topic Re: Using analogue phone on FTTP in Full Fibre

Using analogue phone on FTTP

redsox9 — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 15:40:53 GMT

I am thinking of upgrading from adsl to fttp. I understand that I will lose my landline and number but that I can connect my analogue phone to the Plusnet Hub 2 router. It does not seem to have a telephone socket unlike the BT hub. Can I connect using an RJ11 to RJ45 adaptor? If so what will be the number that callers dial to contact me? Can I avoid using voip with another provider?

Re: Using analogue phone on FTTP

MisterW — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 16:22:21 GMT

I understand that I will lose my landline and number but that I can connect my analogue phone to the Plusnet Hub 2 router. ?

I'm afraid you are incorrect, you can't connect a phone to the Hub 2.

Can I avoid using voip with another provider?

In a word, no!

Re: Using analogue phone on FTTP

bmc — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 16:59:14 GMT

@redsox9

It should be possible to "port" your current landline number to a VOIP provider but to use your current phone you need to add an ATA (Analogue Telephone Adapter) to your setup. You propably need to do some research on the matter.

If the number itself isn't important you can just set up a VOIP account with a new number. A & A seem to offer good deals and have a some Help pages for getting started on VOIP.

https://www.aa.net.uk/voice-and-mobile/voip-information/

Brian

Re: Using analogue phone on FTTP

redsox9 — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 07:18:41 GMT

Thanks. What about a DECT phone? I have a Gigaset and the manual says it can be plugged into a router. If it cannot plug into the Plusnet Hub 2 is there another suitable router?
BT has a router that can take a phone but I do not know if it can be used on Plusnet.

Re: Using analogue phone on FTTP

dvorak — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 07:36:57 GMT

You can buy an adapter called an ATA which plugs into the routers ethernet port and allows the use of analogue phones.
Some gigaset phones are both VoIP and analogue capable - what is the model number?

Re: Using analogue phone on FTTP

Baldrick1 — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 08:05:13 GMT

@redsox9 wrote:

BT has a router that can take a phone but I do not know if it can be used on Plusnet.

I'm sorry but no. Plusnet do not have the back end services to support the BT digital phone service. Neither can BT hubs be used with a third party VoIP service.

Re: Using analogue phone on FTTP

redsox9 — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 10:58:57 GMT

@dvorak
It's Gigaset E560A.

Re: Using analogue phone on FTTP

RobPN — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 12:45:02 GMT

@redsox9

You mentioned earlier that your Gigaset could be plugged in to a router. I haven't checked that particular model, but pretty much any DECT base station or corded phone can be plugged in to a router if the router is a VoIP model such as some of those from DrayTek or FRITZ!Box.

Going by the model number of yours I'd say it probably just has 'analogue/landline capabilities', i.e. it will function as described above if plugged in to a device which is, or contains, an ATA.

There are Gigaset DECT base stations which are standalone, fully functioning, VoIP devices which need to be plugged in to an Ethernet connection on your LAN. AFAIK they can be identified by the letters 'IP' in their model name, e.g. 'N300 IP' or 'N510 IP'.

Here's a link to check compatibility between various Gigaset handsets and base stations;

https://www.gigaset.com/hq_en/cms/service/compatibility/products.html

Re: Using analogue phone on FTTP

markhawkin — Sat, 15 Jul 2023 08:06:36 GMT

@redsox9

Leaving aside whether it would be VoIP (it would) the simplest approach would be to get fibre to the premises from BT.

The BT router has a phone socket that will "just work" with existing phones.

To get this to work with existing phone wiring can be done, but how easy it would be depends on how your existing wiring is configured.

Sadly, Plusnet has chosen not to offer this facility.

Obviously, moving to BT would terminate any Plusnet services (email etc.) you currently use.

Re: Using analogue phone on FTTP

redsox9 — Sun, 16 Jul 2023 10:06:40 GMT

Hopefully Plusnet will offer VoIP by 2025 when all copper lines will be disconnected.

Re: Using analogue phone on FTTP

jab1 — Sun, 16 Jul 2023 10:15:47 GMT

@redsox9 Not necessarily - BT PLC have decided that the Plusnet brand is for basic broadband provision only - IF it still exists by then, then those customers will be expected to provision their own VoIP service, should they want one.

Re: Using analogue phone on FTTP

hpjohnson — Sun, 16 Jul 2023 10:16:28 GMT

I've heard a slightly different story from the support team, who advised me on an inbound call last week that the infrastructure is there, and there are talks within the team leader meetings about rolling it out, and there is a chance we plusnet customers MAY be getting it in the near future. So all hope is not lost yet.

If BT choose not to roll it out before December 2025, then they are putting Plusnet on a suicide mission, as all those who need their landline will invariably go somewhere else. Many Plusnet Customers won't pay through the nose for EE Prices.

Re: Using analogue phone on FTTP

jab1 — Sun, 16 Jul 2023 10:21:44 GMT

Interesting, @hpjohnson . As an aside, it seems like first-line support are being drip-fed morsels of information - which they possibly shouldn't be passing on to customers.

It will need either new Hubs, or a major update to current one, as they are currently not VoIP capable.

Re: Using analogue phone on FTTP

hpjohnson — Sun, 16 Jul 2023 10:33:14 GMT

The Plusnet Hub 2 is a clone of the BT Smart Hub 2, painted white with a different badge on the front. Having moved between them back in November, the functionality and performance of the broadband is identical. There is definitely a Digital voice socket on the back of them.

But, Plusnet appears to have disabled the Digital VOICE Functionality through a customisation of the firmware, to tailor it for Plusnet as opposed to BT, hence why you can't see Digital VOICE options at all.

But, Plusnet and BT share the same platform for service provision, I.e they both use BT's Infrastructure.

As such, it would presumably be a matter of issuing a firmware update for the Plusnet Hub 2 to enable the functionality for Digital VOICE, this means it is simply a waiting game for the man in the back office to flip the switch and bring Digital VOICE to Plusnet Customers.

The man I spoke to sounded pretty confident that they will be doing something.

Re: Using analogue phone on FTTP

jab1 — Sun, 16 Jul 2023 10:37:20 GMT

I agree with most of what you say above, but the implementation may be not as easy. The BT broadband and Plusnet broadband are on different platforms, and would PN customers want a BT Digital Voice provision? - with no other option?

Re: Using analogue phone on FTTP

hpjohnson — Sun, 16 Jul 2023 10:44:28 GMT

Being a budget brand, my guess would be that plusnet would offer broadband only, but give the customer a choice to opt in for Digital VOICE, and yes, those who want digital voice may have to pay a fair contribution for it, but its better then nothing at all.

Re: Using analogue phone on FTTP

cking — Thu, 07 Sep 2023 17:59:33 GMT

I am also a ADSL / VDSL customer, and they have just installed Fibre on my estate.
It has been a total shambles and confusion with both BT and Plusnet.
I currently had: (two accounts)
Line 1: 1 x 32mb ADSL + Phone Line (Copper)
Line 2: 1 x 32mb ADSL + Phone Line (Copper - but not using the phone)

This was giving me 64mb as my bandwidth for the cameras on my property need the extra megs.
When I contract PlusNet, they put me down for 900mb Full Fibre, but told me they cant do the digital phone yet as they dont offer any phone (or TV), to contact BT.
Moving to Plusnet TV (if avail) would be good as I can then cancel my Virgin TV (2 boxes) which next year go back from £56 to £73 as I have a £17 discount on the account due to moaning about their price increase, if Plusnet are not offering TV, I may move to Sky Streaming or even Sky Q. (who can do it with 2 boxes and 2tb desktop box for about the price I am paying now!)
I contacted BT, who put in an order in for just the Phone, but were also trying to charge me £70 for the transfer.
Speaking to BT later, they told me I should not be charged the £70 and removed the £70, then told me it would be copper.
Referring back PlusNet, they advised if I transferred the phone line (even to copper) with BT I would lose one account - Line 1 - as they are migrating the other - Line 2, however my email is linked to 100's of online retailers and also in other places too, I am not bother about Line 2, as it was only ever used for the camera HD., so i cant afford to lose Line 1 currently.
BT and Plusnet advised I cant have 2 x ONT boxes as its limited to ONE per house, and Plusnet advised me to cancel the order with BT for the number transfer to retain my email and phone number on Line 1 which is the primary account. Luckily BT had not even started on the order so it was cancelled with no loss of money or payments.
Plusnet advise me to stay on Line 1 (32mb + phone) and hopefully by 2025 they would be offering digital phone - which it seems is already rumours (even with their own teams as a possibility)
OpenReach arrived on Tuesday and did the outside cabling for the Full Fibre on Line 2. - Connection 22/09/2023.
I chatted to Plusnet and they advised so as to keep costs low (Line 1 = £40 + Line 2 = £30 = £70) , to change from 900mb to 500mb (which is still way higher than 64mb combined), so this was done (again at no cost to me), it also changed my connection to 27/09/2023. - New Cost : Line 1: £40 + Line 2: £35 = £75.
Yesterday (Wednesday) OpenReach arrived again to do the Fibre Install, and found it was already done, the change from 900mb to 500mb had triggered a new order so another team had arrived. After chatting to OpenReach, they told me that when they installed the Fibre, it automaticaly has Digital phone and its silly for PlusNet to not offer the service when fibre already has Digital Connection access so they have no idea why they are not offering it!
Openreach also told me they have no issues with 2 x Full Fibre ONT lines, however did agree it wouldnt be worth it, but did say they have done other installs to private homes for 2 x ONT, one for Cable TV and one for Broadband!
Once they cancelled the duplicate order, my install date reverted back to the 22nd September 2023.
I got my PlusNet Hub yesterday and it has the same connections on the back as my own router which has both ADSL/VDSL and also Cable/Fibre and I checked my manual for my own router and it is full ADSL/VDSL and Cable/Fibre, it just doesnt have the Digital Phone socket like the PlusNet Hub.
However BT do an adaptor for normal phones (BT plug) to connect to a Digital ONT socket, and my cordless phones are BT and only 1 year old .

Whilst I understand nowadays that a lot of people use Mobiles for home phone use, but I do like my Landline and its also useful for work (as I work from home 24/7 and my mobile is NOT a company one)
Expecting users to give up landlines is also being frowned upon in the media as some users are saying if my mobile is flat and there is a power cut, it makes it awkward to charge the mobile and I have no other way to make a call. (I realise you can get power packs to charge from), additionally from what i understand from the migration, if a customer has a landline and wishes to retain the number (analogue into Digital ONT or via Digital phone) then this has to be honoured.

Plusnet have advised me to keep on copper until 2025 and hopefully they will be offering Digital phone service, however BT which are their "partners" are already offering this so does seem that it makes sense they should offer it considering the Fibre Broadband is installed and by default offers Digital phone (even OpenReach agree!)

I spent most of the 3 days - Tuesday to Thursday chasing BT and Plusnet to untangle it all!