Phone via voip

[befrazzled]

My package for TV Broadband and home phone uses a 360 box and a hub 3. My phone is currently plugged into a wall phone socket and my question is can I unplug it and instead plug it into the hub 3 and carry on using from there without contacting Virgin to take any action? Would that then be VOIP?

Thank you.

[Molly_T]

Hi Befrazzled, welcome back to the community! Thank you for posting. 

We are currently undergoing the home phone switchover process of moving all of our customers on to VOIP (or 21CV). 

You can read more about it in this community thread, and this handy leaflet guide. 

Until you have completed the switchover your landline would not work if connected to the hub - you also need an adapter which connects the phone via the hub. 

You would need to have contact with us in order to move over to VOIP as there are several stages to this process both at your properties end, and also on our systems. 

If you want to move over but do not want to wait for this to happen in your area just let us know and we will send you a PM to try and get this arranged! Just let us know what you think. 

All the best

[goslow]

---

@befrazzled wrote:

My package for TV Broadband and home phone uses a 360 box and a hub 3. My phone is currently plugged into a wall phone socket and my question is can I unplug it and instead plug it into the hub 3 and carry on using from there without contacting Virgin to take any action? Would that then be VOIP?

Thank you.

---

The VM phone connection provided from the back of the VM hub is not a true VOIP service.

The TEL1 socket on the back of the hub behaves in the same way as a normal telephone socket. You connect an ordinary phone there (using the adapter provided by VM) and you receive VM's landline services from there in much the same way as before.

[befrazzled]

Hello goslow,

Thanks for your reply. I'm nervous to ask but what is the difference between true VOIP and the Virgin offering?

[befrazzled]

Thank you Molly

One of my concerns is if the connection via the hub takes anything away from any of our current services for either phone, broadband or TV? I would want no lesser service than I have at the moment. Are TV and broadband totally unreliant and unaffected by the landline?

Also, is the activity needed at my end purely me unplugging and re-plugging (no engineer visit)?

Thank you.

[goslow]

---

@befrazzled wrote:

Hello goslow,

Thanks for your reply. I'm nervous to ask but what is the difference between true VOIP and the Virgin offering?

---

A VOIP service uses a network/internet connection to carry calls rather than dedicated telephone lines. Some key advantages are to do with where and how VOIP equipment can be set up (via an internet connection rather than requiring a dedicated phone line to be in place) as well as how calls can be handled and routed. Try this link for a general explanation

https://www.nextiva.com/blog/what-is-voip.html

In the case of VM's phone service from the back of the VM hub, your phone/number is still tied to a physical connection/location from the back of the VM hub in your home (Although VM does use IP technology to bring you the phone service via the VM hub, you still connect an ordinary phone to the hub and it behaves in the same way as one connected to a landline phone socket).

[goslow · Accepted solution]

---

@befrazzled wrote:

Thank you Molly

One of my concerns is if the connection via the hub takes anything away from any of our current services for either phone, broadband or TV? I would want no lesser service than I have at the moment. Are TV and broadband totally unreliant and unaffected by the landline?

Also, is the activity needed at my end purely me unplugging and re-plugging (no engineer visit)?

Thank you.

---

Try the FAQs page below for more info

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

usual questions/concerns centre around the fact that the 21CV phone line from the hub will not function during a power cut. Also existing phone extension sockets will cease to function after the switchover unless you get VM to link them to the new phone connection from the hub as part of the switchover process (which VM should do free of charge). Final point relates to any other equipment you may have connected to the line (burglar alarms, health/care monitors etc.) and the above two points about how this other equipment functions in relation to power cuts/extension sockets.

Being aware of what the potential issues are before the switchover, and planning for them, is the important thing.

[Molly_T]

Hi Befrazzled, thank you for the response! (Also thanks to the community for offering support with this.)

I can appreciate your concern! It shouldn't take anything away from your current service, however as the landline would be running via your broadband connection it does mean if there is an issue with your broadband connection that the landline would also be affected. We aim to provide a fault free service however we cannot guarantee this due to the capacity for faults on the network, along with the need to upgrade our networks from time to time. You can see more about this in our Terms and conditions. However, if you are ever experiencing an issue with your service you can always let us know and we will investigate, and make a record of this. In the circumstance you are affected by an outage you will be covered under our Auto-comp scheme. 

In terms of actions taken at your end for the switchover, it does depend on your current setup, what you would like your set up to be following the switchover, and if you have all the equipment needed to perform the switchover (IE, the adapter.)
Ahead of booking the switch we ask questions to identify if there are any other works needed to get you set up. For example, if you need to have the Hub relocated within the home, if you need your interior telephone sockets to be working as landline extensions once the telephone is running through the hub, and if you have any accessibility issues we need to be aware of. If you are reliant on your landline service for emergency alarms or contact with emergency services we need to identify this in advance and can get an Emergency back up-line (EBUL) fitted if needed. 

Hope this helps! Let me know if there are any other questions or concerns we have not covered!

All the best. 

[befrazzled]

Hello again, 

Following your earlier reply I'd like to arrange to get my landline moved onto the Hub3. Can you help start the process please?

[Tom_W1]

Hi @befrazzled thanks for your reply - no problem at all!

I'd like to send you a PM so I can look into this further for you.

Kindly expect this PM to arrive shortly and respond directly when you can!

Many thanks