This topic

Digital Voice

ESAM1 — Thu, 09 May 2024 11:55:48 GMT

Digital Voice - I am wondering if you attach two telphones to one Adapter will both ring? The telephones would have a REN =1 and only one would be answered. I think the answer depends on the REN value the adapters can handle

Re: Digital Voice

jac_95 — Thu, 09 May 2024 12:07:39 GMT

Hi ESAM1,

Thanks for the post and welcome to the Community.

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Re: Digital Voice

licquorice — Thu, 09 May 2024 12:10:03 GMT

Why not try it and see.

Re: Digital Voice

ESAM1 — Thu, 09 May 2024 12:42:47 GMT

There is a risk of overloading and not working at all. I was hoping someone else had tried it before.

Re: Digital Voice

licquorice — Thu, 09 May 2024 12:44:58 GMT

What risk of overloading?

It will either work or it won't, there's no possibility of causing any damage.

Re: Digital Voice

fosterl2 — Fri, 17 May 2024 16:50:11 GMT

I was an apprentice at the time, but REN (Ringer Equivalent Number) numbers came into existence when PO Telephones first allowed people to connect their own devices to the network - part of the introduction of sockets (circa late '70s early 80's), rather than hard wired phones. Phones back then had a bell set and associated coils to operate it, and the the bell circuit was wired in series, whereas phones are in parallel. Due to the current drain of the bell sets, it was determined that a max of 4 (I think) was all that was permitted, due to the power drop in each bell set.

Modern devices do not use the bell circuit - they just sense the incoming ringing current, then electronically make a ringing noise, so then REN number is now totally superfluous and you can have as many devices connected as you like.

Re: Digital Voice

ESAM1 — Fri, 17 May 2024 18:56:24 GMT

Interesting. I have a BT Relate 80 Handset. I have kept this phone as it was hard wired to my old telephone line for use and maintaining a connection when mains power fails. It does have a REN value of 1. I have now connected three phones to one Digital Voice adapter (including the Relate 80) and all work OK.

Re: Digital Voice

Keith_Beddoe — Fri, 17 May 2024 19:03:38 GMT

See https://bt-digital-voice.blogspot.com/p/bt-smart-hub-2.html

Re: Digital Voice

Colin_London — Fri, 17 May 2024 20:29:02 GMT

It will be fine - the port on the back of the Hub has the same REN capacity as an old master socket (4). People have already tested it working with multiple phones.

Re: Digital Voice

ESAM1 — Sun, 19 May 2024 23:06:33 GMT

If only the Guides had told me that I could have avoided buying additional adapters

Re: Digital Voice

Colin_London — Sun, 19 May 2024 23:36:15 GMT

It is perhaps understandable because generally people who still have multiple home phones nowadays have DECT handsets, not wired extensions to individual rooms.

Also there are ‘reinjection’ faceplate kits available online that allow a connection from the Hub Telephone socket back into your old master socket to connect to the extension wiring. If you really want to keep your old wiring this seems to be the best option. Note there are different versions depending on whether you will be on a copper SOGEA connection or on a new FTTP connection.

Re: Digital Voice on SmartHub2 socket and DVA

gsl57 — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 14:09:04 GMT

I have just had full fibre installed, and have a phone connected by DVA, and one plugged into the SmartHub2 phone socket. Why can't we share a phone call on both phones ?

Re: Digital Voice on SmartHub2 socket and DVA

licquorice — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 14:31:34 GMT

Please don't post the same question on more than one thread, it just causes confusion. I gave answered on the other thread.