I agree for people of a certain age it makes sense to use a provider who provides both services so relatives can be fully hands off with the process. The only requirement then is to pick the right provider.

In reply to a post by PCJM40:

I agree for people of a certain age it makes sense to use a provider who provides both services so relatives can be fully hands off with the process. The only requirement then is to pick the right provider.

And there are not many to choose from these days that provide both broadband and (digital) voice. BT/EE, Sky, Vodafone, Zen... any others worth mentioning?

In reply to a post by MHC:

2 bills - maybe. But PN will be on Direct Debit and a fixed sum monthly and it is easy to have an alternate contact such as you on the account. Choose a suitable VoIP provider such as VoIPify and add a credit sum based on estimated usage, when that gets near zero, top up. My VoIPify account is topped up every four months or so and I am alerted when it gets close.

What works for you does not work for everyone, and it isn't something I want to have to involve myself in. Secondly Voipfy are a Voip provider, not an ISP so they strictly focus on Voip and based on their website it appears to be targeted to Business. I needed a simple all-in-one solution and Zen meets those needs. Finally I don't want the hassle of changing phones and having to teach my Mum how to use another cordless handselt, let along the expense of replacing perfectly working handsets just so I can move to a VoIP provider when I can move to Zen and plug the existing handset base into the router.

Can you see my point of view here?

In reply to a post by PCJM40:

I agree for people of a certain age it makes sense to use a provider who provides both services so relatives can be fully hands off with the process. The only requirement then is to pick the right provider.

And who would the "right provider" be?

I am guessing it's NOT Zen based on your previous comments....

In reply to a post by candlerb:

In reply to a post by PCJM40:

I agree for people of a certain age it makes sense to use a provider who provides both services so relatives can be fully hands off with the process. The only requirement then is to pick the right provider.

And there are not many to choose from these days that provide both broadband and (digital) voice. BT/EE, Sky, Vodafone, Zen... any others worth mentioning?

Well you might wanna remove BT from the equation just gone to their website to check prices for my Mum's address and they are offering 4G Broadband only.... they are directing me to EE....

So for EE £29.99 per month for up to 40Mbps broadband PLUS £18 per month for unlimited calls... = £47.99 a month! over 24 Months £1151.76

Zen £32 per month for up to 40Mbps broadband plus £6 per month for 1000 mins of inclusive calls that's ALMOST 17 hours of calls per month = £38 that's a £10 per month saving.... Total over 18 Months = £684

I wonder which one I'd take....

In reply to a post by CJT:

What works for you does not work for everyone, and it isn't something I want to have to involve myself in.

Finally I don't want the hassle of changing phones and having to teach my Mum how to use another cordless handselt, let along the expense of replacing perfectly working handsets just so I can move to a VoIP provider when I can move to Zen and plug the existing handset base into the router.

Can you see my point of view here?

No one is forcing you to take any particular solution. The point of posting here is to seek a range of different solutions. If, by "seeing your point of view" you mean understanding your use case, I think people do, but probably framing this as a use case does not come across well.

If keeping the handset is an issue, then you can buy an ATA [Analog telephone Adapter] and run with the old handset. Personally, I no longer have the remote support issues to deal with, but if I did, the first thing I would do, [recognising that the phone is probably more important than the internet for this situation] is get the phone away from the ISP. That at least allows you the option of a quick reconfig with a mobile router in the event of problems with the ISP.

In reply to a post by CJT:

Sadly even though my Mum has a mobile phone it's only turned on now and then, she has grown up with a landline (she was once a Telephonist for the GPO) so I don't think we could wean her off it!

I thought perhaps we would have a similar problem when my elderly aunt moved into a new property recently. However she transitioned from landline to mobile without too much difficulty and being a light user it was economically viable.

If one considers other factors such as internet outages, power cuts (leaving aside the complications of a UPS in such circumstances) and the recommended need for a mobile phone as backup for a VoIP service then that could mean simply only having a mobile phone for voice would be sufficient.

Currently I have FTTP broadband and PSTN voice and at some point before PSTN shuts down I'll probably cease it and just use a mobile for voice - at the moment the idea of VoIP, broadband + DV bundle contracts, number porting, ATA, UPS, etc. doesn't seem very attractive.

In reply to a post by 4M2:

I thought perhaps we would have a similar problem when my elderly aunt moved into a new property recently. However she transitioned from landline to mobile without too much difficulty and being a light user it was economically viable.

If one considers other factors such as internet outages, power cuts (leaving aside the complications of a UPS in such circumstances) and the recommended need for a mobile phone as backup for a VoIP service then that could mean simply only having a mobile phone for voice would be sufficient.

Currently I have FTTP broadband and PSTN voice and at some point before PSTN shuts down I'll probably cease it and just use a mobile for voice - at the moment the idea of VoIP, broadband + DV bundle contracts, number porting, ATA, UPS, etc. doesn't seem very attractive.

As naff as it is, I think people will have to get used to mobiles, it is possible to get mobiles like the TTfone TT190 that have large numbers and other things that can be got on a normal phone.
The problem is for alarms and other stuff that rely on home phones.

I don't agree with taking away the landline and providers should be forced to supply a landline of some sort. I am not saying alt networks as where we change to them, we do so knowing that there is no landline, but providers that have had landlines before should be forced to keep them, even if it is VoIP.

In reply to a post by DFScale:

No one is forcing you to take any particular solution. The point of posting here is to seek a range of different solutions. If, by "seeing your point of view" you mean understanding your use case, I think people do, but probably framing this as a use case does not come across well.

If keeping the handset is an issue, then you can buy an ATA [Analog telephone Adapter] and run with the old handset. Personally, I no longer have the remote support issues to deal with, but if I did, the first thing I would do, [recognising that the phone is probably more important than the internet for this situation] is get the phone away from the ISP. That at least allows you the option of a quick reconfig with a mobile router in the event of problems with the ISP.

Hi DFScale,

At no point was I suggesting I was being forced to do anything, simply that the response was it was "better" to move to a dedicated VoIP provider, which in this case I don't feel is the better option.

My initial post was more a point of my being somewhat surprised that PlusNet do not offer a DV product (when their parent companies main brand (BT) does. However that can be easily sorted by a move to another provider.

IF the landline were to go down then (whilst I am working to get it fixed) Mum would have to use the mobile, but as she's had one for many years and never turns it on I think the ship has passed on her using it regularly.

For now the preference is to move to a supplier who provides an integrated DV service and worry about moving to VoIP if/when the ISP stops offering DV.

Also I felt a very negative vibe was being made by some against the ISP I had mentioned as the one I was thinking of moving my Mum over to.

In reply to a post by 4M2:

I thought perhaps we would have a similar problem when my elderly aunt moved into a new property recently. However she transitioned from landline to mobile without too much difficulty and being a light user it was economically viable.

If one considers other factors such as internet outages, power cuts (leaving aside the complications of a UPS in such circumstances) and the recommended need for a mobile phone as backup for a VoIP service then that could mean simply only having a mobile phone for voice would be sufficient.

Currently I have FTTP broadband and PSTN voice and at some point before PSTN shuts down I'll probably cease it and just use a mobile for voice - at the moment the idea of VoIP, broadband + DV bundle contracts, number porting, ATA, UPS, etc. doesn't seem very attractive.

Hi 4M2,

I am really glad to hear you were able to move your Aunt over to using her Mobile more and if it's more economically viable that's even better. I am going to encourage my Mum to make sure hers is charged and on (and somewhere she can find it at home) going forwards just in case of an emergency. However as per my reply to DFScale I don't have hope in her moving over entirely, so for now DV is the better option for her.

I would as they suggested use an ATA but the socket is already overloaded (I think we now need an extension lead to cope) so adding another plug (to be turned on/off in the event of an issue) just adds another layer of issues to the mix.