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Phone switchover

gordonc7
Tuning in

Hi everyone.

I've searched other similar queries but I can't find an answer to my particular situation – apologies in advance if I've missed something obvious. OK, so like many others my hub is in one room (downstairs) and my main landline is in another room (upstairs). The hub sits next to the telephone socket. I ran a phone extension cable (male into socket, female at other end upstairs) to the main phone and everything worked fine for many years. This week I plugged the Virgin adapter into the hub and connected the extension cable to that and... nothing! I brought the phone downstairs, connected it directly and... perfect. I then tried it with another extension cable to see if the system just doesn't like extensions but, again, nothing. Does the new system require a higher-specification extension cable or is there a limit on the length of extension cable? I'm really puzzled by this and would be grateful for any suggestions. Just to be absolutely clear, there are no extension sockets involved. The hub is Hub 3.0. Thanks.

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions

goslow
Alessandro Volta

@gordonc7 wrote:

Hi goslow

Thanks for your interest. The set-up is one corded and two cordless base stations. I agree that the obvious conclusion is a problem with the original extension cable, but there wasn't a problem previously and nothing at either end of that cable, or in-between, has changed since Monday (pre switchover). The extension run is difficult – under the floor, up through two cupboards, down behind a lathe and plaster wall, then around a skirting board – and I doubt Virgin would be bothered with that. Do you know if there's any technical reason why my original extension cable wouldn't work with the new arrangement? Thanks.


I think the difficulty may be the number of devices you have connected in conjunction with the extension cable.

A normal/conventional phone line has a REN (ringer equivalence number) of 4 which generally means you can plug 4 devices onto the line.

Recent topics and info on here have shown that the REN for a phone connection from the hub is 3 (but this seems to be a bit variable in practice). In theory you should be OK but I am guessing the cable length or connection, in conjunction with 3 devices, may be having an influence on the line so none work.

See where this Helpful Answer was posted

27 REPLIES 27

Kain_W
Forum Team (Retired)
Forum Team (Retired)

Hi there gordonc7,

Thanks for your post and welcome back to the community.

Can I ask regarding this, has the phone been on the fibre line during this process?

Also how many handsets do you have within the property and are they DECT powered?

Regards,

Kain

Thanks for your interest. My understanding is that it's been on analogue until Monday when the new service kicked in and, as per Virgin's instructions, I plugged the adapter into the hub and the phone extension cable into the adapter. As I said, this did not result in a dialling tone. When I brought the phone down and plugged it directly into the adapter there was a dialling tone. We have two DECT phones linked to this main phone and they were both working normally too. I tried it again with an extension cable between the phone cable and the hub and that worked perfectly too. In hope rather than expectation I took the phone back and plugged it into its original extension cable and, no dialling tone again. Just to confirm there are three handsets – one main, cabled + two DECT. Thanks again.

goslow
Alessandro Volta

@gordonc7 wrote:

Thanks for your interest. My understanding is that it's been on analogue until Monday when the new service kicked in and, as per Virgin's instructions, I plugged the adapter into the hub and the phone extension cable into the adapter. As I said, this did not result in a dialling tone. When I brought the phone down and plugged it directly into the adapter there was a dialling tone. We have two DECT phones linked to this main phone and they were both working normally too. I tried it again with an extension cable between the phone cable and the hub and that worked perfectly too. In hope rather than expectation I took the phone back and plugged it into its original extension cable and, no dialling tone again. Just to confirm there are three handsets – one main, cabled + two DECT. Thanks again.


If I have understood correctly, that would seem to suggest a fault with the 'permanent' phone extension cable linking downstairs to upstairs.

If VM has only just switched you over to a phone connection from the VM hub, they should offer to install a phone extension link for you (downstairs to upstairs) free of charge as part of the switchover process.

Are your total devices one corded phone and one cordless base station linked to cordless handsets or one corded phone and two cordless base stations plugged in, each with its own handset?

Hi goslow

 

Thanks for your interest. The set-up is one corded and two cordless base stations. I agree that the obvious conclusion is a problem with the original extension cable, but there wasn't a problem previously and nothing at either end of that cable, or in-between, has changed since Monday (pre switchover). The extension run is difficult – under the floor, up through two cupboards, down behind a lathe and plaster wall, then around a skirting board – and I doubt Virgin would be bothered with that. Do you know if there's any technical reason why my original extension cable wouldn't work with the new arrangement? Thanks.

goslow
Alessandro Volta

@gordonc7 wrote:

Hi goslow

Thanks for your interest. The set-up is one corded and two cordless base stations. I agree that the obvious conclusion is a problem with the original extension cable, but there wasn't a problem previously and nothing at either end of that cable, or in-between, has changed since Monday (pre switchover). The extension run is difficult – under the floor, up through two cupboards, down behind a lathe and plaster wall, then around a skirting board – and I doubt Virgin would be bothered with that. Do you know if there's any technical reason why my original extension cable wouldn't work with the new arrangement? Thanks.


I think the difficulty may be the number of devices you have connected in conjunction with the extension cable.

A normal/conventional phone line has a REN (ringer equivalence number) of 4 which generally means you can plug 4 devices onto the line.

Recent topics and info on here have shown that the REN for a phone connection from the hub is 3 (but this seems to be a bit variable in practice). In theory you should be OK but I am guessing the cable length or connection, in conjunction with 3 devices, may be having an influence on the line so none work.

Kain_W
Forum Team (Retired)
Forum Team (Retired)

Ahh okay thanks for the response there,

Are you able to try the phonline without the adaptor at all?

Regards,

Kain

OK, thanks goslow, that gives me something to try. 

Hi Kain (sorry for missing your name first time).

I don't know, but I can try that too. Thanks.

Also, should've said, I have to go out just now so I'll update tomorrow.