This topic

Digital voice

RERudd — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 14:54:10 GMT

Landline after FTTP

In January I renewed our contract with BT for a telephone and broadband service. I had a copper connection with three wired telephones and a smarthub for the internet service.

During a call on the landline, a conversation could be shared by another person by picking up one of the other phones in the house.

Since the new contract started, we can no longer share a conversation with another telephone.

The installation is FTTP, fibre coming to an openreach modem with a connection to a smarthub and the first telephone plugged into the socket at the back of the smarthub. The other two telephones are connected to the smarthub via 2 digital voice adapters.

How can we configure the new installation to allow a shared conversation?

Re: Digital voice

jac_95 — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 15:00:02 GMT

Hi RERudd,

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

Keith_Beddoe — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 15:04:38 GMT

@RERudd

Welcome to this user forum for BT Retail phone and broadband customers.

Only by connecting all phones to the socket on the back of the smart hub 2, by using a phone splitter, the DV adapter uses the DECT channel, and not the ATA adapter on the Smart Hub 2.

I do not think its possible to link the two on the same path.

If the wired phones were originally on extensions, then you can put them back there, and simply connect your extension wiring to the socket on the home hub, as described in the FAQ.

Re: Digital voice

imjolly — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 15:08:51 GMT

if you have a DV phone then your need to go to settings and turn off multi-call to just a single and that should help

this is already mentioned in the DV FAQ already posted by @jac_95

Re: Digital voice

RERudd — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 15:04:55 GMT

What is a phone splitter? If you are correct, then the service is not the same as when on copper.

Re: Digital voice

Keith_Beddoe — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 15:15:36 GMT

Phone splitter, like this, all phones plug into the same socket.

This may not be any good if the phones are too far apart.

Otherwise you would have to connect your extension wiring into the back of the home hub. Its no different to connecting it to your original phone socket.

Try what @imjolly has suggested, provided you have one of the BT DV phones.

Re: Digital voice

RERudd — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 15:16:32 GMT

Two of our telephones are BT Decor 2200v2 and BT Decor 2600. We use these because we use Hands free when we are together in the same room or pick up if we are on another floor.

when we pick up now, the picked up phone does not connect to the call. I have looked at the manual very carefully and don’t see any options relevant to this problem.
this post seems to beg more questions than answers.
thanks for your help so far. By the way, we are well into our eighties!

Re: Digital voice

imjolly — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 15:25:18 GMT

BT DV has the ability to make and receive a call on different phones at the same time. so when you are on a call and pick up one of your other phone that phone connects to your second 'line' this is due to call settings being set to multi call and you need to change this to single and you should then be able to use extension like before

Re: Digital voice

Keith_Beddoe — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 15:23:38 GMT

@imjolly

What happens if you do not have the BT DV phone, as they are not supplied free any more?

Re: Digital voice

imjolly — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 15:27:53 GMT

@Keith_Beddoe wrote:

@imjolly

What happens if you do not have the BT DV phone, as they are not supplied free any more?

I am not sure and I don't have DV anymore so cannot try it on normal phone

Re: Digital voice

Keith_Beddoe — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 15:35:14 GMT

@RERudd

Not at all very easy for many people, and the info that BT give is not always helpful.

For most people with wired extensions, the most satisfactory way, is to connect them to the socket on the back of the hub. That way it will work just as it did on the copper connection.

Unless you can disable multi-call, the DV adapters are not going to allow you to do what you want, assuming that doing that, allows the DV adapters and the socket, to work together.

Re: Digital voice

RERudd — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 15:40:36 GMT

Hi. Thanks for all your help and suggestions. As before, our extensions were connected to the master socket which has been disconnected by outreach when fibre was put in. This network in the house of extensions is now connected to the back of smarthub 2 and is used for one phone in the house. I will try and plug the other phones in the house wiring and not use the Digital Voice adapters as supplied by BT. See if that resolves the problem.

Re: Digital voice

Keith_Beddoe — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 15:48:40 GMT

@RERudd

Yes, that should work just fine. You have done the hard bit by connecting up the extension wiring.

The DV adapters are not going to be needed, unless you need to make or receive another call, while another is in progress, but you would need a spare phone, or move one of the existing ones.

Re: Digital voice

RERudd — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 16:00:06 GMT

Connected a second phone into the wiring an “Hey Presto!” It all works. Thanks for your help.
don’t need these pesky Digital Voice Adapters. BT want to get their act together.

Re: Digital voice

Keith_Beddoe — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 16:14:47 GMT

@RERudd

Unfortunately the BT helpdesk are only confusing customers when they ask for help. For most people with either a single phone, or a DECT phone system, all they need to do is to move it from their wall socket, and plug it into the back of the hub.

Adding DV adapters does not help in a power cut, because even if you have backup for the ONT and the hub, the DV adapters are not going to work anyway.

You have probably seen this https://landlinesgo.digital/

The only issue I see, is if someone calls when you are on the phone, they will hear it ringing out on the second line, until it diverts to voicemail.