Landline phone service changing to fibre - connection question

[Arfa_Daily]

Hi all. I've recently been contacted to say that my copper phone service is being replaced by a connection over the broadband coax, and I will be sent a box to plug into the hub, and into which my landline phone will then plug. All understood so far. However, my master phone is at a remote location. But ... There is also a phone in here, plugged into a fixed extension from where the current incoming line terminates. So I guess I can just use this phone as my new 'primary', plugged into the new box you're going to send me (subject to another question in a moment) ??

The thing is, I also have a phone in the lounge, another in a bedroom, and another in the garage. All are 'electronic' phones, so there is no issue with ringer load. So, the basic question is whether I can keep these other phones working after the changeover by plugging my fixed extension system into the new box ? 

And the second part. My hub is not configured as a router. It is set up just as a gateway modem to the network with an external router ahead of it. Does that make any difference to the installation of the new interface box ?

TIA

[goslow · Accepted solution]

The phone-via-router works in either modem mode or router mode.

Ask VM (via the VM forum team on here, when they reply to this topic) to modify your home phone wiring so you can use your existing landline extension sockets via the phone connection from the VM hub.

VM should offer to do this free of charge for you as part of the switchover process.

Make sure they make modifications to your phone wiring so you can keep each piece of equipment in the same place (rather than the offer which sometimes crops up on here to move the hub to a different location).

Modifying the phone wiring may require some changes to internal cables in the home. How much work is involved will depend on existing locations of equipment and cable routes alongside any aesthetic considerations.

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.

Alternatively, a cordless phone system allows you to use phones around the home with no wiring modifications or disruption. Plug the cordless base station into the VM hub and use the cordless satellite phones around your home as required. If you already have a cordless system, you may be able to add in another cordless satellite phone to the existing setup as/if required. If you needed to buy a cordless phone system, to avoid any rewiring work, this would be at a cost to you.

[Arfa_Daily]

Ah , yes, thank you ! It's been so long since I put the parallel extension system in, I'd completely forgotten how I had it configured. Now I think back, when the Virgin network was put in, the phone line came into the garage because that was really convenient for where the combo cable terminated in the outside box. The coax part of the cable continued round to the back of the house and into the computer room. The original BT line came in the front of the house and terminated in a master in the hall. From there the extensions took off  to the lounge, the computer room, then the garage, then upstairs. When the BT line was disconnected, it was a simple job for the Virgin (NTL back then !) installation guy to connect the Virgin socket to the garage spur which effectively left the 'star' connection from the original master point unaffected. What I had forgotten was that although I still have a wired phone in the garage, the one in the computer room is in fact a cordless base, and the phone in the lounge and the one in the bedroom are wireless connected satellites, so when the base is plugged into the new box, the two satellite phones will continue to work as ever they did. The one in the garage will stop though, unless I have Virgin in to mod the wiring. To be honest, the landline is rarely used these days. We never make outgoing calls on it, and the only incoming calls are from friends that we haven't heard from for years, customers who we don't want knowing our mobile numbers, or the ubiquitous "energy advisors" who always seem to have "people in your area ..." 😆

So I'll probably just let the garage phone die ..

Again, thanks for clearing that up for me.

[goslow]

If you already have a phone socket next to the hub (and that phone socket is linked to your other phone sockets) then VM may simply use an adapter lead (example photo in the link below)

https://community.virginmedia.com/t5/Forum-Archive/HUB3-to-Master-socket-adaptor/m-p/4507007#M262932...

from the the hub to 'back-feed' the new phone line from the socket on the hub into the old telephone wall sockets.

This work is typically done after the switchover has happened as the old incoming VM phone cable coming in from the street is disconnected from the wall sockets to prevent the new connection being fed back out into the street.

VM should do this free of charge for you.

Alternatively, if you wish to go cordless-phone-only after the switchover, and you already have a cordless phone system, you may be able to add in a satellite cordless handset (or handsets) to the existing cordless system which would allow you to still have a phone in the garage.

[Arfa_Daily]

Thank you. That's basically  what I thought

[Travis_M]

Hi @Arfa_Daily 

Thanks for posting on our community forum!

I'll drop you a private message now to collect some details so we can look to get the switchover sorted for you. Keep an eye on your inbox for a message from myself.

Regards