topic Re: Which dect phones work better with VOIP in Home Phone

Which dect phones work better with VOIP

Spik3y — Sat, 16 May 2026 19:14:41 GMT

I've noticed quite a few complaints over at EE about people being left without a working phone after bb/phone intall. I'm sure its probably just the unlucky few but wondered if some phones work better with VOIP than others?

I have an older Gigaset 455 dect triple set so wondering if they are likely to plug in and play nicely. If they dont are there any models/ sets that are recommended. I dont really like the BT offerings if only because unless you pay a lot more you dont get decent volume (or speaker on some models) but are they more likely to work seamlessly with VOIP?

Re: Which dect phones work better with VOIP

Townman — Sat, 16 May 2026 19:38:49 GMT

Is this a DECT issue or the mechanism by which existing phones are connected to the VoIP service?

I have used DECT handsets connected to Zen’s Fritz!box routers with zero issues. That router acts as a DECT base station / PABX.

Alternatively existing DECT base stations can be connected to VOIP using an ATA device … which will be responsible for volume levels etc.

Re: Which dect phones work better with VOIP

Spik3y — Sat, 16 May 2026 20:03:18 GMT

EE have delivered a smarthub 7 plus.

So just planning on plugging the base station into the phone socket at the back of that.

So I'm just wondering if the age of my present dect set will be an issue. Some sets now say suitable for VOIP.

Re: Which dect phones work better with VOIP

jab1 — Sat, 16 May 2026 20:08:16 GMT

@Spik3y A quick search says it is suitable for VOIP - but it was a very quick check, so...

Re: Which dect phones work better with VOIP

jgb — Sat, 16 May 2026 20:56:32 GMT

@Townman

With the Zen Fritzbox router you can just plug in the phone Dect base statton and use that (i.e you do not need to use the router Dect base station with the attendant need to pair the phones to it). That is what I did with my old Panasonoc Dect phone (five phones in total) and all the handsets work as before.

Re: Which dect phones work better with VOIP

Spik3y — Sat, 16 May 2026 22:12:19 GMT

The fritzbox seems to have a lot of extra features, it has very good reviews.

Unfortunately I dont want to add too much cost at the moment. I'm just hoping the EE offering is OK.

It says this on the EE help guide for connecting dect phone base station:

If your phone doesn’t ring

Phones bought before 2015 may not ring while connected to your Digital Home Phone adapter.

Little worrying as mine were bought in 2018, so just hoping they weren't old stock. To be fair I had intended to replace them, they are getting worn out and I've already replaced the batteries, but held off until the change over.

Has anyone got any recommendations for dect phones with good volume levels - my other half needs a louder phone ring and voice.

Re: Which dect phones work better with VOIP

Spik3y — Sat, 16 May 2026 22:28:58 GMT

@jab1 wrote:

@Spik3y A quick search says it is suitable for VOIP - but it was a very quick check, so...

@jab1

How did you check, have you got a link you could share?

Re: Which dect phones work better with VOIP

pvmb — Sat, 16 May 2026 23:18:12 GMT

@Spik3y wrote:

It says this on the EE help guide for connecting dect phone base station:

If your phone doesn’t ring

Phones bought before 2015 may not ring while connected to your Digital Home Phone adapter.

I wonder if that is because some earlier phones may depend on an external ringing capacitor? If that were the case then perhaps an old Broadband ADSL/PHONE dongle filter between the phone and the router would help?

Re: Which dect phones work better with VOIP

jab1 — Sun, 17 May 2026 06:04:55 GMT

@Spik3y wrote:

@jab1 wrote:

@Spik3y A quick search says it is suitable for VOIP - but it was a very quick check, so...

@jab1

How did you check, have you got a link you could share?

I just asked my search engine 'is the Gigaset 455 compatible with VOIP?'.

Re: Which dect phones work better with VOIP

Baldrick1 — Sun, 17 May 2026 07:02:13 GMT

@Spik3y

Methinks that you are worrying un-necessarily. I find it hard to believe that a modern generation wireless DECT phone, be it eight years old, would need a ring capacitor or have too great a REN requirement to work. Now if it was a retro model with a bell and used pulse dialling then that might be a different matter.

If you are really worried a back up corded phone can perhaps be borrowed for a few days, many people keep one for a spare. Alternatively, they can be bought from the likes of Amazon for under £10.

Re: Which dect phones work better with VOIP

jgb — Sun, 17 May 2026 07:18:17 GMT

@Spik3y

My old Panasonic dect set (with five handsets - 4 original plus one extra) which I simply plugged into the Fritzbox and which works with no issues was bought in 2012/13!!

Re: Which dect phones work better with VOIP

Dan_the_Van — Sun, 17 May 2026 07:54:20 GMT

@Spik3y

A word of warning BT/EE use proprietary hardware for the Digital Phone Service, it should not be seen as a true VoIP service.

Look at the handset BT/EE supply for this service https://ee.co.uk/broadband/digital-home-phone

They would be best suited for the features offered by BN/EE the phone service. Importantly, third party handsets might have limited functionality with the in built hubs DECT base station when paired with it.

Does your current handset have a DECT base station, if yes just plug that in the Hub phone socket which acts just like a standard BT analogue phone socket of the Openreach Master Socket.

Re: Which dect phones work better with VOIP

pvmb — Sun, 17 May 2026 09:04:41 GMT

@Baldrick1 wrote:

@Spik3y

I find it hard to believe that a modern generation wireless DECT phone, be it eight years old, would need a ring capacitor or have too great a REN requirement to work.

It feels to me you could be correct. Then it would be interesting to know why older phones wouldn't work, after all, whether DECT or not, isn't any analogue phone just an analogue phone on a telephone landline?

Now if it was a retro model with a bell and used pulse dialling then that might be a different matter.

Doesn't need to be quite that old! I have an old Geemarc Venice M model handset (with Mercury button!) that needed an external ringing capacitor to work.

GEEMARC VENICE & VENICE M (britishtelephones.com)

Re: Which dect phones work better with VOIP

Baldrick1 — Sun, 17 May 2026 09:32:06 GMT

@pvmb

Re the phone, This is clearly a pre 1992 design, that’s 34 years plus ago! Hardly a fair comparison!

Re: Which dect phones work better with VOIP

markhawkin — Sun, 17 May 2026 10:01:04 GMT

@Spik3y

I don't think you have said who the VoIP service provider is.

With BT/EE's "Digital Voice" you must use their base station and they have a handset that you seem to get with a phone service. I believe you can buy more of these.

https://www.bt.com/broadband/digital-voice

You also get a socket on their router which allows you to plug in a phone or a DECT base station.

Incoming number migration is overnight following the installation so incoming calls stay on the copper line for the rest of "install day".

If you are staying with Plusnet and getting a VoIP service from someone else you might consider a new Gigaset VoIP base station rather than getting some sort of adaptor.

Re: Which dect phones work better with VOIP

HPsauce — Sun, 17 May 2026 10:57:37 GMT

@Spik3y as noted by @markhawkin the answer could well depend on which VOIP provider you go with and how much you will use the system after migration.

I had a mixed load of old DECT handsets that were "past their prime" and went with A&A for VOIP and a Gigaset N300 for an easy transition as it has both VOIP and POTS capability.

I soon found that the old handsets were quite limited with VOIP (though they did connect happily to the N300) and soon after fully migrating to VOIP I replaced them with Gigaset handsets (mainly R650H Pro) and also upgraded the base to an N510ipPro. All kit was bought "used" on eBay.

This was over 2 years ago and it's now hardly used at all, the mobiles have taken over! I haven't even got round to selling the replaced N300. 🙄

Re: Which dect phones work better with VOIP

pint — Sun, 17 May 2026 11:19:21 GMT

Currently using an old Panasonic DECT phone with voip with no issues.

The Voip service is running on a Grandsream HT801 and the Dect phone is plugged into that, voip service is voipfone.

The Grandstream HT801 plugs into the router via Ethernet and is powered by USB - again this can be powered from the routers USB port, so it will work on any router form any isp as long as there is an ethernet connection available

In theory the Voip unit (Analogue telephone adaptor) can be moved to anywhere with an ethenet/internet access and power making it as portable as a corded phone and a small black box

Re: Which dect phones work better with VOIP

Spik3y — Sun, 17 May 2026 16:11:53 GMT

@Baldrick1 wrote:

@Spik3y

Methinks that you are worrying un-necessarily. I find it hard to believe that a modern generation wireless DECT phone, be it eight years old, would need a ring capacitor or have too great a REN requirement to work. Now if it was a retro model with a bell and used pulse dialling then that might be a different matter.

If you are really worried a back up corded phone can perhaps be borrowed for a few days, many people keep one for a spare. Alternatively, they can be bought from the likes of Amazon for under £10.

You are absolutely right @Baldrick1 I am worrying ridiculously, I'm so glad of this forum, without it I would be in a worse state. . Its not the technology side, I've just got to the age where changing something unplanned really unsettles me. I had this all planned out for October time when the contract was nearly out so wasn't expecting to have to deal with this now. Its a very busy time of year for us, too many other things are in progress and holidays are looming.

I already have a spare working analogue phone, and an ATA came with the new router.

Re: Which dect phones work better with VOIP

Spik3y — Sun, 17 May 2026 16:21:57 GMT

@pvmb wrote:

@Baldrick1 wrote:

@Spik3y

I find it hard to believe that a modern generation wireless DECT phone, be it eight years old, would need a ring capacitor or have too great a REN requirement to work.

It feels to me you could be correct. Then it would be interesting to know why older phones wouldn't work, after all, whether DECT or not, isn't any analogue phone just an analogue phone on a telephone landline?

Now if it was a retro model with a bell and used pulse dialling then that might be a different matter.

Doesn't need to be quite that old! I have an old Geemarc Venice M model handset (with Mercury button!) that needed an external ringing capacitor to work.

GEEMARC VENICE & VENICE M (britishtelephones.com)

I threw one of these out a couple of weeks back when we did a tip run. It had been my spare for many years, and had gone a bit orange round the edges where it had been on the back room window ledge.. The buttons went wrong in the end I was missing the 0 completely and the 9 wanted to dial several times when pressed once 😲. It then got put in the spares box for about 4 years. I guess I thought I'd take it apart and see if it was fixable. I have to stop hoarding !!

Re: Which dect phones work better with VOIP

Spik3y — Sun, 17 May 2026 16:25:57 GMT

@markhawkin

Its all with EE broadband and phone.

I did contemplate staying with Plusnet and finding another provided for the phone, but in the end felt the EE migration was the least stressful.