Can I use my old phone and DECT on a smart hub

[iniltous]

Anyone at all , can , if they feel the ability to continue to make or receive calls during a power cut , can invest in a BBU/UPS , ( a battery back up unit ) that will keep the router powered during a mains power outage , those deemed most at risk may get one supplied otherwise buy your own .

[Anje]

I don't process a mobile because I'm at home and I have a landline.

Previously if I lost internet I could phone BT and I've done this in the past.

If I was unable to phone out due to fault with phone line then I can always logon to my BT account and use the contact me or chat - i've also done tha before.

I call my elderly mother every day at a set time - she also only has a landline.

But if phone is totally reliant on an internet connection then how do ask for help ?
The answer is you cannot. You would have to find someone in the neighbourhood and ask them to help you contact BT. If people are at work then no one is around. It's also assuming you live near people or whether people are willing to assist.

Forcing phones to only function if there is an internet connection is dangerous and could cost lives.

[imjolly]

@Anje 

If your mother only has a phone and no broadband then she will be in the very last batch to move to DV 2027 and there will be a solution for people with phone only to use VOIP

[Anje]

Mother has broadband - I would hope BT would auto supply a backup battery which auto works if loss if electric - because she would not know how to make it work. But loss of electric is not the issue - but it's not much use if she loses the internet because then she is cut off. She still thinks the analogue phone would work. You see when you get old nothing is as simple and it's likely to cause panic.

I appreciate your assitance but BT is very naive and short sighted. Digital Voice will be ok providing BT can guarrantee internet connectivity.

[licquorice]

I'm struggling to understand your concern about loss of the internet but not loss of electricity.

The loss of internet in probably greater than 99% of cases is due to a line fault which would also mean the loss of the analogue phone line.

[iniltous]

@Anje 

What would  you do now ( before you are moved to DV ) if your line developed a fault that stopped you making a call ( your current line is not infallible )  would you move out  until your line is is repaired, ( and we know you wouldn’t do that ) then your worry about DV is misplaced, DV is no less reliable than the current system, if power outages are a concern, get  a BBU .

[Anje]

Currently:

The phone line and the internet are not the same.

If there is a loss of electrity then modern phones that use a power supply will not work and neither will the computer nor the internet.

BUT an old analague phone does not use a power supply, it just plugs into the phone socket so will still work.

This means people can still ring others including the emergency services.

A really good example of how that old phone was used - read about Boscastle in Cornwall.  That old phone service was their only method of getting help.

If there was a loss of internet - this has absolutely no effect on the phone unless the engineer deliberately disconnected the entire connection to the property. Loss of internet is not just able a cable - it can also mean a faulty hub. I've had a loss of internet before due to a faulty hub, but I could still phone BT for help.

Under Digital Voice.

If there is a loss of electricity - no internet - no phone - cannot use the old analogue phone. 

If you have this battery power backup thing then all will work - but I bet BT are not installing that by default - maybe if you are a 'vulnerable' person they would install it for free. So it cuts in automatically if power is lost.

However, If there is electricity but loss of internet - no internet - no phone - cannot use the old analogue phone. The battery backup power pack is irrelevant in this senario. The loss of internet may be due to a defective hub.

Stuck and cannot even contact BT to say there is an internet problem let alone get emergency services.

Hence my question - how do I call BT and get them to fix an internet problem regardless of whether it is  cable or hub. 

[Anje]

I currently use a Panasonic KX-TGH723.
The main phone has it's base and answering machine and address book etc. It has two additional phones which are connected, so use same phone address book and also auto ring when anyone calls. Each phone is on a different floor level. I've only had this phone for a few weeks.
I believe this phone should be able to be used in it's current format providing I use an adapter for the main phone.
Am I correct in thinking this?

I do not want this phone in the same room as the computer and hub. I want main phone in front downstairs room, but hub in a room at the back of house. When BT come to install this new hub and Digital Voice, do they install aload of new wiring  or am I wrong?

My BT internet and phone connection block on wall is in the front of house and I use a long underfloor wiring and splitters from front to back of house then connect to hub. Computer connects via ethernet.  It seems I'll need a complete wiring from BT to back of house so it goes into the new hub. Am I talking nonsense ? 

[licquorice]

If you don't wish to plug your Panasonic base station into the socket at the rear of the hub, you simply need to use a DV adapter that just requires a mains socket and is effectively a portable phone socket.

All explained in the FAQ

[graybag]

Hope I'm not "hijacking" this thread,but I have a related Question.

                           Not long ago I was emailed to tell me I'll shortly be going over to Digital Voice.Similar to a lot of people now my incoming and outgoing Landline Calls are more infrequent than a year or two ago and I tend to use the Extension Phone (in my Bedroom) for all Calls.

                         Probably,like a lot of older People,the majority of Calls I receive are those nasty Scam Calls (often from Overseas) telling me of "problems" with my Microsoft Internet and the like. I'm not an "early-riser"  and these tend to be more prevalent from about 8 till 9 in the morning and my response is usually to tell the (usually young-sounding) Person that I could be their Grandfather and hope they'll soon get a better Job (it really isn't their fault).

                   At last,sorry it's taken so long,my Question is - When I go over to Digital Voice will I still be able to use my Bedroom Extension?The alternative will be that every time I hear the Phone ring I'll have to get up and go into the Lounge to answer it (although it will usually be those scam Calls I cannot see myself laying in bed and ignoring it as I'll fret that it MIGHT be a Friend or Family).

               Sorry to be so long-winded I'm hoping that someone in the know will just say "Yes" it will all work as it always has.

              Thanks,in advance,

                Graham