Digital Voice handset range extension

[volemangler]

Hi,

Has anyone found a way of extending the range of the Digital Voice handsets?  I see that off-the-shelf DECT repeaters don't work with BT's flavour of DECT.   The FAQ answer provided on the Community page for the issue of extending DV range is "You shouldn't have to", which is not exactly helpful.   If someone is researching ways to extend  the range of their Digital Voice handsets then they clearly have a need to!  In my case, I have to extend the range from within a stone-walled cottage to an adjacent, but seperate, stone conservatory.  These DV  handsets seem to have a significantly poorer range than standard DECT phones and the signal doesn't penetrate the walls well enough to allow  the handsets to remain connected to the SH2.  Strategically-placed DECT repeaters would solve the problem, if they worked with this poorly thought-out  Digital Voice malarkey.

[imjolly]

do you have an existing phone setup in stone conservatory?

[volemangler]

No.  The old DECT system would just about reach with a bit of luck and a followng wind.  Otherwise I could have used the phone port in the back of the SH2.  It's not my house; I'm trying to accomodate the needs of an elderly neighbour, so I don't have remit to run cabling.  Also, I don't want to run a second (decent) DECT system with the base station wired to the phone port in the SH2.  This would be messy and confusing for her.

[FTT]

Something (or someone) will have to move to resolve the problem.

The SH2 can go anywhere so can that be moved to a more central location? You just need a longer cable from ONT (fibre box) to the back of the SH2 or I think a power line adapters should work https://shop.bt.com/category/networking,network-devices,powerline-adapters/11301

Not sure about that technolgy with an ONT so maybe someone else can comment futher.

Adding another DECT system plugged into the SH2 or connected directly to the SH2 (ie don't use the old phone base's DECT signal) may resolve the problem either way once it's setup up it'll work as one system essentially.

[volemangler]

I've already tried temporarily putting the SH2 in a windowsill in the house that's closest to the conservatory and it can't maintain a connection with a phone in there, so moving it won't help. The built-in DECT base-station is just not good enough. I didn't think it was possible to register non-Digital Voice DECT handsets to the SH2 base station.?? Even if I could find a better DECT handset (not difficult) and do this, I doubt it would maintain connection to the SH2. I'm going to end up asking her to buy a BT Elements 1K and run that beside the SH2 system. I'll have to put the Elements base-station in the closest windowsill to the conservatory and run a long cable to the SH2. Messy, expensive, confusing for her and wouldn't be necessary had BT not forced a poor, non-standard DECT system on her.

[imjolly]

what if you used a DV adapter and plug in between hub and conservatory then connect the existing DECT base station to adapter will that enable the existing phone to get signal in conservatory

[volemangler · Accepted solution]

Yeah, I'd considered that, but the existing DECT system is tired and old and only just manages a connection in the conservatory. I want to give her a reliable connection out there and in the garden, and I think the Elements 1K should do that. Bite the bullet I guess.