@mildenhall wrote:
I have a battery backup for my VoIP VM phone line as my daughter is physically disabled.
VM initially installed the older model battery backup. I kept getting letters from VM saying that I need to reset it, which I did. I was then told by letter that it needed replacing.
VM replaced the device with another older model battery backup. I kept getting letters from VM saying that I need to reset it, which I did. I was then told by letter that it needed replacing.
VM replaced the device with a newer model battery backed phone. During installation I told the engineer that there is a poor phone signal in my house for all mobile providers. The engineer assured me that the new model would work.
I have now got a letter saying that the battery backed phone needs replacing.
Please can someone at VM suggest a next step that will allow a fourth and hopefully final battery backed VoIP phone to work reliably?
Thanks
Although I have little doubt that you already know this, it might be helpful to others.
The term 'battery backup' is a complete misnomer, as really it isn't anything of the sort! With the landline phone connected to the VM hub, in the event of a power cut or fault with the VM broadband connection, the telephone will no longer work. The 'backup service' is a device which (well yes it does have a rechargeable battery in the event of a power failure), which is connected to the hub and has a telephone handset hardwired to it. It is supposed to check constantly that the VM connection is up and if it doesn't detect a ring tone, then it switches the handset over to using a mobile connection. The device has a SIM in it which will connect to any available network to allow emergency calls only to be made, without having to 'top up' the SIM - there is anecdotal evidence that it will allow apparently free calls to be made to other numbers, but really don't rely on this.
Of course this is predicated on you having decent reception to at least one mobile provider. If not then the backup simply won't reliably work.
In short it isn't some some of battery backup to keep the VM hub working during a power outage, or indeed somehow keeping it working if there is a VM connectivity issue.
I am wondering if somehow it is detecting that it can't make a reasonable connection to a mobile service and is informing VM that basically 'something is wrong' and in the event of an outage it isn't going to be able to provide any emergency connectivity, but which they interpret as 'the device needs changing'
