Phone compatibility

[Pugwash+7]

Can anyone recommend a home phone that works with Sky "broadband and phone". We have moved to a new build and have fibre to the house connection, so don't have a conventional phone socket. A new phone will have to connect to the Sky broadband hub. I've just bought the Siemens Gigaset C570 phone and discovered that the Gigaset series phones are not compatible with the Sky hub / Sky broadband system. Any suggestions appreciated. Thank you.

[Mark39 · Accepted solution]

Any standard phone handset (not a VOIP phone) should work with the Sky Broadband Hub

[TimmyBGood]

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@Pugwash+7 wrote:

 I've just bought the Siemens Gigaset C570 phone and discovered that the Gigaset series phones are not compatible with the Sky hub / Sky broadband system.

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That would be 'compatible' as a VOIP phone plugged into an ethernet socket on the Hub and used with a 'real' external VOIP provider account (Vonage, RingCentral etc).  What it's not compatible with is the phone port on the Hub or the Sky Talk service bundled with Sky Broadband: as @Mark39 indicates those require a non-VOIP handset (or base station) because it's the ATA behind the phone port on the Hub which transforms such things to VOIP.

Any Gigaset PSTN phone should be fine, as should PSTN hardware from any other brand.  Unfortunately ISPs create confusion by referring to their SOGEA voice provision as VOIP: while it technically is that, consumers don't require (and indeed cannot use) their own VOIP hardware with it.

[Pugwash+7]

Thank you for your suggestion. Greatly appreciated.

[Pugwash+7]

Thank you for your detailed reply, TimmyBGood. Greatly appreciated.

[BrianGJSteer]

I see this discussion was a year or so ago. Has it been resolved yet? I have been thinking of buying a Gigaset system, such as the Gigaset C570 system and base unit that can be used either as a PSTN standard phone line system or switched to a VoIP system, plugging it into a router. As there appears to be no resolution that Sky can offer for Gigaset phone users, I may have to choose an different way to move to VoIP, when BT switch the service off in my area.

If it hasn't been resolved I may have my phone line taken away from Sky, just having them provide broadband, then using a second FTTP provider I have that I can use for VoIP.

The other query I have is whether Sky woudl give out the VoIP settings to use on a Gigaset VoIP phoen system, but I suspect they may want to keep that to themselves.

Has anyone managed to successfully use a Gigaset phone system with Sky yet, perhaps just as if it was connected to a PSTN system, plugging it into the Sky router, if not the VoIP system?

[Mark39]

@BrianGJSteer I don't think there's anything to resolve. Sky's Hub was ne never designed to accommodate IP handsets. I don't imagine that will change.

You can still use an IP phone via the Hub's ethernet connection and an independent VOIP provider.

[BrianGJSteer]

Thanks, appreciated. I did wonder if that was the case.

[TimmyBGood]

@BrianGJSteer 

There's nothing to be resolved, at least from the Sky perspective.

The port on the Hub gives an analogue handset or DECT system access to Sky Talk Internet Calls, while 'real' VOIP users (who are a very small minority) connect their phones over ethernet or WiFi.  

[TimmyBGood]

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@BrianGJSteer wrote:

If it hasn't been resolved I may have my phone line taken away from Sky, just having them provide broadband, then using a second FTTP provider I have that I can use for VoIP.

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'have my phone line taken away from Sky' doesn't make sense on FTTP: there are no 'phone lines' once PSTN ceases.

What you are suggesting requires two ONTs, two live optical connections, two ISP subscriptions and a whole lot of local network complications.