Confusion: Digital Voice and Old Phones

[Anonymous]

Scroll down to the bold text to get to the crux of things 

A few days ago BT posted me a letter to say they are switching me over to a digital system called Digital Voice.

Not really knowing what this meant, I have since learned that it is a nationwide elimination of the old copper wire way of doing things, and that landline phones will now somehow operate through internet boxes.

The switch happened today and my five landline telephones throughout the house ceased functioning.

I have since discovered that my internet box (The BT Smart Hub 2) can connect to only one of my landline telephones, but since the internet box is at the top of the house, in a cupboard, having a phone there is pretty much useless to me.

I'm not a young man and I don't use the internet at all, the internet box is just for guests. My grandson is typing this for me as I dictate. I am told the electronic signal doesn't stretch very far, since my house is large. I am very reluctant to change my landline phones: they are all rotary dial vintage pieces in different colours, which light up like the old Adam West Batphone, and match nicely with the aesthetic of my house. 

So my question is: If my five landline telephones now need internet juice to function, can I funnel internet juice from my internet box into the master socket, which connects up all five of my landline telephones and sockets? How the devil would I go about doing this?

Any assistance anyone could offer would be greatly appreciated.

[imjolly]

If you used the search facility you would find similar posts with same question. Here is one

https://community.bt.com/t5/Landline/Digital-Voice-Change-over/m-p/2166365#M77091

[Anonymous]

It's all a bit advanced technobabble for me I'm afraid. It's all very frustrating. I will try to outline my problems a little more succinctly here:

Is it possible to link my internet box (The BT Smart Hub 2) to the Master Socket, which is connected to all 5 old landline phones in my house via internal circuitry?

Is the Master Socket and internal landline circuitry of my house capable of running the new digital/broadband/wifi/internet system?

[imjolly]

The link eI posted to other thread explains.

You need to open the master socket and disconnect the incoming wires from openreachwhi h are connected to terminals A&B. you then need to buy the cable shown in the post then connect one end to phone socket on back of hub and the other to phone socket on master - done. Extensions should work but not sure how many extension phones it will support

[Anonymous]

Ah-Ha! Thank you! So in steps, it's:

1. Open the Master Socket up

2. Disconnect the incoming 'Openreach' wires that lead to Terminals A and B.

3. Use a cable to connect the Green Digital Phone Socket on the back of the BT Smart Hub 2 to the Phone Socket on the Master Socket.

I shall have a look through my cables and see what fits.

[imjolly]

I have assumed you have FTTP - FIBRE TO THE PRMISES/HOME.

it will not work if you have FTTC

[Keith_Beddoe]

If you have FTTC, then you would have to disconnect the phone wiring from the master socket,, but leave the broadband connection to the home hub intact.

It may be that you just have to remove the wiring from the front of the faceplate, as that normally goes to the phone wiring.

[Anonymous]

I don't think I have Fibre to the Premises, would I know if I did? Strangely enough, I called BT on my grandson's mobile phone just now and they said I should not be cutting any wires out of the Master Socket, under any circumstances. Also, the internal landline socket wiring of my house does not support Wireless/Broadband/Internet signals.

They tried to flog me some new ghastly cheap black plastic complicated digital phones. No thank you.

They tried to flog me some adaptors, which sounded good until they said they needed to be in range of both a power socket and Internet signal.

So I am at a loss really. I don't know what to do. Why couldn't they just leave my house alone. I'm 85. I don't use the internet, my life depends on me using the landline and they've taken it away.

[imjolly]

You will have something like this if you have FTTP.

If you don't have that then you have FTTC and you cannot disconnect the openreach cable from the master socket.

You should be able to either get a free digital voice phone or a free adapter for your existing phone.  The adapter plugs into a power socket and your existing phone will connect to the adapter.  If you wanted more adapters then you will need to buy them

[Anonymous]

Yes, I have that white Openreach box: I have no idea what it does, I thought it was another Internet box like the BT Smart Hub 2. So what does this mean? I can rip out some wires from the adjoining Master Socket? Because the BT people said I should definitely not be doing this.

Regarding new digital landline phones and adaptors: It's difficult, because my wireless internet signal covers only two rooms, whereas I have five landline phones scattered throughout the house, so new digital phones or adaptors would be useless in my situation, since they would be out of range of the wireless internet signal.