noura — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 21:03:58 GMT

It’s easy for you because you understand. I don’t. I have absolutely no clue

about copper or anything else. I have BT basic if that’s any help. I had an email last week to say

“Great news, we're moving you to our Digital Voice home phone service.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

Your switch over should take place on 20 Jul 2026. We'll confirm once this has happened.

What is Digital Voice?
Digital Voice is our new home phone service that uses your broadband to make and receive calls. It's a big upgrade to keep everyone connected now and in the future. You'll keep your current phone number, and your contract and broadband plan won't change. The main difference is you'll need to dial the area code for all calls.”. If this doesn’t help then I’m stuck. At my age technology is a total mystery. Thank you.

Re: New digital equioment

Noura — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 21:07:20 GMT

Yes I feel I need guidance and patience and not assumption that it’s easy for me. It’s hard being older and being expected to understand clever technology. Thank you for the suggestion.

Re: New digital equioment

licquorice — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 21:24:55 GMT

Actually for the vast majority of customers it's extremely simple, no technical knowledge required at all.

It simply involves unplugging the phone from one socket and plugging it in to another.

However, for a very small minority it's not that simple. I won't try to explain.

Re: New digital equioment

Noura — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 21:43:14 GMT

I thought that was exactly what I did do but no dial tone. Obviously I’m not as clever as most people. Never mind. I’ll use my mobile. At least I have the internet. Thanks anyway.

Re: New digital equioment

WSH — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 21:50:41 GMT

Don't be so hard on yourself. It's probably just that the service has not been activated yet.

Re: New digital equioment

imjolly — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 21:58:02 GMT

You say you received a huge new phone can you post a photo or is there a model number. It is unusual now for a free phone to be provided when moving to digital voice

Does your router connect to the openreach master socket or a differnt socket from your phone?

Re: New digital equioment

iniltous — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 07:04:35 GMT

If your switch over date is 20th July , then expecting it to work before then is weird….if you have more than one handset obviously you can have one pre connected to the router phone socket in readiness, while maintaining the service from the wall socket until the changeover date , then when the service is switched over (most likely on the 20th July , three days time ) you are ready to go , if you only have a single handset, don’t move it to the router until the 20th, you may have a little time without service but generally the date given is the date it happens.

As far as the new phone is concerned, your old existing one will work fine connected to the new router (after the switchover) so if you don’t want to use the new phone , don’t , just plug your existing phone into the router socket , but not before July 20th.

Re: New digital equioment

Noura — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 07:14:27 GMT

The weird bit apart from me, is that the phone is connected exactly as it's always been, only the router has been swapped to the new one BUT the phone has lost its dialling tone. I give up!