Exhuasted with BT/EE support for Digital Phone CLI issues

[adrianmarsh]

Just sharing our story with EE/BT so far:

I moved my mum from a working PSTN/FTTC Plus.net connection over to the new fiber connectivity.  We started the process in January but Openreach failed to turn up twice and then turned up at a bad time unannounced.  Eventually we got there in May.

The setup inside the house seemed to go fairly smoothly.  It wasn't until a few days after we realised that Calling Line Identity wasn't working.

The setup:   A BT Paragon 500 phone into the back of the EE Smarthub Plus 7 (physically to the BT socket on the hub).  A BT 4500 DECT base unit connected via an EE supplied Wifi adapter, with 3 hand units.

We noticed that 9/10 incoming calls would just show as "incoming call", no number.  But, just occasionally the number will show, so it's not 100% failure.

Outgoing calls seem to work just fine, and incoming audio calls work, most of the time.  However I have seen where I answered the call on one dect phone, and the other phones kept ringing.  The main issue though is the CLI.

I'm exhausted talking to BT.  I've spent hours on the phone with them repeating the same tests, the same arguments.  At least 6 calls now, usually 1-2 hours per call. It takes that long to finally be put through to "New IT Tech".. who then go to a team called the "offline team", who you can't talk to at all and don't listen to the facts.

We've reset the hub, we've factory rebooted it, they've taken CLI features off of the account and added them back on.

During all of this, the support people have told me privately that the new Digital Phone system has multiple issues, in its management systems and in the backend of it.  One even offered to cancel our contract and move us to an "older" system, which would mean replacing the hub and changing contract.. but all to get away from the "new system".

Yesterday, despite telling me there's nothing wrong with the hub - they're now sending me a new hub.  Except, I don't live there and so its a 400 mile round trip to go an replace/setup a hub, that probably won't fix their issue.

And the repeated claim from some of the support teams:  "It's your phones... they're too old".   Weird, because up until the move, both phones worked perfectly fine on PSTN CLI.  I've has some of the engineerings agree with me that it's not the phones, but some insist it absolutely is.  And they really don't like when I argue back that, even if it IS the phones, these are BT phones, working to standards that BT implemented, and claims to support in Digitial Phone.

I've now hit a wall with BT support.  if the new hub doesn't fix the issue, I don't know where this goes.

What's interesting.. one of the engineers, kindly, sent us a Battery backup, and in that package is a wifi-based phone.  And, on that, the CLI shows correctly for every incoming call at the same time the other phones don't.  So if that phone can show it, but the phones working via adapters/plugging into the back don't, to me, that would indiciate the issue is with the hub, or more directly, the hub software.  That also helps confirm that it's not an EE/BT network issue, as the CLI must be getting to the hub for the wifi phone to work.

But the BT Support engineers are adament that the hub software is bug free and works 100% of the time.

They also insist that I'll have to replace the phones, at our own cost, never mind the fact that the phones work fine and it seems clear it's the new system at fault.  They actually argued with me yesterday that both phones, two different models must of failed, at exactly the same time, with exactly the same CLI symptom, coincidentially at the same time as we moved to the new hub and setup..  it couldn't possibly be the fault of the hub.  I'm flabergasted bt that response and conclusion, with no evidence to support it.  We ended up ending the call as both I and the support agent weren't getting anywhere and they kept insisting they couldn't do any more (perhaps pass up to the team that the hub has a bug?)

I guess I now have to wait and see for when the new hub arrives and test with that, and try to find a friend/neighbour still with a PSTN connection so I can prove the old phones work just fine.

I'm bitterly disappointed with the whole experince so far.

For the forum:  If anyone knows if there's a list of what phones are/not supported, that'd be useful.  We were told originally that 99.9% of all phones will work just fine.

[XRaySpeX]

Why talk to BT when you have EE BB?

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@adrianmarsh wrote:

in that package is a wifi-based phone.  And, on that, the CLI shows correctly for every incoming call at the same time the other phones don't.  So if that phone can show it, but the phones working via adapters/plugging into the back don't, to me, that would indiciate the issue is with the hub, or more directly, the hub software.  Te.

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I assume you mean a dedicated BT Digital Home Phone handset which is DECT based on the DECT base station incorporated in the router. So it is as much router dependant as your other 2 phones.

[adrianmarsh]

Thats because EE and BT are the same group, and BT are the provider of Digitial Voice to EE customers.  My original complaint was to EE, who put me through to calling the BT support number.   Every text update we get telling us that it's fixed, each time we re-report it, is from EE even though I call BT.

Ultimately, it's a BT solution branded to EE.

The wifi based phone, was supplied in an EE branded box, so I can't tell if thats BT Digital Home Phone or not. It came as part of the battery backup solution. I've no idea why it works for CLI, but the others don't.   The point is, they did before the move, they don't afterwards (except occasionally/intermittantly do).

[JimM11]

@adrianmarsh You are all wrong, EE and BT are just not the same company at all, yes they both belong to the same group that is the BT GROUP of which there are multiples that they own... BT as an ISP operates it's own service, just the same as EE does and your former ISP PlusNet.... The DV handset you have is NOT a wifi device, it operates in it's own Dect Frequency range and on your 7 Plus hub that is from there supplied detail below. EE Devices and that phone will be FW Updated via the EE System and NOT via BT as yet!

Radio transmission information

Frequency range (MHz)	Max power in the range (dBm)
1880 – 1900	21.4

[adrianmarsh]

Hi JimM11,

Happy to be corrected there..   but for all communications BT and EE intermix.  I call into BT, I get a text response from EE to say the case is closed.   For Customer Services, if I call EE, they tell me to call the BT number.

They're sending a new hub out as a replacement and if it still fails then I'll go back to EE then.

For the phone, that's interesting it's still DECT then.  One of the BT agents told me the hub's using SIP back to the core for Digital Voice.  So that means the hub is mixing up DECT, the Wifi Adapter as well as a BT socket, then backhauling it over SIP, from what I've learned.

Do you know what protocol the Wifi Adapter is adapting to (over Wifi?)

I guess more importantly - have you seen a list of what phones Digital Voice does and doesn't work with ?

[XRaySpeX]

The ATA adapter uses DECT to connect to the router as does dedicated BT Digital Home Phone handsets.

Practically any modernish phone will work with DV. Where you used to plug them into an analogue phone socket you now plug them into the green phone socket at back of router or into an ATA, both of which have the same analogue connectors as a phone socket.

DV uses VoIP over the BB to connect to the system. SIP is that part of it to id the recipient & control the call.

[JimM11]

@adrianmarsh It's all very strange your EE/BT, you say you have the EE Smart Hub 7 Plus version, so it's an EE product, but it may just be that the BT bods have way more experience on the DV side off the operation, they sit across from each other so the BT Guide calling or the EE Guide calling is virtually the same but programmed in there VOIP system. Really cannot see why EE are directing you the BT way at all.....

From what i see the DV Digital Version that has the true connect direct to the EE Hub and you say that is working perfect CLI is popping up number wise or contact wise if associated in the EE phone book, the EE Hub stores it all the phone is just a dumb terminal at the end off the day. There is a BT or EE logo version off both the phones and they are alleged inter mixable on the EE or BT system or even on a EE / BT hub that supports DV....

As to wither it gets out the Hub ATA or the DVA ATA ports correctly is another question, and that may be why they are saying your phones are just to old to do so as far as they are concerned. Would be trying them both on the EE Hub for sure the DVA is just another odd ball product that needs to be checked..... Neighbour has a BT Smarthub 2 and his cordless base station is plugged into the DVA, so will ask him if he is seeing anything strange with it all, not sure off his phone answering base but will find out from him.

[JimM11]

@adrianmarsh So just checked with the neighbour, using the BT Smart Hub 2 in his kitchen, the EE DVA is in the Hall and he has a multi handset Answering system plugged in, the Landline phone is a VTECH system but years old so may not even be anything current, works fine for CLI but they don't get many calls on it anymore, stirred the pot with that any they are going to be dumping the line now as older Gen John is 76 and only kept the line for his siter calling, she is now a whatsapp convert!

Broadband is supplied as BT his ISP, did not get forced to do the BT - EE move as i told him resit that happening....