BT Advanced Digital Home Phone with Alexa Built-In Works Only With BT Smart Hub 2

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If you like, you can also use your existing phone with BT’s Digital Voice service. However, you may not get the benefits of HD-quality calls unless your phone is already compatible with the HD Voice feature. BT’s Digital Voice service is powered via broadband and if the internet goes down, you won't be able to use your phone or Alexa features. Please make sure that you have another way to call for help in an emergency. The Advanced Digital Home Phone with Alexa built-in is a real game-changer for your home. Available only on Digital Voice our new home phone service. Giving you a future-ready connection at home that makes keeping in touch with loved ones even better.

It’s also possible to do this using the Alexa app on your smartphone or tablet. Just open the app and select the Conversations button. BT today unveiled the new Advanced Digital Home Phone with Alexa built-in, which will be available free to customers taking BT’s Broadband and Digital Voice service, offering crystal-clear HD calling.Minute Mindfulness – This beginner-friendly skill aims to detach you from stresses and strains in just one minute. This doesn’t send messages to their phone directly – it will be sent to the recipient’s Echo speaker and Alexa app on their smartphone. If you’re simply migrating to a digital phone line without upgrading to full fibre, then there won’t be any change to the physical infrastructure. Your service will work using the wiring that’s already in place - it’ll simply be a case of connecting your phone via your router. Those who currently only have a landline won't be forced to pay for broadband services that they don't want or need. Their digital phone service will work using a special dedicated broadband connection and shouldn't cost any more than what they pay now. BT has made a specific commitment to telecoms regulator Ofcom that its customers will pay the same amount, and Virgin Media says its voice-only customers will get the hub necessary for its digital phone services at no additional cost. What are the risks of the move to digital voice? BT touts the handset as having “crystal-clear” HD calling. Good call quality is always welcome, particularly for elderly folks who may have trouble hearing, or for those who usually have to deal with poor connections.

Alexa's integration with the Advanced Digital Home Phone might be giving customers something to think about before deciding to go ahead with the upgrade, as the freedom Alexa is being allowed here could be a point of concern for some customers. Wake up to your favourite tunes – Tell Alexa to ‘Wake me up at 8am to…’ and then name a song or artist you like. Ingredient Sub – Have a lovely recipe idea but missing one ingredient? This handy skill saves the day. Simply ask: ‘Alexa, Open Ingredient Sub’ and you’ll be given good options you can use as a substitute. Turn on Echo Connect. First, plug the included power adapter into Echo Connect and then into a power outlet. The power LED light on the top will be solid when it has power. With Echo Connect and a compatible Echo device, you can ask Alexa to call anyone using your phone landline at home. Echo Connect routes call through your number, either landline or VoIP, so that friends and family recognise who is calling on their caller ID.However, while Alexa is able to connect to smart devices around the house, it is not a surveillance tool, and its implementation into BT's Advanced Digital Home Phone is entirely at the user's discretion.

Link the handset - press OK on your phone and follow the on-screen steps. When asked, press and hold the WPS button on your Hub for two seconds - it's halfway up on the left hand side. The WPS button will flash while the phone and Hub are linking and the phone will show it's registering Digital Voice works with your existing phone, or you can get a new Digital Home Phone. You can use your existing phone by plugging it in to your Smart Hub 2 router or in to a Digital Voice Adapter. Alternatively, you can get a new Digital Home Phone such as the Advanced handset with Alexa built-in. Voice of the day – This free Alexa Skill challenges you to identify the famous voice from a short sound clip. To try Voice of the Day for yourself, simply say ‘Alexa, open Voice of the Day’. To repeat the sound clip, just say ‘Alexa, play the clip again’.

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You’ll also be able to choose between 1 x Advanced Digital Phone with Alexa built-in or 2 x Essential Digital Phones at no extra cost.

Google's Chromecast Audio was another option at one point, but again that device is no longer on sale. The Alexa feature can only be used on one BT Advanced Digital Home Phone at a time. If you have other BT Advanced Digital Home Phones with Alexa built-in, you will see a blue circle at the top of the display to show at a glance that someone is already using the Alexa feature Once set up, your phone will work in much the same way it always has. You'll be able to keep the same phone number and will still hear a dial tone when you lift the handset. Make Alexa your default voice assistant on Android devices – On a Samsung Galaxy phone, open the settings menu in the Alexa app and choose Advanced Features, tap Device assistance app, Device assistance app again and tap Alexa. On other Android devices, open the settings menu and choose Apps. Tap the three dots at the top right and choose Default apps. Tap Device assistance app and then select Alexa. The only limitation of Alexa on Android is that you have to hold down on the home button on your device to activate Alexa –you can’t just say ‘Alexa’ at any time and expect it to respond. Apple iOS users still need to go into the Alexa app if you want to use Alexa on Apple devices.You'll also still have to pay for calls in the same way – that's even the case if they're delivered using your broadband connection. How will digital voice services be connected to my home? Not everyone has a broadband connection through their phone line – they won’t – they haven’t signed up to BT Broadband. How is it going to work? We don’t have a broadband connection. The whole thing is madness. Not all phones lines work with broadband. Lots of phone lines would need to be changed. This wouldn’t have happened in the Thatcher years. Reply And no, Alexa can't call 911, either. Easy access to emergency services is one of the big reasons why a lot of people still hang onto their landline (especially people with children), so it's hard to imagine them seeing Alexa as a legitimate replacement for the phone they've already got. But for some people it’s also possible to make a receive call with Alexa, using your mobile phone number. In the UK this is limited to EE customers and Vodafone customers who have a Red account. Once set up, incoming calls to your mobile phone will ring your Alexa devices as well as your phone, and similarly, you can place calls from your phone number by speaking to Alexa on an Echo speaker or display.