I was due to have a job interview by phone this morning and have just discovered that my landline is not working (and has not been working since I was moved over to the new system two days ago). There was absolutely no communication to me prior to this happening.... Just an email saying my order was complete (not ordered by me!!!) I do not have the RJ11 adaptor -- I have the original fritz box .... no, it's not in there. Absolutely rubbish customer service and - needless to say - the job interview did not go well.
My digital voice service didn't work after the phone was connected as shown and assumed it was because no phone number was configured in the Fritzbox. The box came preconfigured to connect to Zen but no phone number was configured, whether this was an oversight at Zen I don't know but the broadband upgrade and digital voice were ordered at the same time. I couldn't find any information online about how to configure it so contacted Zen by email and got a fairly quick reply and verified the phone was connected as per video, subsequently got another email to say the VOIP settings had been sent to the router which I could see and after rebooting the router all was working as intended. I would say a fairly quick resolution at about 1.5 hours, thanks Zen. I presume from the video that the Fritzbox should have come with the number configured but in my case it didn't.
Sounds exactly like my situation. Also tried pairing my BT DECT phones with the Fritzbox with DECT base station enabled which works but still no dial tone - assume same issue ie telephone number missing. I tried adding it but wont accept without a load of Account Information fields being empty (Registrar, Proxy Server etc). Just messaged Zen so hopefully its the same quick fix. I'm fairly tech savvy but the lack of guidance on this process (yeah just connected your phone to FON port and it will all work) is outstanding. God forbid my 80yr old dad had to do this.
It is simple unless your modem is in a bedroom on one phone line, and your landline phone is in the lounge, on a separate phone line. How will that work? Will we get faster Broadband on this new system? Both my lines have different numbers.
Hi Smiler, Sorry to hear you are experiencing issues, If you still require support, please go to www.zen.co.uk/live-chat where one of our team will be happy to help. Thanks, Paul
It would be so helpful to know the REN (Ringer Equivalence Number) of the router. Can only one analog phone (with a REN=1) be connected, or can wired extensions up to a REN=4 be connected to it?
Thank you for you video. I am using an amplifier landline phone bell ringer for extra loud telephone ring. How I will be able to have an amplifier with my phone with digital voice, and what I will need to buy?
Will the analogue phones connected to the back of the router still work once BT switch off the PSTN at the exchange which is due to happen in the not so distant future? i.e. is the socket on a router an analogue to digital converter?
My house is wired for phone sockets in several rooms and at least 3 of them are in regular use. What am I supposed to do? Presumably there must be a way of using the existing wiring? I'd be grateful for your help.
I am in exactly the same position and can get no info from the idiotic management at Zen that have changed our system without warning or consideration for the older citizen (I am 87) I had no information or adapter sent and have been without a phone for six days, plus the fact that on Sunday I thought I was going to have a heart attack! What a mess from what was one of the best providers in the country. Their management promised to send me an adapter six days ago - not arrived and I am then faced with buying an extension cable and drilling through a wall to the outside cupboard where the Fritz box is and they say they look after vulnerable customers.!!!!!
It would be useful if you could add close-up shots of the adapter fitting and socket - can't see what's what from this distance. Otherwise useful video, thanks.
That's all very well but what if you don't use a Fritz box, finding the earlier Zyxel one Zen supplied has a better Wifi range but does not have a socket to plug a phone in? Also, what is Zen doing to support users like me in rural poor mobile phone service areas who will need a battery backup to make/receive calls in case there's a mains power cut affecting the router?
Hi there Thomas, if you are using a Zyxel please get in touch with us directly and we'll help you get set up! In regard to needing a battery backup that's something that we can discuss over our live chat: www.zen.co.uk/live-chat - Thanks! - Alex
Do you support sip devices such as grand stream devices for analog for the voice service for people who don’t want to use the limited friz box and there own router
Hi Tim, the Fritzbox is capable of using SIP/Digital Voice from other providers, but you'd need to input all the details manually as provided by your provider! - Alex
The first step is to ensure that the 2-core copper cable from OpenReach is physically disconnected from back of the master socket. Whilst OpenReach will disable the phone service to your property at the phone exchange, the 2-core copper cable going to your property will still have a voltage applied to it (typ. 48V) and you do NOT want or need that to be accidentally connected to your router. NB: Each of the two cores should be disconnected (or cut) one at a time (to prevent them from accidentally being shorted together), and then safely insulated. [Failure to do this disconnection step before these next steps would be an illegal use of the OpenReach network wiring, and it would probably result in damage to your router.] Now that your house is fully disconnected from the external analog phone network, we can safely connect your Router to your home's phone extension wiring. Connect your Router's FON socket to the faceplate socket of your home's analog Master socket. This will require a male BT-plug to male BT-plug cable (readily available on Amazon in a variety of lengths) You will then find that all the analog phones in your house will have a dial-tone, and will work as expected but (most probably) with better audio quality.
Hi don1estelle, We do not recommend connecting your digital voice service to your existing extension sockets. If you require multiple telephones we recommend either the use of multiple Dect phones or use the Fritz!Fon App which is available in both Apple & Android app stores. If neither of these are suitable don't worry, we are also looking into offering the option of having an engineer come to your property and install digital voice adaptors. Thanks, Paul
Hi Nicholas, Thank you very much for your comment and for taking the time to offer support in such detail to a fellow viewer and Zen customer. Although the method you have described will likely work in practice, we have made the decision to no longer recommend this approach as while it may work for FTTP customers it will disconnect those who are using the latest copper broadband technologies (SoGEA). We are now recommending the following as an alternative approach: *The use of multiple Dect phones *Using the Fritz!Fon App on mobile devices *Or alternatively, we are looking into offering the option of having an engineer attend customer properties and install digital voice adaptors. Again thank you very much for you comment and for helping your fellow viewer and Zen customer. Thanks, Paul
@@MaxWattagethanks Nicholas for your reply hopefully it will be useful to someone who has been or is being moved from copper service to full fiber that prefers corded phones and has atleast two phones eg upstairs and downstairs eg elderly person who dosnt use the internet!
@@don1estelle Your not meant to cut any wire behind the master socket that is a openreach job by law. the back-plate and all wire behind that plate is your phone/ISP responsibility. The face-plate and all the wire coming out the face-plate is your responsibility. Also the is a little mistake in this video the microfilter is for the phone and not the internet this in a common mistake a microfilter filters out the analog noise from the phone.
All up and running but... your video shows a short adaptor which I didn't get with my Fritz box! So, bought a new one from Zen which came 'long' (this had come with the box). No prob but £5 wasted!
we got a (BT Decor 2200 V2) phone with a RJ11 pluged in from the phone to the (EX230v Router) but no tone or anything when I listen to the reciver - but the little green light with the phone icon is on solid & green - but not sure if its all done migrating over to the new sytem yet as we want to keep our old number but the internet part is working just no functional phone use yet don't even know if our phone is even compatible - not sure how long I should leave it before ringing my ISP to ask why its not working or if its working
I have BT8500 phones and same issue. See David Billington comment below - I think I have same issue i.e. my phone number is not configured in my FritzBox 7530 Telephony Menu and its not clear how to add it. Ive just sent them a web message so hope its as straightforward as Davids fix. Crazy how little info there is on what to do if "plug and play" doesnt work for you.
The comment that the set up will work for all DECT phones seems to be incorrect. I tried the wireless procedure with a BT Everyday phone and found it impossible to get the phone to connect to the router. I tried this with the base station on and off with the same result. I suspect this might be due to the fact that (I think) the phone may be a DECT analogue phone. not a digital one but have no way of being sure.
There is no such thing as a "DECT analogue phone" - DECT is - and always was - a digital protocol. You probably have an old analogue cordless telephone. The base station of your mobile needs to be plugged into the FON socket on the back of your Fritzbox (using the small black adapter).
So I don't have the black adaptor as I threw away the original Fritzbox packaging ages ago. I cannot find the correct micro filter online. The ones I can see appear to be the wrong way around. Please can you give me the exact name of the microfilter required, so that I can buy one ASAP as currently we have no landline!! Alternatively, can Zen send one to me ASAP please?
Exactly the same for me , they don't make any mention of any adapter, just "plug your phone into your router". So I won't have any phone until an adapter arrives.
Followed instructions but now I do not have connection to make calls out on either Zen digital or on the old analogue as before.Just get voice saying: The number is not recognised. So what is happening here and how can this be corrected ? Just read therough some of the other comments and not one repsonse from Zen to any of the questions raised here on TH-cam. What an appalling service !!!
The original advert for digital voice said all one had to do was plug a standard phone into the back of the Fritzbox. This is untrue - very untrue!. There was no mention of the black adapter. Nor has the ZEN helpline made any mention of this adapter - why not? It appears that the adapter simply has a "phone-to-phone socket" the RJ11. I happened to have a cable with an RJ11 at both ends and tried that; it did not work. I have the black adaptor - this did not work either. After four days of endless calls and my business phone was still not working. Finally, one person realized that the Fritzbox needed to be reconfigured to work with digital voice and talked me through the simple process. The system then worked flawlessly. Why was this not done at the start of the problem?
We've done all the steps in this video and tried calling the phone from a mobile and it doesn't ring. I've noticed on tge fritz boz the green light for the "Fon" option it only turns green when you pick up the phone? What can be done about this?
Hi Aaron, would it be possible for you to give us a call on 01706 902001 so we can look into the issue further for you or if you can send us a direct message over Twitter or Facebook we can get your account details, we also have a livechat function if you would prefer, thanks Nicky
This is very bad news openreach being allowed to do this. I've seen many examples recently where the digital connection and box has failed and house phone calls have been missed for older users who don't have a mobile phone and use the house phone some with subscription emergency care monitoring services.
I should have asked the question as to how to connect my Fritzbox to a digital phone. I started from the other end, and asked how to connect the phone, and have had a litany of incorrect advice, particularly from BT, etc. Sanity has resumed.
Hey Paul! I am inquiring whether you would be interested in expanding your video production efforts to include content for my channel. I am willing to pay you for that. Thank you.
This so doesn't work. "The telephony check failed. Registration with the telephony provider failed. Check the account information you entered for telephony." Firstly, what the hell is meant by the 'Registrar' field in 'Account information' when you're entering your phone number? Fritzbox offers no explanation and a Google search turns up literally nothing. Am I supposed to guess my way through this? Secondly, what's meant to go in these fields? 'Account Information' Username (what username are we talking about here?) Authentication name (What exactly is this?) Password (For what?) Registrar (What the hell is this, someone that marries people?) Proxy server (Again, for what?) Enter your area code: Area code This is crap and I'm left without a phone for a day.
Hi There, Sorry to hear you're having issues with the Digital voice service! If following the video hasn't resolved your issue please contact us on our live chat at: www.zen.co.uk/live-chat - Thanks! - Alex
I was due to have a job interview by phone this morning and have just discovered that my landline is not working (and has not been working since I was moved over to the new system two days ago). There was absolutely no communication to me prior to this happening.... Just an email saying my order was complete (not ordered by me!!!) I do not have the RJ11 adaptor -- I have the original fritz box .... no, it's not in there. Absolutely rubbish customer service and - needless to say - the job interview did not go well.
Where did the Black adaptor come from or where can we get one if we do not have one?
It would have been super-helpful had you identified this mysterious "black adapter" you speak of. I suspect it is an RJ45 socket to RJ11 plug.
My digital voice service didn't work after the phone was connected as shown and assumed it was because no phone number was configured in the Fritzbox. The box came preconfigured to connect to Zen but no phone number was configured, whether this was an oversight at Zen I don't know but the broadband upgrade and digital voice were ordered at the same time. I couldn't find any information online about how to configure it so contacted Zen by email and got a fairly quick reply and verified the phone was connected as per video, subsequently got another email to say the VOIP settings had been sent to the router which I could see and after rebooting the router all was working as intended. I would say a fairly quick resolution at about 1.5 hours, thanks Zen. I presume from the video that the Fritzbox should have come with the number configured but in my case it didn't.
Sounds exactly like my situation. Also tried pairing my BT DECT phones with the Fritzbox with DECT base station enabled which works but still no dial tone - assume same issue ie telephone number missing. I tried adding it but wont accept without a load of Account Information fields being empty (Registrar, Proxy Server etc). Just messaged Zen so hopefully its the same quick fix. I'm fairly tech savvy but the lack of guidance on this process (yeah just connected your phone to FON port and it will all work) is outstanding. God forbid my 80yr old dad had to do this.
It is simple unless your modem is in a bedroom on one phone line, and your landline phone is in the lounge,
on a separate phone line.
How will that work?
Will we get faster Broadband on this new system?
Both my lines have different numbers.
Hi Smiler,
Sorry to hear you are experiencing issues, If you still require support, please go to www.zen.co.uk/live-chat where one of our team will be happy to help.
Thanks,
Paul
It would be so helpful to know the REN (Ringer Equivalence Number) of the router. Can only one analog phone (with a REN=1) be connected, or can wired extensions up to a REN=4 be connected to it?
What is this adapter called?
Thank you for you video. I am using an amplifier landline phone bell ringer for extra loud telephone ring. How I will be able to have an amplifier with my phone with digital voice, and what I will need to buy?
Will the analogue phones connected to the back of the router still work once BT switch off the PSTN at the exchange which is due to happen in the not so distant future? i.e. is the socket on a router an analogue to digital converter?
My house is wired for phone sockets in several rooms and at least 3 of them are in regular use. What am I supposed to do? Presumably there must be a way of using the existing wiring?
I'd be grateful for your help.
I am in exactly the same position and can get no info from the idiotic management at Zen that have changed our system without warning or consideration for the older citizen (I am 87) I had no information or adapter sent and have been without a phone for six days, plus the fact that on Sunday I thought I was going to have a heart attack! What a mess from what was one of the best providers in the country. Their management promised to send me an adapter six days ago - not arrived and I am then faced with buying an extension cable and drilling through a wall to the outside cupboard where the Fritz box is and they say they look after vulnerable customers.!!!!!
It would be useful if you could add close-up shots of the adapter fitting and socket - can't see what's what from this distance. Otherwise useful video, thanks.
That's all very well but what if you don't use a Fritz box, finding the earlier Zyxel one Zen supplied has a better Wifi range but does not have a socket to plug a phone in? Also, what is Zen doing to support users like me in rural poor mobile phone service areas who will need a battery backup to make/receive calls in case there's a mains power cut affecting the router?
Hi there Thomas, if you are using a Zyxel please get in touch with us directly and we'll help you get set up! In regard to needing a battery backup that's something that we can discuss over our live chat: www.zen.co.uk/live-chat - Thanks! - Alex
Do you support sip devices such as grand stream devices for analog for the voice service for people who don’t want to use the limited friz box and there own router
Can you tell me where to buy a black adapter?
Hi Catherine,
Of course, please go to www.zen.co.uk/live-chat where one of our team will be happy to help.
Thanks,
Paul
Will the FritzBox work with BTs Digital Voice? I'm due to be switched over soon and I use a FritzBox instead of the BT hub.
Hi Tim, the Fritzbox is capable of using SIP/Digital Voice from other providers, but you'd need to input all the details manually as provided by your provider! - Alex
how do you connect the box to the existing telephone wiring eg extension sockets once the analog service stops working?
The first step is to ensure that the 2-core copper cable from OpenReach is physically disconnected from back of the master socket.
Whilst OpenReach will disable the phone service to your property at the phone exchange, the 2-core copper cable going to your property will still have a voltage applied to it (typ. 48V) and you do NOT want or need that to be accidentally connected to your router. NB: Each of the two cores should be disconnected (or cut) one at a time (to prevent them from accidentally being shorted together), and then safely insulated.
[Failure to do this disconnection step before these next steps would be an illegal use of the OpenReach network wiring, and it would probably result in damage to your router.]
Now that your house is fully disconnected from the external analog phone network, we can safely connect your Router to your home's phone extension wiring.
Connect your Router's FON socket to the faceplate socket of your home's analog Master socket.
This will require a male BT-plug to male BT-plug cable (readily available on Amazon in a variety of lengths)
You will then find that all the analog phones in your house will have a dial-tone, and will work as expected but (most probably) with better audio quality.
Hi don1estelle,
We do not recommend connecting your digital voice service to your existing extension sockets. If you require multiple telephones we recommend either the use of multiple Dect phones or use the Fritz!Fon App which is available in both Apple & Android app stores.
If neither of these are suitable don't worry, we are also looking into offering the option of having an engineer come to your property and install digital voice adaptors.
Thanks,
Paul
Hi Nicholas,
Thank you very much for your comment and for taking the time to offer support in such detail to a fellow viewer and Zen customer.
Although the method you have described will likely work in practice, we have made the decision to no longer recommend this approach as while it may work for FTTP customers it will disconnect those who are using the latest copper broadband technologies (SoGEA).
We are now recommending the following as an alternative approach:
*The use of multiple Dect phones
*Using the Fritz!Fon App on mobile devices
*Or alternatively, we are looking into offering the option of having an engineer attend customer properties and install digital voice adaptors.
Again thank you very much for you comment and for helping your fellow viewer and Zen customer.
Thanks,
Paul
@@MaxWattagethanks Nicholas for your reply hopefully it will be useful to someone who has been or is being moved from copper service to full fiber that prefers corded phones and has atleast two phones eg upstairs and downstairs eg elderly person who dosnt use the internet!
@@don1estelle Your not meant to cut any wire behind the master socket
that is a openreach job by law. the back-plate and all wire behind that plate
is your phone/ISP responsibility. The face-plate and all the wire coming out
the face-plate is your responsibility. Also the is a little mistake in this video
the microfilter is for the phone and not the internet this in a common mistake
a microfilter filters out the analog noise from the phone.
All up and running but... your video shows a short adaptor which I didn't get with my Fritz box! So, bought a new one from Zen which came 'long' (this had come with the box). No prob but £5 wasted!
i have three phones in my house. Can I connect them all?
we got a (BT Decor 2200 V2) phone with a RJ11 pluged in from the phone to the (EX230v Router) but no tone or anything when I listen to the reciver - but the little green light with the phone icon is on solid & green - but not sure if its all done migrating over to the new sytem yet as we want to keep our old number but the internet part is working just no functional phone use yet
don't even know if our phone is even compatible - not sure how long I should leave it before ringing my ISP to ask why its not working or if its working
I have BT8500 phones and same issue. See David Billington comment below - I think I have same issue i.e. my phone number is not configured in my FritzBox 7530 Telephony Menu and its not clear how to add it. Ive just sent them a web message so hope its as straightforward as Davids fix. Crazy how little info there is on what to do if "plug and play" doesnt work for you.
Have managed to overcome it, because I am having problems
The registration of my telephone number always fails. Can you tell me how to register a phone number?
The comment that the set up will work for all DECT phones seems to be incorrect. I tried the wireless procedure with a BT Everyday phone and found it impossible to get the phone to connect to the router. I tried this with the base station on and off with the same result. I suspect this might be due to the fact that (I think) the phone may be a DECT analogue phone. not a digital one but have no way of being sure.
There is no such thing as a "DECT analogue phone" - DECT is - and always was - a digital protocol. You probably have an old analogue cordless telephone. The base station of your mobile needs to be plugged into the FON socket on the back of your Fritzbox (using the small black adapter).
So I don't have the black adaptor as I threw away the original Fritzbox packaging ages ago. I cannot find the correct micro filter online. The ones I can see appear to be the wrong way around. Please can you give me the exact name of the microfilter required, so that I can buy one ASAP as currently we have no landline!! Alternatively, can Zen send one to me ASAP please?
Hi Lisa, yes of course we can send you one. Please can you DM me with your account details so I can put the order through for you. Thanks, Alys 🙂
Exactly the same for me , they don't make any mention of any adapter, just "plug your phone into your router". So I won't have any phone until an adapter arrives.
@@simoncains8595 precisely
My router is in a bedroom, my master socket and phone is in my hall. What happens in this case?
Followed instructions but now I do not have connection to make calls out on either Zen digital or on the old analogue as before.Just get voice saying: The number is not recognised. So what is happening here and how can this be corrected ?
Just read therough some of the other comments and not one repsonse from Zen to any of the questions raised here on TH-cam. What an appalling service !!!
The original advert for digital voice said all one had to do was plug a standard phone into the back of the Fritzbox. This is untrue - very untrue!. There was no mention of the black adapter. Nor has the ZEN helpline made any mention of this adapter - why not? It appears that the adapter simply has a "phone-to-phone socket" the RJ11. I happened to have a cable with an RJ11 at both ends and tried that; it did not work. I have the black adaptor - this did not work either. After four days of endless calls and my business phone was still not working. Finally, one person realized that the Fritzbox needed to be reconfigured to work with digital voice and talked me through the simple process. The system then worked flawlessly. Why was this not done at the start of the problem?
We've done all the steps in this video and tried calling the phone from a mobile and it doesn't ring. I've noticed on tge fritz boz the green light for the "Fon" option it only turns green when you pick up the phone? What can be done about this?
Hi Aaron, would it be possible for you to give us a call on 01706 902001 so we can look into the issue further for you or if you can send us a direct message over Twitter or Facebook we can get your account details, we also have a livechat function if you would prefer, thanks Nicky
And the cost to the customer is ?
This is very bad news openreach being allowed to do this. I've seen many examples recently where the digital connection and box has failed and house phone calls have been missed for older users who don't have a mobile phone and use the house phone some with subscription emergency care monitoring services.
This explains how to connect a phone, which is obvious. The title says how to set up the SERVICE, this is not explained at all.
super simple thanks v much !
Glad to hear it was helpful 😊
I should have asked the question as to how to connect my Fritzbox to a digital phone. I started from the other end, and asked how to connect the phone, and have had a litany of incorrect advice, particularly from BT, etc. Sanity has resumed.
Hey Paul!
I am inquiring whether you would be interested in expanding your video production efforts to include content for my channel. I am willing to pay you for that.
Thank you.
What about the 99% of people who don't have analogue phones?
This so doesn't work. "The telephony check failed. Registration with the telephony provider failed. Check the account information you entered for telephony."
Firstly, what the hell is meant by the 'Registrar' field in 'Account information' when you're entering your phone number? Fritzbox offers no explanation and a Google search turns up literally nothing. Am I supposed to guess my way through this?
Secondly, what's meant to go in these fields?
'Account Information'
Username (what username are we talking about here?)
Authentication name (What exactly is this?)
Password (For what?)
Registrar (What the hell is this, someone that marries people?)
Proxy server (Again, for what?)
Enter your area code:
Area code
This is crap and I'm left without a phone for a day.
Value
And it still doesn't work
Hi There, Sorry to hear you're having issues with the Digital voice service! If following the video hasn't resolved your issue please contact us on our live chat at: www.zen.co.uk/live-chat - Thanks! - Alex
Don't do this it a con to get everyone on the Internet