Change Phone Back to back to "Copper" so House Alarm will work.

[chris7777]

Changed over to Fibre phone line last week, now house alarm will not work, is it possible to switch back to the old "copper" phone line so it will work again?

[Daniel_Et]

Hi @chris7777 👋 Thank you for your post and welcome to the Virgin Media Community 😀

We're sorry to hear about the problems you've been having 😔 Unfortunately, it won't be possible to switch back to the old copper phone line. 

Have you tried contacting the provider of your house alarm to check it's compatible with the fibre phone line? General information on fibre phone compatibility and connectivity can be found here.

Regards,

Daniel

[Client62]

If the house alarm can be connected to the Hub's telephone service that should get the alarm working again.

VM were supposed to assist customers with this kind of internal phone wiring.

If you contact the alarm company, it is critical the telephone service from the Hub is described as an Analogue Phone Service.

Mention of  fibre / coax / VOIP can all lead to the quite incorrect conclusion that an network socket is involved.

[nodrogd]

The short answer is no.

All telephone providers are now in the process of moving away from 1970s PSTN technology (switched telephone exchanges) which will be switched off nationally in 2025. Moving to 21CV is the first stage of moving your calls onto a fully digital path, which will eventually become a VoIP line.

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/future-of-landline-calls 

As per the advice in the above OFCOM article, you will need to contact your alarm provider & find what alternative they are providing for these new lines. They may even be moving to mobile phone technology.

[goslow]

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@chris7777 wrote:

Changed over to Fibre phone line last week, now house alarm will not work, is it possible to switch back to the old "copper" phone line so it will work again?

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In what way is the alarm not working? No connection at all post-switchover or something else?

When you are 'switched' all of your telephone wall sockets cease to function and the only working phone connection is on the back of the VM hub via the TEL1 socket.

If your problem is simply that the alarm is no longer connected to your phone line, VM should offer to reinstate your extension sockets so they work via the hub's phone connection. They should do this free of charge

Refer here

https://www.virginmedia.com/help/landline/switchover

Do I need to book a technician visit?

You’ll need to book a free technician visit if...

• You rely on your landline for accessibility needs or don’t have a mobile to make an emergency call – we’ll provide you with an Emergency Back Up Line so you’re always able to call emergency services.
• You’ve got connected devices such as a burglar alarm linked to a control centre, use a telecare device, or have other phones connected to extension sockets. You’ll need to contact your provider and let them know about the switch if you have any of these to make sure they’re compatible with a fibre service.
• The Hub and your home phone can’t be placed near each other.

If your alarm uses a voice dialler (and phones you with a pre-recorded message from the alarm panel) then the alarm should work again. Some past topics have, however, mentioned problems post-switchover when the alarm panel sends data over the phone line which is relayed to the customer via SMS

[chris7777]

Hi 

thanks for the quick response. can I ask if this is no longer the case then as our alarm does need to be connected to the phone line and will not work with the hub unless I completely upgrade our whole alarm system which we cannot afford to do. 

https://www.virginmedia.com/help/landline/switchover

Do I need to book a technician visit?

You’ll need to book a free technician visit if...

• You rely on your landline for accessibility needs or don’t have a mobile to make an emergency call – we’ll provide you with an Emergency Back Up Line so you’re always able to call emergency services.
• You’ve got connected devices such as a burglar alarm linked to a control centre, use a telecare device, or have other phones connected to extension sockets. You’ll need to contact your provider and let them know about the switch if you have any of these to make sure they’re compatible with a fibre service.
• The Hub and your home phone can’t be placed near each other.

[Joseph_B]

Hey @chris7777,

Thanks for getting back to us. 

With what you have posted it does advise checking with the provider of the equipment to see if it is compatible with the switchover, unfortunately the switchover is happening for all customers and does need to occur, we wouldn't be able to keep you on your old landline connection. 

Have you spoke to the alarm company to see what they can provide for you?

Thanks. Joe

[goslow · Accepted solution]

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@chris7777 wrote:

Hi 

thanks for the quick response. can I ask if this is no longer the case then as our alarm does need to be connected to the phone line and will not work with the hub unless I completely upgrade our whole alarm system which we cannot afford to do. <snip>

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Does your alarm usually call you with a pre-recorded spoken voice message when it activates?

If so, you probably just need your extension sockets connecting to the VM hub's phone socket.

The phone socket on the back of the hub behaves in a similar way to a telephone wall socket. If the alarm simply uses a voice dialler to notify you, the alarm may just need linking to the new VM phoneline once more.

[chris7777]

We have and we'd have to upgrade the alarm system which we cannot afford to do. Is it not possible to enable the old line until closer to the final date in 2025?

[Steven_L]

Thanks for coming back to us chris7777, unfortunately we wouldn't be able to put you back onto the old line as the lines in your area are to be decommissioned, so we cannot revert back to the copper line.

Kind Regards,

Steven_L