Broadband & landline - utterly bewildered

Yes it is .You’d think we lived in the middle of no where with our mobile signal.

Have you tried Sky I have a land line and broadband with them can’t fault the service.

No problem, glad I could help.

to be honest, I’d be tempted to press the button and talk to the people on the other end and ask them. Mums been told to do that for any query, not just emergencies, I think that company employs the most reassuring and lovely people I’ve ever dealt with on the phone! I’d believe their information more than BT.

hope you’re doing ok. Glad your mum is at least trying to help herself. Mine acknowledges she can’t, acknowledges she puts a lot on me in a self-pitying manner but not actually doing anything that would make my life easier, like agreeing to move to more suitable accommodation. But if I’m being fair, she’s not actually mentally capable of working through that decision any more, she’s at a toddler level of “I don’t want to”.

@NetZeroZealot hope it all goes well.

There are carve outs for certain groups that don't want a VOIP home phone in case that's useful, including the elderly and people with care alarms

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/money-legal/consumer-issues/changes-to-landline-telephones/

I’ve just moved to full fibre and my internet is rubbish. Ironically it was far better with my 15 year BT router and fibre to cabinet only. A word of warning that once you’re on full fibre, there’s no going back to the old phone line system. Mine is hanging sadly across my garden reminding me of better times….

Thanks funnel really appreciate that, pic looks exactly the same.

I have talked to BT and all I got was "it will be fine" with no explanation of how. It's so poor that they couldn't supply the info you've just given.

I was EmmaEmerald so you know a bit about my situation....mum is finally trying to take the load off me so said she'd handle this one but in reality, she won't be able to.

So thank you, I now know what we're looking for. (I try not to talk to her directly about this stuff as she thinks she understands but doesn't and gives me wrong info).

Thanks again.

Yes mums box has the same capability. If she activates the alarm or presses a button on the box it connects to the call centre of the alarm company. If she falls too far from the box and the microphone don’t pick her up they’ll assume she’s unconscious and send someone out (they have the code to the key safe) and also call me.

It’s all done via the mobile phone network rather than the landline. No problem with call quality or reliability. So I assume the choice of equipment is down to the service provider, and they should be able to talk to you or your mum about whether they have the SIM card connected equipment. Mums looks like this.

Hi funnel

are you able to say more about how this works please? Mum is currently on a system where a person talks to her through a box downstairs, though it can hear her if she's upstairs. It's really good and the thought of losing it is very worrying.

If you're concerned about compatibility with the life line service, contact their local councillor to get the information.

The councillors may have this information. If not, they will be able to find out. IME council officers are more responsive to councillors than to members of the public.

I can't answer your question but would agree that Zen is an excellent provider and very easy to actually speak to a real person.

Regarding your dad’s alarm, check with the provider. My mums fall alarm has a SIM card and connects to the mobile network - nice and simple, can put it anywhere in the house as long as it’s near a power point.

Im with BT. There FO broadband and landline, is £20 a month unlimited. If your on UC or pension credit.
It doesnt work with my councils, helpline though.
The drawback is if your router goes down, that you loose everything.

The drive towards fully fibre optic is causing huge issues.
Some providers offer a battery backup for medical alarms, but I have not bee able to get anyone to vouch for whether they work when there is a power cut.

It seems to be something that has been ignored by companies.

I have been with Plusnet for years and have found them very good. Their mobile service has moved to EE and I understand the BB will move eventually, but their Broadband, landline and free evening and weekend calls is £30 per month. We have 2 people working from home and we have various online streaming services.

Agree. And AFAICS there isn’t a back up for telecare type devices.

If they use the landline a lot then line rental, broadband and free anytime calls sounds best.

If you're concerned about compatibility with the life line service, contact their local councillor to get the information.

It is appalling that these companies do this to older people without helping them to transition to an alternative. The OPs parents are lucky to have family to help them to navigate this but imagine people who don't have this support. DH recently offered to help an elderly neighbour who was left sobbing in despair after trying to get his phone back in place. It is so sad to see and makes me so angry.

If you need a new provider, look at Zen. They’re a bit more expensive, but very reliable, and they provide a landline. Ours is still a genuine landline, they may only be willing to provide VOIP to new customers, but ask - Zen’s big advantage is you can talk to the techies and can get answers to questions that aren’t on the call centre’s crib sheet.

Everywhere will be going VOIP in a year or so.

Just a couple of things I've learnt from supporting my late mum with this:
It's probably worth contacting the Council who will provide the personal alarm service to check if they need a landline to operate.
We made the switch to mobile only (mum was getting stressed by relentless scam calls, and despite signing up to BT's screening service, that never seemed to work). When it came to installing a personal alarm service , we assumed it wouldn't work with a mobile, but fortunately it did. The LA said they'd had to adapt because increasingly people don't have landlines. You might be lucky with the LA.
BT- this probably isn't that helpful, but if there are any alternatives, I'd recommend you look. In our experience they are expensive and it's really difficult to speak to a human being.