Digital Voice and wired connection

[giomach]

BT is our provider both for broadband and landline, and have now scheduled us for the switch from landline as we have known it to Digital Voice, ie. phone coming through fibre optic broadband.  I have questions about how this will affect me, which are not answered by the publicity I have read — basically, I want to retain wired connections throughout the house — and I need to discuss this with BT in written form (ie. email), as I need time to study the replies rather than interacting under pressure via a phone call or a chat.  Before asking the questions here, I'll just ask for now if there is any way to interact in writing with BT, as they seem averse to unforced written communication.

[jac_95]

Hi giomach,

Thanks for the post and welcome to the Community.

This is an automated response as I can see you have a question about BT’s Digital Voice service. Rather than waiting for a response from the Community, you may find an answer to your question by using the search bar on the Community homepage. We also have a thread that contains a wealth of info related to BT’s Digital Voice, click this link to take a look, Digital Voice FAQs.

Got some questions or want to learn more about BT’s Digital Voice rollout? BT are running localised events as part of the regional rollout of Digital Voice - Click here to view the Digital Voice events

To learn more about the nationwide change to this Internet based voice service visit landlinesgo.digital

If you have already looked for the answer to your question and have not found anything that can help, then please ignore this message. One of our Community members will be along shortly to help you further.

[WSH]

Not that I've been able to find in recent years.

Having been converted to DV 18 months ago, I am in a position to answer some of your questions, though.

1)  DV does not require optical fibre.  It works fine over the old copper, however, depending on exactly where you are Openreach may be keen, even insistent, to convert you to fibre optic at the same time.

2)  It is quite possible to keep your extensions.  Unfortunately, the house internal wiring is you responsibility so any changes need to be made by you, (or you need to get someone in).  Basically your internal wiring needs disconnecting from the master socket and plugging into the green socket on the back of the Smart Hub 2 they will send you.  (Note, if you are still using a copper connection for the internet, you cannot disconnect the incoming wires.  It is just your internal extension wires I am talking about here).  There is a nice post about it on the Draytek site.  Give me a few minutes and I'll post a link for you.

[WSH]

https://www.draytek.co.uk/information/blog/the-end-of-analogue-phone-lines-pt2

Edit:  And while I think about it, you can also get BT to supply plug-in adapters.  These work like portable phone sockets.  You plug the phone into the adapter and the adapter into a power socket and it communicates with the Smart Hub 2 via DECT.  (The same wireless system used by cordless phones).

[licquorice]

If you are moved to fibre, the change to Digital Voice whilst keeping you extension wiring is extremely simple.

All that is required is to disconnect the old incoming copper wires at the master socket and then connect the green socket at the rear if the hub to the master socket with a double ended lead.

It's that simple.

[giomach]

Thanks for all your replies. I'm a bit dim about all this, so let me explain my situation, even though you may have answered it already, and thanks for your further patience.

Our house was rewired a few years ago, and has 5 phone sockets in various rooms. One of these is in use for a broadband router (connected by ethernet to the computer); two of the others are in use for corded analogue phones (which are not connected to power sockets). All this is working perfectly well.

As I understand it, BT proposes to replace my router with one which would support a phone connection as well as broadband. That is fine, as long as the router has an ethernet connection for the computer. (However I don't have or need a phone adjacent to the router and computer.)

For the other phone sockets, two of which are in use for corded analogue phones, BT seems to suggest "free wireless adapters", to communicate wirelessly with the router; each will plug into a power socket near the corded phone and the phone will plug into it.

I am looking for a wired equivalent to this adapter, using the existing phone sockets instead of wireless connection to the router.

At present a cable connects the router to the phone socket beside it.  I think of this cable as bringing the internet to the router.  Is my solution really as simple as leaving that cable in place, but now it will bring the analogue phone service from the new router to my hard-wired sockets around the house?  Does it matter that the phone socket beside the router is not the one at which the phone connection has until now been entering the house?

[licquorice]

If you are moved to full fibre as well as moving to Digital Voice, your router will no longer connect to the phone socket it does currently. An optical modem (ONT) will be supplied which in turn connects to your router making the current copper wiring redundant. The router will have 3 further Ethernet sockets to connect your PC.

To continue using your existing analogue phone extensions, the router can be connected to any of the sockets once the incoming copper wires are disconnected.

[iniltous]

As explained, wired extension sockets are your responsibility not BT’s , but to make the transition easier BT will supply a ‘Digital Voice’ adapter, that effectively makes a wired (corded) phone capable of connecting to the router in the same way a cordless DECT phone connects to its basestation, you connect an existing corded phone to the DV adapter (which is mains powered ) and it connects to the router, so your existing corded phone is usable in a position remote from the router ( if the router position is unsuitable for you to connect a phone directly to the socket on the router ) ……if you want to connect all your current wired extension sockets to DV , basically the phone  socket on the router (the appropriate router a SH2 is supplied if your current router doesn’t have a phone socket ) needs to be connected (wired) to one of your  existing wired  sockets (master or extension socket ) , you need to do this yourself or employ a person to do this as any wired extension sockets you have  are nothing to do with BT , even if way back in the past they were provided by ‘BT’.

[WSH]

As we described above, once the internal wiring has been disconnected from the master socket, all you need is a BT plug to BT plug lead connecting from the phone socket on the back of the Smart Hub 2 router to one of your extension sockets.  That should make the rest of your extensions live again.

The ethernet ports will work as before but as Licquorice warned, if you are moved to full fibre optic one of them (number 4) will be used for the internet connection.

[WSH · Accepted solution]

If I've understood you correctly, this might help: