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Thoughts on ditching a landline and going for mobile


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Thanks for that pip24,   I do agree,   that description does sow considerable doubt in the mind, and it wasn't just a "customer-who-didn't-get-it-to-work" review.

I have a couple of 315s which work well,   but had wondered whether to get a spare in the form of a 311.   You've saved me some dosh and possibly a future long argument with a seller.

Appreciate the information,  renewed thanks.

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  • 2 weeks later...
I've had a message from someone who sheds some light on this RJ11 problem;   the version of the box issued by some Telecoms Companies for Home Broadband has the telephone socket disabled,   but the version you can buy on line *should* work and allow calls using the box and the inserted SIM.

I think one would have to check carefully before pressing the ADD TO BASKET symbol,   and simply send it back if it didn't work.   AIUI it's the B310 that won't work with a phone,  and the B311 that *should* work.

It is confusing,  and personally I think one might be safer paying a little extra for the B315 (which also has four rather than only one ethernet socket).

Thanks to my informant - you know who you - and I've tried to thank you via ordinary email but my message bounces back.

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Too late Martin! I ordered a b311 yesterday and got an email to say its on its way ten minutes before I read you post. My own take on the enable/disable was similar to yours. I've ordered from amazon and if you look the white b11 is cheaper than the black b11. If you look at the specs the black unit has voip etc and the white unit doesn't so on that basis I bought the black one to be delivered tomorrow. I don't think that we will be able to get to France until September so I wont be able to test it out until then. I have no regrets on cancelling the landline as long as we can still get satellite tv. Thanks for the information.
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Obviously I don't know your exact situation,   but you should be able to test it (the phone socket) out with any old SIM card that works,  including a British one.   The only thing I would recommend is that if you don't have data on the SIM card you try it with,  or it's a foreign one,  that you go into the menus and disable data roaming and - if the card doesn't have data - all data use.

You might need to give it a few minutes to settle down,  I remember that the first time I tried it on SFR in France it was about ten minutes before the phone line decided it was going to work.

But in essence even a SIM card for phone-only (ie 2G) *ought* to give you access to the phone via the B311.   Apparently it's done sometimes for old folk in homes that don't have a phone line easily provided,   instead of giving them a mobile which would probably confuse them,  you give them a conventional phone plugged into a Huawei type modem-router with a phone SIM,  and they don't have anything new to contend with as the phone appears to behave like a perfectly normal landline in use.

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Martin963 wrote :

Apparently it's done sometimes for old folk in homes that don't have a phone line easily provided, instead of giving them a mobile which would probably confuse them, you give them a conventional phone plugged into a Huawei type modem-router with a phone SIM, and they don't have anything new to contend with as the phone appears to behave like a perfectly normal landline in use.

Hello again Martin ?

Just to add that this is what I am proposing to install for an elderly friend who really needs to be in a 'retirement home' but is fighting going there all the way.

She is, OTOH, familiar with mobile usage as she has had repeated Hospital stays, where mobiles accessing whatsapp calls are the norm using 4G.

But in order to ring the fixed numbers of her (distant) family in the UK she needs a handset which is enabled to access UK numbers and which can be plugged into the (Sim) router.
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Yes,  it's a good solution,  and for the not-so-old as well.   It suited us in France;  when we ditched the landline in France neither of us wanted to have to hunt for a small ringing mobile that we'd probably left in a silly place the last time we'd used it. 

So having ordinary phones (both cabled and DECT) plugged into the Huawei and ringing somewhere where we knew where they were was - at least for our requirements - ideal.   And it means that the mobile phone radio-frequency signals are kept well away from one's head,   as they're coming and going via the Huawei rather than the handset.

And greetings to you too suein56.   I think you're having better weather than us,  after the beautiful spring we've had a lot of rain and a lot of wind.   Mrs W is finding that veg growing back here - even with a polytunnel - is a slower process than in 24.   And the bleedin' SLUGS,  everywhere!   Luckily we've a whole lot of bottled beer that is past its sell by date and not as nice as it was,   but the slugs think it's heaven (quite literally,  because they quickly end up there soon after the first sip).

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Martin963 wrote :

And greetings to you too suein56. I think you're having better weather than us, after the beautiful spring we've had a lot of rain and a lot of wind. Mrs W is finding that veg growing back here - even with a polytunnel - is a slower process than in 24. And the bleedin' SLUGS, everywhere! Luckily we've a whole lot of bottled beer that is past its sell by date and not as nice as it was, but the slugs think it's heaven (quite literally, because they quickly end up there soon after the first sip).

Here in southern Morbihan we were in a small depression for a while .. but yesterday matters improved and today summer has arrived .. 27° or so around lunchtime.

The mixed sunshine, showers and then some cooler weather meant everything shot up in the potager and in the garden .. especially the weeds.

We too struggle with slugs .. and birds .. eating everything at all edible.

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