Phone plugged into digital voice adapter works but does not ring.

[Chris_Sav]

Digital voice activated just over two weeks ago, line finally got working yesterday!

Two weeks without landline and fault continually cleared on my account.

Right! everything is working OK now but a digital voice adapter arrived in the post this morning. I plugged it in near the hub and paired it successfully, nice solid green light and adaoter shows as registered on the hub. Received a call at that point and noticed the adapter was flashing regularly as expected. Call ended and back to solid green.

That's the end of the good news once again!

Plugged my spare phone into the DVA and got a dial tone, looks good? no! Tried ringing my landline from my mobile and handset plugged into the hub rang, the DVA flashed but the handset plugged into it did not ring. I answered the call on the phone plugged into the DVA and could hear myself on my mobile.

Plugged that phone into the hub and it rang fine.

Repeated the above test with a ringer plugged into the DVA and exactly the same.

Any ideas anyone?

I've had some bad service from BT over the years but this conversion takes the biscuit thus far.

[Chris_Sav]

Just talked to a nice helpful chappie who thinks the DVA is DOA and would send another but BT are out of stock.

[Devon_Dave]

Try making a call from that phone to your mobile. Does your mobile display your home number? 

[Chris_Sav]

Hi and thanks for taking the time to suggest help.

Have tried your suggestion and my mobile phone rings and displays the caller number.

Still no ring in the other direction.

Do you happen to know if the DVA comes apart easily? it's more than just the four screws. BT are dtill out of stock of DVA's for this week.

[Keith_Beddoe]

Just an idea, do you have a microfilter, as the DVA may have issues with the phone, if the phone has a separate ring wire?

If that is the case, then if you plug a microfilter into the DVA socket, and then plug your phone into the phone output of the microfilter, then the ring wire will be reproduced, as the microfilter has a capacitor inside which extends the ring wire connection.

[Chris_Sav]

Go to the top of the class that man!

Yes the phone plugged into a microfilter plugged into the DVA rings to an incoming call.

Question is as to whether the DVA is faulty with a broken ringer circuit, as BT helpline should really have known about this if not.

Thanks for your help and I will update if and when the new DVA arrives.

[Keith_Beddoe · Accepted solution]

@Chris_Sav 

The answer is simple, the DVA probably only has a two wire presentation, as that is what all modern phones use, as they have internal capacitors to separate the DC line voltage from the AC ringing current.

The DVA is not likely to be faulty, but without knowing how its wired, its not possible to tell.

Modern phones are two wire, older phones are three wire, and rely on the capacitor within the master socket.

I am sure that other people are going to have the same issue.

[Keith_Beddoe]

@Chris_Sav 

Something else.

https://www.bt.com/content/dam/bt/help/user-guides/Digital-Voice-Adapter-userguide.pdf

Phone doesn’t ring anymore?
If your home phone is more than 10 years
old, there’s a chance that it might be
incompatible with the Digital Voice Adapter.

So that would imply its only a two wire device.

[Chris_Sav]

Thanks

The bit you missed out was "Cal 0800800150"

Whiich I did and they had not got a clue, obviously not on their decision tree!

Thanks for your help anyway, does not increase my opinion of BT one iota,   forcing me onto a new service that I have already had to buy a UPS for my router and my phones did not work on the DVA either and BT were no help..

Yes

[imjolly]

@Chris_Sav 

out of curiosity is your phone more than 10 years old?