Bloody digital switchover!

[twiddlingthumbs69]

Has anyone successfully been changed over with BT from analogue to digital.
I've just had 48hrs of hell with it. And a migraine!
It really seems as if BT hasnt thought this through.
I'm tech savvy and it bamboozled me. We now have a phone that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't.
But! The real problem is, in the event of a power cut the landline won't work but, more importantly, neither will the elderly alarm pendants, which my mother has.
Picture the scene. There's a power cut. Mum gets up in the dark to find a torch, trips over, pushes her pendant for help and nothing!
Apparently BT were warned about this together with the system being not user friendly for the older generation and have gone for it anyway. 😡

That's so awful. It definitely doesn't feel like progress.

All this Smart home stuff is fantastic.. until a power cut.

We lose 4G and mobile signal in power cuts as well....

We have no mobile phone signal and have argued several times with BT that in an emergency we have no way to call for help in a power cut. They agreed to delay switchover for a few months but then forced it through. Their only solution was that I pay them £85 for a backup that would last one hour. This was when power cuts of 3 hours were being mentioned in the press.

I’ve just swapped broadband provider to BT so I had to change to Digital Voice (over the internet phone) I had no problem.

plugged the phone into the router and paired it to the router and that’s it, it’s worked fine ever since.

the only thing is that you have to put the full phone number in to dial out. So you can’t just dial 456789 you have to dial 01782 456789

The problem with pendant alarms and digital landlines was discussed on radio 4 this morning + Monday 18 th
I was only half listening but thought Bt agreed to check first and not switch

Yes I thought they were delaying for those whose alarm tech relied on the old system. Complain to BT?

TBH I'm going to get rid of landline

What's the point if it's not a backup for internet and power cuts . Or have I missed something ? Quite possible

I keep hearing BT's advert for the digital switchover on the radio. Woman with a saccharin sweet voice extolling all the virtues of it. Every time I hear it,I think 'Yeah right,I don't believe for one minute that it will be without problems'. Reading your account OP,it seems I was right!

@Sodndashitall oh really, that's interesting. I'm more concerned for mum, as she has an alarm, so I'll let her know that. Too late for me, it's all up and running (or not!) here

@Artus I'm all for progress but this seems to be going backwards! It's almost, bugger the old!

Op I agree but it's not just BT that's pushing it, Government are too.

I think fibre is more susceptible to weather too. At one point I was on the phone to BT asking for our copper line back while the person kept saying sorry I can't hear you.

Just to be clear, this is not a BT thing. ALL phone providers will be going digital by 2025. It's government policy. Other countries are doing the same.

I thought it was OpenReach who are doing this, who are the infrastructure part of BT?

@twiddlingthumbs69 - I thought BT have to make provision for people with care alarms or people who don't have access to a mobile phone? Although that might just be a back-up battery, which a PP says only lasts for 1 hour.

Phone providers have funding to supply those with fall alarms with a battery back up for the phone line so that it takes longer to fail. Get on the phone and get them to send you one. It's a complete disaster of a plan

On the BT website:

https://www.bt.com/help/landline/digital-voice-migration

What if I use my phone line for something like a burglar alarm or health pendant? If you have a monitored alarm that's connected to your landline (like a health pendant or monitored burglar alarm) you'll need to speak to your alarm provider before moving to Digital Voice.Alarm providers are aware of the switch to Digital Voice and have a variety of solutions in place to make sure your services can continue. These might involve broadband or mobile technology; your alarm provider will discuss the best option with you.
If you need to speak to us after contacting your alarm provider please call us on 0330 1234 150.

What happens to my Digital Voice service if my power cuts out?

If there is a power outage or your broadband fails, you’ll be unable to make calls using Digital Voice, including calls to 999. You’d experience this if you have a cordless phone plugged into a power supply. You’ll still be able to use a mobile phone, which should be charged at all times. If you don’t have a mobile phone or are in an area with no mobile signal, please contact us on 0330 1234 150.

Which? have a comprehensive article about the switchover:

https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/broadband/article/digital-voice-and-the-landline-phone-switch-off-what-it-means-for-you-aPSOH8k1i6Vv

slower rollout for the vulnerable

News today, too late for the OP, and in any case when it happens I have my doubts it will be as the suggestions in the article.

I call BT the enemy of business, seems it's not just business they fail to provide adequate service for.

You can try to register your mum as a vulnerable customer to get a back up battery unit provided for her.

https://community.bt.com/t5/Home-phone-including-Digital/How-to-connect-a-Battery-Backup-Unit-BBU-to-your-Smart-Hub/td-p/2328951#:~:text=We%20provide%20a%20Battery%20Backup,phone%20or%20existing%20corded%20handset.

https://www.bt.com/help/landline/digital-voice--will-my-service-work-in-a-power-cut-

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12877065/bt-pause-digital-landlines-alarms-stopped.html

@twiddlingthumbs69 - This exact issue was discussed on Radio 2 Jeremy Vine show at around lunchtime today.

I couldn't catch all of it (at work) so I'm going to listen on whatever the radio's version of catchup tv is but there was some mention on this switchover being paused while the ombudsman (or somebody) investigates the issues surrounding personal care alarms and that the elderly/vulnerable people who have them will have no means of calling for help, particularly if the battery backup fails or they don't have the internet.

The show also touched on this switchover affecting house burglar alarms.

Personally, I think, if it has to happen, a phased decline in the use of copper "landlines" would be better than a now it's here/now its gone switchover. Eg. if a phone line is disconnected due to a move or passing, future reconnection to that property would be to the digital system.

My dad's alarm will work as it has a SIM card and doesn't use the normal phone line. He just got his a couple of months ago. My fil was changed over to a sim alarm recently. Have you phoned the alarm provider? Do you also have a priority repair service?

But I accept there will be problems inevitably and no mobile signal is a big problem

It seems to me that everything that is new is inferior to the thing that it replaced.

They're supposed to have an alternative power source for the phone lines during a power cut but we had quite a long power cut 2 weeks ago and all the mobile phone masts went down as well, so they're obviously not actually operating them within the law and no one seems to be holding them accountable.

We'll all need satellite phones at this rate!

We’ve recently done this switchover, though not with BT but another company. Our landline hasn’t worked for four weeks now and there’s no sign of when it will be sorted out. None of this feels like progress, quite the opposite.

The copper me is no longer viable to maintain its out date the equipment it runs on is technology from the 70’s that has come to the end of it’s lifespan
i can’t get my head round how BT get a kicking about this yet mobile phone providers who don’t provide service is just accepted and the same for power we find no mobile and power cuts Acceptable Where the campaign to sort that yet kick off about no phone