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Best alternative to BT/EE Digital Voice

Geekofbroadband

Regular Member
Hello all, since BT and others moved everyone to digial voice the whole process of connecting phones to their Hub has been less than ideal, you're not only stuck using their Hubs but sometimes they refuse to even connect at times (Looking at you EE Smart Hub Plus), and connection quality can sometimes drop.

I don't personally use the landline only the internet, but my nan refuses to buy a moblie phone and preferably to keep her landine number. I'm looking for the best solution to moving the number over to a seperate provider not attached to our internet provider. I've never set up a VoIP phone before so any advice would be nice.

Requirements: She has 1 phone in the living room and 1 phone in bedroom, the router is located in another room.
  1. If we joined a VoIP provider could we just buy 2 phone units and use any router to wirelessly connect to the phones like the BT/EE Hubs or would there have to be a main phone unit next to the router plugged in by ethernet, and then have the other 2 phones located in the living room/bedroom connected to the mian phone unit wirelessly
  2. Is it possible to buy a SIM only monthly contract and plug the SIM into a landline type phone on a dock that you can connect 1 other phone too? (Looks and feels like a landline phone but connects to SIM network)
Thanks
 
Hello all, since BT and others moved everyone to digial voice the whole process of connecting phones to their Hub has been less than ideal, you're not only stuck using their Hubs but sometimes they refuse to even connect at times (Looking at you EE Smart Hub Plus), and connection quality can sometimes drop.

I don't personally use the landline only the internet, but my nan refuses to buy a moblie phone and preferably to keep her landine number. I'm looking for the best solution to moving the number over to a seperate provider not attached to our internet provider. I've never set up a VoIP phone before so any advice would be nice.

Requirements: She has 1 phone in the living room and 1 phone in bedroom, the router is located in another room.
  1. If we joined a VoIP provider could we just buy 2 phone units and use any router to wirelessly connect to the phones like the BT/EE Hubs or would there have to be a main phone unit next to the router plugged in by ethernet, and then have the other 2 phones located in the living room/bedroom connected to the mian phone unit wirelessly
  2. Is it possible to buy a SIM only monthly contract and plug the SIM into a landline type phone on a dock that you can connect 1 other phone too? (Looks and feels like a landline phone but connects to SIM network)
Thanks
A&A Is my go-to recommendation for a cheap and reliable VoIP Landline provider for light use and incoming calls. Or if you are a heavy user for outgoing calls then Vonage are okay too.

You would either be using a router with built in VoIP support, getting an ATA device, or buying VoIP Phones.

You can indeed buy phones that take SIM Cards like GSM Desk phones. Alternatively you could get a 4G router that has VoLTE Support, something like the ZTE MF286D and plug a regular phone into that.

And finally, you can still get a traditional phone line from TalkTalk and those who use the TalkTalk network. They generally give this away as standard with any copper or part-fibre broadband product.
 
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Hm I think maybe GSM might be the way to go here, with how cheap SIM card are and it'll still work even if the router is down. Do you know if there are are GSM Home phones with at least 2 units? Like have the main unit with the SIM in, then a second phone that connects to that main unit? I can find some such as the "MAXCOM MM36D GSM Phone" but it appears to only be 1 phone.
 
Hm I think maybe GSM might be the way to go here, with how cheap SIM card are and it'll still work even if the router is down. Do you know if there are are GSM Home phones with at least 2 units? Like have the main unit with the SIM in, then a second phone that connects to that main unit? I can find some such as the "MAXCOM MM36D GSM Phone" but it appears to only be 1 phone.
Not that I am aware of. You would have to go down the route of a GSM Terminal then connect your own multipack of telephones to this.

But at that point I would point back to the suggestion I made of getting a realtively cheap 4G Router with built in VoLTE support. Call quality will be a bit better and it will continue to work after 2G goes away. Three has no 2G, and O2 plans to move all personal devices off both their 2G and 3G Networks next year. That leaves Vodafone and EE but it's obvious the direction we are heading in.
 
Right so if I understand this correctly, I would need a 4G Router with a DSL/Phone port something like the TL-MR6500v, then configure the router to VoLTE from VoIP, plug in a SIM, then any phone I plug into it such as DECT will work fine.

And I assume it would use Data to make and receive calls so ideally she would need an SIM with high or unlimited data as the "unlimited calls/texts" part of the SIM wouldn't be used in this case?
 
Right so if I understand this correctly, I would need a 4G Router with a DSL/Phone port something like the TL-MR6500v, then configure the router to VoLTE from VoIP, plug in a SIM, then any phone I plug into it such as DECT will work fine.

And I assume it would use Data to make and receive calls so ideally she would need an SIM with high or unlimited data as the "unlimited calls/texts" part of the SIM wouldn't be used in this case?
The phone port on most of these routers makes calls with the SIM card, not a SIP VoIP account.

+1 for A&A, I use them and they're fantastic.

Just make sure the router does support SIP.
 
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Right so if I understand this correctly, I would need a 4G Router with a DSL/Phone port something like the TL-MR6500v, then configure the router to VoLTE from VoIP, plug in a SIM, then any phone I plug into it such as DECT will work fine.

And I assume it would use Data to make and receive calls so ideally she would need an SIM with high or unlimited data as the "unlimited calls/texts" part of the SIM wouldn't be used in this case?
I've tested it with the ZTE 4G and 5G routers with built in VoLTE. You can plug in a bog standard DECT phone and it will work just fine with it. The router will use data if you want to browse the internet with it. But if you are calling then the minutes will come out of the allowance on the SIM card you put in. It's not VoIP so the call isn't going through the internet.
 
I've tested it with the ZTE 4G and 5G routers with built in VoLTE. You can plug in a bog standard DECT phone and it will work just fine with it. The router will use data if you want to browse the internet with it. But if you are calling then the minutes will come out of the allowance on the SIM card you put in. It's not VoIP so the call isn't going through the internet.
I just checked then, and the router mentioned by TP Link does allow a SIP account on the FXS port, which is a first on a mobile router as far as I can see.
 
Agree with the above.

The simplest solution is to buy preconfigured VoIP DECT phones (from your service provider) and just plug them into your router.

Cheaper and just as simple is to buy a preconfigured adapter and plug in your existing DECT phones - or buy new ones, they're cheap now.

The service provider will help you with the set up and ongoing maintenance. Then forget all about it.
 
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I have the same problem with my elderly mother not wanting lose the "land line" she also has a good working mobile phone on a cheap deal.

First I went for the Yealink W53P wireless mobile with an ATA £49 this I setup with Lovevoip.co.uk. You get a a 30 day trail without adding payment details. They do a £4 a month deal that gives you 100 mins a month and ports your land line number for free.

I got this all working fine but she has poor eye sight so the Yealink went back as she could not read the screen.

Next I ordered a Grandstream HT802 VoIP adapter from ebay £33 this I again setup with lovevoip. So now she can use the same old wireless phone as before and keep the old landine number. Also now she is not tied to any broadband provider.

Which is good as Vodafone currently charging £43 for internet and phone line ! Best deal they offered was £30 without and phone going on a 2 year deal on fftp.

I then found the HUKDs via MSE deal for Virgin M250 with £165 credit works out £17 a month for 18 months. Ordered on a Wednesday box was fitted on the house Saturday and connection is this Friday. So £21 a month seems not too bad :)



Update Virgin FFTP fitted 270mb. I did have a problem with the old Cordless Gigaset phones not ringing on incoming calls. This was tracked down to the Grandstream ATA SLIC setting being set to USA not UK and SIN-227 BT
 
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