Utterly confused about broadband

ragatag

If I switch to another provider, will I lose my handsets and router? Why am I paying for a landline with BT when apparently I don’t need one. If I cancel the landline, will I lose my landline number. I am absolutely bewildered and befuddled by the complexities of all this. Is there a technical forum that will explain it all in simple terms.🤷🏻🥴

MorningcoffeeIV

ragatag said:

If I switch to another provider, will I lose my handsets and router? 

Only if they belong to the provider and you have to send them back.

ragatag said:

Why am I paying for a landline with BT when apparently I don’t need one.

Because you need a line to get your broadband through. 

ragatag said:

If I cancel the landline, will I lose my landline number. 

Yes, because you won't have a landline anymore to have a number on.

ragatag said:

Is there a technical forum that will explain it all in simple terms.🤷🏻🥴

What is it you're looking to do?

Altior

It's a legacy really, majority of people don't use a landline phone for making calls any more. It's gradually being phased out and now you can get bb only contracts. 

If you have landline handsets, and want to continue to use them, then you will still need a bb and phone contract. 

ragatag

Ok, here’s the thing. Openreach connected us to full fibre bb two years ago. There seemed to be only two providers available to us at that time, BT and Sky. We went with BT, who provided three internet enabled handsets and a router. At the time of installation we asked to keep the original copper landline, which ended up useless as BT assigned a different number to it. Many people still call on our original number which comes over the fibre broadband through our internet handsets. We are now out of contract and looking to switch, as from April we will be paying over £70 a month.

A key stumbling block for us is an elderly relative in Canada who calls every weekend on the landline number. They seem reluctant to use an app, eg, Skype, WhatsApp etc, on their iPhone. They have fibre broadband themselves so I’m thinking they could invest in an internet handset to replace their domestic digital phone.

The international calls package on our landline costs an extra £10 a month. But as someone has pointed out to us, BT just use the internet anyway and charge us for the privilege😡

Any advice/info welcome. TIA👍😊

littleboo

Your post is bit confusing but its sounds as if you want to keep a "landline" phone number to receive (and make?) calls. That isn't going to be free. Certainly the international calling package is not "just using the internet" 
You need to get a voice service from either your ISP ( if they offer it) or a standalone VOIP provider. If you go standalone, then porting your number isn't straightforward and you will either need to use a VOIP app on a Smartphone or get VOIP phones or an ATA.  The phones provided by BT are DECT phones, not VOIP phones.
                                                                                                                                                             

ragatag

“Your post is bit confusing but its sounds as if you want to keep a "landline" phone number to receive (and make?) calls. That isn't going to be free. Certainly the international calling package is not "just using the internet" 
You need to get a voice service from either your ISP ( if they offer it) or a standalone VOIP provider. If you go standalone, then porting your number isn't straightforward and you will either need to use a VOIP app on a Smartphone or get VOIP phones or an ATA.  The phones provided by BT are DECT phones, not VOIP phones.”

DECT phones long gone. BT provided two VOIP handsets (according to them) along with the router, as part of the package when the fibre was connected. Our existing landline number is usable over those handsets.

Another option for us is to try and persuade our relative in Canada to install WhatsApp, Skype or similar on their iPhone. But they seem really attached to their domestic phone. I think it’s just about being uncomfortable with change.

Madmel

I think I understand because I was in a similar position last year when full fibre finally arrived in my hamlet (FTTP). I had lots of good advice here and our set up is a broadband/internet from Cuckoo who seem genuinely lovely to deal with and whilst not cheap, at £40 per month, their service is great and they guaranteed not to raise their price.

We then got a VOIP set up with Sipgate. I didn't understand it but phonecalls that we used to get on the landline, now come in via this. The caller still calls our old number, so your relative wouldn't have to do anything differently. It wasn't difficult to do, but we bought a box online that connects to the Cuckoo router and then the base station of our old cordless phones plug into that. We paid a set-up cost of around £30 with Sipgate but haven't paid anything else as I make all outgoing calls on my mobile phone. They do have packages for calling overseas.

Prior to the move, we were with Shell Broadband for our broadband and landline. I wouldn't touch them now with a bargepole! We were out of contract waiting for the FTTP to be completed and paying quarterly. The new set-up is 60x faster and slightly cheaper than with Shell.

hareng

See this all the time, "I can only get X or Y"
Depends where you look and whos paying for that privaledge as to who shows up!
 ie straight from Cuckoo site says "

Why is this the only speed you're seeing? Meaning only offering FTTC at 53meg i have just come off after 11 years with BT and sppecialist for 15 months prior.

Full-fibre speeds aren't available in your area yet. "
I am currently on FTTP running 500+ meg with Octaplus Broadband (superb service by the way) who only show up on CityFibre network, theres a lot more that can use their network but are not listed.

Bronvahl

ragatag said:

If I switch to another provider, will I lose my handsets and router? Why am I paying for a landline with BT when apparently I don’t need one. If I cancel the landline, will I lose my landline number. I am absolutely bewildered and befuddled by the complexities of all this. Is there a technical forum that will explain it all in simple terms.🤷🏻🥴

It seems that the only thing of value to you is your Landline number, so let's deal with your options for that.

You have the right to keep that number, you can even move it to VoIP, there are two levels for VoIP providers, one is where they provide a similar service to BT, i.e. VoIP handsets or VoIP adapters for existing DECT phones. 

https://www.voipfone.co.uk/PB_Porting_Numbers.php

If you are technical you can move the number to a service like Twilio redirect the calls to any number in the world and get software that provides an easier to use front end to Twilio.

https://support.twilio.com/hc/en-us/articles/226194807-United-Kingdom-Porting

Once you have secured moving the number you can decide on other options.

I used this system for years and you can also use it for call recording with the right software installed on a web host.

I set this up for a friend of mine who lived in US and also had an elderly relative in EU.

I prefer VoIP adapters as you can plug any old phone into them, some routers like Draytek include a couple of VoIP ports.

When I was on contract in the US I had two philips handsets that could be used for Skype and I used them for VoIP too.

I was able to use Twilio to redirect many numbers in different States, the UK and Australia to just two handsets.

To be honest I would just get the elderly person an iPad or give them a different solution.  It is too expensive to use Landlines in UK these days and BT keeps reducing the bandwidth so the call quality is no longer a reason to pay for it.

That being said you will always pay land rental because even if they don't call it a Landline some sort of wire will come into your home unless you are using wifi hotspots or bridging wifi.