topic Re: Set Up Home Phone Adapter in Digital Home Phone

Set Up Home Phone Adapter

AndrewO1 — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 11:08:29 GMT

BT inform me that I am to be connected to Digital Voice in about a week's time. My router is a BT Smart Hub 2 with a green port for digital phones. I received an EE Home Phone Adapter. On separate occasions, I made attempts to set up the adapter by placing it next to the router and following the instructions. Every time the connection process failed with a red flashing light. I reset the router but it made no difference. Please advise of next steps. Many thanks.

Re: Set Up Home Phone Adapter

Mustrum — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 11:25:03 GMT

@AndrewO1 you need to wait a bit longer, if they have said it won't be set up until a weeks time, then once they have said it has been set up is the time to do what you have tried.

By the way the green router port is not Digital, you can plug a normal corded phone into this socket.

Re: Set Up Home Phone Adapter

JimM11 — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 15:10:25 GMT

@AndrewO1 Until the DV side is working on the BT router, forget about the adapter, it will not pair to it...

Re: Set Up Home Phone Adapter

Richard2412 — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 11:40:43 GMT

Thank you! I am having this same problem today, having received the adapter and tried several times. Where can I find a statement from EE that DV side needs to be working. What is DV side? My hub was plugged into primary socket of landline, with landline phone remaining connected to in-house hard wire extension, as left by OpenReach guy a few weeks ago when he came to get hub working better to reduce crackly phone.

Re: Set Up Home Phone Adapter

JimM11 — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 12:47:23 GMT

@Richard2412 If you have NOT been upgraded with you broadband to a Full Fibre connection and your phone is working connected to the phone socket then that is where the phone stay's...

If indeed you are on a digital DV line, the phone plugs into the back off your hub AND it is working then you have been converted to the DV Digital Voice feature.....

With DV you can now use the supplied DVA Digital Voice Adapters but you do have to follow and link them to your Router, so see the video link below and take a watch at it. Give me a second to attach it. Click on the link watch the video!

How to set up your Digital Home Phone - The EE Community

If the phone is plugged direct into the Master phone socket that will be ok, on an extension socket and depending if wired correctly may also be ok, but if not then an ADSL Filter will be required, that stops the broadband cutting out when you pick up the phone to answer or dial out!

Re: Set Up Home Phone Adapter

Richard2412 — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 13:58:01 GMT

Thank you for reply! A few weeks ago BT were keen to see my hub was correctly set up, and sent an OpenReach technician who repositioned Wifi Hub to primary incoming phone socket, as explained. A few weeks later I received offer of EE-BT free hub adapter to enable phone to stay put where it is, which I snapped up to solve my problem. As mentioned, I tried it today with no joy. Nowhere can I find mention that it won't work that way until the full fibre (DV?) connection is done to my house, so far only to pole up road as far as I know, with existing overhead cable from there to house.

The only reaction I've had from BT is to book Openreach visit for tomorrow. Is that a waste of their time? Doesn't EE-BT know that full fibre isn't yet fully connected where I am?

Apologies for my rant of frustration but I've wasted an hour or so trying to get my adapter to talk with my hub, when perhaps it can't yet anyhow for the reason you have given me.

Re: Set Up Home Phone Adapter

Mustrum — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 14:11:38 GMT

@Richard2412 If your phone is plugged into the router and it works you have Digital Voice.

However from what you have said your phone is still plugged into the Openreach master socket so you do not have digital voice and the extender is no good to you as it is only for use with Digital Voice.

Re: Set Up Home Phone Adapter

JimM11 — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 17:33:05 GMT

@Richard2412 So you are aware, Digital Voice the DV option can be delivered to the BT Smarthub2 with FF full fibre FTTP and also on the copper FTTC product, so EE/BT whoever you have may be getting you all set, but you DO have to be on the latest BT Router or one off the Latest EE Routers also, link below to the BT hub types....

Different types of BT Hub | BT Help

Re: Set Up Home Phone Adapter

Richard2412 — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 20:36:35 GMT

Thank you! Interesting answer. My BT hub looks like a Smarthub 2. It was sent to me by BT last January 2025. If, as you say, it should work with DV on copper line, should I be able to test by plugging phone lead directly into green phone socket on hub to see if I get a dialling tone? Instructions for hub adapter suggests this test to check whether hub connection works on DV without adapter. I need adapter to avoid redesigning home. Adapter instructions imply that no dialling tone means no DV connection, implying no point in trying to set up adapter until there is one.

Re: Set Up Home Phone Adapter

JimM11 — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 20:53:05 GMT

@Richard2412 Two things need to happen, the first is the correct hub, yes you have that. The second is that BT have to activate the service so it WORKS on the hub, if not then the socket on the back off the hub is NON functional and the Landline is still supplied via the OR Master socket.

You can try it, but if you had a BT Engineer out a couple off weeks ago then NO way would he have walked away unless he TOLD YOU may take a few hours for the systems to switch over, when your phone goes dead then plug it into the back off the hub!

The phone side switching is just not an instant here you go it's done, takes a few good hours for one to die and the other to go LIVE!

Re: Set Up Home Phone Adapter

Mustrum — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 20:53:46 GMT

@Richard2412 yes, if you plug a wire phone into the green socket and have dial tone and can call out you have Digital Voice. But also BT/EE would have told you when you were converted from the old analogue system.

Re: Set Up Home Phone Adapter

Richard2412 — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 21:14:27 GMT

Thanks! Unfortunately BT/EE, by delivering parts, gave impression that it had been converted, However 2nd call today said they had not yet. I will try green socket tomorrow - involves moving furniture again! and update this post if it works.

Re: Set Up Home Phone Adapter

Richard2412 — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 21:22:56 GMT

It would have been helpful if BT had told me that the change from analogue to DV took a few hours. On my 2nd call with BT this afternoon, the real human lady informed me that my line had NOT been changed yet from analogue to DV, and consequently technician visit booked by my call this morning confirmed for tomorrow by non-reply text message was therefore now cancelled. Time for bed tonight - over and out.

Re: Set Up Home Phone Adapter

Leanne_T — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 09:12:04 GMT

Hi @Richard2412

Thanks for coming to the community.

Has the engineer visit been rescheduled for a different date? Did the guide you spoke to yesterday advise when the change would go through and you would have Digital Voice active?

Leanne.

Re: Set Up Home Phone Adapter

Richard2412 — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 10:12:41 GMT

No and No, Leanne. The helpful BT lady I spoke to yesterday afternoon 28th July agreed that engineer booking was a waste of time because she had checked that DV is not yet available on my line. She thought it would become available in next few months, and I should be advised when that would be. Meantime I wait patiently.

For all readers: This ongoing saga has irritated me because having had a Halo 3+ Smarthub2 Hub installed last January to replace its predecessor, from 2nd July I had been receiving e-mails from BT-EE to "get ready for DV", On 4th July, having reported crackling again, an engineer called and re-sited my Halo 3+ hub from a dodgy old extension to the house primary socket, obviating an extension he was not permitted to repair due to his limit on in-house tasks and his H&S regs, and leaving the phone working on another OK extension but still occasionally crackling.

On 8th July another e-mail from BT persuaded me to order their free Hub Phone Adapter, which I did, because moving the phone to re-sited hub is very inconvenient. The adapter's arrival was hot followed by a mail card from BT in my post last week "Setting up your new home phone service", making me think that I could at last do the change to DV. But my attempts to 'pair' the adapter following its instructions were unsuccessful (no steady azure glow - back to red). When I phoned BT on morning of 28th, they (automatically - no human) booked an engineer (for today). Now return to top of this message to read first paragraph again - that is where my situation is today. Thank you all for various comments received! My apologies for repetition! Kind regards, Richard (exhausted)

Re: Set Up Home Phone Adapter

Leanne_T — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 08:07:15 GMT

Thank you for the extra information @Richard2412

If you can try again in a few months as advised by the guide you spoke to on the 28th, and let us know how you get on.

Leanne

Re: Set Up Home Phone Adapter

Richard2412 — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 08:26:21 GMT

Hi Leanne, Thanks for reply. I was advised on 28th July to wait until notified by BT-EE that my home has been set up for DV. To try again before BT's notification would be a further waste of time for me, as it has been over last few days.

Does the change from analogue to DV include replacing the physical cable from street pole to my home? This cable has been there about 30 years, I think. If so, when that is done, I will know that change to DV has taken place. Richard

Re: Set Up Home Phone Adapter

JimM11 — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 08:33:42 GMT

@Richard2412 It is always best to have the EE/BT Router directly connected on the OR Master socket that is for sure, and line noise is never a good issue as it WILL affect your broadband connection, never mind the voice phone landline issues you will also have, but if the Engineer did diagnose you had/have an internal connection issue then it does have to be taken care off, most faults are external but yes some are internal. Noisy lines can be somewhat difficult to pin down so you DO have to persevere until you get it resolved. Not good to have a phone in an awkward place especially when you are well used to where it was previous!

IF the DV is not ready for the connection that is just a wait especially on your current old type off line!

Re: Set Up Home Phone Adapter

Richard2412 — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 08:51:53 GMT

Thanks Jim for that. Yes. The OpenReach engineer on 4th July visit eliminated the faulty extension by re-siting the router as you say. That extension, probably built with house in 1970s, had some visible frayed covering where routed over external porch which O-R engineer was not authorised to replace. (Re-siting router was actually my suggestion!) The faulty now redundant extension no longer has anything plugged into it. Meantime the phone remains on another extension, fitted in 2011 under floor. I presume when changed to DV that line will be redundant too. Regards, Richard

Re: Set Up Home Phone Adapter

JimM11 — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 09:00:43 GMT

@Richard2412 Only when you go Digital Voice, all off the extension drop off as the signal is transmitted through the routing side off the operation, Longer lines and lower speed's are way more problematic for getting a good Broadband speed out, without the specific's and what connection cabinet equipment that OR have on your line that's hard, but the good Older Telecoms Engineers well understand what is required and NEEDED to get best result's.