This topic

Digital Voice with phones older than 10 years

Annie_UK — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 12:26:36 GMT

What is BT solution for people forced onto digital voice with phone equipment older than 10 years that was perfectly fine prior to switchover and for someone who does not want a new phone taking more electricity and I don't want to send perfectly good kit to eWaiste?

I spoke to 6 BT staff prior to coming to this forum and none of then new that old phone would not work with the BT DVA, the info is buried on the DVA instructions on the website and not mentions with the printed instructions

Why is the DVA only two wires were the Smarthub2 is 3?

Re: Digital Voice with phones older than 10 years

jac_95 — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 12:30:25 GMT

Hi Annie_UK,

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.

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Re: Digital Voice with phones older than 10 years

imjolly — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 12:34:59 GMT

have you actually tried connecting your old style phone to the socket on back of SH2? if so do you get dial tone? is the problem just with the DV adapter ? if so what actually happens? have you tried using old style filter in the adapter?

Re: Digital Voice with phones older than 10 years

licquorice — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 12:42:37 GMT

@Annie_UK wrote:

What is BT solution for people forced onto digital voice with phone equipment older than 10 years that was perfectly fine prior to switchover and for someone who does not want a new phone taking more electricity and I don't want to send perfectly good kit to eWaiste?

I spoke to 6 BT staff prior to coming to this forum and none of then new that old phone would not work with the BT DVA, the info is buried on the DVA instructions on the website and not mentions with the printed instructions

Why is the DVA only two wires were the Smarthub2 is 3?

Any phone of any age will work with Digital Voice either connected to the hub or a DVA as long as it is a tone dialling phone and not a pulse dialling phone.

Re: Digital Voice with phones older than 10 years

Annie_UK — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 12:46:16 GMT

Our phones etc... work perfectly plugged in the SH2 but this is situated in a spare bedroom where the entire Ethernet wiring for the house terminates so cannot be moved anywhere else in our house

Phones older than 10 years that require 3 wires do not ring when there is an incoming call and the phone is attached to a DVA

Re: Digital Voice with phones older than 10 years

licquorice — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 12:48:15 GMT

Plug a filter into the DVA and then plug the phone into the filter, this will create the ring wire.

Re: Digital Voice with phones older than 10 years

Annie_UK — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 12:49:45 GMT

@licquorice Yes they will work mostly, using the DVA, but not having them ring when there is an incoming call makes it hard to answer the phone without being psychic 😞

Re: Digital Voice with phones older than 10 years

SRB — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 12:51:08 GMT

If you have an old BT ADSL broadband filter lying around, plug in it to the hub socket and then the phone in to it, should ring with no issues.

Re: Digital Voice with phones older than 10 years

gg30340 — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 12:50:36 GMT

BT have at this time suspended the change over to Digital Voice so that some of the concerns of BT customers can be addressed so at present it is not possible to give you a definitive answer to all your questions.

You were given incorrect information about your old phone not working with DV. As you are a BT broadband user, you can still use your old phone by plugging it into the Smarthub or you can ask BT for a free DV Adaptor and use that to remotely connect your phone to the Smarthub or you can ask for a free DV Phone.

See links

"Existing Phone

You can continue to use your existing phone by plugging it into the phone port on the back of the Hub. Or you can use one of our adapters, which will let you plug your phone into any standard phone socket".

Digital Voice phones | BT Help

Digital Voice Adaptor user guide

BT Wi-fi – wi-fi your business can depend on

As for the power consumption, I don't know the exact figures but given the lower power usage of the DV Adaptor I would imagine that it be a negligible annual cost to run it.

If you do decide not to use your old phones you can hand them into your local councils recycling centre or ask BT for a returns bag and they will be recycled both of which will negate them ending up in land fill.

Re: Digital Voice with phones older than 10 years

licquorice — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 12:52:08 GMT

@Annie_UK wrote:

@licquorice Yes they will work mostly, using the DVA, but not having them ring when there is an incoming call makes it hard to answer the phone without being psychic 😞

See messages 6 and 8

Re: Digital Voice with phones older than 10 years

Annie_UK — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 12:52:27 GMT

@licquoricewrote:
Plug a filter into the DVA and then plug the phone into the filter, this will create the ring wire.

Is that BTs official solution? or just a work-a-round also where do I get these filters from as BT have not offered this as a solution to me and I don't see why I would need to purchase them myself

Re: Digital Voice with phones older than 10 years

gg30340 — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 12:54:33 GMT

Just bite the bullet and ask for a free DV handset from BT. Once paired with your Smarthub it can be sited anywhere in your home.

Re: Digital Voice with phones older than 10 years

SRB — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 12:55:34 GMT

You possibly already have a couple, they were supplied for years with various BT hubs...

Re: Digital Voice with phones older than 10 years

licquorice — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 12:57:24 GMT

@Annie_UK wrote:

@licquoricewrote:

Plug a filter into the DVA and then plug the phone into the filter, this will create the ring wire.

Is that BTs official solution? or just a work-a-round also where do I get these filters from as BT have not offered this as a solution to me and I don't see why I would need to purchase them myself

BT offer free Digital Voice phones, if you choose not to use the provided equipment and use an ancient instrument you must expect to make your own arrangements.

Re: Digital Voice with phones older than 10 years

gg30340 — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 12:58:18 GMT

Additional information regarding how to contact BT and get free equipment.

What if I have an additional corded phone?

If you have an additional corded phone and haven't already ordered an adapter to use it in another room, text ADAPTOR to 61998 or visit bt.com/DVEquipment

What if I don't want to use my phone near my Hub?

You can order a free dorcless handset to pair with your Hub and use anywhere in your home, or an adapter to use your existing phone in another room. Text HANDSET or ADAPTOR to 61998 or order at bt.com/DVEquipment

Re: Digital Voice with phones older than 10 years

SRB — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 13:00:22 GMT

Or....if you have an extension in the room with the Hub, you can plug the filter into the hub phone socket and using a "plug to plug" lead, plug the filter into it (mentioned in detail across a number of threads) and use your phones as before.

Re: Digital Voice with phones older than 10 years

Annie_UK — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 13:02:05 GMT

@gg30340wrote:
BT have at this time suspended the change over to Digital Voice so that some of the concerns of BT customers can be addressed so at present it is not possible to give you a definitive answer to all your questions.
You were given incorrect information about your old phone not working with DV. As you are a BT broadband user, you can still use your old phone by plugging it into the Smarthub or you can ask BT for a free DV Adaptor and use that to remotely connect your phone to the Smarthub or you can ask for a free DV Phone.
See links
"Existing Phone
You can continue to use your existing phone by plugging it into the phone port on the back of the Hub. Or you can use one of our adapters, which will let you plug your phone into any standard phone socket".
Digital Voice phones | BT Help
Digital Voice Adaptor user guide
BT Wi-fi – wi-fi your business can depend on
As for the power consumption, I don't know the exact figures but given the lower power usage of the DV Adaptor I would imagine that it be a negligible annual cost to run it.
If you do decide not to use your old phones you can hand them into your local councils recycling centre or ask BT for a returns bag and they will be recycled both of which will negate them ending up in land fill.

The online instructions for the DVA say that phones older than 10 years may not be compatible, by phones are older that 20 years and are 100% not compatible (no incoming ring)

I have spoken to one of the people who was involved in the beta for DV and they said this was reported well before the rollout and BT have just swept the reports under the carpet

Why should I recycle equipment that is still functioning perfectly last week and the main user is 77 years old who hates new technology and just wants to use there phone as they have for many years

Thus far no one at BT has offered an acceptable solution to this issue 😞

Re: Digital Voice with phones older than 10 years

imjolly — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 13:13:48 GMT

@SRB wrote:

Or....if you have an extension in the room with the Hub, you can plug the filter into the hub phone socket and using a "plug to plug" lead, plug the filter into it (mentioned in detail across a number of threads) and use your phones as before.

as @Annie_UK appears to have FTTC (from speed quoted) it is not as simple as just connecting a phone lead from socket on hub to master socket as you cannot disconnect the incoming openreach connection as needed for broadband. This has been covered in other forum posts

Re: Digital Voice with phones older than 10 years

Annie_UK — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 13:24:43 GMT

@imjollywrote:
@SRBwrote:
Or....if you have an extension in the room with the Hub, you can plug the filter into the hub phone socket and using a "plug to plug" lead, plug the filter into it (mentioned in detail across a number of threads) and use your phones as before.
as @Annie_UK appears to have FTTC (from speed quoted) it is not as simple as just connecting a phone lead from socket on hub to master socket as you cannot disconnect the incoming openreach connection as needed for broadband. This has been covered in other forum posts

Correct we have Halo3, thanks for your reply

Re: Digital Voice with phones older than 10 years

SRB — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 13:48:35 GMT

Ah! of course, my mistake, I thought she was on fibre, it's still doable, depends on the type of Master Socket and how the hub is connected to it, though.