This topic

Digital Voice

JohnRH — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 09:44:29 GMT

I presently have a BT supplied broadband and telephone connection. FTTC I am told. So copper into the house.

I understand that at sometime I in common with others will be going to digital voice.

I am trying to understand the implications of this and what I will have to do in order to make my present set up continue to work.

I have a alarm system installed which rings out to my mobile phone if theres a problem. Presently it has a autodialler simple plugged into a socket on the house internal socket system connected to the master socket.

I understand that with a new router that I will receive (my present one has no "phone" at the rear) that I will be able to plug a phone into the router.

Now talking to my brother who is about to have DV installed in the next week all "changes" will take place outside the property and he will also be supplied a new router.

So if I understand this correctly his old master socket will remain and he will remove the filter and simply plug his new router into the old master socket and his dect phone into the router.

My question is given that the old master socket remains this means that the new DV is using the present old copper system. Yes?

So what happens to the present old internal telephone copper system which remains connected to the BT master socket?

And therefore could the internal telephone copper system simply be plugged into the phone socket on the rear of the new router?

Thanks

John H

Re: Digital Voice

jac_95 — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 09:50:02 GMT

Hi JohnRH,

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.

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: Digital Voice

Anonymous — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 10:01:56 GMT

@JohnRHwrote:
And therefore could the internal telephone copper system simply be plugged into the phone socket on the rear of the new router?

Yes, & no. You would have to install a new phone socket next to the master socket & move the internal wiring from the master socket to that. So not plug & play but not a Herculean task either.

As for alarm compatibility you would have to check with your installer. Although be aware that some are treating this as a cash cow to upsell GSM diallers.

Re: Digital Voice

JohnRH — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 10:52:02 GMT

Thank you for the prompt repsonse.

In reverse order, I am the installer as alarm systems used to be one of my jobs in the past. I am happy with the alarm system and at the moment I have an auto dialler that simply plugs into an extension socket.

When I read that with DV a phone can be plugged into the rear of the new hub I started to think about this.

First of all when it says plug a phone into the socket does it really mean any type of phone? That is a dect phone powered by its own mains power supply and a conventional phone which would have derived it's power originally from BTs own system, I think it was 50v. If yes for the later then I assume the hub will generate the necessary tiny amount of power to run it? Yes?

For my own reasons it wouldn't be convenient for me to plug my dect phone into my router because of the location of the router so I thought that all I had to do was plug a standard phone extension lead into my router and take the socket end to where I want the dect phone to be. That would be fine.

And then I started to think why not simply disconnect the internal phone network and plug that into the router? As you say a little bit of investigation into the wiring and a terminal box of some kind then that should work.

Thoughts please.

Thanks again.

John

Re: Digital Voice

VeteranISPUser — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 11:06:51 GMT

Hi @JohnRH You appear to be overthinking it. Quite simply, the SH2 is the new Master Socket for your telephones and the existing Master Socket is for Broadband only. Isolate your internal wiring from the Broadband Master Socket and connect it to the SH2. Better still, go completely HD with new phones and a DV adapter for your alarm system (if it is compatible) or a mixture of the two.

Re: Digital Voice

HHGTTG — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 11:09:58 GMT

Use a BT Adapter. Apparently you get can get one free one from BT when the time comes or pay £19.99 from BT shop or cheaper on eBay.
Pair this with the SH2 whilst the adapter is powered up. Then you can take it anywhere you have a power socket i.e near you DECT Cordless phone, then plug in the BT phone plug into that. That's what I intend to do - hope it works. Any additional handset phones, used with the DECT cordless phone, will ring as before wherever they're located or re-located.

Re: Digital Voice

JohnRH — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 11:24:10 GMT

Thanks for the reply.

How am I over thinking this?

I assume nothing will change internally in my house? Therefore the master socket as is will remain. The reason I say this is because my brother has been told he is going over to DV and today his new SH2 is being delivered and he has been told they (Openreach) do not need to enter the house. Therefore the existing master socket will remain. His new SH2 will be plugged into this and away he goes.

Yes fully understand that the existing master socket becomes broadband only. Which begs the question as so many homes have extensions wired back to the master socket does this remaining network even as it will be unused cause any potential problems?

I assume that at sometime in the future this final piece of copper from the cabinet to the house will be replaced?

The DV adapter will not work for the alarm because it needs mains power. The alarm system is as are all alarm systems battery backed however using a DV adapter means a mains failure would mean the DV adapter wouldn't work and therefore I would not be made aware of the alarm if it triggered during a mains failure. Being out in the sticks I get a few.

John

Re: Digital Voice

JohnRH — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 11:28:34 GMT

Yes thanks for the thoughts. The adapter is fine for the phone, not so for the alarm. I have said why in another post.

Thanks again.

John

Re: Digital Voice

iniltous — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 11:34:30 GMT

Search voice re injection, but in essence yes you could wire your ‘extensions’ from the SH2 phone port instead of from the master socket ,this may need you to reconfigure your extension wiring , a possible drawback is if there are too many devices connected into extension sockets once connected to the SH2 , as the REN , ring equivalent number , may not be the same as traditional PSTN , so if there are too many ‘phones’ connected they may not ‘ring’ when an incoming call is received.
Your extension wiring ‘network’ would need to be isolated from the master socket if connected to the router phone port , but if it exists correctly that should simply mean removing the detachable front cover ( the consumer panel ) from the NTE5 master socket.

Re: Digital Voice

StuartHK — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 11:41:17 GMT

I’ve done mine that way.

Removed the extension wiring from the master socket. Stuck a BT plug on the end and plugged it into the back of the SH2. I only run one extension off it, to a Panasonic DECT base station, but it is working fine.

Re: Digital Voice

JohnRH — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 11:56:10 GMT

Stuart

My thanks for this.

By retaining my internal network in this way then my autodialler which sits in an extension socket will continue to function as it does with no need for a DV adapter in what I would have needed which is yet another UPS (uninterruptible power supply) to ensure an alarm call gets out irrespective of power cuts. Great.

I have this asked before. My present arrangement is FTTC, copper to the house. Do I assume that at sometime in the future to rid the system of copper cables that Openreach will make my connection FTTP? Just wondering.

Thanks again Stuart.

John

Re: Digital Voice

Keith_Beddoe — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 12:01:42 GMT

@JohnRH

Just a note if you were not aware, DV does not support pulse dialling, only tone dialling, but I expect most use that now.

Re: Digital Voice

JohnRH — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 12:09:17 GMT

Keith

Thanks. Yes my auto dialler supports both but its long been switched to tone dialling.

Can you answer the question I have asked.

I have FTTC and copper to the house. I assume it will remain that way????

Is the long term intention to remove the copper to the house and replace this with fibre?

Thanks again.

John

Re: Digital Voice

licquorice — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 12:13:27 GMT

Yes, at some point in the future but it is unrelated to the switch to DV

Re: Digital Voice

JohnRH — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 12:49:17 GMT

licquorice

Thanks again.

Sorry one more question.

It says a phone can be plugged into the SH2.

However it doesn't say what type of phone. Obviously dect phones have their own power but an old conventional phone derived its power from the BT system.

I assume only phone with their own power supply can be used so all simply plug in phones will become redundant?

Thanks

John

Re: Digital Voice

licquorice — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 12:53:15 GMT

Any phone can be plugged into the hub, not just DECT base stations. The hub has a built in ATA.

Re: Digital Voice

HHGTTG — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 12:56:49 GMT

ATA? What's that?

Re: Digital Voice

StuartHK — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 12:57:53 GMT

No. In keeping with the traditional advice for cordless phones, I also keep a basic corded phone handy for power cuts. That works as well but, as Iniltous said, it is not clear what the REN number is so how many phones it would support is not clear.

Re: Digital Voice

licquorice — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 13:01:06 GMT

@HHGTTG

Analogue Telephone Adapter

Re: Digital Voice

StuartHK — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 13:03:31 GMT

As Licquorice said…ATA is “Analogue Telephone Adapter”. Converts from the old analogue phone system to the new IP based system.