How to Video - Analogue to Digital Telephone Landline Switchover Advice VOIP.

[@FrankJohnson-ye8lt]

Brilliant idea! My BT (now EE) telephone service was recently changed over to VOIP and the telephone adapter they supplied only worked for a few days and then no dial tone. A replacement adapter was no better so I followed your advice and all my old telephones now work as before. Thanks!

[@robswiseways5697]

I’m absolutely delighted to hear this Frank, so thank you very much for your comment 👍. It’s made my day 😀. Cheers Rob

[@sward86]

Hi, BT engineer here. Strictly speaking the only wires you need to connect are the blue / blue - white (2 & 5). All other wires aren't used but no harm in connecting them

[@robswiseways5697]

Hi Sean, Good to hear advice from BT. My keen attention to detail drove me to connect all wires as it looks neater and more complete 😁. Thanks for tuning in and commenting. Cheers, Rob 👍

[@bretty453]

I did this the other week. Spliced 2 and 5 in under the floorboards using an old cut down modem cable from the router and removed the old incoming copper line from the master socket all extra sockets work fine. It's KCOM area, the line from the pole was replaced with one with copper and fibre a few years ago. Finally switched to fibre.

[@robswiseways5697]

@@bretty453 Good to hear it has worked for you. Cheers, Rob 👍

[@rodfulford4306]

Hi, retired bt engr here! You omitted that some older phones need the third bell wire, orange/white on pin3

[@sward86]

@rodfulford4306 yes that's correct however there is no bell wire on Digital Voice, for the older handsets we connect a microfilter before them as this induces a current to pin 3 (orange - white) to trigger a ringer

[@peterjohnson1739]

Good video on wiring. I agree that avoiding using all those plug-in adapters (I’d need three here) is worthwhile. The solution I opted for was to buy three new DECT phones (as others have suggested). This was a much more expensive option than buying the BT “adapters”. However, as others have pointed out, it has brought the benefit of reducing (but sadly not eliminating) unsolicited and scam calls. I also bought a power bank so that I could recharge my mobile phone from it during a power cut. Another drawback, that nobody seems to have mentioned, is that DECT phones are not as good for those who have hearing difficulties; conventional wired phones usually have louder speakers in the earpiece. The Pandora’s Box that you opened is, of course, the way that digital voice fails during power cuts. As too do DECT (wireless phones) because they too need power. Also no power = no ability to recharge your mobile phone (so you need a power bank at the very least which adds further to the expense to the public of the change over). Ofcom states that: "[Ofcom’s] research suggests that 68% of customers that have a landline in their home have a cordless phone only, and that 50% of customers that live in a home with only a landline phone use a cordless phone rather than a traditional corded phone. Cordless phones are very unlikely to work in the event of a power cut as the unit that plugs into the phone socket also needs mains power to work and these do not tend to have a battery." They then argued that since most customers had voluntarily [unknowingly is a better word] put themselves in the position that they could not call 999 over the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) during a power cut the principle of "Universal Service" had become less important. In its consultation on switching to digital voice [held between 24 May 2018 and 5 July 2018] Ofcom set out the principle that: “CPs [Communication Providers] should have at least one solution available that enables access to emergency organisations for a minimum of one hour in the event of a power outage in the premises.” The London Fire Brigade highlighted the inadequacy of this principle up very well: “Our [London Fire Brigade’s] concern on this principle is on circumstances where a power outage exceeds one hour. The limitation of one hour does not seem to satisfy the Universal Service Directive as stipulated in paragraph 2.14 of the consultation document. In the event that a power outage exceeds one hour people with no access to, or means to access alternative lines of communication, have no ability to contact the emergency services in the event of an emergency. While such circumstances may be infrequent, in areas of no or poor mobile signal some people, in particular those who are isolated, would be unable to contact the emergency services and so be left at risk. There would be even greater risks for those who are vulnerable and more at risk of having a fire, of being less able to react and have a reduced ability to escape in the event of a fire. Although an overview of UK power outages (2010-2015) reveals that there is a national average outage duration of 50 minutes, the average for Greater London is 156 minutes (2.6 hours). This clearly demonstrates a one hour solution is ineffective particularly in London. More importantly, relying on average times would mean that anyone exceeding the average is put at risk and so the times must be extended much further than one hour if a back up service is to be effective. Power outage contingency solutions should provide a critical uninterrupted connection for the purpose of fire survival guidance and emergency service appraisal of the situation at the incident centre. Communication providers should be aware of the fact that sometimes calls between emergency services and services users disconnect, and re-establishment of connections in these circumstances requires additional time.” Source: www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/117204/London-Fire-Brigade.pdf One thing this clearly indicates is that it's not just a problem in remote rural areas. The LFB is saying that in London the average power cut is longer than the national average (at 2.6 hours) and, as it points out, catering for the average is not good enough. Unfortunately Ofcom didn’t address the LFB's concerns in its final guidance. The solutions offered vary from CP to CP some of them are better than others. I'd argue that even a 12 hour UPS is insufficient. As at least one person has said, this could prove to be the next big scandal.

[@robswiseways5697]

Much appreciated Peter and I must say your comment makes for very interesting reading. Your detailed insight into power cut situations and the mention of the drawback of DECT phones for the hard of hearing will prove helpful to other viewers. Wonder how much larger a longer lasting UPS would be. Surely there has to be a cut off point regarding size and where it can be sited. Of course this is purely an individuals choice. Once again thank you for watching and commenting. Cheers Rob 👍

[@gregorygreg4263]

I would just like to say this about the new system. I work with people who are vulnerable in the community. Lots of them have no internet and wont purchase internet but have a house phone. What are they goint to do. Second if you loose power you have no phone your means of communication with the outside world is gone. The good old phone analog phone line was not affected by a lack of electricity just the pount when you might need your phone to call for help. Progress is not necessarily better.

[@robswiseways5697]

Hello Gregory, Information on the website tells us ‘the analogue telephone network is reaching the end of its serviceable life. Maintenance, repair and sourcing parts are becoming increasingly difficult’. Digital lines do offer clearer phone calls plus other benefits. Vulnerable people should contact their provider when they are notified of switchover. Their provider may supply a battery backup device. They may also be able to supply a hub with broadband switched off, or some other device for landline customers only. Hope this helps, Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers Rob 👍

[@jannertfol]

Yeah, we just got switched to Digital Voice against our will a couple of months ago (with literally one day's notice!), and already the system has gone down twice. There is a lot we're not being told, or told incorrectly (either to deliberately mislead us, or through genuine mistakes.) I asked a BT representative specifically if the phone would work if only the broadband was down, but the electricity stayed on (quite common where we live.) He said yes ...as long as the router is flashing colours, it's working, so the phone will work as well. "The phone is a different system from Broadband" he said. ERm...no. It's not. The router was flashing all sorts of colours for several hours, we couldn't use the internet, and the phones were all dead-but our electricity was fine. Then hey ho, both Broadband and phones magically came back on, both at the same time. Load of codswallop. Phone extensions do work, using adaptors, etc. And they're not all that difficult to set up, although cordless analogue phones won't work any more (corded ones do.) You can answer any incoming call on any extension, or make an outgoing call. But what the extensions DON'T do is connect to each other any more. In other words, if somebody answers a call on one phone, and you want to either listen in or take over the call on another phone ...you can't. All you get is a dial tone if you pick up. BT spun this as a benefit, ie, "Two people can make two different calls from the same house at the same time now!" Wheeee. In fact, this little anomaly is causing us a lot of distress, as my husband, who is partly disabled, usually picks up incoming calls on his desk phone, which is corded. If the call is for me, I end up having to get him to take the number, then I have to phone them back on the digital extension or the other corded phone. What a palaver. Basically, while we've had Digital Voice now for a couple of months, we dislike it. We have derived NO benefit whatsoever, and have already experienced several downsides. And the way it's been pushed on us makes us really angry. It's scary to know it wouldn't take much for us to be cut off from the world completely, just when we need to access services. Yes, we have a (shared) smartphone that we use for verification codes, etc-but it's not our primary phone, and isn't the phone associated with our service accounts. Why should we each be forced to buy a smartphone and pay a monthly tariff for them, as well as worrying about keeping them charged up, etc? Our landline suits us so well! We're an older couple, and we don't leave the house much. Not to mention our eyesight isn't what it used to be either, and peering at the tiny screen on a smartphone is not fun at all. I can do it, because I'm nearsighted, but my husband struggles, even wearing specs. This whole caper is badly thought-out, and certainly doesn't work for everybody.

[@fontybits]

@@jannertfol Totally agree with your sentiments. All the "digital" changes in our lives are not being done for PEOPLE'S benefit!

[@PaulM0XLO]

A useful video for people, but it starts off rather over complicating things. After disconnecting the home extension cable from the master socket, it is not necessary to reroute it anywhere. As Rob himself points out at 11:10 in the video, all you have to do is disconnect the home extension cable from the master socket, and leave it disconnected but otherwise in place. And then connect your hub phone adapter socket to any extension socket. There may of course be already a telephone connected to an extension socket near the hub, -in this case use a telephone socket doubler to allow connection to the hub. Also, if you have two extension cables coming out of the master socket, you would need to connect them together after disconnecting from the master socket. Rather than using awkward twisted connections, it would be neater and more reliable to use an added extension socket and IDC the extension cable connections together, as Rob also points out. A very useful point that this video highlights is the use of the male to male connector cable to connect your hub phone adapter socket to your home extensions.

[@robswiseways5697]

Hi Paul, You have a point there. It was my own scenario I based the video on. Looking back, firstly I should have shown how to make the simple alteration based on the master socket and hub being located in a hallway for example. Then I should have shown my own scenario. Your mention of other methods such as the doubler will be useful to others reading your comment. Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers Rob 👍

[@PaulM0XLO]

Hi Rob, always easy to think of these things in hindsight! Remains a useful video, and I think there will be an increasing number of people having one sort of issue or another with their landline conversion to VOIP. The number of potential problems goes a good deal wider than just extension wiring, though most people shouldn't have too much of an issue. Phones not working during powercut is likely to be an issue for some of course, with only partial mitigation easily available. Cheers, Paul

[@robswiseways5697]

@@PaulM0XLO Thank you again Paul

[@bmhor]

Well presented and clear. Glad you mentioned no pjone if there's a power cut but another couple of things people forget are that autodialing burgler/fire alarms won't work and critically, panic alarms for elderly are also out of action.

[@robswiseways5697]

Mother in law is in the same position and remains on an Analogue line for now. Will have to see what the near future brings. Cheers for watching, Rob 👍

[@kamalhashmi9851]

For vulnerable households some companies will provide a small UPS for the router which will keep it working for an hour after a power cut. Doesn't seem enough to me...

[@robswiseways5697]

@@kamalhashmi9851 Agree one hour isn’t enough. Will have to ask about this when the time comes for the mother in law to switch. Cheers Rob 👍

[@jannertfol]

Digital Voice phones don't work if the Broadband is down (as we just discovered.) The power can be on, but if the internet is down, so are the phones.

[@robswiseways5697]

@@jannertfol Yes you’re right. Mobile is a back up but if mobile masts loose power then there is no communication! Thanks for commenting. Cheers Rob 👍

[@peteandmaggie8570]

We've not had a landline for over 10 years, but a good video, Rob for those that keep their house phone.

[@robswiseways5697]

Thanks for watching Pete and for your comment 👍. I guess it is an extra expense keeping the landline but we’re not quite ready to ditch it yet. You’re right this video may help those who wish to keep their landline. All the best, Rob & Gail 😀. Back on the road in Feb…

[@UKsystems]

@@robswiseways5697switch to a voip phone provider so the only costs are usage

[@howejones4126]

My BT line has just gone digital and your information was very helpful to enable me to have my house wired phone sockets working. Thanks Rob.

[@robswiseways5697]

That’s really good to know Howe. Thanks for your feedback. Cheers, Rob 👍

[@richiep7812]

So what happens when the power goes off? If you live in a rural area and constantly having power outages then you don’t get a phone line? And you can’t rely on mobiles ether, as the mast goes down?

[@robswiseways5697]

Hello Rich, Although my video is related to keeping traditional telephone sockets active, I’ve had quite a few comments on power cuts and discussions on Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) battery backup. I think this is the only solution for anyone with poor / no mobile signal and for vulnerable users with telecare equipment. Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers Rob 👍

[@DelticEngine]

Nice video! I did basically the same at my home. We're on Virgin and I set it up ahead of time so It was a very simple for the engineer to switch the system over. I also moved the router to a new location as I didn't want the possibility of the engineer causing issues with adjacent equipment with the router in its old location. One thing I would do is, unless you have any very old phone that rely on the separate Ring signal or Earth connection if it's a real antique phone, remove ALL the Master Sockets completely and if you need a socket where a Master Socket was then replace it with a Slave Socket. This is important as a Master Socket is, by design, a constant load on the line and the removal ensures the best signal from the router. A lot of routers are actually very weak in output, especially in terms of ring current capability which is stepped up from the router's power supply. Most routers run from a small 12 Volt DC supply and this low input voltage is stepped up to the normal Ring voltage of between 70 and 100 (very occasionally 110) volts and the normal line voltage is -48 Volts DC. For example, a telephone that draws 200mA from the line when in use will draw an extra 800mA from the router's low voltage power supply. As a ringing example, if the ring voltage was 102 volts and the telephones along the line draw a total of 400mA then the current draw at 12V would be 4.8A as the Ring voltage is AC not DC. In these examples, it is easy to see why the output of a router can only drive maybe two or three telephones maximum as the current draw of the telephone side of things is in addition to the existing power requirements for the network and broadband electronics. This is why a few routers came with physically large and hefty power supplies. Unfortunately there is likely little to be gained, except perhaps improved reliability and lifespan, by upgrading the router power supply as the internal electronics are unlikely to deliver more output to run more phones even it the power supply was capable. A few people may be lucky and find that their router has at some point been supplied with a somewhat beefier power supply and may gain some benefit from upgrading it. Of course, the usual caveats of possibly voiding any warranty on equipment and potential damage to equipment by the use of third-party parts applies if you're thinking of using a power supply other that the one supplied.

[@robswiseways5697]

Thank you for your comprehensive answer, very interesting 👍. All our sockets are slave and I only have three phones plugged into them. No issues with incoming and outgoing calls and there are no plans on adding more phones. Moving forward, I would expect more digital phones to appear on the market that link wirelessly to the hub so I wonder if wired phones will eventually fade away. But a long time to go yet before that happens. Thanks for tuning in and commenting. Cheers, Rob

[@Cas.1964]

We were switched over recently by BT. Yes it works BUT we need a landline as where we live if the electricity or Internet goes down we have no mobile signal. So now if we lose either electricity or Internet we have no phone. BT are not interested and their only solution was to try and sell us battery backup for over 80 quid, which we refused. Yes alot of people may have ditched their landlines but for those of us with no mobile signal it's not an option. Also certain items of medical equipment will no longer work in a power outage. I do believe BT have now halted the switchover due to serious safety concerns for vulnerable people. Too late for us and I'm done with ringing them for a solution because they couldn't care less! I'm just glad my nearly 90 year old parents have been saved the stress as like many elderly people they don't eve have the Internet. Thanks for video and happy new year to you.🎉🎉

[@robswiseways5697]

Hello Cas, thanks for watching and for your comment. Our mobile signal inside the house can be patchy at times, hence keeping the landline for now. BT send their hub out for free and only charge for postage, so cannot understand why they won’t do the same for battery backup in an area that has no mobile signal. It must be a worry for you. Wonder if battery backup is provided free for medical equipment / Careline personal alarm systems. Wasn’t aware switchover had been put on hold. At least the elderly have temporarily been saved the confusion of dialing an area code for a local call, a nuisance in itself. And a Happy New Year to you too 🥂. Kind regards, Rob & Gail 😀

[@philipoakley5498]

Shouldn't be too hard to get/create a very simple battery backup using an old car battery and a 10v regulator to supply the router (or even none at al,l as may router have internal regulators), and a simple trickle charger for the battery. Hardest part is sourcing a second hand battery that isn't a dud ;-)

[@Cas.1964]

@@robswiseways5697 Thanks Rob. It is a worry but at least it looks like my parents will be saved from the switchover which is a relief. I'll just keep my fingers crossed we eventually get a decent mobile signal! Looking forward to your caravan videos and a great summer for us all.😊

[@highpath4776]

@@robswiseways5697 well one dials full number if using a mobile , maybe area codes will be redundant and everything will move to personal numbers

[@highpath4776]

@@philipoakley5498 UPS for computer systems tended to use the Yamaha/Yashica Motorbike batteries paired up, they are fairly inexpensive and I think a gel type so no sloshy acid

[@PeterChapman-rg6gr]

What everyone forgets to mention is that whilst traditional fixed wired phones are supplied with power via the BT lines AND work during power cuts the new VOIP phones won't work. For 3 years now BT have avoided answering questions relating to this problem.

[@robswiseways5697]

Hello Peter, I’m no expert and I know I’ve mentioned this in other comments but I wonder, in the background if phone providers are looking at power cut situations. They may even provide battery backup in areas prone to power cuts and no mobile signal and even people who rely on medical equipment. I’m curious to see what happens when the Mother in law is switched as she has a call pendant. However, the battery backup would have to give the appropriate amount of power to cover at least 24 hours in my opinion. There are so many variables that need to be addressed. I suppose it’s a case of watch this space where providers are concerned. Thanks for your comment and for watching. Cheers Rob 👍

[@PeterChapman-rg6gr]

@@robswiseways5697 I phone BT at least twice a year just on this known issue of switching to VOIP. Lots of talk that there will be a solution and, as others have stated, it appears that there is a limited time battery back up to the VOIP (but only if connected to a hard wired phone) that lasts around 1 hour. That is no good for long duration power-cuts and as it takes UK power around 2 hours even to send someone out after a power cut has been reported, it is of no use to most of us.

[@robswiseways5697]

@@PeterChapman-rg6gr Had a comment today from ‘misha frog’ saying Vodofone supplied a backup that lasts 12 hours. This doesn’t sound too bad. Hope this is of interest to you.

[@peterjohnson1739]

Exactly so. Traditional (analogue) voice got its power from the telephone exchange which in turn had robust backup in place. With digital voice (VoIP) if you lose power in your home you lose signal. In the original consultation response the London Fire Brigade pointed out that although the average power cut might be “only” 2 hours in reality many were much longer. Any back up battery, or Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) needs to last for as long as your longest power cut. The argument accepted is that since everyone (!?) has a mobile phone an always on land line is not something we need in the 21st century. This is of course untrue. One solution suggested, was to give everyone who is vulnerable a free mobile phone so that they can still call 999. Panic buttons appear to have been forgotten. There’s also the (false) assumption that everyone has a good mobile signal - if you don’t tough.

[@PeterChapman-rg6gr]

@@peterjohnson1739 Fully agree with your comment. Also there are many hundreds of thousands of disabled people as well as people hooked up to medical equipment which WONT work with VOIP phone lines

[@ΚωνσταντίνοςΔενιόζος]

In Greece it works the following way: Just plug the router tel socket, to the walls old socket (plug to plug), and thus, it gives you tone in all the phone plugs in the house. You can try this first. This works with fiber to the home line separately. Without fiber to the home (vdsl) you can use a spliter to make it work. But all this hassle sounds like something British Telecom should do, and not mess you up and then fixing their mistakes.

[@robswiseways5697]

Thank you for your information. This is basically what I have done but disconnecting the master socket first so there is no back feed down the line and then fitting a new socket to the loose end of the wire. It took longer to film the work than it did to complete it! Thanks again. Cheers Rob 👍

[@Recessio]

This is the best explanation I've seen on KZbin - great video!

[@robswiseways5697]

Thank you very much for your compliment. I’m currently making a follow up video, full fibre broadband and battery back up. Cheers Rob 👍

[@serendipity1046]

Hi Rob and Gail, some great info there. There is still an albeit diminishing demand for landlines, we have elderly relatives with no BB and our selfbuild is impervious to mobile signal, must be all that tin foil, upside being we can have heating on all winter for a thimble full of heating oil. I was heavily involved with FTTC when it was first introduced things have moved on apace since then with FTTP, that was 13 years ago.Like Graham Bell said in his comment I also still have my Krone tool from the good old days.Best wishes to you both and look forward to more of Gail’s “glueing together” in 2024👍

[@robswiseways5697]

Ha ha let’s see if I can glue this comment together Chris 😂, Gail’s mum had broadband installed so we could have a camera set up to keep an eye on her. At the moment she still has an analogue landline. Our mobile signal in the house is temperamental as we too have lots of foil backed insulation and do still rely on a landline. We’re not FTTP yet, we’ve kept our phone number and I believe when / if we go FTTP we will continue to keep our number. Interesting to know you worked in telecoms like Mr Bell 🔔and still have your Krone tool. Thanks very much for tuning in, holidays start in Feb 😀regards to Mrs D, Rob & Gail.

[@chutalotr]

@@robswiseways5697 We have a really bad mobile signal where I live - you have to stand very still next to an upstairs window - so we need to keep our landline.We are now FTTP despite living in the middle of nowhere and have kept our landline number.

[@robswiseways5697]

@@chutalotr At times Gail too stands very still at a bedroom window but usually ends up returning the call on the landline. We too should keep the landline when we switch to FTTP.

[@trishgray2269]

Graham Bell...assuming not THE Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the Bell Electric Telephone?!

[@triciabaker8992]

When there’s a power outage -how can you use the digital landline to make an emergency call?😊😊

[@summerbreeze1955]

This looks incredibly easy, Yesterday they switched to the digital system and all my phones are disabled. I may have a go wish me luck thanks for sharing

[@robswiseways5697]

Hello there, Strictly speaking you only need to wire connections 2 and 5 which is the blue / blue white. Some phones require the bell wire pin 3 orange white. All my sockets have all six wires connected for completeness and keeps everything neat, although not required. Hope it goes well. Cheers Rob 👍

[@ronb6182]

Six wires? Only two wires are needed Tip and Ring usually green and red. Only four are needed for a lan for computer usually eight conductors on a cat 6 line. 73

[@robswiseways5697]

Yes only two or three wires required Ron. The wiring diagram I show is 20 years old but the uk still use these same colors today. Cheers Rob 👍

[@ronb6182]

@@robswiseways5697 three wires was gone many years ago. The ring side takes the ringer and the old yellow wire was discarded even though the phone cable had three wires. Maybe the yellow wire was for party lines. The frequency would make the correct phone ring. Depending on the value of the capacitor old Western electric phones and automatic electric had large capacitors in their phones. In the USA it was tip and ring. No other wire was needed. The old yellow wire was connected to earth ground only found in the box outside the house. I remember the long fuses that were used in the olden days. 73

[@robswiseways5697]

@@ronb6182 Great to hear how it was done in the USA. The new digital voice here in the UK still use two wires and the third ringer wire is still supported by the hub / router.

[@chilllytube]

Thanks for this. I was expecting this to work and planned to do this when my line is switched over, you have confirmed that my plan is sensible.

[@robswiseways5697]

Pleased my video was helpful for you Chris. Hope it goes well for you when it’s time to switchover. Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers Rob 👍

[@paulash134]

Absolutely fantastic presentation, complete and informative and easy to follow. The only suggestion I have for FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) maybe to utilise the redundant BT NTE Box as your access point from the Router and into the house telephone wiring network as it is likely already connected, the only change you may need to make inside the BT NTE is to ensure that the old BT external network copper cable back to the exchange is disconnected inside the box (old A and B wire).

[@robswiseways5697]

Thank you very much for the compliment Paul and that is a good suggestion. Our area isn’t FTTP yet but it’s coming. I would have thought when and if BT install fibre to the premises replacing the copper line, they would also replace the NTE box with the fibre box. But your suggestion is spot on if the fibre equipment is installed elsewhere. Thanks for tuning in and advice, Cheers, Rob 👍

[@steveblanchard7293]

@@robswiseways5697 they don't replace the NTE box, it is left - mine acts as a stand for the power surge protection for the ONT and router. The copper wires outside are left on the pole/wall as well. I imagine BT will have some ingenious plan to roll out and collect all the redundant copper wire in 2026.

[@paulash134]

@@robswiseways5697 In the installations I have seen they don't touch the current box, I often see that they bring the FTTP through the wall and into a new box on the wall, sometimes not even near the old NTE, this will allow for re-utilisation of the redundant kit, I would stress though that the A&B wire from the exchange needs to be disconnected to be on the safe side.

[@robswiseways5697]

@@paulash134 Many thanks for the info Paul and Steve. Will have to see what happens when our area becomes FTTP. Cheers, Rob

[@AITecNews]

This is one of the best information videos I have ever seen on the internet. It must have taken you hours to make and even just 'think' of how to explain all this - fantastic mate.

[@robswiseways5697]

Thanks very much for your compliment Gary 👍. A couple of hours work took all day with the filming. When our current broadband contract comes to an end, I may consider full fibre as it’s now available in our area but it wasn’t when I made this video. I may even do a video on it even though I’m a caravan channel. Cheers and all the best, Rob

[@philipoakley5498]

Great clarification. Far simpler than I'd expected. I'd only had hearsay about how they were implementing VoIP and was therefore expecting to need after-market electronics to achieve what you've shown. Your solution is essential zero cost, given that I've bits leftover form many other telephone wiring experiences. My local exchange is a low priority, so it's last 2024 or 2025 before it happens. I'm now not so feart of the consequences!

[@robswiseways5697]

Thanks for watching Philip and for your comment. It’s good to hear I’ve simplified the digital switchover and hopefully made it an easy switch for you when the time comes. This is exactly the results I wanted my video to achieve so thank you. Thanks again and all the best, Rob & Gail 👍😀

[@samd2660]

All upgrades and new sales are provided over non-voice services with OpenReach (by that I mean it's broadband only without the traditional phone service), so when it comes to renew your contract or move provider you'll be moved over to a VoIP service - 2025 is just the cut off date where existing services will be stopped. The cable might be different depending on your provider and whether it's a full BT socket on the router or a mini RJ11 socket and the features each provider offer varies because instead of just reselling OpenReach's phone services they have to do their own now.

[@philipoakley5498]

I have just moved house to a different telephone district (90 mins drive away). I stayed with the same ISP but had OpenReach cancel the connection to use my existing product (was "Fibre 65") with a hearsay claim that the local cabinet at the new place was full. Ended up with a 35Mb line with analog. I'm in Scotland, so late in the conversions, so even though I essentially took over an existing line it was not converted to VoIP just yet. I've now had notification that OpenReach have just added our 'road' to their build plans but no delivery date, so still some time away! @@samd2660

[@robswiseways5697]

@@samd2660 Thanks for the information Sam, very interesting. I’m learning a lot since posting this video. Cheers, Rob 👍

[@Wilko601st]

Had this exact issue 2 years ago, the Mrs grandparents had there digital switch over I was tasked with adapting there analouge hard of hearing phones over. I belive there were BT and at the time they were issued 2x wireless connectors but as stated needed sockets to work. They do work but now you have posted this I may pop back and reuse there original wiring to save the sockets. Thank you

[@robswiseways5697]

It’s good to know my video has been of help. Three wires are sufficient as mentioned in other comments but I connected all of them to keep it tidy. Hope you manage to sort it. All the best, Rob 👍

[@mda5003]

Yes, I had to do this because I have phones all around the house into each room and I was told they wouldn't work unless I used adapters at my own expense or purchased a new DECT set up to replace them all instead - BT help was useless as they didn't have a clue and refused to supply anything other than a new router. So, when I was switched over to digital voice I found out by experimentation I could plug a double adapter into the router - one for the main hall telephone and the other to the nearest extension socket and then all my extension sockets worked as normal.

[@robswiseways5697]

Glad your experiment all worked out positive for you. It’s a great way to keep all traditional telephone sockets active. Your double adapter is similar to my method where my hub plugs into one wall socket and the desk phone plugs into the other wall socket in the same room. The other socket forms part of the extension wiring as do all other sockets in the house including the one in the garage. Thanks for sharing your experience of digital voice. Cheers Rob 👍

[@Frostie3672]

Switched back in September from bt to a voip provider once I had cityfibre fttp installed, saving a fortune on having a landline number that costs just £1.44 to rent a month & the calls are so much cheaper than bt charged! Decided to ditch the landline phones we had as they were rubbish anyway & got dedicated voip handsets & base station.

[@robswiseways5697]

Sounds like you’ve got a good deal there. We’ve kept our existing phones as they work perfectly. Thanks for watching. Cheers Rob 👍

[@CaravanVlogger]

That took me back, I used to work in the telecoms team for a company. Part of the job was installing telephone sockets from the PABX. We called that tool a Krone tool, I think maybe the company that made them was called Krone.. We haven't had a landline for years now, just use mobile phones.

[@robswiseways5697]

Hi Graham, Well I never. I’ve had to Google PABX 😂 and yes you’re right about the Krone tool 👍. Not sure how long we’ll keep our landline but for now I’m pleased our phones have remained in their original places. Back touring in Feb, All the best Rob & Gail 😀

[@CaravanVlogger]

@@robswiseways5697 It was amusing working in a telecoms team and having to ring BT with line faults. Having to tell them my name was actually Graham Bell :-) A bit like ringing Disney and saying your name is Mickey Mouse! haha

[@robswiseways5697]

@@CaravanVlogger 😂🤣

[@gotmygoodelf]

yeh i do VOIP and analogue phone for the NHS and i use my krone tool everyday for punching down, this is the IDC tool described here.

[@robswiseways5697]

@@gotmygoodelf Thanks for your comment David. It’s been a handy tool for me over the years. Cheers Rob 👍

[@alan-freeman]

at 12:45 you say about power cuts and that being when your mobile comes in handy - IF you have good mobiles signal. I have to use calls over WiFi because our mobile network is so weak you have to move near a window UPSTAIRS to stand a chance of using mobile! I am going to fight the change to VoIP because of this!

[@robswiseways5697]

Hello Alan, We are in a similar situation with the mobile signal inside our house, but outside it’s ok. Battery backup is an option for power cuts that lots of people are commenting on here. Much to be done by the phone companies, definitely a work in progress. Thanks for tuning in. Cheers Rob 👍

[@mark9978]

A beautifully clear instruction video anyone can follow. Well done.

[@robswiseways5697]

Thank you very much for your compliment Mark, much appreciated and thank you for watching and commenting. Cheers Rob 👍

[@john_smith1471]

Very Interesting video, I still have some traditional working 1960s telephones with a dial and bell, would voip respond to traditional dialling pulses instead of tones? @9:28 you plugged the desk phone in and had dialling tone, thats the bit when I’d plug in and try out my old phones.

[@robswiseways5697]

Hi John, I’m no expert but I do believe rotary dial phones can not make outgoing calls but can be used for incoming calls when connected direct to the phone line. There is a video on KZbin titled ‘how to use rotary phones with VoIP’ which explains how outgoing calls can be made using an Analogue Telephone Adapter (ATA). Hope this helps. Cheers Rob 👍

[@GuardOfGaia]

​@@robswiseways5697would depend on the age of the rotary phone, those installed from the late 70s onward usually had a switch on the underside to switch between pulse and tone dialing as iirc not all exchanges at that point had been updated to support tone dialing. Before then phones were hardwired rather than using a socket as well. No idea if any of the old style phone points are still in use. As for the pendants Tunstall also have base units which work via a SIM card over a mobile connection - I suspect that may be the route offered when my mum's landline changes to VOIP.

[@robswiseways5697]

​@@GuardOfGaia Thanks for your input, some interesting reading there. I would guess hardwired phone lines still exist in some older properties with owners who are happy with the old fashioned telephone and nothing else. My mother in law is still on the analogue landline / pendant for now. Will have to see what happens when switchover arrives. Thanks for watching. Cheers Rob 👍

[@wouldbepilot3988]

Clear and concise instructions - great video!

[@robswiseways5697]

Much appreciated and many thanks to you. All the best, Rob & Gail 😀

[@modeloco]

Thank you. Will do this if they push. Had heard it was coming. Same with Phono to Optical, Scart to HDMI, then we realise it isn’t as good or no better. New plug same thing.

[@robswiseways5697]

Ha spot on comparing cable connections. Good luck when the switchover arrives and thank you for watching and commenting. Cheers Rob 👍

[@garymillerlcs]

Great explanation. Many thanks for creating the video.

[@robswiseways5697]

Thank you Gary. It’s good to show the old phone extensions can be kept in use. Thanks for watching and commenting 👍. Cheers Rob

[@garymillerlcs]

@ Thanks Rob, you are providing a great service. Openreach etc should ask you to produce their official videos! Keep up the good work! Gary

[@mistie710]

I've already converted for other reasons but one thing that I noticed recently when there was a general power cut due to a power line failure is that the line is liable to shut down anyway even if, as I have, a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) powering the hub/router. This is unlike analogue phones so you may need a mobile phone anyway.

[@robswiseways5697]

I’m not on fibre to the premises as it’s not in the area yet, only fibre to the cabinet. This means I would only need a UPS for the hub. I’ve been doing some reading and understand a UPS is required not only for the hub but also for the Optical Network Termination (ONT) box where the line comes into the property. Lots of comments about poor mobile signal area too. Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers Rob 👍

[@markyates3418]

Whilst connecting the house hold old phone sockets works, the relatively long cables run here there and everywhere. Hence this internal house network of wire is open to electrical noise pickup and at worst during a thunderstorm could experience induced energy from any nearby lightning strike. There is no lightning protection on the internal network as in the video the internal network has been isolated from the BT master inlet. The electrical noise could cause the router to glitch, any induced energy could damage the router. I have seen the lightning induces energy problem with long RS232 communications cables. Perhaps the new internal network could be protected if a new dedicated master inlet is used nearest the router. This would have the lightning gas discharge or Transorb devices fitted. Just a thought…

[@robswiseways5697]

Hello Mark, Thank you for your detailed comment. It’s a valid point you have here, food for thought as they say. I’m no expert with electronics, however, I’m assuming the telephone circuitry side of the router is the same as the BT master socket. So far I’ve not experienced any interference when making / receiving calls or when using the internet. In fact the voice calls are clearer than before the switchover. Will have to see how it all pans out. Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers Rob 👍

[@YAmateurP]

Any advice for buildings that have more than one landline number, please? Our telephone provider told me they would have to cancel one of the phone lines, which would mean having just one shared landline number, leading to me sometimes picking up my parents calls & having to run downstairs with my phone or them picking up my calls & having to do run upstairs with their phone! Also, we'd have to work out whose calls where whose on the bill - I'm dreading having to explain all this to my elderly parents! A friend said there is a way to connect 2 phone lines to one router & those phone lines can have different numbers but I'm not sure how it works or how to get the phone company to understand that that's what we want them to do!

[@robswiseways5697]

I don’t know the answer to this other than explaining it to your provider in more detail. With Virgin Media (VM) I have read their router has two telephone sockets and each socket can be assigned separate numbers, but I cannot find confirmation of this on Virgin Media website. But what I have found on their website under ‘Help’ ‘Landline’ ‘Install Home Phone’ the option to have a second landline in another part of the house. I’m guessing they use the routers second socket for this. I assume most routers only have one telephone socket like my BT hub. If VM can do it, why can’t others! I’m sorry I cannot be of further help but someone may read this and have an answer. Cheers Rob 👍

[@YAmateurP]

@@robswiseways5697That IS helpful, Rob, thank you.

[@martyn6792]

Good video. With regard power cuts, in my area we also lose the local cell tower as no UPs or generator

[@robswiseways5697]

Thanks for your compliment Martyn. You would have thought UPS would be built into the design with solar panel for daytime charging. Thanks for tuning in. Cheers Rob 👍

[@martyn6792]

@@robswiseways5697 part of the problem is tower is very old and I think close to or on school roof. A few years ago it got struck by lightning during a summer storm and was off for two weeks, we had no signal at all

[@robswiseways5697]

@@martyn6792 Sounds like it’s ready for replacing. When it does at least it will be the latest technology.

[@JezCunningham]

Presumably we can also ditch any adsl filters on the slave sockets?

[@robswiseways5697]

Yes you are correct Jez. Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers Rob 👍

[@awelonstudio]

Great idea, I just thought I'll do this to get more phones round the house. But then I remembered nobody calls me. So no need to bother I gess. I had to go digital last year, making two old phones usless, luckily an engineer came with a new phone in the deal that i got and he told me about the phone socket hidden in the back of router. So I could connect one if by some strange reason I get a social life.

[@robswiseways5697]

You were lucky to get a phone with your deal and a helpful engineer too. You know what they say ‘it’s good to talk’…. Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers Rob 👍

[@AnthonyHigham6414001080]

We get at least two wrong number calls a week. It's good to know the phone is still working.

[@video99couk]

A UPS (uninterruptible power supply) for the hub can be a good way to keep both broadband and 'phones working in a power outage. A fairly small, less than £60 one, will do for the low power consumption devices. Just be sure to swap out the battery about every three years.

[@samd2660]

Considering that the battery backups provided with digital voice services these days use a (probably) unregistered SIM to enable "voice dependant" customers to call 999 in an emergency (that's one of the reasons people don't like it, life alert/pendants and alarms don't work on the backups), I doubt it would work because I don't see any evidence that OpenReach's infrastructure has the power redundancy and backup to let it work, especially when this moves the location from 100s of central exchanges to 1000s of cabinets (in the case of FTTC/SoGEA).

[@robswiseways5697]

@@samd2660 Many thanks for your input Sam and video99. Will have to see how things pan out when the mother in law pendant alarm connection is switched from analogue to digital in the near future. Thanks for tuning in and commenting, Cheers, Rob 👍

[@robswiseways5697]

@@r.h.8754 Great comment r.h. They are going to have to come up with a UPS that lasts longer than 1 hour ! Good point about ‘what if the cabinet loses power’ !

[@PeterChapman-rg6gr]

We are less than 1 mile out of town yet have no mobile service on any network except a very poor service on O2. Hence we have the O2 adaptor that routs all mobile calls via the internet. We also have frequent power outages for extended periods of time as most ot the local mains supply is via overhead cables. We have 3 off UPS's backing up the router and cordless phones but they are only any good for about 30 mins run time. As some power-cuts have lasted over 24 hours it seems that, under the new VOIP system we will loose our phone service when the power is off. BT have been contacted numerous times about the implications but even now have no practical answer. Given that there are many hundreds of thousands of people who depend upon medical alarms which need a reliable hard wired phone system to work I wonder if this is the next huge corporate scandal in the making?

[@robswiseways5697]

@@PeterChapman-rg6gr I wonder, in the background / longterm, if phone providers are considering cases like yours. They may even provide battery backup in areas prone to power cuts and no mobile signal. However, the battery backup would have to give the appropriate amount of power in relation to the time power is likely to be down. There are so many variables that need to be addressed such as medical equipment. I suppose it’s a case of watch this space. Thanks for your comment and for watching. Cheers Rob 👍

[@HomerSparkle]

I live in an extremely rural area that frequently experiences power outages, sometimes lasting for days. It's also a mobile blackspot of about 3 miles radius. Not that a mobile phone is going to last very long without any means to keep it charged. However, in all the years we've had power cuts, the phone line has always continued working. With a line-powered phone, I can continue making and receiving calls, even in a power cut. I'm just wondering what people in my position are supposed to do when we're forced to switch to IP phones? Because as far as I can tell, we're going to be completely cut off from any form of communications. In a medical emergency, that could literally be fatal. Will the government be providing free diesel generators and fuel for those forced to switch to a form of communications that requires a constant reliable electrical supply, in rural areas where the power goes out every time there's a storm? Probably not, would be my guess. They haven't really thought this one through properly, have they? A bit like their 2030 ban on cars that people can actually afford. What they're saying is that, basically, in the future, only rich people will be allowed to live in the countryside, and everyone else will be forced to live in inner city slums.

[@robswiseways5697]

I wonder, in the background, if phone providers are considering cases like yours. They may even provide battery backup in areas prone to power cuts and no mobile signal. However, the battery backup would have to give the appropriate amount of power in relation to the time power is likely to be down. There are so many variables that need to be addressed such as medical equipment. I suppose it’s a case of watch this space. Thanks for your comment and for watching. Cheers Rob 👍

[@dlarge6502]

Ofcom demanded the network operators to come up with a solution years ago, unfortunately they provided a half assed solution only for those who are means tested and found to need it. You would fit that bill as you have no mobile signal. Otherwise you'll be told to get one. The solution is a battery backup unit that, and this is the half assed bit, will provide up to 1 hour of power. That's based on their findings that power cuts last less than 1 hour apparently. If you are lucky, the battery backup unit will be one that runs off ordinary AA batteries thus letting you put more in as needed. But like most things they also have a non serviceable rechargeable unit. Problem is if the network equipment in the green box doesn't have power then you still wont get a connection, that is true for the old system too but you seem to have been lucky with a well serviced green cabinet. In your case you have a bit more time as the government have told open reach etc to NOT remove copper lines where emergency use is required.

[@robswiseways5697]

@@dlarge6502 Interesting reading especially your last paragraph. Thanks for your input 👍

[@HomerSparkle]

@@dlarge6502 In my case, I don't have a street cabinet, I'm on an "Exchange Only" line, which apparently means there's just a run of copper cable going from the exchange (3 miles away) directly to my house. Because of this, it's likely that my property will be one of the very last in the UK to be upgraded to fibre. The current schedule suggests this will be 2026 at the earliest, and from what I've heard there's a 3 year delay, so more like 2029, if it happens at all. That means I won't even have fibre internet until between 1 and 4 years *after* BT are supposed to cut the copper cable, leaving me without *any* comms at all, either phone or internet. I assume they intend making an exception for second-class citizens like me, who are at the very bottom of their list of priorities, and they won't actually cut me off completely from the rest of society. As for batteries that only last one hour, that's not going to be much help in an area that typically sees multi-day power cuts. During Storm Arwen in 2021, many homes in my area had no power for nearly 3 weeks - mine was out for a week, for example. It was up to a week for some people in 2022 with storms Malik and Corrie, and 3 days for me last year during storm Babet. These storms are becoming a regular annual occurrence, and are only going to get worse, thanks to climate change. And yet the one thing that continued to work during these storms was my copper phone line. The one thing that the government has now decided to cut. It's astonishingly stupid.

[@peterjohnson1739]

Unfortunately Ofcom’s original consultation was not widely publicised and most responses came from telecom companies who all wanted the switch to save money. A few comments were made against, for example the London Fire Brigade raised the same points as you about frequent power cuts lasting much longer than 2 hours. The solution is (according to the document) … use your mobile phone! One or two Councils pointed out that in their rural areas mobile signals could not be relied on … these seem to have been ignored. Ironically, unless you have Fibre to the Premise (FTTP) your broadband is delivered to your property by copper wires - the SAME copper wires that deliver the analogue land line that they want to switch off! The compromise solution of Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) means that the fibre stops at the green box (typically half a mile away) and you have copper wires for that last half mile. It also means your broadband speed is only a fraction of that which true FTTP could deliver. Has this switch over been thought through properly? I don’t think so. There are too many unanswered questions and it seems that, for many, a 21st century phone service will not be as good or as reliable as the one we had in the 20th century. Why do it? Because it saves the telecoms companies money … consumers get a worse service that above all is less reliable than it used to be … tough!

[@jillalexander3006]

Hi, rural dweller here also disabled and in an area with patchy broadband and regular electricity cuts. Will this enable me to keep my big button plug in phone functioning during power cuts as a way of calling in our power cuts as the electrcompany doesn't accept calls from mobile and our cordless phone goes pfutttt when there is no electric

[@robswiseways5697]

Hello Jill, Because digital phone calls will go via your hub your phone will lose connection in the event of a power cut. When switchover reaches your area speak to your provider and explain your situation. They will probably supply you with an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) battery backup for your hub. This will keep your phone working during a power cut for a short time. You should be able to keep your big button phone plugged in using any of the methods I have shown in my video. Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers Rob 👍

[@djgeorgevdg]

Great Video, Very thorough instructions 😃

[@robswiseways5697]

I’m pleased to hear that George, your comment is much appreciated 👍. Cheers, Rob

[@ramblingman8992]

Open reach and Virgin have both suspended the roll out of digital lines to vulnerable households. These include any house with a Caroline, or where the householder has no requirement for a broadband connection. They have done this due to Caroline systems being designed to allow a silent call to be traced to a given address. This cannot be done using VOIP. This also means emergency services cannot trace silent calls either, thus putting people's lives at risk.

[@robswiseways5697]

Thanks for watching and your interesting comment. My Mother in law has a call pendant but is still on the analogue landline for now. Will have to see what happens this coming year or so. Cheers, Rob 👍

[@barrybritcher]

Why is there network cable coming out the master socket. Never seen that.

[@EE12CSVT]

It carries the VDSL2 signal from the incoming line to the hub. No different to connecting the hub into the master socket.

[@robswiseways5697]

@@EE12CSVT Just got home from work and you’ve beat me to it. Absolutely right and thanks for answering. Cheers, Rob 👍

[@peterjohnson1739]

He’s hard wired what most people have as a plug in. Unless you rely on a mobile phone for both data and voice your hub has to have a wired connection to the incoming copper wire.

[@kwak6509]

Thanks for the video. I am worried about the switchover to digital. Currently when there is a power cut, I plug in an old analogue phone as there is zero mobile signal here. I won't be able to do that after the switchover, leaving us with no way of contacting emergency services if we need to. The price of rural living it seems 😶

[@robswiseways5697]

I understand the issue regarding power cuts and not having any means of communication. There are lots of comments on this video about that same thing and the possibility of having a battery backup device. The hub would need battery backup and when fibre to the the premises arrives, the Optical Network Termination (ONT) box will also need backup. On saying that I have seen ONT boxes with built in battery backup. Hope this helps. Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers Rob 👍

[@johnchoice1371]

So the Telecom companies decide that these analogue sockets are redundant. But in what way are things improved. I can't think of any way that this 'upgrade' has resulted in an improvement for the end user. Please tell me if you think this is an improvement over the original socket system. Are they doing it to monopolise the communications infrastructure, resulting in less choice in the future?

[@robswiseways5697]

Hello John, Apparently the upgrade produces crystal clear calls. The new cordless digital phones offer multi call where two separate calls can be made from two separate phones in the home. In my case fibre will eventually replace the copper cable up to the house and the hub will process the analogue phone calls from my existing phones to digital down the fibre optic line. People want faster broadband and fibre is the way to go. The downside is a power cut means you lose your landline and this is where battery backup comes in. There are are lots of comments regarding this. Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers Rob 👍

[@johnchoice1371]

@@robswiseways5697 Thanks Rob. It occurred to me that from time to time, the internet connection may stop. If so, that would be very inconvenient if you were in the middle of a phone call.

[@robswiseways5697]

@@johnchoice1371 Not experienced that yet John ! Cheers Rob

[@johnchoice1371]

What about POWER CUTS?? In a power cut, the old phone line would continue to work, but if your whole system is now based on having MAINS Electricity, your phones could go down because the WIFI MODEM NEEDS CONSTANT Electricity.@@robswiseways5697

[@johnhepworth1531]

@@robswiseways5697 A good few years back, there was an upgrade that added digital tech to the old phone system that brought crystal clear calls, without any alteration to your phone set up. The whole problem these days is that everything is being altered to make the nerds happy without any consideration for the consumer. Those guys think that just because THEY can understand the far end of the fart about computers and digital code etc. that we ALL can.

[@FrankJohnson-ye8lt]

Further to my previous comment, I now find that not all the old phones connected to the original wiring show the callers name from the contact list. The one that doesn't (BT Decor 2500) is old so I might try to find a replacement. At least it's reliable now!

[@robswiseways5697]

Could be the age of the phone or the number of phones on the circuit ?? To answer this question, try unplugging one of the other phones to see if it makes any difference. Worth a try. Cheers Rob

[@paullawrence8572]

The Mrs says i can imagine you trying to do that😅 I said your dead right! I'll see if Rob would pop down!😅 Clever lad you are Rob! Happy new to you both!

[@robswiseways5697]

Ha ha any time Paul 😄 and a Happy New Year to you both too. Thanks for watching and commenting 👍. Cheers, Rob & Gail

[@sandy7299]

Thanks for that, power cuts are a nightmare in the countryside though because usually the only mast we have is the one connected to the same grid as the village. So if theres no power in the village theres no power for our only mobile mast😢

[@robswiseways5697]

Hi Sandy, That doesn’t sound good. You can consider battery backup, Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS). I believe there are various types giving varying battery life levels until it needs recharging. Thanks for tuning in and commenting. Kind regards, Rob 👍

[@sandy7299]

@@robswiseways5697 I can run my router from a 12v battery using an inverter, but the mobile phone company need battery backup at their mast to give us a mobile signal during a power cut The power companies keep informing us to text or email them if we have a power cut but have no answers when told if the powers off there is no mobile signal either

[@Martock1017]

@@r.h.8754 I think you're right about BT Fibre cabinets. They have Warning notices on them re 230-volt mains supply, so I assume they have a local mains supply. Having worked for one of the mobile phone operators, I can confirm that the base stations only have a limited battery back-up and some of the small cells, mounted on lamp standards have no battery back-up at all. If there is a prolonged mains outage over a wide area, there are serious problems regarding emergency calls.

[@robswiseways5697]

@@r.h.8754 Thanks for the info. Vodaphone must have several hours backup ups. Cheers, Rob 👍

[@peterjohnson1739]

Exactly. The new system is not robust especially in rural areas where mobile coverage is unreliable. As you say if a power cut hits it can also take out the mobile signal; this makes the advice that you should use your mobile phone instead somewhat hollow. By contrast traditional analogue phones were powered from the exchange whose battery and generator backup could be relied on to give telephone service during a power cut or storm.

[@pineappleroad]

When we switched to BT about 2 years ago they moved us to digital voice And a few days ago we switched to Vodafone, and we got upgraded to FTTP/FTTH/Full Fibre in the process (and i ended up having to order an adapter on amazon as the Vodafone router has 2 RJ11 phone sockets (labelled Tel1 and Tel2, and are green in colour), and Vodafone didn’t supply an adapter)

[@robswiseways5697]

I’m surprised Vodaphone didn’t supply an adapter. I’ve seen a KZbin video on a Virgin Media hub that has the same RJ11, however, they did supply an adapter. I’ve recently moved to BT full fibre. I’ve just posted a video on it with battery back up which you may find interesting. Thanks for watching and commenting 👍 Cheers Rob

[@iangeorgewhatton7541]

I have not know Telephone Socket be in the loft. Northernpower Grid don't recommend Digital Telephones Switchover because if there is a Powercut then the Landline telephone is cut off and if you're Mobile running out of battery and needs charging up during a powercut you are stuck.

[@robswiseways5697]

Hello Ian, It was my choice to have the telephone line from the telegraph pole go straight into the loft. I didn’t want the wire running down the outside of the house looking untidy. There are lots of comments about Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) battery backup for the hub in case there is a power cut. For fibre to the premises two back ups would be required. One for the hub and one for the Optical Network Termination (ONT) box. It’s also good to have a pocket size fully charged power bank for the phone. I did a video review for one and its been invaluable for our out and about caravan videos. Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers Rob 👍

[@iangeorgewhatton7541]

6 Core Telephone Cable wires and their Purposes. 1) Green Power Wire. 2) Blue Bell Wire 3) Orange Dialling Tone Wire 4) White/Orange Making Call Wire 5) White/Blue Receiving Call Wire 6) White/Green Broadband Wire I think that's it. I live on the 2nd Floor Flat in a 4 storey block BT did try and put in a Master Socket in my flat in 2021 because I was having problems with my telephone the Master Socket didn't solve the problem the cable wires were to short in the Junction box entry in wall in the Hallway any shorter it would need all new cable putting through, also there an extension into Living Room I can't understand why the Telephone Cable was routed straight to Living Room instead of to the Hallway. I can't tell whether the problem was the Main Telephone Junction Box for the Block that was the problem or from the Junction Box Outside near the Cul de Sac Road for the Estate that was the problem with my Telephone. I have a Telephone ADSL Socket on a Extension. Landlord doesn't have a Communal Broadband Hub for the Block Community Centre they said they can't afford it but then it should come out of our Service Charge Money with the rent. I go out of my flat with my mobile and lose my WiFi Signal in communal areas of the Block. A lot of tenants in the Block where I live have a Alarm in from the Council called Citywide Alarms I live in Sheffield.

[@robswiseways5697]

Sounds like you’ve had and probably still got a complicated problem there Ian. I don’t know what your answer is but I hope it gets sorted for you.

[@jamesedwards2201]

My auntie who is eight only as a BT land line and no internet will they replace it with a internet hub instead and charge her the same monthly fee. Does that mean she will have wireless broad bad as well. She received £8 a year of BT for having a telegraph pole in her garden, not much if you ask me.

[@robswiseways5697]

Hello James, I’m guessing they are either working on a device for landline customers only, or BT may provide an internet hub with broadband switched off (which can be activated later if required). Probably think the fee would stay the same. Sounds like your auntie is overdue for a cost of living rise from them 😀. Thanks for watching, Cheers Rob 👍

[@djgeorgevdg]

Cat7a is a bit overkill for broadband cabling

[@robswiseways5697]

You’re absolutely right George. Whilst floorboards were up etc, thought I would install a better cable with earthing as it is screened with foiled twisted pairs. Thanks for watching. Cheers, Rob 👍

[@Subgunman]

Interesting, BT doesn’t use standard RJ11 connectors! Here in Greece (and the States ) everything is RJ11. We are getting a light pipe into the home by the end of January (yeah right, here in Greece? Nothing follows a timeline here.) They have already delivered the optical to WAN adapter that will provide the pots line hook up to the in house phones. As for my FreePBX digital phone system I am using a FXO to digital input on the server. This way there is very little chance hackers can access directly the server. As for power loss, the Wi-Fi router and the Optical adapter are on a dedicated UPS that I bought from the phone company, should provide around four hours standby time. The main issue is IF THE PHONE COMPANY HAS BACKUP POWER IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD HUBS.??

[@samd2660]

Most phones over here come with the BT plug on them, some routers use RJ11 for the phone (meaning the customer either has to use a different cable or an adapter to use their existing landline phone), and we offer backup too but only to those considered "voice dependant" which means they can call 999/112 and lasts up to 8 hours in case there's a power cut, doesn't work for alarm systems or life alert/pendants though which is one of the big things people are concerned about over here (those talk to a call center instead of directly with emergency services).

[@robswiseways5697]

@Subgunman Interesting to hear about how it’s working for you in Greece. The RJ11 is only used for the hub broadband connection but when / if we switch over to fibre to the premises (FTTP), it will be an RJ45 patch cable into the port labeled WAN. @sam2660 Mother in law has a personal alarm. She is still on analogue phone line so interesting to see what happens when switchover to digital comes and where battery backup takes us. Thank you to both for commenting. Cheers Rob 👍

[@cliffg4437]

Nice video. Do you have any suggestions for providing backup power (to the hub) for people like us who have no mobile signal and have to use wifi calling for our mobiles?

[@robswiseways5697]

Hello Cliff, Thank you for your compliment. I’ve never used backup power supplies before known as Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS). However, I’ve searched the internet by typing in ‘UPS power backup for telephone landlines’ and there is lots of choice to consider. Might be a good idea to contact your broadband provider to see what they suggest. Another commenter stated Vodafone supplied a 12 hour backup box. Hope this helps, Cheers Rob 👍

[@cliffg4437]

Thanks. We're on FTTC. My guess is the cabinet (300 m from us) is powered locally too and will also go down in a power cut, though perhaps they have a small backup battery themselves. Do you know?

[@robswiseways5697]

@@cliffg4437 I’ve read the cabinets do have battery back up that last around four hours but don’t quote me on that.

[@davidklyne5134]

An interesting video but assuming most people only want phones around the house surely a DECT system with a base station connected to the router would suit most people and a fairly simple solution with no wiring changes? We use a set of Panasonic phones and have no problems with using them upstairs and downstairs. We have not yet been switched over to VOIP but BT are currently putting in fibre outside our house which will no doubt be the point when they say we have to change?

[@robswiseways5697]

Hello David, You are right, your set up will work for most people. Our hub is in a different part of the house to the main DECT base/answer machine. The hub is plugged into my new socket which sends voice calls to all phone sockets including the garage (separate DECT phone to the quad pack) and, the desk phone is plugged into the other socket on the same wall as the hub’s plugged into. Fibre To The Premises (FTTP) is not in our area yet. My slight alteration will still work when we do get it. Thanks for your comment. Cheers Rob 👍

[@christopherbyrne8611]

We get powercuts and there's no mobile signal here. We use Wi-Fi calling. After analogue shutdown how would we contact emergency services in the event of a powercut?

[@robswiseways5697]

Hi Christopher, I would imagine phone companies are looking into rural / poor signal areas. I can only suggest an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS). Basically a battery backup. Best contacting your provider when they notify you (or even before) of the switchover to get their advice. Thanks for tuning in and all the best, Rob 👍

[@dlarge6502]

The general consensus from BT, virgin is access to emergency Comms was never a requirement but an accidental thing.

[@peterjohnson1739]

You don’t. Ofcom has allowed the telecoms companies to provide a service that does not guarantee connectivity. The argument was that you just use your mobile phone - your telecom company could provide you with one of you don’t have one. Objections raised by respondents to the consultation based on poor (or absent) mobile signals or prolonged power cuts several hours if not days (not the 2 hours suggested by ofcom) were all ignored.

[@gillianbrodie6807]

Hi. Great video thanks. 😃👍 Any thoughts if one doesn't have and doesn't want Wi-Fi?!

[@robswiseways5697]

Hello Gillian, I’m guessing they are either working on a device for ‘voice customers only’, or ‘voice customers only’ will receive a Hub with phone connection but the broadband will be switched off. It would then be a case of the provider switching broadband on if the customer requires it in the future. Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers Rob 👍

[@gillianbrodie6807]

@@robswiseways5697 Thanks Rob. 🤗

[@iangeorgewhatton7541]

For Hubs that doesn't have a BT socket would a Ethernet RJ11 or RJ45 to BT Plug and Coupler work?

[@robswiseways5697]

Hello Ian, I suspect BT hubs without a BT phone socket are not designed for digital voice landline. I’m sure Virgin hubs have a phone socket that uses an RJ11 socket and they come with an adapter lead RJ11 to BT. I don’t know any information on other providers though. Cheers Rob 👍

[@barryfoster453]

Bit confused (not very techy!). I have just the old master socket with broadband and phone. This is in the loft. I am currently looking for a new broadband supplier, but they are indeed all telling me that they won't do landlines anymore (has to be VOIP)...so what will come into the property? Is it a new line - and nothing to do with the current 'BT' line? Does it still come from the pole outside?

[@robswiseways5697]

Hello Barry, The majority of providers use Openreach lines. Openreach stopped providing analogue copper telephone lines in September 2023. Unless a provider such as Virgin Media has underground cabling outside your home then it is most likely going to be the same overhead line from the pole. I still have copper cable for broadband coming from the pole as overhead fibre hasn’t been installed by Openreach yet. Now our landline has been switched over to digital (VoIP) the only difference is a clearer line when using the phone. When full fibre comes to our property my simple wiring alteration will allow my landline to stay as per my video. Worth reading other comments regarding power cuts and battery backup. Hope this helps. Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers Rob 👍

[@barryfoster453]

@@robswiseways5697 Rob, thanks so much for replying. Can I trouble you a little more? I do have a fibre cable running past my driveway (they created havoc here two years ago!). It also goes within inches of the BT pole. But my driveway cannot be dug as it's finished concrete 10 inches deep in places. So my question is, do they come off that fibre trench, up the pole, and replace the cable into my home - copper to fibre? If so, then my master socket is still going to be in the loft. A neighbour had his replaced, and 'Giganet' went to his guttering with the cable, then down the wall - though to his router. They did hide it fairly well, but I'm not keen on that as we have white walls with no cables. Thanks.

[@robswiseways5697]

​@@barryfoster453 Did Giganet lay fibre past your drive and then use the BT pole for your neighbour? It’s difficult to picture your situation Barry. If your street only has overhead lines and no underground means of connection (some companies install a boundary access box in front of each property in the pavement), then you probably have no option but to do similar to your neighbour. If you have means of running the cable downstairs internally from the loft then this overcomes the external aesthetics. Hope this helps, Cheers Rob

[@barryfoster453]

@@robswiseways5697 Yes, I am pretty sure that Giganet used the pole, as they didn't dig up his driveway. They didn't connect to his old master socket, though. They drilled through his wall and set up his router there. Maybe it's best if I get their engineer here to talk to me. Thanks, Rob.

[@robswiseways5697]

@@barryfoster453 That’s probably the best bet Barry. Cheers Rob

[@KingTrump2024]

Digital is easier for Big Brother and the establishment to monitor !

[@robswiseways5697]

You never know ! Thanks for your comments. Cheers, Rob 👍

[@ncooper8438]

Its not clear to me whether he's using a VoIP phone. And what's the model number of the router?

[@robswiseways5697]

I haven’t any VoIP phones. I have the one desk phone shown in the video and all other cordless phones I have are around seven years old. The router is BT’s Hub2. Cheers Rob 👍

[@CortinasAndClassics]

I just had full fibre fitted. Will this work with my rotary phone? or will i need a conversion kit of some kind?

[@robswiseways5697]

Hello there, I have read a rotary dial phone will not make outgoing calls on Digital Voice, but can be used for incoming calls. I’ve also read about pulse to tone converters for rotary phones on community.bt.com - Rotary dial on digital voice. Sorry I’m not much help but there is a KZbin channel called ‘My Mate Vince’. He does a similar phone set up and he also connects an external bell. Cheers, Rob 👍

[@bengrundy9448]

Got to say Rob great workmanship in all your DIY videos! Do you mind me asking what you do for work? Some sort of engineering back ground possibly

[@robswiseways5697]

Hi there Ben, Thanks very much for your compliment. I work in civil engineering and I do like a challenge now and again 😀. Cheers Rob

[@SLOPPY1001]

A friend of mine is elderly and has the old fashioned bell phones which she insists on keeping. Living room, bedroom and shop. 2 questions.... The BT engineer is coming in a few weeks, do you think he would be happy to use this method? If not, does anyone rate the ATA plugs so I can connect each phone? Thanks in advance 😁👍

[@robswiseways5697]

Hi there, I’m not sure what the BT engineer will say. I have read a rotary dial phone will not make outgoing calls on Digital Voice, but can be used for incoming calls. I’ve also read about pulse to tone converters for rotary phones on community.bt.com - Rotary dial on digital voice. Not sure about ATA plugs as I’m not an electronics expert. Sorry I’m not much help but there is a KZbin channel called ‘My Mate Vince’. He does a similar phone set up and he also connects an external bell. Cheers, Rob 👍

[@SLOPPY1001]

@@robswiseways5697 Thanks so much for your detailed reply Rob very much appreciated. I'll have a look at your suggestions. Thanks for the great video 😁👍

[@danielburgess1113]

I got a cable pluged into the router at one end & the phone at the other but I get no noise or tone what so ever so not sure if it is done with being setup by our ISP yet or if there is a issue we have a BT Decor 2200 V2 phone

[@robswiseways5697]

Hi Daniel, I’m assuming your provider has notified you that you have been switched over from analogue to digital. Only then will the landline work from the hub socket. There is a couple of comments from Frank Johnson regarding his BT Decor 2500 not working but it works when plugged into a digital voice adapter which is strange. Probably worth plugging another phone in to see if it is your Decor 2200. Cheers, Rob 👍

[@danielburgess1113]

@@robswiseways5697 we got a new cheap phone coming to us tomorrow from our isp so hopefully that should sort it out But our isp has told us the router is working after they've checked it & they've even pre configured it before sending it to us so they seem pretty confident it's all working as it should The current phone we have works in the old lan line fine & works but when it goes into the new router it's just silent & nothing works

[@danielburgess1113]

@@robswiseways5697 we got a new cheap phone coming to us tomorrow from our isp so hopefully that should sort it out The router was pre configured by them before sending it to us & they have even checked it from there end & they seemed all confident & happy that it is doing what it should be Our current phone works great on the old land line but is dead when plugged into the new router Today they even said to me they have created a new extension on our VoIP account and have made test calls to & from, so they can see the call is getting to our router So it is looking more & more like it is our current phone

[@danielburgess1113]

@@robswiseways5697 we have a new cheap phone There is now a tone when we listen to the handset so that is good I can ring my mobile from the new phone so out going calls seem ok But incoming calls don't seem to work I try to ring the new phone from my mobile & I keep getting incorrect number & I got my landlady to try ringing it & she said she got 2 odd sounds & then nothing

[@danielburgess1113]

@@robswiseways5697 we now have a tone with a new phone & out going calls seem okay to just incoming calls don't seem to work yet

[@windysolar1Planet-Earth]

so they still use the old copper lines for fibre not opical conections

[@robswiseways5697]

I’m not on fibre to the premises, it’s not in our area yet. When the time comes and fibre optic cable is installed to the property, the fibre optic cable will terminate in an Optical Network Termination (ONT) box on the inside of the house which will then connect with an Ethernet cable (which is copper) to the hub. So all wiring inside the house from the ONT box is copper. Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers Rob 👍

[@dlarge6502]

It is a mix. There are various historical cable networks in the UK, some cable over coax and others optical. They eventually merged into one company called Virgin Media. BT on the other hand was stuck with a very old copper network, this was upgraded to full digital years ago but left the final leg to each property as copper. With BT running fibre to the cabinet, that copper can still be used for broadband, the VOIP switchover simply removes analogue support and power provided down the line, from the cabinet. It is also possible to get fibre to the premises but not always, in that case your BT line will be replaced with optical fibre. Virgin Media thus remains a mix of optical or coax to the property, BT a mix of copper (from a fibre connected cabinet) or fibre to the property.

[@robswiseways5697]

@@dlarge6502 Thanks again for your input. More interesting info 👍

[@Ariez-Maac]

Wow very useful and informative content 😊😊😊 new friend here nice to meet you❤❤❤

[@robswiseways5697]

Thank you and thank you for watching and commenting. Cheers Rob 👍

[@Ariez-Maac]

My pleasure my friend😊😊😊

[@IIPhotography]

Not sure how this can work for my situ. My Fibre to property terminates from the outside with a BT box having 4 status lights and just one Ethernet feed from it to the Vodafone supplied fibre router. The box like the one you stripped the wires from is no longer part of any active system. Therefore I have to have a wireless phone set plugged into the router. Am I missing something? As for power cuts.. why not just run the router off a 12v battery if the house power goes down? As long as the Openreach systems in the street still have power I imagine all would still work, VOIP and any hard wired analogue handsets. My battery would also have to power the Openreach fibre to Ethernet box, the one with the service status lights on board. The lights depict - Power, LOS (I assume, loss of signal), PON and LAN.

[@robswiseways5697]

Hello Neil, Fibre to the premises isn’t in our area yet, so our broadband is still via copper cable to the master socket as shown in my video. When full fibre is installed in our area the master socket will be removed from our house. Because of my simple wiring alteration my landline will stay as per my video. You are correct in saying in the event of a power cut your hub and Openreach Optical Network Termination (ONT) box will lose power and your landline will be out of use. As you state, your ONT and hub will both require battery backup if you wish to keep your line open during a power cut. I’ve had lots of comments regarding battery backup, worth a read up! Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers Rob 👍

[@paulash134]

No you aren't missing anything, you have joined the many thousands of homeowners in this situation who have done, probably well before time, the necessary and dispensed with the need for a wired system of phones in the home. There are some folk though that may have been lead to believe they need to invest in tech when, in fact, they can still utilise what they already have with the addition of a connecting piece of cable. As for the power cut situation, you have suggested a very good solution. A lot of people won't bother and lugging around some form of battery or generator, remembering to check it works for in the event of may not be everyones cup of tea, but the choice is there.

[@daveturnbull7221]

I live in a cottage with 2ft thick stone walls that block most (90%+) mobile signals. Normally if I get a power cut it is due to extreme weather which means I need to go outside in gale force winds/driving rain to report it. Before anyone suggest sitting in the car to make the mobile call - I don't have one. Why do I need to report the loss of power? Because that can affect how much if any compensation you may get plus as I'm on the at risk register it ensures they are aware of my particular needs.

[@robswiseways5697]

Hello Dave, I’m not an expert but I would have thought your telephone provider could easily supply an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) battery backup. One of my commenters stated Vodafone supplied a 12 hour backup box for him. Just a thought here, if you are on the at risk register, wouldn’t your electricity Distribution Network Operator (DNO) be aware of your situation in the event of a power cut. Thanks for commenting. Cheers Rob 👍

[@daveturnbull7221]

@@robswiseways5697 Power cuts here will often last over 24hrs so a 12hr backup is not ideal but yes, better than nothing. When we got hit by Storm Arwen I was without power (and therfore no oil fired boiler/heating/hot water) for a week. During that time my DNO simply said that they were doing everything they could. Eventually, 1 hr before power was restored they offered me money to get takeaway meals delivered (none of the takeaways deliver out to here) and eventually offered me a hotel just as the power came back on. I've learned that all the at risk register means is that you may get more compensation and perhaps be kept better informed of progress.

[@daizyflower272]

This going digital is unreliable and dangerous in my opinion. Telephones were powered by the exchanges own 50v power supply, hence if your electricity went down/cut off, you'll still have your telephone working. Not with this new stuff. I'm a retired BT employee.

[@robswiseways5697]

As you may know the announcement to phase out analogue telephone networks was back in Nov 2017. Judging by the comments I’ve received there doesn’t seem to be enough information regarding battery backup from telephone providers should there be a power cut. Let’s hope we see some improvements soon. Thanks for tuning in. Cheers Rob 👍

[@daizyflower272]

​@@robswiseways5697 this was announced to us way back than 2017. They started taking out all the batteries from about 2009 and hired diesel generators to source temporary power. They said there will be no power going to customers as everything was going Internet, "Internet of things, IoT". The future they are establishing for our future was decided long ago, technology was there ages ago, they are giving it to us slowly so we can get used to it. Yes, no electricity, no telephone, no nothing. But look at us now, smartphones that do everything.

[@99999me1]

Some old DECT cordless phones can be registered directly to the ISP gateway.

[@robswiseways5697]

Didn’t know this Mejan. I’ll look this up. Thanks for the information. Cheers Rob 👍

[@geraldarcher8194]

And when we have a power cut which will happen then no phone. Not all of us have or want a mobile.

[@robswiseways5697]

Hello Gerald, Although my video is related to keeping the traditional telephone sockets in use, it has opened a discussion in comments regarding power cuts. Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) battery backup has been mentioned numerous times, and it seems to be the only solution in the event of a power outage. Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers Rob 👍

[@RedRouge-j4j]

It depends on your provider. Because I was not given a transition date except "if the broadband goes dead", stylee, they assumed I wanted to keep analogue service which they achieve via a modem in the roadside cabinet. So the phone was "no change" unless you listen to the quality of the line, it is a downgrade, fer sure. The tip I would give is switch off the new broadband router when not in use. The drop-outs have all but gone

[@robswiseways5697]

Agree it does depend on your provider. I suppose for most people switching off their router would mean losing communication with devices like door bell cameras, heating etc. so the router would have to stay on permanently. Thanks for tuning in. Cheers, Rob 👍

[@RedRouge-j4j]

@@robswiseways5697 call me paranoid but a doorbell camera like Ring are a recipe for snooping. It may only be simple data collection like frequency or timing. I declined YouFibre because they use Eero routers. An Amazon company. Imagine the data they have access to, and don't think they wouldn't be scraping some data. They didn't get to where they are today......................

[@andykoops3213]

I did something similar 2 weeks ago. But I just connected my router phone socket directly to the master socket thus enabling all other sockets in the house.

[@robswiseways5697]

Sounds like your system is ok Andy. I disconnected the master socket because I wasn’t sure if there would be any back feed along the incoming line. Took longer to film than it did to do the job 😀. Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers Rob 👍

[@andykoops3213]

@@robswiseways5697 ah yes forgot to mention I disconnected incoming line as I didnt know if connected still. Additionally I put phone splitter into router socket so offfice phone could connect there. Glad I kept all those old connectors.

[@ncooper8438]

I'm soon changing from ADSL to fibre. Will any providers router operate my dect phone? Or is it just BT routers that are compatible with dect phones? Ta

[@robswiseways5697]

I’m no expert but I have seen other providers routers with a phone port. I’m sure BT VoIP / digital DECT phones only work with their own router. However, the DECT phone like I have in the video should work with any provider. Hope this helps and thanks for watching. Cheers Rob 👍

[@grahamtanner1066]

I am 'sorta' looking forward to when they come to convert me to VOIP (not!). There are no power sockets anywhere near my phone socket; I presume that they will have to supply some sort of kit or equipment so that I can plug my phone into ... and where will they power it from?

[@robswiseways5697]

If you’re with BT Graham I’m afraid no one comes to sort you. We received instructions through the post. Bit hard to picture your situation but you may need a socket fitting. Best thing you can do is contact your provider when you receive a letter regarding the switchover. No doubt there will be a way round it. Hope you get it sorted when the time comes. Best regards, Rob 👍

[@stevemoss7793]

It's not a matter of where your phone socket is, as you won't be using that any more. If you don't have a phone socket on the back of your router, BT will supply you with a wireless adapter that you plug into a power socket, and the phone plugs into that. You get one free, any more will cost you £19.99 each.

[@robswiseways5697]

​@@stevemoss7793 Thanks for your reply Steve. You’re absolutely right about the adapter. Also I’ve read on BT website they will send a Hub2 if a customer hasn’t got one when migrating to digital voice. I’m guessing Hub2 is digital voice compatible and has the phone socket on the back. Sorry about my first reply, I should have said ‘may need an electrical socket fitting’ as Graham said there are no power sockets next to the phone socket. Cheers Rob 👍

[@grahamtanner1066]

Yes, I am with BT. From other comments and replies it seems that BT will send me a piece of equipment. So that will go where the phone is now. Where will it get its power from?, as there are no plugs nearby. How does my voice get from the handset to the BT exchange ... I have a BT landlines but no BT internet. It sounds like I will be replacing one item with two. What happens if/when I get a powercut?, how do I phone anyone?

[@stevemoss7793]

@@grahamtanner1066 The device you will get from BT is effectively a wireless access point. You pair it with your router, then plug it into any power socket you choose, though there may be a range limitation. Your phone plugs into that, and is connected wirelessly to your Internet service. In the event of a power cut you will have to use a mobile.

[@barrieshepherd7694]

Worth mentioning that old phones may require the Bell wire connected (orange/white pin 3) to make them ring. This comes from a ringing capacitor in the old PT box. The routers often don't have the ringing capacitor / bell wire connection but you can solve this by getting a dongle, containing the ringing capacitor, to place between the router connection and your fixed wiring from Amazon and the usual suppliers.

[@robswiseways5697]

Thank you for your comment Barrie. Very useful information. Although I connected every wire for neatness (see video at 8min 17sec), I haven’t got an old phone that requires the bell wire, but apparently the BT hub2 provides power at pin 3 which is the ringer wire. Thanks for watching. Cheers Rob 👍

[@barrieshepherd7694]

@@robswiseways5697 Not surprised that BT hubs have the ring wire - after all they invented it 😂. I know that the Virgin hub does not provide it or at least older ones don't.

[@6643bear]

Great presentation, well done regards mark

[@robswiseways5697]

Thanks very much Mark, much appreciated and all the best, Rob 👍

[@chriselliott726]

You did not mention that the classic dial telephones don't dial out on VOIP. Get yourself a 'Dial-A-Tone' converter from 'Vintage Telephony' and the old telephones will be back up and running.

[@robswiseways5697]

Didn’t know that Chris so thank you for the info. We haven’t a dial telephone but I’m sure anyone out who owns one and is reading this will appreciate the advice. Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers, Rob 👍

[@bretty453]

Touch tone dialling only, no pulse dialling on VoIP.

[@chriselliott726]

@@bretty453 That's my point. If you use a Dial-A-Tone it will allow vintage dial telephones to work.

[@chriselliott726]

@@robswiseways5697 It's a good video and I like your filming style. You would be surprised how many people still love dial telephones!

[@robswiseways5697]

@@chriselliott726 Thanks for your compliment Chris. We too know people who have a dial telephone. Cheers, Rob 👍

[@robswiseways5697]

Had a comment from Kenneth Exton but it will not display and I cannot reply to the notification. If you read this Kenneth, could you try again please. Thank you, Rob

[@paulsradiohacks]

Hi Rob lovely video and explanation... you know your stuff.

[@robswiseways5697]

Much appreciated Paul 👍. Gail was relieved to know all the phones could stay without all the adapters taking up sockets and more equipment switched on permanently. Thanks for watching and commenting, All the best, Rob & Gail 😀

[@nickb5391]

My father hasn't got any internet hub etc, all he has is a standard BT landline

[@robswiseways5697]

Hello Nick, I’m no expert but I’m guessing they are either working on a device for ‘voice customers only’, or ‘voice customers only’ will receive a Hub with phone connection but the broadband will be switched off. It would then be a case of the provider switching broadband on if the customer requires it in the future. There is still two years to go before most or all landline users are switched to digital. Mother in law had a standard BT landline but a year ago we asked for broadband so we could have a camera set up in the living room as she had a couple of falls. They sent a hub2 like I have and it was a case of them activating broadband over the existing line, on the ‘go live’ date. Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers Rob 👍

[@dieseldragon6756]

Some very handy info here folks, thankyou! ☎📶👍 One thing to be aware of - Particularly if using your Hub/Router as the connection point for your telephones - Is to check that the maximum *Ringer Equivalent Number (REN)* supported by the hub is higher than the total number of telephones/fax/etc devices on your telephone system. If your telephones total a higher REN than the hub can support, your phones might not work properly/at all, or it might even damage the hub. ⚠ Special care ought to be taken with any telephones that predate the 1990s (Especially those with bells or warblers in them, which will tend to be REN 3+) and if you use these you might want to consider getting an extra digital adaptor to dedicate to that specific telephone. 👍

[@robswiseways5697]

Thanks for the info DD. This info will be invaluable to a lot of people out there. I’m sure the hub will take up to REN 4. If older bell phones are connected and cause an issue maybe the ringer could be turned off on one of them, but it can still be used (provided you are able to hear the other phones ringing). I understand old rotary phones cannot dial out on VoIP but can receive calls. Thanks for watching & commenting. Cheers Rob 👍

[@dieseldragon6756]

@@robswiseways5697 If one was to disconnect the ringer on a bell phone this might drop its REN down to about 0.5 but checking with an ammeter or telephone tester would be wise. ☎ I imagine all of the VoIP boxes expect the connected telephones to use tone dialling. If you know your electronics it should be _moderately easy_ to construct a pulse-tone converter which would allow dial phones to _ahem_ dial out, but searching eBay for an older model of VoIP box which supports pulse dialling (I imagine these might exist for the preference of some subscribers) might be a quicker way of going about it. 😇

[@ronmacfarlane110]

I used vodaphone and their broadband modem has a standard analogue connection

[@robswiseways5697]

The BT phone socket is probably analogue also. I’m guessing the hub converts the voice calls to digital. Thanks for watching and commenting Ron. Cheers Rob 👍

[@rebeccaw1274]

Just switching to full fibre and my provider says i will be happy to loose my landline but say i do want to plug in a phone how do i get a number for it? Is there a provider in the uk like Google voice us?

[@robswiseways5697]

Hi Rebecca, I’ve never been in this situation before. If there is a way of having two separate providers using the same hub/router then you will have two bills to pay which may cost more. Your landline provider would give you a new number. Sorry I could not be of further help. Cheers Rob 👍

[@fredbloke3218]

But how many routers have socket for phone plug with side locking tab, mine only takes square shaped plugs with top tab.

[@robswiseways5697]

Hello Fred, I’m with BT and I do know if BT customers don’t have a smart hub2 when they are are notified of the change over from analogue to digital, BT will send one out. Only the smart hub2 has a phone socket. I think there is a certain model of a Virgin hub that has a square phone socket and they have a short adapter cable to convert to a traditional phone socket. I suspect if you have a landline and your provider is moving you over to digital, they may provide a hub that has a phone connection point. Hope this helps. Cheers Rob 👍

[@petercopeland5165]

Is your old number still active ? Are costs as old land line ?

[@simoncroft9792]

Yes, cost will change when you order full-fibre. But at 100Mb minimum (typically 144 ) speed its well worth it.

[@robswiseways5697]

​ Peter and @simoncroft979 We’re not on full fibre just yet, it’s not installed in our area. Our old number is still active and the cost is the same. Thanks for watching. Cheers, Rob 👍

[@paulb8186]

.....and if people living in remote areas don't have a mobile signal or even a mobile phone during a power cut?!! Technology is sending us backwards.

[@robswiseways5697]

@@paulb8186 The wife has just agreed with you Paul. 👍

[@peterjohnson1739]

Before Broadband and the Internet accessing a computer from home meant dialling up over your phone line. This could result in your line being busy for hours on end. To get round this problem I had a second line installed by BT; so I had one for voice and one for data (that line being Ex-Directory because I didn't want any one to call it). To achieve this BT used one of the redundant (unused) pairs of wires in the incoming cable.

[@robswiseways5697]

I remember the dial up internet Peter and I remember our neighbour having two lines too. Thank goodness for progress. Cheers Rob 👍

[@beatskool101]

Remember when Voip promised to free us all from landline charges, if everyone is on voip what a pity we still have to pay, especially if you go over an hour

[@robswiseways5697]

Couldn’t agree more. Already paying for broadband, voice calls have been migrated to broadband but we have to continue paying for voice calls ?? I suppose the voice call charges are paying for all the infrastructure changes. Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers Rob 👍

[@harveydenirosings]

I still want to use my old dial phones from the 60's, can I ? And also want my old 1960's phone to work in case the internet goes down which it always does. Also in my mum's house she has an emergency box installed as she is 92, hope that will still work ? why do these companies keep f'ing around with things ? If it works don't fix it.

[@robswiseways5697]

Hello Harvey, I’ve never tried this but I’ve looked on KZbin and it seems the old rotary phones can be used. I searched ‘rotary phones on VoIP’, have a look at the video from My Mate Vince - how to connect landline phones on VoIP. He shows that an external bell works on VoIP. I’ve also read you can call out on them but they will not ring for incoming calls (something to do with how the internal bell works). Once on VoIP, if the internet goes down, you will also lose landline regardless of which type of phone is connected. Mother in law has an emergency box but not switched to VoIP yet so waiting to see what happens in the very near future. Telecoms companies do say contact your telecall provider when you are notified of switchover. Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers Rob 👍

[@harveydenirosings]

@@robswiseways5697 Thanks for the info Rob, my internet is provided by Talktalk and always seems to go down, my mum is also with them. That's what I like about the original copper lines they are always on. So if I have a power cut etc phones will be dead in the future, not good at all, what a pain in the bum !

[@robswiseways5697]

@@harveydenirosings Thanks for your reply Harvey. I’ve had lots of comments on my video regarding battery backup during power cuts, worth a read. Cheers Rob

[@carlotai4635]

I have a landline I only keep for Sky box with dish (not Q) - how will digital switch over affect me please ?

[@robswiseways5697]

I wouldn’t have thought there would be any difference after switchover. But to be sure, speak to your provider once they notify you of your switchover date. Thanks for your comment. Cheers Rob 👍

[@iangeorgewhatton7541]

The current 6 Core Telephone Wires are: 1) Green Power Wire Broadband Hub. 2) Blue Bell Wire. 3) Orange Dialling Wire. 4) White/Orange Call Wire. 5) White/Blue Recieving Call Wire. 6) White/Green Broadband Wire. The Telephone connected to Broadband Hub Digital Voice Landline Telephone Switchover means if there is a Power Cut: 1) No Power. 2) No Connection. 3) No Telephone. 4) if your Mobile or Tablet runs out of Battery you will not be able to contact anyone including Emergency Services and Powergrid. 5) Costing the User Money to Upgrade Telephone Cables and Extension Sockets to Digital Voice Landline Telephone on Switchover. 6) Putting People's Lives at Risk in Emergencies not everyone has a Oncall Alarm Unit. These points above are something that the BT or the Government has not thought of when they introduced this Digital Voice Landline Telephone Switchover.

[@robswiseways5697]

Thanks for your comment Ian. I understood the green wires 1 and 6 were not used in a domestic property. As for a power cut I agree that all communication will be lost. The mother in law has recently had her emergency call system replaced with one that has a SIM card installed. It doesn’t use the phone line. However, I will hopefully be posting a video before the end of this month on full fibre broadband and battery back up. Cheers, Rob 👍

[@glyn829]

Very interesting Rob 👍 but blimey we ditched the landline about 3 years ago as it was never really used it .. answer phone went a long time ago .. ps its s good job Gail is on hand with the prompts lol 👍

[@robswiseways5697]

Couldn’t resist sharing Gail’s new editing terminology 😂. Keeping our landline for now but the switchover may prompt more people to ditch theirs. Thanks for watching Glyn. Cheers Rob & Gail 😀

[@sandrapearson728]

Going totally digital is all very well but it’s completely useless when we get power cuts as happened to us a couple of years ago, we were out for several days. We get them quite frequently where we live. Mobile didn’t work either as we rely on WiFi calling here and obviously we ran out of charge. We intended to get an old landline phone to plug into the wall socket.

[@robswiseways5697]

Hello Sandra, You are right and there’s been lots of comments about this and discussions on battery backup. If your wall socket is still active then I suspect you’ll be ok. That’s if you still have an analogue phone line (unless you’ve done what I’ve done in the video, making the wall sockets digital so to speak). Bear in mind the telecoms industry say analogue phone lines will be switched off by end of 2025. Thanks for watching. Cheers Rob 👍

[@colinrimmer789]

Rob your a clever Chappie 😁👍

[@robswiseways5697]

Cheers Colin and thanks for tuning in 👍. All the best, Rob & Gail 😀

[@harryf1ashman]

I don't understand how it all works on the non hardware side. With traditional voip you need a sip account so how does it work when you uncouple your old copper line and number and go purely digital. do you already have an sip account with your number? My elderly mother is reliant on her land line and I am reluctant to make the switch until I am clear about how it will effect her life

[@robswiseways5697]

Hello Harry, I’ve never heard of a sip account. My provider BT gave me a date when my landline was being switched to digital. On the day the analogue copper line became dead. I plugged into the phone socket on the back of the hud and the phone continued working as before. Hope this helps. Cheers Rob 👍

[@richarddunstone6093]

My provider (Virgin Media) did all this; sent an engineer out to disconnect the old landline, wired the new hub into the existing extension sockets and configured everything. It took a couple of days to switch it over at the exchange so they refunded me a month's subscription. It seems I was lucky. BT were not very impressive in this case.

[@robswiseways5697]

You did well there Richard 10 out of 10 to Virgin Media. BT are lagging behind and only gave three suggestions: wireless digital phones, digital voice adapters for existing wired phones or plug straight into the hub. Thanks for watching and commenting, Cheers, Rob 👍

[@tonyhawk123]

@@robswiseways5697i ditched the landline many years ago by my parents just went through this switchover with BT and it was complicated, issue prone, needed ongoing calls to BT to get it sorted out. You'd think BT would have ironed out the kinks before inflicting this on millions of people - there can only be so many fundamental setups to figure out before the roll out surely! If BT can't get a grip on this how can they expect normal people to!

[@kernow9324]

Great video, thanks. I also really like your bronze/gold-coloured faceplates with the black switches. Very smart. They look high-end. Can you remember what brand they are please? Liked and subscribed.

[@robswiseways5697]

Thank you for the compliment 👍. You can find the faceplates on website m-marcus.com Select switches and sockets and look for Ashley Norton Collection. They are a British manufacturer behind the Heritage Brass brand. Thanks for subscribing but I am predominantly a caravan channel showing the sites / areas we stay at. Best regards, Rob

[@jimgeelan5949]

Ya ! I can just see my 93 year old neighbour doing this 😂

[@robswiseways5697]

A competent person could do this Jim. Say, like a friendly neighbour for example 😂 . Thanks for tuning in. Cheers Rob 👍

[@fionamckelvie1526]

@@robswiseways5697why should they did the neighbour ask for this change? Surely BT should have ensured that elderly vulnerable customers would not be left without a line. As the majority of BT customers with a landline are elderly why have BT been allowed to do this?

[@robswiseways5697]

​@@fionamckelvie1526 Hello Fiona, I have read on BT’s website that they are taking vulnerable customers into consideration. It’s not just BT, it’s the telecoms industry that announced back in Nov 2017 its intention to retire the analogue telephone network. By the way, Jim was only speaking hypothetically. Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers Rob 👍

[@Sparky68M]

I patched my extentions phone line into the 2nd socket on my router now they all work as before

[@robswiseways5697]

You’ve got me there Mike, I only have one phone port on my router. Good to hear your solution has worked. Cheers, Rob 👍

[@EssGeeSee]

“We’ll glue it together” correct term is - “We’ll fix it in Post” (-Production). 😎

[@robswiseways5697]

Thanks for watching until the end 😂and you are absolutely correct (we’ve just looked it up) 👍👍. Cheers Rob & Gail

[@EssGeeSee]

It’s the modern way of film & TV making. Just keep going and “Fix it in Post”.

[@robswiseways5697]

@@EssGeeSee We’ll say that on our next caravan video mistake 🫢Thanks for the terminology.