Fibre Phone Adaptor

[AndyK73]

HI, like many others on here I have my base answer phone (4 phone set) and connection box in the lounge on ground floor, my hub with computer desk top is 3 floors up in small bedroom. I have not found the answer on the forum as to how I over come this problem as we do need to keep base phone in the lounge.

Please advise.

[goslow]

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@AndyK73 wrote:

HI, like many others on here I have my base answer phone (4 phone set) and connection box in the lounge on ground floor, my hub with computer desk top is 3 floors up in small bedroom. I have not found the answer on the forum as to how I over come this problem as we do need to keep base phone in the lounge.

Please advise.

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You could engage with VM on here about linking your existing phone extension sockets into the new connection from the VM hub which VM say they will offer free of charge. Should be a simple task but some recent topics about it have gone around in circles and not achieved much for the customer.

If you already have the 4 phone cordless system, you should be able to plug the cordless base unit into the hub and swap with one of the satellite handsets.

Most cordless systems now do allow you to have full control over the answering machine to pick up messages, delete etc. from a satellite handset. May require some tweaking of the phone settings but the satellite handsets can usually be configured to flash a warning of a waiting message or beep for same etc.

[Reece_MH]

Hi @AndyK73,

Thanks for your post, and a warm welcome to our Community Forums.

I'm sorry to hear you have been unable to locate a solution regarding the 21CV migration over multiple ports. As mentioned by @goslow, we can certainly look into getting your existing sockets converted to our new connection. 

I can see from our end that you are still awaiting a conversion on your Landline service. Please let us know if you would like us to book a Technician in for you, to complete the change - we'll be more than happy to assist.

Thanks,

[AndyK73]

Hi Reece, thanks for yours and goslow's responses, first I have  4 phone cable free system except for base unit. The suggestion to move base unit and connect to hub in bedroom is not wanted, bedroom used by grand children. I  feel we're being forced to change things to suit VM. Perhaps if VM offered another hub to be placed within the lounge thus allowing us to keep the telephones where they are.  Just a thought.

[goslow]

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@AndyK73 wrote:

Hi Reece, thanks for yours and goslow's responses, first I have  4 phone cable free system except for base unit. The suggestion to move base unit and connect to hub in bedroom is not wanted, bedroom used by grand children. I  feel we're being forced to change things to suit VM. Perhaps if VM offered another hub to be placed within the lounge thus allowing us to keep the telephones where they are.  Just a thought.

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If you happen to have a phone socket next to the VM hub already, VM may be able to link the phone socket from the VM hub into your existing home phone wiring. If you live in a multi-storey property though, adding more sockets/phone wiring may not be that easy due to VM's restrictions on staff working at heights externally above first floor. Internal modifications may be disruptive with cabling on show.

You won't get two hubs fitted. VM may offer to move the hub for you to another location but this may affect your wireless signal throughout the property and you would then have to link the PC to the hub somehow.

Many cordless phones offer protection for the base unit via a PIN number to prevent changes being made (by grandchildren, for example).

[Reece_MH]

Hi @AndyK73,

Thanks for your response to this. I completely understand the need for the base unit to be outside of the bedroom. Unfortunately, we're unable to offer an additional Hub as an access point. In regards to the change, this is a process that all UK Telecom Providers will be undergoing over the next few years, and whilst it is a mandatory migration, we do our best to support Customer's setups as much as possible.

As I was writing my post, @goslow beat me to it! As an alternative, we can get a Technician out to the property to move the Hub to a more suitable location, or create an extension socket to link your Hub to its current location. 

As mentioned by goslow, having extensions can cause cables to be on show and you may be limited to the work that can be completed, due to our working restrictions. If we move the Hub, you may experience a change in signal and if you have any devices such as a PC, these may need to be connected in an alternative way. 

Each option has its own positives and negatives and it would be a matter of personal choice. 

Thanks,

[AndyK73]

Thank you again to both you and goslow, your suggestions are both very positive and helpful however none are a suitable fit for us. 

I don't believe VM has taken all domestic situations into consideration.

Considering cancelling phone and just using a mobile. 

Thanks again.

[Reece_MH]

Hi @AndyK73,

I'm really sorry to hear you find that none of these will fit your circumstances. Whilst our teams do their best to accommodate circumstances such as yours, sometimes it may not be possible.

If you're happy with just a mobile, there are a couple of ways to set up your Landline, if you wished to keep your number. For example, you could set it up on a Call Divert service, so if somebody rang your Landline, it would divert to your Mobile Number - this may come at a small additional cost each month as it is an additional Landline feature.

You do have some time to think things through. If you would like to keep the line, please let us know and we can assist in arranging this. However, if you wish to cancel the Landline service, you will need to call our team on 0345 454 1111.

Thanks,

[goslow]

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@AndyK73 wrote:

Thank you again to both you and goslow, your suggestions are both very positive and helpful however none are a suitable fit for us. 

I don't believe VM has taken all domestic situations into consideration.

Considering cancelling phone and just using a mobile. 

Thanks again.

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Further/final suggestions would be ...

If you can work out an acceptable route inside to get a phone cable from the current hub location to the nearest existing phone socket, then VM can link the phone connection on the hub into your existing home phone wiring.

A past topic described an adapter lead (at message #9 below)

https://community.virginmedia.com/t5/Forum-Archive/HUB3-to-Master-socket-adaptor/m-p/4507007#M143805

to link the phone socket on the hub into an existing phone socket which 'back-feeds' the new phone connection from the VM hub into the existing home phone wiring. The old incoming line is disconnected from the old master socket to prevent the signal from the new phone service being fed back out into the street.

If you don't have an existing phone socket next to the hub, VM would fit one but you would have to work out how to get the new phone cable from the hub location to an adjoining phone socket (within VM's working at height restrictions externally and any internal/visual/décor considerations of running the cable internally).

You may be able to get a local telecoms engineer/electrician to do something similar without any H&S issues of working outside above first floor level.

If the concern ref the phone in the bedroom is one of waking sleeping grandchildren then it should be possible to turn off the ringer just in the base station and just on the handset in the bedroom. Depends on the features of your system but it is a very common feature to be able to do this leaving the ringers working on the other 3 handsets in the home. You would need to check out the manual for your system to find out what it can do.

Unfortunately the changes to the phone system do involve some modifications to each customer's home setup in some way. The choices are the ones above in the topic or to give up the landline as you have suggested.

Worth checking out VM's pricing though for doing this as VM heavily discounts bundles of services so you may find that a package with phone may actually be cheaper than one without the phone.