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Message 1 of 5

Closer to Digital Voice, but still not ready!

Today, I received a card from BT showing me how to setup my new home phone service.

I have BT broadband but I'm still using the older Smart Hub, not the latest Hub that includes a digital phone connection.

BT should be aware of this as I've told them many times.  In the past I've even asked them to send me a new hub so I can be ready, but they have always refused.

I also have the issue that my BT hub is situated in the loft bedroom, 2 floors up, whereas the landline is in the kitchen on the ground floor.  So, simply plugging the digital landline into the BT hub will not work for me.  I have also explained this to BT many times.

So, having received an email on 12th July warning me about my impending upgrade to digital voice and the card I've received this morning, I'm rather concerned that I have still NOT received a BT hub that can be used with digital voice, plus whatever adaptors are required to use my landline downstairs, away from the hub.

If BT switch me over to digital without providing this basic equipment I will be very angry!!!!

Of course, as usual, it's almost impossible to contact BT these days!

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Message 2 of 5

Re: Closer to Digital Voice, but still not ready!

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Message 3 of 5

Re: Closer to Digital Voice, but still not ready!

Your internal setup is your own concern if the router is in an upstairs floor but your current phone is ground floor , obviously there is a connection between them , it’s your ‘problem’ if you chose to not have the router where the master socket , BT will provide a DV adapter if you chose to keep your router upstairs, but have in mind the adapter is simply a DECT connection, you plug your phone into it close to where the phone is  currently located ( the adapter needs power ) , if the distance between the hub and the location of the adapter is outside DECT range , that’s your problem and you would  need to explore converting your wiring or relocation of your hub  ( voice reinjection if you need a term to search by ) 


As far as getting a SH2 , there is no reason to suspect you won’t get one before the DV migration, in my case I had the SH2 supplied well in advance, but didn’t connect it for at least a week , the PSTN service remained, I received a couple of polite reminders to connect the SH2 , so if you don’t receive a SH2 , if my experience is anything to go by , the PSTN won’t simply disappear , giving you time to contact BT about the lack of a SH2 although my change to DV was because of a recontracting event , rather than the DV rollout program 

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Message 4 of 5

Re: Closer to Digital Voice, but still not ready!

Hi @milleniumaire ,  certainly I would say if you are being switched to DV without a choice then BT must supply equipment that helps you migrate. I had an older home hub 4 and I was told I would receive a smart hub 2 as part of the switchover and I was also offered onr ‘free’ DV (mains powered) adapter for analogue phones (via redemption code). I learned afterwards that early DV switchovers included an offer of two such adapters or two BT basic digital phones.

BT run DV switchover events in some locations and it’s worth checking if there’s one near you as you might do better by speaking to one of their reps directly.

I don’t know if the hub you have currently is suitable for DV service, the SH2 has both a standard phone socket and a built-in DECT implementation (non standard, BT’s own version). Without this you might not get service using a BT digital handset. It’s worth checking this with BT.

As the previous poster said, the internal set up in your property is not BT’s concern, but if you have contracted to receive a landline service the compulsory DV switch cannot leave you worse off. In my experience there is pressure on subscribers to give up ‘landline’ services and that’s maybe a choice for you in the future.

If you have internal wiring to which more than one analogue phone is connected at present this  network can be made to work with DV such that a handset in one room can be used on a call and a handset in another location can be picked up and join/take over the conversation (so called duplexing). It’s a bit tricky but there is info elsewhere in the forum on how to do this (in multiple threads). I found picking my way through it difficult but persistence pays off.

If you only have a single phone in another location I’d suggest you go down the dect route using either a mains plug in adapter or a digital handset from BT. As the previous poster said, the hub which is the base station for the BT dect has to be in range of the adapter/digital phone, but its quite powerful in my experience. Alternatively, if you are currently using a dect set you can plug its base station into the hub and phones registered to it will work as before.

All in all I’ve had a bit of a journey but it works how I want now on old analogue phones. I have found the BT support lines to be helpful, and if you press them for a solution they should offer to send you the right equipment to make transition work. Even afterwards, when things weren’t working the way I wanted (initially unable to swap between handsets in different locations) they were helpful with equipment. Just make sure that they are  accepting responsibility for the cost and they aren’t charging you for it. (Or accept it and complain afterwards you shouldn’t have been charged as it was offered to solve a problem you reported.)

If all else fails tell BT you want to switch to EE (as all domestic subscribers will be moved in due course) and  speak to them about what equipment they will provide.

Good luck and don’t forget to report back if you get it sorted!

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Message 5 of 5

Re: Closer to Digital Voice, but still not ready!

@JayKayGee 

BT no longer provide free DV phones when moving to digital voice but the will provide 1 free DV adapter on request



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