cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Being forced to change to VOIP?

Andaho
Tuning in

I'm being told by virgin staff on the phone that we have to change to the VOIP service, or we will no longer have a phone line.

This is massively inconvenient as I have my virgin hub (which I only use as a modem) at one end of the house, and the phone line, where the phone belongs, at the other side of the house.

I also want to continue using my own router.

I also have concerns about audio quality when the internet connection is bad, and not having a working phone in the event of a power cut or when the internet goes down.

Is it correct that VOIP is being forced upon customers that don't want to change?

75 REPLIES 75

nodrogd
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

@Seffrid wrote:

So is this new system involving the phone being plugged into the hub one that we will all have to use in order to retain a landline?

Yes. It will eventually replace all landline phones in the UK.

If so, does the hub have to be left on for the phone to work 24/7?

Yes. Your phone will also not work during a power outage, so mobile backup will be a must.

If it's being rolled out gradually, when is it coming to GU postcodes?

It may be available already for some customers.

Is it dependent in any way on wifi, which I do not use?

No. The Socket on the hub replaces the socket on the wall. Its as simple as that. The phone traffic is carried on a seperate RF frequency through the coax (or Fibre in new build areas) to the Broadband & TV signals.

I chanced upon this thread by accident, and know nothing about this subject - should I?

https://www.theregister.com/2018/04/19/bt_pushes_ahead_with_plans_to_switch_off_traditional_telephon... 


 

VM 350BB 2xV6 & Landline. Freeview/Freesat HD, ASDA/Tesco PAYG Mobile. Cable customer since 1993

I'm a Very Insightful Person, I'm here to share knowledge, I don't work for Virgin Media. Learn more

Have I helped? Click Mark as Helpful Answer or use Kudos to say thanks

Graham1967
Dialled in

Am coming from a physical landline. Will a  basic landline type phone work connected to a superhub 3.0 ?l_12350446_001.jpg

Anonymous
Not applicable
yes


@Graham1967 wrote:

Am coming from a physical landline. Will a  basic landline type phone work connected to a superhub 3.0 ?


And you will need the short adapter lead shown in the bottom LHS photo at the link below (which VM should supply you with) to connect the standard BT phone plug into the back of the hub.

https://www.virginmedia.com/help/home-phone-line-faults

^^^ thanks have that short cable will test out tomorrow. The main issue i have 20+ years with virgin is signing up to a new service in different name they have provided hub 3 & disconnect old landline however my hub location is loft where my 4 x ethernet cables terminate (existing virgin landline is in lounge) don't really want to have to run new line via loft / eaves and exterior wall...trying to get them to switch the old landline back on (they have at least transferred the old number)

Don't think I have heard on here of VM reversing a 21CV connection via the hub back to a POTS landline connection. Everyone will end up with the phone connection via the back of hub sooner rather than later (2025 latest) as part of the shutdown of the old analogue phone network.

The phone connection via the hub works best with a cordless phone setup (base station into the hub and cordless satellite phones where you need them).

Are all your ethernet cables in use? If you have a spare, and in a suitable location, could you use it to patch the voice connection from the hub over the structured cabling?

So if I plug my Study phone into the hub via the adapter, can I also still use my Hall amplifier which is currently plugged via an adapter with the main cable into the wall socket so I can hear the phone elsewhere in the house?

Currently I also have additional phones connected via wall sockets in the kitchen and main bedroom. Can they be used in some way? Their cabling is concealed in the walls and presumably connects to the master socket or control box in the attached garage behind the wall socket in the Study. Can that cabling be utilised still in some way, or is there an alternative method of using additional phones and is that only through wifi which I don't use? It sounds like any additional phones may have to be cordless ones, are there particular ones that are recommended as suitable for VM's VOIP system?

Anonymous
Not applicable
you can remove the extensions from the master socket and then connect the connection frm the hub into one of the extensions. that will back feed the phone line into the other extensions.

VM will not move you back to the old line as they are working on getting everyone off them before the old network is turned off. BT are going the same. after 2025 there will be no such thing as "standard Phone Lines"/ Old POTS lines in the UK

Thanks & really appreciate the reply. I rarely use landline apart from to take advantage of free weekend calls but guess am happy to adopt 21cv. My broadband (touchwood) has been extremely reliable over the years but got to say the old landline has failed on a good few occasions in some cases involving call out.

Your comments regarding using a spare ethernet cable are very helpful as have an unused Ethernet connection for bed 2......will certainly save what i thought would be a big job running an extension via loft/eaves/ exterior wall....will give it a go tommorrow

Thanks!

You can make the phone connections to the ethernet cabling via leads and adapters leaving your ethernet wiring/sockets intact.

The RJ11 connector out of the back of the hub uses the centre two pins (no.'s 3 and 4) for the line pair and the convention for patching over ethernet cable is that pins 4 and 5 are used.

At the location where you connect the phone, you use a RJ45 plug to BT socket adapter. Ones marked PBX/Master have a ringing capacitor, ones marked Secondary do not.

Always a bit of a fiddle getting the right leads with the right pins connected all the way through (as the manufacturer and supplier info is usually poor). Often you can get what looks like the right lead but the internal wiring is wrong but there is good info on this page

https://www.britishtelephones.com/rj45.htm

Doing this means you can leave your ethernet cabling and sockets intact and just patch in the phones as required. If you ever feel the urge to run in more cable for a better solution, run in ethernet rather than phone cable and give yourself the dual option of patching data or voice.