VOIP Connection via Hub to existing telephone System ..Vulnerable Parents

[Tonygmr]

Help, both my parents are 93 years old ..one partially deaf and the other partially blind, and they have a telephone and TV package...obviously no broadband.  The current copper wired system consists of qty 3 hard wired ..[ie not wireless phones]...large button phones similar to BT Decor 2600.for kitchen, hall and bedroom in addition to a sounder/flashing light in the lounge...as recommended by Virgin Media. T We are under the impression that this reliable system cannot be connected to the new VOIP hub. On visiting Currys and Argos to view a replacement system, eg  the BT 4000 large button wireless phones with master and 2 slaves is NOT large button, being a third of the size of the present corded phones buttons, and the LCD display characters are too small, hence not suitable. A large button static phone able to be wireless connected to 2 other large button static phones does not exist...ie no manufacturer makes this required replacement system.The sounder/flashing with wireless capability does not exist....either at Amazon or maplin...[ see Vigin Media recommendations in their policy..]

Hence please advise if the VOIP hub can be connected a] to the present 3 wired large button phones extension system with or without the Virgin Media recommended as of today, sounder/flashing light.

If not, please recommend a replacement system, any manufacturer..UK available please

Many thanks Tonygmr....a retired electronics bod.

[Tonygmr]

Thankyou to jb66, goslow and Nathan for your help. Have visited my 93 year oldies and they confirm that they have to keep their large button phones x3 and the sounder/flashing light system, the wireless phones on offer in the Uk being unsuitable..all as described in my original posting.

Nathan your help would be appreciated in unconfusing the oldies continuing confusion on the connection of the VM telephone hub to the existing system, which is located in a small terraced 2 up, 2 down house with no external wiring. Hence please confirm that a VM technician would be able to connect a cable from the new telephone hub to the existing plug in telephone system, as descibed in the previous posting. The distance is approx 3 metres, and I can run the necessary cable myself, if the technician connects and gets the system working. ( I installed the existing system and I am a retired electonics bod....medical was my specialty for 38 years ).............  +ve or -ve. ?

Will the sounder/flashing light as presently recomended by Virgin Media on this website still work...-ve or +ve ?

Nathan please read my original first post that explains that I cannot locate any suitable alternative wireless phone models on the uk market, hence if the answer is -ve, please advise the exact models that VM have identified to solve this conundrum.

Any further help from jb66, goslow and yourself Nathan gratefully received...to which end I have downloaded and printed the current Accessibility and Vulnerabilty Policy, but I am concerned that this policy was last updated March 2020 and does not reflect the current move by VM to VOIP.   ...a subject for another posting soon.

[goslow]

If the hub and an existing phone socket are only 3 metres apart, there should not be an issue connecting the hub's phone socket to the home phone socket wiring.

Some past topics have mentioned VM using an adapter lead to make the connection (as per image shown at message #9 in the link below)

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

The old incoming phone line from the street is disconnected from the old telephone master socket (to avoid inadvertently connecting the hub's phone socket back into any old phone equipment in the street). This means the old home phone sockets remain connected to each other but to nothing else external to the home.

The adapter lead is then used to 'backfeed' the phone connection from the hub into the internal telephone sockets so linking them to the hub's phone socket. I imagine there must also be other variations which VM uses.

There was a recent past discussion on electronic sounders/light displays here

https://community.virginmedia.com/t5/Home-Phone/Phone-alert-device/td-p/4849190

which describes a working setup so one would expect that should work too depending on the age of your equipment.

The two issues you might possibly encounter with the proposed arrangement are a) the number of devices connected will be 4 which is fine for a normal phone line but a past topic mentioned that the phone connection from the hub may work best with two devices only (you will only find that out by trying your phones I guess) b) if your devices are old (early 2000's or before) there may be issues with them not ringing on an incoming call due to the absence of a ringing capacitor in the hub's phone socket (although if the existing master socket is linked into the new arrangement then this should not be a problem). If the model phones in use are the BT Decor 2600, that is a modern/current model so there should not be a problem with those.

Hopefully one of the VM forum team can arrange the technician visit for you to do the necessary work.

[Natalie_L]

Hi Tonygmr, 

Thank you for your reply and thank you to our members with your assistance, it is very much appreciated. 

We would be happy to arrange the visit from a technician to get this all set up for your parents. Then, at least if there are any further concerns, this can be addressed within the visit. 

I will just need to pop you over a private message to confirm a few details and we can go from there. 

The message will be available via the purple envelope on the top right of the page. 

Speak soon, 

[Tonygmr]

Good evening Natalie L,

Thankyou for your pm, but having spoken to the rest of the extended family, your request for their account info and password is declined. The reasons are due to the problems already encountered fron VM, resulting in the 93 year olds telephone being switched off by VM. This was due to 1 ) letters of notice of voip changeover from VM were thrown away by the 93 year olds as they were mistaken for marketing blurb..the letters were not distinctive. 2) when VM phoned they sounded like indian scammers..the 93 year olds are under strict instructions how to deal with such phone calls....they receive a couple a day on their visa card being hacked or council tax rebates or about a amazon account ..as already reported elsewhere on this forum.

In addition, having been cut off once, they are concerned that they will be treated by VM the same way as their neighbour..see posting "VM technician declines to connect new hub to telephone system."

The decision has been made to totally ignore VM, and when the switchover happens, I will connect their present system to the hub, after the VM engineer connects 1 phone, with the advice readily available from other posters on this forum. In addition I been instructed by them to print out this complete posting and they will take their neighbours lead and request a meeting with their Member of Parliament.

Thanks for your attempt of helping but the lack of clear technical information from VM has resulted in this conclusion

Regards

Tony ...retired electronics bod 38 yeats in medical electronics.

[Zach_R]

Hi @Tonygmr,

It's a shame to hear that you feel this way, as I assure you that we're trying to help reach a resolution to this matter ASAP.

If you do change your mind, please let us know.

Thanks,