bt digital voice

just got a letter saying digital voice is coming for me. I have FTTP and phone over old copper. I have all my phone sockets wired from the master socket so do I just make up a lead to plug into the hub and then connect the other end to the master socket extension wiring. I will still get my offered free phone (caues I can!)

In reply to a post by threelegs:

just got a letter saying digital voice is coming for me. I have FTTP and phone over old copper. I have all my phone sockets wired from the master socket so do I just make up a lead to plug into the hub and then connect the other end to the master socket extension wiring. I will still get my offered free phone (caues I can!)

We got one of these as well today. Impossible for us to use the BT hub, only took the contract out as was copper install offered and thought they couldn't change the line from copper without it being a change of contract. Going to see if they can delay it due to the circumstances, or else going to have to cancel the contract early, although its only got a few months left anyway.

Its lunacy BT still aren't offering a separate ATA for domestic.

Yes, but make sure the original copper feed pair isn’t connected at the NTE, so your dial tone isn’t heading off back down the copper pair.

In reply to a post by threelegs:

just got a letter saying digital voice is coming for me. I have FTTP and phone over old copper. I have all my phone sockets wired from the master socket so do I just make up a lead to plug into the hub and then connect the other end to the master socket extension wiring. I will still get my offered free phone (caues I can!)

1. Disconnect the incoming BT line to the master socket.
2. Get hold of a BT plug to plug cable from eBay or Amazon to connect from your smart hub into the master socket.
3. Check all handsets ring (the REN on most modern electronic handsets is very low, so should be fine)
4. Have a beer/glass of wine/GnT

thanks Pheasant. that is what I had thought would work so I shall make up a lead to suit (I have the plugs and crimper)

No idea or experience what will happen, maybe phone number will magically jump from copper to fibre and come out the phone socket on your fibre router?

As others have said the sogea info says to avoid piping a voip line back into the main telephone line. Though when Sky sold my neighbour a sogea line secretly with zero warning they made no mention of this or anyting at all?

I suspect you are not really meant to disconnect your telephone line from the master socket yourself. Though who will know? It may also have a small electrical voltage if live...

If it was me I think I would buy another master socket, either £4 from screwfix or if I didn't want to use punch down tools on the wires just one of the modern BT master sockets off ebay for £10 which let you insert the wires without tools. Then carefully remove you extension wires from the master socket and insert them to the new one. Plug a cable from the router to the master socket and you should be done and are completely seperate from the old BT telephone system. You can always leave the master socker loose without worring about boxing things in. Hopefully being a master socket it will contain a capacitor so will help you telephones ring.

That said my neigbours had their extension circuit already end in a BT plug which they just stuck into the master socket to connect the extension circuit. But when stuck into the sky router the telephones could dial out but did not ring. So we plugged the extensions BT plug into the back of an old microfilter and then a cable from the rj11 socket of the back of the microfilter to the BT socket on the router. This microfilter joined the two cables and made all the telephones ring, so while weird it worked...

But you know I'm sure the suggestion to just pull out the master phone line will work too. Its just I'm a bit more cautious and left it alone.

Modern master sockets already have an internal punch-down point for the internal wiring (which you're allowed to use). This is disconnected automatically when you remove the front plate to access the test socket. So either:

1. Get a special VOIP insertion faceplate, which routes the voice signal to the extension wiring *only* (easiest and preferred)
2. Remove the extension wiring from the punch-down point - but then you'll need to bring it out somewhere else (another socket or junction box) as a point to insert the voice signal to extensions

As I have just had the letter I do not know when this transition might happen, but want to be ready. Mind you BT will have to send a new hub as the one I have now doesnt have a phone socket on it...

Can you identify which model of master socket you have? There are various guides online, e.g.
https://support.aa.net.uk/Telephone_Sockets

As long as it's a modern one, then when the time comes, if BT don't supply the right faceplate then you can order one.

In reply to a post by candlerb:

1. Get a special VOIP insertion faceplate, which routes the voice signal to the extension wiring *only* (easiest and preferred)

I agree this would be the best solution. But.... Do they actually exist to buy anywere? I looked in the past and could never actually find any. Be delighted to be proved wrong though.