Correct way to enable all BT sockets after Digital Voice

[Carlusha]

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@gspearsonwrote:

.  I'm sticking with copper until the bitter end by which time I will be deaf and it won't matter. 

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I'm already deaf and can confirm it matters not! All communications via Chat, email, SMS or, as a last resort, snail mail. Failing those, tough!

Nowadays, the battle is to stop being invited to call this, that and the other .......... even the blinking surgery who know jolly well that I cannot call them. Grrrr!

[jonstatt]

I'm pleased to report that I am on Digital Voice and all of my sockets work and my alarm dialler works. Phones ring as normal complete with caller ID.

It is simply 2 steps as suggested above 

1) remove master socket completely from wall and remove incoming exchange wires. They are under screw terminals. Put back complete master socket. 

2) Get a BT plug to BT plug cable and connect from Smart Hub 2 to master socket. You can use a BT doubler if you already had something plugged into the master socket.

Miscellaneous points 

1) phone number migration worked fine

2) there is still a dial tone on the copper wire but it won't make calls

3) sound quality is better than regular landline even for extension connected phones

4) I only had 4 ddays notice of the conversion to my BT email address and the final reminder text and posted card arrived AFTER I had already been converted

[Keith_Beddoe]

The solution posted by @jonstatt  is only applicable to FTTP customers, not FTTC, otherwise you would lose broadband and phone.

[Stevek1311]

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@Stevek1311wrote:

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@Keith_Beddoewrote:

@jonstatt 

There is nothing to stop you linking the phone socket on the back of the SH2, into your existing phone wiring.

You just need a lead like this. Ignore the reference to the ONT on the picture

Lead to link ONT TEL port to phone socket

Farnell Telephone Modular Cable, BT631A Plug to BT631A Plug

There are other places.

Ebay have the 4 wire one, which works just as well.

BT 4 Wire 431A Plug to Male Plug Telephone Cable Lead

You would need to disconnect the existing master phone socket, from the external network.

That would then extent the phone connection to all of the existing sockets.

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Thanks for that as I'm contemplating doing something similar

A question though:  do you or does anyone know please what REN (Ringer Euivalence Number) load the SH2 output can support?  If someone has multiple phones on their current BT sockets they might easily have an REN load of 2 or higher so there could be a problem.

A variant of the 'plug a double male' cable into the SH2 might be to use the Digital Voice Adapter BT offer so again if anyone knows what REN load that can support I'd be glad to know the answer please

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Well I'm not surprised that no one could answer those fair questions i posed, BT hadn't got a clue when eventually someone senior contacted me back about this fiasco.

Would probbaly be wrong to repeat what he said but he did agree that 'given the circumstances' BT will not be transferring me over to Digital Voice any time soon.

The transfer programme is a mess, it appaears to work for many customers where the Hub is in a proper living space and people don't ask 'what if?' questions, unfortunately though a lot of FTTP hubs have not been so installed and they don't have answers to fair questions.  

It's going to happen though, whenever did facts change dogma?

[RetiredRob]

I have FTTP and have been changed over to Digital Voice. I found my CLI no longer worked to my Dect phone using a Digital Voice Adapter. After failing to get help from BT, I investigated the Wifi signal was the likely cause as the CLI was presented OK if I moved the adapter near to the Router. That wasnt where I wanted the phone though.

So not reading this chain before I bought a normal phone extender (male and female). Then removed the front plate from the old master socket which isolated the old exchange copper (which still has dial tone) and connected to the back of the front plate to the phone socket on the router with the extension lead. The front plate of the master socket has the internal wiring connected. My phone with CLI works fine now in the place I want it.

So what I have done is similar to what's been shown here already. I will now look to get a male to male lead and provide the neater solution as shown above.

I think my question is, is it ok to disconnect the old copper wire to the exchange? Is there a plan to use it as a fall back, or if for some reason I want to get a cheaper phone line from BT or other in the future?

[DavidSC]

I'd be interested to know how many extensions the Digital Voice Adaptor can handle.  I have three, but I may replace two of them with a Panasonic KX-TGF320E, as it is a desk phone with a cordless add-on, and so counts as a single REN.  Also it would be interesting to know if the adaptor can power (via a capacitor) a real bell - we have an 80D exterior bell.  We are due to be migrated next week.  

[jonstatt]

@RetiredRob To my understanding,  once you have FTTP and digital voice, the copper will never ever be used again. But it must he disconnected from the master socket as for now at least you are likely to still be connected to the exchange. 

[RetiredRob]

jonstatt thanks, that helps

[barnpiece]

According to the label on the Digital Voice Adaptor, it is rated at 2 REN.

Richard

[DavidSC]

That's good to know - thanks.