Analogue or digital ?

[scooby1]

I am asking for advice please and would very much appreciate it anyone could advise me on what I'm sure is a very simple question but because of my age I am struggling a bit. We own and live in a private household with just one telephone line and at the moment we have a Gigaset telephone base station and 2 subsidiary phones in 2 other rooms. We need to update the phone system because although we have renewed the AAA re-chargeable batteries in all 3 handsets they all keep losing their charge during any lengthy conversation.
We rather like the PANASONIC KX-TGU433EB system https://www.currys.co.uk/products/p...MIwpD-8-OIkgMVvZZQBh1nzQ_DEAQYByABEgKnlfD_BwE
but are in the dark about whether we should be buying a system that plugs into our router as well as the BT wall socket. We have a splitter socket mounted on the wall that was installed by a BT chap which plugs directly into our main BT socket and which both our telephone system and our EE Smart router are plugged into.
We live in a very small village which in fact has the BT exchange in it, we are about 300 metres from the exchange. My question is, should we buy a system that will work out of a router as well as a normal BT plug if all lines are eventually changed to digital ? Apologies if I have been typing nonsense but I really could do with some help.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

We live in a very small village which in fact has the BT exchange in it, we are about 300 metres from the exchange. My question is, should we buy a system that will work out of a router as well as a normal BT plug if all lines are eventually changed to digital ?

The change, will be to fibre, and the router will have a phone socket in it, into which to plug your phone. Any phone, or phone system can be plugged in, so get what ever phones you like now - they will work.

Your AAA cells should keep the phones in use, going for hours - Are they decent quality cells? Are you dropping them back on the charger base, after each use?

 

[scooby1]

Thank you @Harry Bloomfield that was very much appreciated. I had a look at my router manual and it wasn't very helpful but I have taken a snalshop of one of the pages and would like to ask you where the phone cable would plug in to the router ? We have got the double socket option on the wall and the router plug goes into the LH side as shown and the phone plug goes into the RH socket and then into the back of the phone base station. Where would it go in the back of the router ?

With regard to the batteries we fitted new Duracell re-chargeables into all the handsets when the systemstarted playing up. One of the individual handsetts doesn't always ring when we get a call.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

We have got the double socket option on the wall and the router plug goes into the LH side as shown and the phone plug goes into the RH socket and then into the back of the phone base station. Where would it go in the back of the router ?

It doesn't plug into that type of router at all....

Once you are moved over to fibre, as everyone will eventually have to do, they will bring a fibre into your home, as a direct replacement for your old copper wire. Into the end of the fibre, they will plug a new fibre router, and that new fibre router will have a socket into which you can plug your phone(s).

The phone service will not just instantly work, unless you have also requested, and pay for an IP phone service, as an extra to your Internet service, via the fibre.

I pay £25 for my 150 Mbs Internet service, plus an extra £3 for the IP phone service, which includes free evening weekend calls. That's per month.

Like you, I was on a copper wire, for phone, and 40Mbs Internet, but this time around, they were were going expect £37 per month. So a big saving to be made, plus faster Internet, and a better phone service - no contest.

 

[scooby1]

It doesn't plug into that type of router at all....

Once you are moved over to fibre, as everyone will eventually have to do, they will bring a fibre into your home, as a direct replacement for your old copper wire. Into the end of the fibre, they will plug a new fibre router, and that new fibre router will have a socket into which you can plug your phone(s).

The phone service will not just instantly work, unless you have also requested, and pay for an IP phone service, as an extra to your Internet service, via the fibre.

I pay £25 for my 150 Mbs Internet service, plus an extra £3 for the IP phone service, which includes free evening weekend calls. That's per month.

Like you, I was on a copper wire, for phone, and 40Mbs Internet, but this time around, they were were going expect £37 per month. So a big saving to be made, plus faster Internet, and a better phone service - no contest.

Thank you very much @Harry Bloomfield, that was very helpful. Are you able to give me any idea at all as to how fast are they rolling out fibre ? I am only asking because this is obviously going to influence my decision on which 'phone system we buy. Thanks again.

 

[matlob]

Tap your postcode in below and it will give you a rough idea

Fibre checker

See if Full Fibre broadband is available where you are. Just type your postcode into our Fibre checker and choose your address to find out.

www.openreach.com

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I am only asking because this is obviously going to influence my decision on which 'phone system we buy.

It should not affect that decision at all, the very same phones will work with your old copper, or the new fibre.

Fibre was available here, long before I decided to move to it, but I heard they would be switching most copper off, in 2026 - so rather than be pushed, I decided better to jump, around last April.

 

[scooby1]

Tap your postcode in below and it will give you a rough idea

Fibre checker

See if Full Fibre broadband is available where you are. Just type your postcode into our Fibre checker and choose your address to find out.

www.openreach.com

Thank you @matlob,. Wow, that was useful ! I've just discovered that full fibre is available to us now !!! But my Internet access is fast enough as it is for what I use it for. Probably because I am so close to the exchange ? I wonder if at some time we will have no option but to go fibre ?

 

[scooby1]

It should not affect that decision at all, the very same phones will work with your old copper, or the new fibre.

Fibre was available here, long before I decided to move to it, but I heard they would be switching most copper off, in 2026 - so rather than be pushed, I decided better to jump, around last April.

Thank you @Harry Bloomfield, sorry, I read @matlob's post first and discovered that we have fibre in the village already. Presumably it is only to the pole outside our house at the moment. So it sounds as if we will have to go full fibre this year ?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

So it sounds as if we will have to go full fibre this year ?

The change-over is imminent, better to make your mind up ASAP to move, than be forced to move to fibre at the last minute. Then you get time to shop around, as I did.

 

[scooby1]

The change-over is imminent, better to make your mind up ASAP to move, than be forced to move to fibre at the last minute. Then you get time to shop around, as I did.

Thank you once again @Harry Bloomfield for your continued help. It is very much appreciated . But in the meantime I can go ahead and buy any phone system ? Will my current router work with fibre ?

 

[Stuart981]

I have had problems with cordless phone replacement batteries not performing well in the handset. Replacing them with batteries specifically described as for use with cordless phones fixed the problem. I don't know why that should be the case but it worked for me.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

But in the meantime I can go ahead and buy any phone system ?

Yes!

Will my current router work with fibre ?

No!

Replacing them with batteries specifically described as for use with cordless phones fixed the problem.

They tend to be the lower maH capacity ones, which work best, rather than the higher ones, for some reason.