BT big button phone 1571 with VoIP

I’ve just had my parents switch from FTTC to FTTP with Zen, including moving their landline.

All seems to be working fine so far with their landline – just need to set up voicemail.

Does anyone know if the 1571 button on a BT “big button” corded phone can be made to work with **600 instead? (This is what the instructions say will need to be dialled to access voicemail on the FritzBox once set up.)

No unfortunately I don’t think that’s possible with a FritzBox and the big button BT phone.

With an analogue telephone adapter (ATA) like a Grandstream HT-series you could introduce a specific dial plan rule like:

{ <1571=**600> | x+ | \+x+ | *x+ | *xx*x+ }

This ‘captures’ the 1571 sent by the big button phone and in its place dials **600 to access the voicemail box. It’s even possible to configure the message waiting dial tone on these ATAs to mimic the BT message waiting tone, so that the message waiting light on the 1571 button lights up….

However with Zen’s digital voice you’re tied into using their supplied kit. Which can’t do what you want. The next best thing using Zen digital voice would be to simply assign **600 into a memory button on the phone.

Thank you for taking the time to reply. It’s a shame Zen’s kit can’t do it.

Does the Grandstream you mention happen to also sound more like BT voicemail did when in the menu system? My dad is complaining that the FritzBox isn’t very clear – and he has a point. The numbers and options that pair with them are different volumes as well.

I’ll split their services when they come up to renewal if so. Although that’s two years away so maybe they’ll have got used to everything by then.

Almost every simple ATA I’ve come across is simply a gateway device, with no inbuilt voicemail. Instead you use the voicemail of the SIP service provider typically. So that’s going to vary based on who you go with.

Nowadays Andrew’s & Arnold and Voipfone seem to be popular and well respected independent VoIP service providers. Personally I use Sipgate (more for historic reasons than anything else) and unfortunately they don’t really offer value basic residential services any longer for new subscribers

I found this text in the instructions for one certain model of BT Big Button (200), under the section "One Touch Memory"

"You can also store a further one-touch number under the 1571 button if you wish to. If you do, the new number will replace the 1571 automatic dial out feature. If you then decide to delete the number you store, the memory location will default back to 1571."

so on that model at least, it does appear to be possible to reconfgure the 1571 button to dial a different number and maybe **600 will work. Worth a try....

Edited by RetsimLegin (Sun 26-Jul-26 09:12:57)

In reply to a post by RetsimLegin:

I found this text in the instructions for one certain model of BT Big Button (200), under the section "One Touch Memory"

"You can also store a further one-touch number under the 1571 button if you wish to. If you do, the new number will replace the 1571 automatic dial out feature. If you then decide to delete the number you store, the memory location will default back to 1571."

so on that model at least, it does appear to be possible to reconfgure the 1571 button to dial a different number and maybe **600 will work. Worth a try....

Ooooh. Brilliant. I’m not sure how I missed that! We have it working now, thank you ever so much for the shove in the right direction.

Now we just need to work out why we can’t play messages for a second time.

Great result and well spotted to @RetsimLegin

Press 0 while connected to answermachine ?

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

However with Zen’s digital voice you’re tied into using their supplied kit.

That isn't the case - you can access the SIP credentials in the Zen portal and bring your own equipment (as I do; I have a Gigaset DECT phone running with one Zen and one A&A line). However, Zen's Digital Voice is a bare-bones service; it lacks voicemail and call diversion capabilities, relying, in the default setup, on the FritzBox's answering machine.

Fair enough. I hadn’t realised they gave access to the SIP cred’s - in which case you’re right you can hang any SIP endpoint on the end. 👍