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BT Digital Voice

kl227 — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 13:55:46 GMT

Suddenly got moved to Digital Voice yesterday and now have an alarm system that doesn’t work. Apparently, if it’s not a monitored system ie Verisure etc who may have a work around, there’s no adapters and no fix! I bought my house new and the alarm was already installed with a speech dialler and has worked great. So do BT now expect me to go and buy a new system because of their switch to DV. Honestly, I’m beyond raging - this cannot be right surely. I asked them to put me back on a proper line and they said it’s not an option and changing is compulsory. Any advice please before I self-combust!

Re: BT Digital Voice

jac_95 — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 13:57:54 GMT

Hi kl227

ℹ️ Please take a look at the FAQs on moving to Digital Voice as it may help answer your question.

✅ You may also find that someone else has had the same query in the past. Here's a list of all the answered questions regarding BT's Digital Voice.

Please do post back if you've been able to find the answer to your question(s) or if you need more help from the community.

p.s This is an automated reply

Re: BT Digital Voice

jac_95 — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 14:11:37 GMT

All of UK is moving to this VoIP (Internet) based voice service as the current PSTN network that delivers the phone/voice service today is being closed by 2025. Industries have been consulted and should know about this as the programme kicked off back in 2017.

You maybe able to plug the dialler into the green phone port on the back of the Smart Hub 2 but it's best to speak to the alarm company as they may need to make upgrades to it and also check that it also complies with your house insurance policy.

Re: BT Digital Voice

LadyMary — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 15:49:49 GMT

This post just answered a distraught old lady's query/problem thank you. 2 years ago as lockdown began BT put me and my ancient system (old Home hub 3 with copper 'phone line/ wired old PC / 2 old tiny 1GB sim 'phones ) on BT Halo1 - to be fair the poor young salesman would probably not have a clue what else to do! Been paying almost £63 per month for the service - had to return BT box as I was paying for TV pkg did not need (as we watch on Free Sat and pay lic.fee) so hubby could watch the odd football game Sky sport/BT Sport - but became far too expensive for Pensioners!

Now out of contract and was puzzled that the only thing they could offer almost housebound old couple doing shopping online was Full fibre (openreach to install and will have to use Digital Voice 'phone - Alexa seems like a sci-fi horror to me!) or of course we could have 2 'phones with EE in a pkg for around the same cost that will probably increase end of March by approx. 10%. Reading here has just explained one more way of isolating mid seventies and more oldies in our crazy new world. I hope all you experts on here are looking after your Grandparents and Parents as being awake nights worrying about such things is accelerating their requirements for the 'big' money saved to 'dispatch' them at a pace! Thank you and sorry to the kind young man I spoke with yesterday as he must have been traumatised speaking with the old lady who could only speak 'early sixties' language that must have sounded like ET! God Bless you.

Re: BT Digital Voice

kl227 — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 16:07:33 GMT

The dialler is not near to the hub, so couldn’t try that and I thought the lead from the phone had to plug into the green port on the hub? Surely any dialler on an alarm system would now have to be Wi-Fi enabled to work or am I wrong?

Re: BT Digital Voice

licquorice — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 16:12:07 GMT

@LadyMary wrote:

Reading here has just explained one more way of isolating mid seventies and more oldies in our crazy new world. I hope all you experts on here are looking after your Grandparents and Parents as being awake nights worrying about such things is accelerating their requirements for the 'big' money saved to 'dispatch' them at a pace!

I rather suspect that most of the experts on this forum are like myself and in their seventies. Please don't equate age with lack of technical interest.

Re: BT Digital Voice

licquorice — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 16:14:02 GMT

@kl227 wrote:

The dialler is not near to the hub, so couldn’t try that and I thought the lead from the phone had to plug into the green port on the hub? Surely any dialler on an alarm system would now have to be Wi-Fi enabled to work or am I wrong?

Digital voice doesn't use WiFi, it is DECT, just like any cordless phone except the base station is now the hub. The dialler can also plug into an adaptor.

Re: BT Digital Voice

LadyMary — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 16:17:42 GMT

My sincere apologies, no disrespect intended.

Re: BT Digital Voice

kl227 — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 16:45:33 GMT

I thought an adapter might work but BT said it wouldn’t. I think I’m going to get one and try, thank you.

Re: BT Digital Voice

licquorice — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 16:56:55 GMT

The adapter is just a DECT to analogue converter.

Re: BT Digital Voice

RIC9380 — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 19:20:56 GMT

kl227 and others, please don't worry too much about the switch to Digital Voice. Too much scaremongering being posted by folk who won't accept that things do change over time want to live in the past. TV moved to the digital platform over a scheduled period and we've come to live with it/love the benefits that it now offers. There are additional benefits that come with DV at no extra cost but those who scream about perceived disadvantages are largely silent on those.

Re: BT Digital Voice

licquorice — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 20:20:13 GMT

Despite all the moans and groans, BT are actually making the switch off of the PSTN much easier for their customers than some providers. They are incorporating the VOIP system directly into the Home Hub, providing compatible handsets and the ability to plug in an analogue phone if required. For most users this will be an extremely straightforward transition.

Other providers will just leave it to the customer to arrange their own VOIP arrangements such as a softphone using a PC or providing their own ATA to connect an analogue handset.

Re: BT Digital Voice

kl227 — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 12:42:07 GMT

Just wanted to update on my previous posts regarding the dialler on my alarm system. I got an adapter from BT as suggested and plugged my dialler into that and hey presto all is working perfectly again. Thank you so much for your advice.

Re: BT Digital Voice

DavidM — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 12:45:52 GMT

Thanks for letting us know you got this sorted @kl227 and thanks also to all the members who posted advice on the thread.

Cheers

David

Re: BT Digital Voice

SgtRock — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 19:35:36 GMT

What was the adapter you got? Looks like I will need the same

Re: BT Digital Voice

kl227 — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 22:14:17 GMT

It was the one that is supplied by BT to use with phones that are not digital voice compatible. BT were adamant with me when I called them that it would not work with my alarm and wouldn’t send one but it did work straight away. I ordered it online at BT and it was free. I have a plug socket next to my alarm panel so I plugged it in there and plugged the alarm into the adapter and works perfectly. Hope that helps

Re: BT Digital Voice

Bob1001 — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 08:41:04 GMT

@kl227 The only downside for alarm systems is that you need battery backup for both the hub and the adapter otherwise if you get a mains failure you lose the alarm if both don't have battery back up, more complicated to provide for the adapter as it would need to be a seperate UPS, BT do have one for hubs if you can convince them to provide one.

Re: BT Digital Voice

James770 — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 10:20:00 GMT

Can you please confirm if this is the adapter you ordered?

https://shop.bt.com/products/bt-digital-voice-adapter-100121-GN1T.html?ReferrerID=N900&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=dsa&utm_content=N900&gclid=Cj0KCQiA_P6dBhD1ARIsAAGI7HAr5kqSEyKo5o6mgL2ilczvq-6PgtqZx7RCNfcrq03vDfkf8b75W5YaAkrREALw_wcB

Re: BT Digital Voice

imjolly — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 10:28:51 GMT

@James770

have you tried phoning CS 03301234150 and see if they will provide an adapter free as you have been moved to DV

Re: BT Digital Voice

Bug — Wed, 20 Sep 2023 14:45:09 GMT

Hi I received the adapter this morning to hopefully get my home alarm sorted, but has made no difference. Mine is a Visonic hard wired system. Can I ask if yours was the same?