Confusion: Digital Voice and Old Phones

[licquorice]

Please don't rip out any wires unless you know exactly what you are doing.

The digital phones do not use the wifi signal, it is a different signal and reaches further than wifi.

[Anonymous]

After much deliberation, I have decided to leave BT. Reverting back to the copper system with another landline company is simply the easiest and cheapest option, there are just too many downsides to running my landline telephones via the wireless internet.

Thank you all very much for your help. Goodbye.

[licquorice]

Its not just BT dispensing with copper landlines, all providers are.

[Keith_Beddoe]

@Anonymous 

Unfortunately, many other provider are moving their phone service off the copper service. As you have FTTP, Openreach will be disconnecting the copper connection to your house, so you are going to end up in the same situation. It you have been told that your copper connection is being disconnected, then that is what will be happening.

If your phone number is important to you, there is no guarantee you can take it to another provider.

[Anonymous]

So, I need to sort this problem out now. 

The Background: BT has changed the way my landline works, and they are slowly doing so for the whole country. As of two days ago, it worked off the old copper wire system, and my five telephones spread throughout the house and workshop worked wonderfully for decades. Now, however, BT has cut off my landline and says I must use the internet to power my household telephones.

The Problem: My Openreach Box (I have FTTP) , Master Socket and Internet Box (The BT Smart Hub 2) are located in an attic room office cupboard in one corner of the house. From there, the Wifi signal reaches about 1/6th of my house reliably due to stone walls. So getting new BT digital phones or adaptors will not solve my problem, since my landline telephones are spread throughout the house and out of range of wifi. Moreover, I love my old colourful rotary vintage telephones. I'm loathed to put black plastic digital tat out on display.

The Question: Can I somehow keep my old telephones? Can I do something involving the Internet Box (BT Smart Hub 2) and the Master Socket to power up all my old landline phones with internet juice?

(Every seemingly helpful comment before this post has been either contradicted or debunked by the BT people my Grandson called: you cannot, under any circumstances, cut out wiring from the Master Socket; and connecting a wire from the Smart Hub to the Master Socket does nothing).

[DaveS1234]

Hi

You should be able to use your existing internal wiring with the DV socket on the SmartHub 2 but it will depend on a couple of factors about your existing wiring as to what is the "best" way of doing this. I'm afraid this going to be a bit of question and answer tennis to arrive at a conclusion. 

NOTE. I have no idea whether the DV port understands Pulse Dialling as generated by true old Rotary Dial phones that you mentioned - perhaps one of the established members of this forum knows the answer to that.

First Question. Do you know ( or can you find out) how your internal wiring is connected at the Master Socket ?

2: How much slack is there on that cable i.e if disconnected could the end be moved to a new socket mounted near to your current master socket?

3: Do you currently have a phone plugged into the Master Socket (albeit no longer working) ?

The 1st 2  questions are to ascertain whether fitting a secondary socket connected to your internal wiring would be straight forward. This could then be connected to the SmartHub DV socket with a straight through BT Plug to BT Plug lead.

The 3rd question is to identifiy (if you can fit a secondary socket) whether you will need a 2 socket version (one for IN and one for a phone)

Hopefully we can get to a solution without having to touch the Openreach wiring at your Master Socket.

Dave

[Keith_Beddoe]

@Anonymous 

I do not think the DV port on the smart hub 2 supports pulse dialling, but I am not sure about the the extra DV adapter that links to the SH2. Pulse dialling is obsolete, and not compatible with most new phone networks.

Your easiest option would be to use one of the DV adapters, and located it close to where your existing phone wiring connects to your master socket. You can then link it directly to it, thus replacing the copper connection. 

The DV adapter connects back to the SH2 using DECT not WifI. DECT is the same as digital phones use, and has a much greater range than WiFi.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_enhanced_cordless_telecommunications

The BT Digital Voice handsets also use DECT, and work over a long distance. You get one of those phones free.

I do not think its going to be a problem, apart from perhaps the dial telephone.

This forum is the best place to get advice.

[Keith_Beddoe]

@Anonymous 

Some additional information about the Digital Voice adapter.

https://www.bt.com/help/user-guides/phones/digital-voice/digital-voice-adapter

There is a user guide on that page. There is no mention of pulse dialling, but it warns that phones over 10 years old. may not work.

The connection point showing for the home phone, would be where your existing phone wiring would plug into.

The only other option would be to have an adapter for each phone, as you can register up to five adapters to the home hub, but I am not sure how many BT would supply for free.

[licquorice]

@Anonymous Have a read of this article.

For the third time Digital Voice phones do not use WiFi.

[Keith_Beddoe]

@licquorice 

That`s a good link, especially if people start at part 1 first. https://www.draytek.co.uk/information/blog/the-end-of-analogue-phone-lines-pt1

Its better than the other link that I posted before, on another thread.

It also shows the new faceplates, and a method to modify existing wiring.

Its a pity that BT do not provide this information.