Does the BT Business Smart Hub 3 have an analogue telephone socket on the back?

[Keith_Beddoe]

@imajeenyus88 

That is what I would have expected with the card terminal 😀

As for the phones, its not really as bad as you imagine. Depending on how many phones you have, I think there is a base unit, although for a small shop, I expect you only have a couple of phones.

All providers are being impacted by the closure of the analogue PSTN network.

Some useful background information here https://landlinesgo.digital/

I am sure it will all work out, there are plenty of other small businesses in exactly the same position as you.

[imajeenyus88]

@Keith_Beddoe More confusion. Here is a photo from an eBay listing for a Business Smart Hub 3 (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/156031686834) This clearly shows a green analogue phone socket on the back! Is it the case that, although present, this isn't enabled?

[Keith_Beddoe]

@imajeenyus88 

Its not enabled, and I think that the one you are supplied with, will have a label saying "do not use" or something similar.

The residential hub has an internal configuration file to allow it to initiate a secure connection to the BT Digital Voice servers. It then provides both an ATA interface, and DECT base unit to connect to specific BT DECT phones.

The BT Business hub does not work that way, and simply presents Ethernet and wireless.

Authentication is done within the IP phones, which are configured by BT Business. I would also expect that to be a secured value to prevent spoofing of the number.

One major advantage of a Cloud based IP solution, is that businesses can normally keep their number if they move within the same geographic area. This is not possible on the PSTN network because of exchange numbering ranges.

[imajeenyus88]

@Keith_Beddoe Thanks again 😉 When you say the phones are configured by BT Business, does this mean I can only get phones from them? I can't just use any old voip phone/base station setup? (I have never used voip phones before, so no ideas on this).

Part of our problem is having two buildings with very thick stone walls, and it's been impossible to get either a wifi or dect signal between the two, so it would need to be an extra-powerful phone system to handle this.

[Keith_Beddoe]

@imajeenyus88 

I am fairly sure only BT supplied ones can be used as they are customised.

As for the distance between the buildings, an Ethernet cable between the two would be one solution, just the same as it would be for home users.

I would expect the IP phones (base unit?) to have an Ethernet port on them, but that is something you would have to investigate. It may be that a base unit has to be situated at the end of the Ethernet cable, for the IP phones to connect to.

I am sorry, this is something I cannot answer.