The UK Landline Switch Off - What You Need To Know

[Terryphi]

This is no solution to your problem, but I have to say that am very pleased with UBOSS using a new TPLink VX230v AX1800 router on my SOGEA line. No problems and sound quality is excellent.
I previously tried my old Billion router with a Grandstream HT01 ATA adapter but that could not be made to work.

[Simon]

I also have the TPLink VX230v from IDNet, so hopefully UBOSS will work for me when I come to switch.  I'm holding out at the moment, just to see what develops in the interim, but really, I've no reason not to switch and it would save me a bit of money. 

[nowster]

The core of the BT phone network uses VoIP instead of SS7 on PDH circuits nowadays. However, there is a lot of kit out there designed for the US market with BABT requirements tacked on as an afterthought. (eg. RJ11 instead of BS 6312, particularly missing the ring shunt wire/capacitor)

My Virgin Cable phone line was converted last year to coming out of the router port instead of using the copper pairs. Occasionally when calling it from the mobile phone I get a US-style long ringing tone instead of the UK ring-ring.

[john7]

We have reached the stage where we have conceded either we stop using a land phone or have to ditch the expensive Orbi's. Netgear suport for the  ortbis has been appalling they spent over 3 weeks basically doing nothing. At one stage I thought Armor (a reused Bitdefender) was the problem. Contacted them and next day they gave instructions on getting debug logs from the router.  In contrast all Netgear have done is have me do totally useless things that never did anything to identify what the problem is and what's causing it. My own view after doing a factory resets is the disabling SIP ALG is not actually working and is causing the Uboss connexion to cycle every 60 seconds.
So an expensive learning experiencing, we are switching to a EX820 based on others saying the simpler model worked well for Uboss.The  820 has the same number of Ethernet outlets as I use on the Orbi router so avoids having to hang a extra router on to it. Its having to use other TP-Link HX220 to get the signal round the house as we have brick walls that cause wi fi problem. IDNet support find it difficult to grasp that some mesh setups really need Ethernet connections. Indeed TP-Link say, hidden down in information, you get a much more reliable Wi Fi using Ethernet not least that the devices can use all the Wi Fi capability for wi fi  not backhaul. Unlike the more expensive Orbis which have dedicated wi fi devices for backhall most mesh devices use the same devices for both uses, wi fi and backhaul.
 

Its been a learning curve not least the IDNet stament  that all you need is a working internet to use Uboss is clearly not true and really should be revised, you need a lot more than just that! At present IDNet are out of stock of the 820 so will report back when we manage to make the change over.

[john7]

I will be interested to see what actual wi fi speed the new stuff gives. My existing stuff is testing on my phone at a regular 300 down and 150 up in most of the house so in speed the zOrbies work well as I have doubts the replacment ones will get anywhere near these

[john7]

One thing all my problems experience do show is the great switch over idea is a nightmare. I was told by IDNet all I need was a working fiber system after I changed to it. No mention of switching off  SIP ALG. All I had too do  was plug my preconfigured device in. Latter the need usually to switch off the  SIP ALG was pointed out.
It was never pointed out they could really only give real support to equipment they supplied. I can now understand that but no warning.
My Netgear router clearly has a bug in that its not actually switching off the SIP ALG when configured to do so even after a factory reset.
How many routers have bugs that will cause problems as the UK market is a miner one for most manufactures. Then how many makers support will be as poor as Netgear.
Over all I am reminded of my dentist who has a IT firm who set up and run her IT for a number of sites. They brought in a second firm to install  internet communication and weeks afterword's still having problem. So explained that they had run though the difference between her setups  and some one like BT. BT has dedicated hardware and networks doing nothing but taking standard inputs and transmitting them over the network to the destinations with teams of engineers over seeing 24/7 the process. I have visited one such site banks of moniters and rows of work stations just monitering for problems.
She has a range of different uses of here network some accessing different providers in real time and most using different setups. All of which has to set up to run on there own with with  a range of different bits of equipment. Dental hardware as well as computers etc.
We are more like my dentist rather than like BT and how on earth is that going to work? Who is going to sort out the problems, clearly ISPs are not up to it but when they have to tell customers you have to mygrate then is respocable rather then now when we volanteer to do so?

[john7]

It gets worse one of the hardware devices I was supplied by IDnet was a very old verion, the current HX220 is hardware vession 1.6 and I was sent, in errer I take it, a V1 that doesnt even meet the current TP-Link easy mesh vession.

[john7]

Well finally moved over to tp-link EX820v and a HX220. By and large it was the worst experience of changing routers I have ever had. I have used equipment from  Asus, Linksys and a number of Netgear ending with two different Orbi setups.
The first problem wasn't the router it was that IDNet hadn't provided the login password. Was told it was on the router, its wasn't. It got worse, the phone wasn't set up so they had to take control of the router and get that right.

Then it was the router, the manual is at best not very good! I have 3 printers and a NAS needing fixed IP addresses. Support didn't know how you did that but in the end I found it by hunting through the setup. The initial problem was the IP address pool had been wronly setup with 192.168.0.2 so the normal 192.168.1.xxx was rejected. It was support who found this and again sorted it. Fixed address were something this support staff didn't think were either needed or could be created in side the IP range. Even though I have done this with every router befor  I was told you don't do it. But even though the router came up with error's every time he did actually create the fixed IP addresses for all that were needed. So we both learnt something!


OK the phone the object of all this, its working so far. Tested by many calls to support, on occasions reminding me it was via  the internet so when support were having to work on the router you tended to lose the call!

The HX220 supplied was a discontinued model that's all they have I was told. Up date it with the latter hardwares version firmware update was the idea, which off course you can't do as its different hardware. But its not just IDNet only a few retailers of tp-link gear list the hardware version of the devices they list. I now know tp link change in effect models as others do but keep the same names dropping support for the old hardware versions (models). Thus the 220 is now version 1.6 but the one I have is version 1 which is working but will get no further, as far as I can see, updates to it firmware.

 
Speed is OK its providing about 350/450Mb up and down which is in most rooms which is about 70-100Mb slower than the last Orbis. Surprisingly  the switching between to strongest signal wasn't as fast as  with the Orbi as had seen that tp link's strength was its mesh working over Netgear speed. Though slowere in use its not a problem.


Overall, disappointment at the provision of out dated hardware and poorly set up router and not providing the logon password! Also support not actually knowing the setup of the gear they support once out of basic areas e.g. knowing about using/creating fixed local IP addresses. The good, the speed support can log in  to sort out router problems, it's a bit unnerving when I am used to having security checks and my monitoring if anyone is accessing my system. But they did sort out all the problems, most that should never have needed doing.

The last guy agreed he had learn several things after getting my IP addresses fixed. Was it worth it, this was to get the Uboss working so if its done that YES. Should it have been needed, NO. The big lessen for me is how do they expect all copper phones to go in a few years when its been this difficult to get just my one working. PS my dentist  now has a mobile phone number listed on her web site so is still having VoIP problems.

[nowster]

This is why I always use single function devices.

A router that just routes. A WiFi access point that's just an AP. A VoIP ATA that's just an ATA.

All-in-one devices rarely get all aspects right, and you can't replace the bit that annoys you.

[john7]

That's what I had going before and had endless problems with. Fibre modem, Orbi router and cisco Uboss box. When things went wrong IDNet couldn't/wouldn't support what I had as it wasn't there devices. Netgear support was near useless and with members of the family having terminal illnesses and over 80 ourselves (and me very deaf) we needed land line working (so I am able to hear the phone!)and to prevent my wife litrally having a beeakdown over the problems. It broke my hart to take out the very good Netgear system and replace it with the tacky tp-link stuff but it was the price of getting the phone fully supported by IDNet. Its called having you over a barrel and whichever ISP I looked at they are all as bad.

I also have found the much enthused  tp-link apps are really near useless compared to the one I used for the Orbi which is a pity. The Orbi one could be used anywhere and really gives a lot of router and network information with ability to run it as said anywhere. Aginet can only be used in the network and has very limited facilities. Another difference is the Orbi router could run speed tests directly from the router, tp-link has apparently been oddly been dropping this rapidly. I tried the tp-link ones and only left the Aginst on, Teather was even less use so went fast. A further oddity noticed by support is a networked printer the EX820 insists saying is wi fi when its clearly isn't (indeed doesn't even have the ability either!)

[zappaDPJ]

I can't imagine how people managed in the days before we had all this amazing technology...

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[nowster]

SIP+RTP (which is the most common VoIP) can be a swine to get working through NAT on a router especially if you don't know which ports to put in the DMZ, or the provider hasn't set up a STUN server.

(I was first mucking about with VoIP about 20 years ago.)

[john7]

I can see from that how its going to be interesting. Hopefully as more customers are moved or move to VoIP support will be extended past office hours as well. How someone away in the day could deal with problems must be very difficult!
It would also help is as others on the forum have commented IDNet started the OFCOM required register of vulnerable customers. At no stage was I asked if we had good mobile reception (we don't) or needed a battery backup (we don't as I have a UPS after the experience of friends in the Ceiriog valley without any phone contact for over week (they have now moved because of it)).

But its interesting to see from your experience just how difficult this switch over can be due to the need to correctly setup the router.