Losing landline question

[#1]

Looking at my Plusnet account I am on the broadband only plan.  The port of the number was supposed to happen today so maybe I am jumping the gun a bit. 

I suspect that Openreach haven't got around to ceasing the line yet.

Ports to voip don't necessarily happen overnight.

Which voip provider are you using ?

[#2]

I am with https://www.voipfone.co.uk/

[#3]

If you started the port before the switch to broadband only, then its possible that the change of status of the phone line has upset the port.

I suggest you contact voipfone and check the status of the port.

[#4]

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@MisterW wrote:

Internal extensions can be made to work (I think) with a bit of effort but not entirely sure as the copper line would still be active.

They can, its called voice re-injection , this link https://support.aa.net.uk/VoIP_How_to:_Voice_reinjection explains it

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@bmc @MisterW 

I've done this in my house and also in my dad's house. It's quite straight forward. I've not modified the Master Socket. In both cases I've:

1. Disconnected the telephone extension wiring from the Openreach Master Socket.
2. Then connected this wiring to a new Secondary (or Slave) phone socket mounted adjacent to the master socket.
3. Finally I've connected a cable from the ATA to a convenient existing Secondary phone socket. A cable off any old phone, should work (as long as it's a BT plug to an RJ11 plug).

It's important to disconnect the extension wiring from the Openreach Master socket (and DON'T plug the ATA into the Master Socket). As you don't want power coming out the Master socket and damaging your ATA. Or, power from your ATA damaging the Openreach network, which they will charge you for.

[#5]

@Schiehallion said "A cable off any old phone, should work (as long as it's a BT plug to an RJ11 plug)"

And if for some reason it doesn't work, look carefully at the RJ11 plug and compare to another. SOME phone handsets with removable leads used a different pair to MOST phones and their RJ11s were wired up differently. It's a case of inner vs outer pair I think, though I can't recall which way round is most common. IIRC modem cables were often different and it's very easy to mix them up with phone handset ones.

The BT end is always the same, 2 and 5 are the main ones with 3 used for the "bell" signal, not usually required with most modern phones. And if is an old spare ADSL filter between the phone cable and socket recreates it.

[#6]

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@HPsauce wrote:

@Schiehallion said "A cable off any old phone, should work (as long as it's a BT plug to an RJ11 plug)"

And if for some reason it doesn't work, look carefully at the RJ11 plug and compare to another. SOME phone handsets with removable leads used a different pair to MOST phones and their RJ11s were wired up differently. It's a case of inner vs outer pair I think, though I can't recall which way round is most common. IIRC modem cables were often different and it's very easy to mix them up with phone handset ones.

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I've been lucky in having the correct cables then (didn't realise there were 2 different types).

In my RJ11 plugs, it's the 2 centre connections which are used.

[#7]

@Schiehallion said "In my RJ11 plugs, it's the 2 centre connections which are used."

Just dug out and checked the BT-RJ11 cable with my spare Gigaset N300ip and it's also the centre 2. 👍

[#8]

In MOST cases, an RJ11 (6 pin) connector uses the middle two (so pins 3 and 4), as that was the normal pinout used in the US, allowing a simple "straight" cable to be used between the phone handset and the wall socket

However, The UK (aka BT) phone plug was different, and used pins 2 and 5, so if the handset (or modem, or answering machine) used an RJ11, it might use the "standard" middle pins (special cable needed, with "crossover wiring") , or it might use the non-standard pins 2 and 5, simply to make the making of the cables a bit simpler!

Luckily, with kit becoming more 'globalised' we don't see that "stupid" wiring much any more, but for those of us who keep our old cables, we do sometimes get caught out! Also, if you buy an RJ45 to BT Plug cable, you need to double-sure what you are getting. (I get around this issue, just make my own cables!)

(The "BT Plug" is officially a "BS 6312 431A" or just "431A" plug)

[Notes on RJ connectors:

There's a lot of confusion about RJ10 / RJ11 / RJ12.... for clarity, we will often use "xPyC" notation. The first number is the number of potential pins (and thus governs the width of the connector), the second is the number of fitted pins. Thus, a fully-loaded phone-line (and ADSL) connector is a "6P6C", but you can get "6P4C" and "6P2C" versions too (that "6P2C" version is often used on ADSL cables, to reduce the costs). The "handset plug" is smaller, a "4P4C". Ethernet connectors, aka RJ45, is a "8P8C". Many other versions are available: eg there's an RJ45 variant that has TEN pins... but same body width!!!! Aaaarrrghhhhh!!!]