Personal care Alarms, help needed

Hi All,

My question is about the OpenReach/BT disconnection of Copper Landlines by January 2027 (or sooner according to their statements).

I'm asking, because it is something I have overlooked in regard to my Mums personal care alarm. So far I have been able to glean that her current ISP where I believe she has an adsl type internet connection with PlusNet will no longer be suitable as her current contract ends next month and no similar package will be available.
I have also checked with her current Personal Alarm provider who's equipment relies on a copper based landline and they do not yet have updated equipment ready.
As far as I understand it, any new Personal Alarm equipment works on some form of mobile telecom connection, with possibly an internet connection as backup.?

The other thing that has thrown me talking to support agents is that is that EE is preferred by by PlusNet for those who still want a Landline. And it's that word Landline that got me.. So far as I understand it, is that Plusnet offer a Digital Telephone for those who wish to keep their old landline telephone number and want that sort of fixed phone, but it does not support any Personal care type alarm systems?

So the concern is at the moment, that my Mum's Plusnet contract ends in around 3+ weeks and isn't renewable except for a full fibred product. Her Personal Pendant type alarm system relies on the old BT system and the alarm company that she is with has currently no new supporting alarm equipment.

Am I right in assuming, that Plusnet (although more expensive) will keep her current package running after her contract ends mid August 26?

Am I right in thinking that all these new type of personal alarm type base stations work independently on a mobile network for example - is that the way things are now done?
For some reason EE mix in their selection options on their website (which is confusing) that having the option of a digital telephone/landline will also support a type of personal alarm base station, but is that correct?

thanks

Edited by Vorlon (Tue 21-Jul-26 13:41:41)

You may want to contact Ofcom as there was a large delay to the switch off from voice over copper due to personal alarms. Ofcom apparently had robust conversations with the alarm industry.

Plusnet no longer offer voice services, so even if you have copper wire for broadband there will be no dial tone. To keep some voice services you have to move to EE to stay with the BT group; and normal phones plug into the router.

However alarm systems are different and need special handling, maybe see:
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/landli...

I find it frankly incredulous that there are still companies in the personal alarm industry that haven’t got a working alternative that copes with the withdrawal of PSTN services.

It’s been almost 3 years (September 2023) since the stop sell in WLR (which includes PSTN services - i.e. dial tone and voltage on the line) and Openreach have been very open about their plans to withdraw these services for many, many years.

That these companies don’t have a workable alternative now in the latter half of 2026 is bordering on frankly negligent. If I was in your position I would be voting with my feet and finding an alternative personal alarm provider that has go their act together. Your current provider would fill me with zero confidence in their ability to provide a critical service.

Ask the care alarm provider if they have tested their product at the free to use BT facility at Adastral Park, if it works there then it will work on an EE or BT Digital Voice service.

Thanks for your replies, but could someone confirm that although I know EE are being suggested by Plusnet for those who want a a digitalised type of landline at present, is the latest Personal care alarm equipment now based on communication via a Mobile data connection such as 4/5g?

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

I find it frankly incredulous that there are still companies in the personal alarm industry that haven’t got a working alternative that copes with the withdrawal of PSTN services.

It’s been almost 3 years (September 2023) since the stop sell in WLR (which includes PSTN services - i.e. dial tone and voltage on the line) and Openreach have been very open about their plans to withdraw these services for many, many years.

That these companies don’t have a workable alternative now in the latter half of 2026 is bordering on frankly negligent. If I was in your position I would be voting with my feet and finding an alternative personal alarm provider that has go their act together. Your current provider would fill me with zero confidence in their ability to provide a critical service.

I completely agree with Pheasant’s post. This information has been public for a very long time.
I believe your best solution would be to cancel the current provider for the care alarm, and have it provided by one of the many other companies who have adapted their products to cope with this well publicised change. You should look on this as a bullet dodged.
I’d agree with the OP’s comment about EE’s site being a huge pain in the proverbial.

Jpm,

I think this is what has been confusing me. Are you saying that the Digitised phone service that EE are now providing, will support some of the Personal care alarm systems? I got the impression that this EE service was purely to replace the landline services and that the Care alarms would have to work on 4/5G for example mobile data?
If however care alarms are now designed to work with the EE digital phone service, do they connect via the digital phone hub? Also do some work via a Mobile data connection too, or the main aim was to upgrade the digital hub via EE to support an alarm system if as my previous questions that is the case.

The problem with my current Mums supplier of the care Alarm is that they haven’t got the new equipment ready yet! so Mum has got to pay more each month if she's out of contract by PlusNet and still waiting for the new alarm equipment to appear.

Would you believe Zarjaz my mums alarm system is supported by (not hers) a nearby Council!

The BT/EE Digital Voice product is presented on a phone socket that - as best as it can - has the same characteristics as a UK phone line. The test lab has been provided so that suppliers can check the functionality of their devices.

There is no requirement to move to 4G or something that connects via Wi-Fi or ethernet to a router, chances are that a care alarm that previously plugged into a phone line will work when plugged into the phone socket on the back of a router with the DV service provisioned on it, but the chances are increased if the provider took advantage of the thousands of days of opportunity they've had to perform a test.

Thanks for that Jpm,

I think the penny has dropped for me now. After looking at a photo of the current alarm base station, the build year is 2016 so short of any possible firmware updates and the way that the "support" representative of the alarm company suggested, I would think that the current device is likely not reliable with pseudo "landline" support. They have said to me that they are waiting for "upgraded" equipment. I don't know why it is delayed at getting on for the 11th hour, but the person I spoke to offered me without request a number of councillors names, lending me to believe that others had been querying the same.

At present all I've been pointed to is EE and that was via the Plusnet site. Is it likely that EE will be the only ISP to offer digital voice services with the digital phone that can support these personal care alarms?
If they are, am I right in moving my Mum from Plusnet to EE and if her current alarm company has not their upgraded equipment ready, that an alternative company is worth a go, or is it worth risking it that her old alarm base station might just work - something that I don't quite like the idea of.

@Vorlon,

If I was in your position I would research other companies that could provide a much better service than the one your mother is with at the moment. I am sure there are companies that are far more forward thinking when it comes to wearable alarms. There might be one out there that has an app that works on a smart watch or mobile phone. This might be something that your mother might be able to wear that would even work when she's out and about if she gets into difficulties.

HTH,

Some of the reticence being expressed re new ‘digital voice’ services and care/personal alarms is due to their being no failover power supply for the CP routers that provide this type of voice service.

With the original exchange based voice setup, there were large standalone diesel generators which would kick in if mains power was lost to the exchange voice equipment. Also batteries in street DSLAM cabinets doing similar … but the routers at the customer end very often don’t have any kind of UPS power back up … so if the power goes off, the personal alarms don’t work.

In reply to a post by Vorlon:

Would you believe Zarjaz my mums alarm system is supported by (not hers) a nearby Council!

I would. Certainly round this way the local council were moving their care alarms over mobile based service, with a battery back up unit . This was easily a couple of years ago when I used to deal with such things .

Thanks Zarjaz,

@ Mking

I know my mother is happy with the Pendant type alarm she uses at present and I have relayed all of the help I've been given on here, which has been very helpful. I think we will be looking at other Personal care alarm providers in the meantime as has been suggested. I think her only reluctance is due to getting to know some of the people answering the alarm calls etc.

So am I right in assuming that IF she moves to EE and takes on one of their digital phone hubs, that any personal alarm provider with suitably upgraded equipment will be able to function via the EE hub? Then I assume she would need to get her broadband separately, where I think full fibre is available?

If you are moving care alarm provider then you might as well go straight to something that talks over the internet and has a cellular backup, e.g.:

https://www.tunstall.co.uk/products/lifeline-home-un...

The only reason to be interested in compatibility with a phone line would be if you couldn't change the alarm device.

A second vote for the new Tunstall kit Vorlon. Seen it in action. Easy to use.

As I understood it the "New Upgraded Equipment" alarm providers were talking about would be supported by EE's digital phone hub? - and equipment too old that required an OpenReach analogue phone line would essentially be scrapped?

I was aware that there were some Personal home alarms that worked with mobile data etc and therefore there were no concerns over phone line compatibility.

Are you saying Jpm, that there are services that can run across any internet connection, so IF a digital landline phone with your old telephone number was not required, a personal care alarm could connect via whatever internet access you have?

In reply to a post by Vorlon:

Thanks Zarjaz,

@ Mking

I know my mother is happy with the Pendant type alarm she uses at present and I have relayed all of the help I've been given on here, which has been very helpful. I think we will be looking at other Personal care alarm providers in the meantime as has been suggested. I think her only reluctance is due to getting to know some of the people answering the alarm calls etc.

So am I right in assuming that IF she moves to EE and takes on one of their digital phone hubs, that any personal alarm provider with suitably upgraded equipment will be able to function via the EE hub? Then I assume she would need to get her broadband separately, where I think full fibre is available?

With all due respect to EE, BT, Plusnet and the whole BT Group of companies - of course they are going to recommend one another moving forward. They would have little interest in pointing you to a competitor.

This is however not your only course of action. Given the current personal alarm provider is frankly a bit of a shower for not having their very basic act together - I would heed the other advice of folks here and look elsewhere.

The wider corollary to consider is what is the actual requirement (in 2026) to tie yourself (your mother) into paying for a relatively expensive ‘land-line’ substitute? I’ve nothing against BT/EE/PN, per se, but there are vastly cheaper ways of getting a “land line” these days and really ask yourself, do we *actually* need to be paying landline rental when there are very many other good communications alternatives such as pure internet/WiFi or LTE/4/5G mobile that much better personal alarm providers have adopted and tested many, many years ago.

As part of any conversation you should consider the resilience of the solution. As Zarjaz has explained the existing copper line will have service maintained due to a back-up power source at the telephone exchange and requires no additional back-up from your mother's end.

Once she is moved to the internet based phone system (even if provided down the same copper wire) she will not be able to access the Alarm service unless she has some sort of power back-up to keep the router live. ISPs are supposed to make provision for vulnerable customers to maintain telephone contact. Some are better at that than others but the norm is a battery back-up which lasts for a couple of hours. You will know the history of power cuts at your mother's house but in rural areas a couple of hours barely scratches the surface of the typical power cut.

If the copper connection is retained the local cabinet also needs power to convert the incoming fibre signal to an electrical signal. Our local cabinet has battery back-up which lasts for 3 to 4 hours in a power cut so again often well short of the actual duration of the outage. Mobile phone masts last a similar length of time. Power cuts tend to be resolved more quickly in urban areas so you will need to decide what level of resilience is required for your mother's situation.

In reply to a post by Vorlon:

As I understood it the "New Upgraded Equipment" alarm providers were talking about would be supported by EE's digital phone hub? - and equipment too old that required an OpenReach analogue phone line would essentially be scrapped?

I was aware that there were some Personal home alarms that worked with mobile data etc and therefore there were no concerns over phone line compatibility.

Are you saying Jpm, that there are services that can run across any internet connection, so IF a digital landline phone with your old telephone number was not required, a personal care alarm could connect via whatever internet access you have?

I think I'm struggling to make this clear so other posters might need to step in.

There are three types of care alarm:
- A device connected to the PSTN which is closing in a few months. The provider of the alarm hasn't bothered to test for compatibility with 'Digital Voice' solutions (remember this is just a telephone socket in the back of a router that produces dial tone) so they say they either cannot guarantee functionality, or say it won't work.
- A device connected to the PSTN which is closing in a few months, but the provider has tested it with 'Digital Voice' and are happy it works. You can move to any ISP providing a 'Digital Voice' service, and plug the base station into the router, and it carries on dialling up the monitoring centre as usual.
- A more modern unit which communicates via IP, using ethernet and cellular paths. This doesn't care if you have a PSTN landline or a 'Digital Voice' service because it doesn't use it.

The provider of the care alarm needs to be the one to tell you what their system is supported with. As others have said, someone who is asked in July 2026 if their product works on the BT Digital Voice service and cannot give you an answer is not one I would trust with life critical responsibilities.

That seems pretty crystal (to me at least)! 😅

Good point (initially wrote good pint, maybe more appropriate given the weather 😅)

These days with the imminent removal of voltage + tone on the pair, the existing copper connection really offers no resilience benefit over a pure fibre connection. In fact it’s markedly inferior if its broadband service comes courtesy of the locally cabinet.

Any “life critical” services should have local ‘baby DC’ style or oldy worldly AC UPS backup on the router (and where present ONT). Baby DC backup is generally far superior for this application - cheaper and lasts way, way longer.

If you want to shop around for a new system you might look at the TEC Services Association Search Engine, but Tunstall, as recommended by others, has been around for a very long time and were providing services to local authorities 40+ years ago.

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

These days with the imminent removal of voltage + tone on the pair, the existing copper connection really offers no resilience benefit over a pure fibre connection. In fact it’s markedly inferior if its broadband service comes courtesy of the locally cabinet.

Indeed, and even if the user has some backup power provision they are still at the mercy of the local DSLAM battery, or lack thereof.

Connection to my local DSLAM drops immediately there is a power outage, and there doesn't seem to be any recourse to get it fixed - when I contact the ISP after an outage they say it is currently working so no fault they can report, and being an end-user there isn't any way to prod Openreach directly.

It does seem rather pointless having all of the guidelines for users and ISPs to have backup power provision if they network itself is not regularly checked and maintained. Surely the DSLAM power management should have automated tests and notification of battery faults which Openreach act upon.

Thanks Jpm,,for your explanation and the other posters here that have given useful information.

I think being updated with what I need to know about this will certainly help in making a choice with my Mum in what she wants to do. She's 90 and quite with it and is a tad miffed that although she has given all the information asked of her to her current care alarm provider which is Council operated, she feels to some degree that surely it will sort itself out. However, I'm the sort of person who would just like to get it sorted out and know it's dealt with.

My enquiry to her care alarm provider was when I learnt that she was at the end of her Plusnet contract (then) in about 4/5 weeks time. Her care provider could not say when their new equipment would be available and now with all the feedback I have received on here I assume that this "new" equipment of theirs supports the EE type of digitised line.

I have looked at the Tunstall services too and my Mum only requires a pendant type of alarm activation. Of course there are many companies out there, but it's knowing on whom you can trust for a good reliable service.

If it were me, I'd do what others have said on here and simply choose another alarm supplier. But it's not just down to me and My mother has got used to the people and the response she gets from her current care provider, regardless of the way they've managed getting their new alarm equipment ready..

One other thing I thought that caused confusion was with both EE & Plusnet and no doubt other telecom companies, was me the customer being put on hold whilst the agent spoke to the Care alarm Experts etc. Now why can't people like myself speak to these people directly and be updated by the "horses mouth". Technical information when relayed can often gets distorted.

Can you contact your ISP by any other means like a mobile call in the event of an outage so they can test the line while the outage is ongoing?

I could if there was a suitably long outage at a time their helpdesk is open, but this hasn't been the case.

One other thing I thought that caused confusion was with both EE & Plusnet and no doubt other telecom companies, was me the customer being put on hold whilst the agent spoke to the Care alarm Experts etc. Now why can't people like myself speak to these people directly and be updated by the "horses mouth". Technical information when relayed can often gets distorted.

I understand your upset .. but, as I see it, there are two driving forces for receiving such service …
In an ideal world, anyone you spoke to at your chosen service provider would be trained to answer any and all queries. But commonly, these call handlers are at the cheaper end of the pay scale. So the CP can have a small handful to be contacted when specialised knowledge is required. So cost drives this.

Secondly, this topic has become very high focus. That the switch was coming was being briefed out ten years ago … and it appeared, most who ought to, did nothing. When it became apparent that it really was going to happen, and now in a couple of years, rather than a decade … those that chose to ignore it, bleated on about needing more time to train staff, find ways round things, etc, etc. The government stepped in and said ‘the switch off would have to be delayed by a further 2 years. And it appears many sat back and did sod all again. Now with less than six months to the deadline, CP’s are finally having to be seen to deal with this. So they do this very vocally, so that no one can say they didn’t try when things start to go awry.

Tunstall makes great kit - but, unless I have missed something, they are solely a wholesale provider: providing either equipment or managed services to companies and public sector providers. Certainly, this is how I have always understood Tunstall's operations over the years.

Does anyone happen to know of a company providing retail careline/fall-detection services using Tunstall equipment? I am looking for a solution for an elderly relative, and would rather go with a provider who uses quality equipment. Social Services will not be funding this, so we are free to choose whoever we like.