Entering a "+"

[martyn_hart]

How do you enter a "+" into the dial character stream of a BT HD Alexa phone?

These phones only allow/store 24 characters as a called number so if one wishes to use another carrier you need to dial the access code (normally 11 digits), followed by a pause (thats the "0" key depressed until a "P" appears) and then the called number.  If its in north America you then need 001 plus  10 more digits, which unforunately makes 25 characters.  If one were allowed to put in +1 instead of 001 (like my mobile) it would be 24 characters.

help?

[rbz5416]

The manual specifically references substituting + with 00, so I suspect you can't. But you can export the contacts list in the SH2 to a .VCF file on your PC. It should be possible to edit that with a basic text editor like Notepad or Wordpad by right-clicking the exported file & selecting Open With. It may be possible to add a + there from the PC keyboard, save the file & then import it again.

This is only speculation & the + may remain an illegal character when imported. Take two backups with different names first so that if it all goes horribly wrong, you have a virgin file to restore from.

Anything you do is at your own risk.

[martyn_hart]

Thanks for the reply rbz5416

I managed to export a contact from my phone’s address book via the home hub phone page to my PC as a .vcf file.  I then amended the file with the numbers including P and + and saved it under another title as a vcf file.

I selected it in the home hub phone section and exported it back to the phone.

When I tried the address book on the phone it was empty!  All addresses were gone!  Including the one I exported.

Maybe I’ve been trying this too long?  I’ll take a break and try again tomorrow.

Will let you know how I get on.

Regards

[rbz5416]

Sadly, looking at the last post here, it's typically BT half-arsed.

https://community.bt.com/t5/Home-phone-including-Digital/All-Digital-Voice-contacts-have-disappeared...

Importing a single contact VCF appears to overwrite the whole contact list rather than add the single contact.

In any case it also appears that a + entered into a VCF is simply stripped out, rendering the contact invalid.

[martyn_hart]

Hi rbz5416

Yes to add insult to injury, if you try saving a number with a pause in, it only saves the numbers before the pause, the numbers after a pause disappear!

Does this phone and associated software actually even meet the Trade Descriptions act?  Its called an advanced digital home phone hardly advanced if you can't save numbers or import & export lists.

Any idea who the manufacturer is?  Maybe I can take it up with them.

Thanks for your help.

Regards

Martyn

[rbz5416]

Afraid not. In the good old days BT Diverse DECT phones were rebadged Siemens & very good quality. Having bought a set of 8500s some time back to the call blocking, I suspect they were made by Fisher Price...

But the real issue is going to be the software in the SH2 & that's wholly BT as far as I know.

[martyn_hart]

Hi rbz5416

Fisher Price at least make toys that last and do what they are supposed to.

Yes I expect a group at Matlesham or Ipswich wrote the Smart Hub sofware, if I was that keen I'd try and track them down, but I have a life.

Its a pity for the prices that BT charge you would think they could provide a quality product.

Anyway thanks for your help.

Best wishes

Martyn