…exatly what I use since two years 👍😉

 

Really brings the cars up to a modern spec!

 

It is probably a silly question as i am not very techie but do you still have to have your own Smart Phone to make this work or does it work without on its own?

What is the unit called as i did not catch the name and also the brackets needed, but if a Smart Phone is needed it would be no use for me as i only have a dumb phone and have no intention a buying a Smart Phone.

I am happy being old fashioned with my home landline phone and only take my dumb phone in the car incase of emergencies like calling the local curry house to make sure they have not run out of Onion Bhajis before i get there.

 

Yes unfortunately the screens serve little purpose without a phone connection. The reason they are so affordable is because most of the computing power comes from the connected smartphone. I would say that the likes of a tomtom would work far better in that case.

 

Test_driver - your current landline phone will be inoperable in a year or two owing to fibre upgrades.

 

As long as you have WiFi, you will still have access

 

„What is the unit called as i did not catch the name“

-> I use a ‚Podofo‘ which works fine 👍

Podofo Tragbar Wireless Carplay Bildschirm mit 2K Dashcam Vorne und HD Rückfahrkamera, 9,3-Zoll Drahtlosem Car Play Android Auto Touch Screen Display mit Bluetooth/GPS/Siri/FM/AUX/64G TF Karte: Amazon.de: Elektronik & Foto

Podofo Tragbar Wireless Carplay Bildschirm mit 2K Dashcam Vorne und HD Rückfahrkamera, 9,3-Zoll Drahtlosem Car Play Android Auto Touch Screen Display mit Bluetooth/GPS/Siri/FM/AUX/64G TF Karte: Amazon.de: Elektronik & Foto

amzn.eu

Be aware to get the right version of it (…because their exist several !) to make everything work with the UP.
You need the/a version with ‚dual bluetooth‘ to get navigation hints played through the cars speekers (…instead of the device itself) parallel to playing music from the devices carplay through the car speakers.

It’s model #3073 which can do this.
(…how to find the model number is explained in #1 of my thread in the German forum -> link above)

You probably get the item much cheaper at Ali‘sExpress, but the problem there is, to find out, which model they‘ll send you… 🤪
No hassel with Amazon…

Most important to me: The device has to work with the provided current of the USB-port ‚on the dash‘ - the ‚Podofo‘ does ✅


But: You need a smartphone connected to the CarPlay-screen/Podofo, as it is ‚only the screen‘ -> the ‚source‘ for music, navigation, etc. is the phone !

Greetings, Dirk

 

Yes unfortunately the screens serve little purpose without a phone connection. The reason they are so affordable is because most of the computing power comes from the connected smartphone. I would say that the likes of a tomtom would work far better in that case.

Test_driver - your current landline phone will be inoperable in a year or two owing to fibre upgrades.

As long as you have WiFi, you will still have access

Thanks for that. I will stick with my TomTom then.

I know landlines are going over to fibre, but i have been told the phone will still work. You just need to plug it into the router instead of the wall socket. The only problem is i still have a corded phone downstairs and the router upstairs, so i will need a long extension lead to go all the way upstairs.

I could just buy new cordless phones (2 phones) and plug the base phone in to the router upstairs and have the other phone downstairs, but if it will work WiFi as OStewart says then would i still need to plug it in to the router or need an extension lead?

I really only need the phone line for the computer Internet as i hardly ever make phone calls.

 

The supplied fibre router should have a means to use an analogue phone (by converting it to IP), but not all routers do so you may have to specify this when you go to fibre, as there is more than one company providing the fibre. As said, chances are that your old phone is a long way from the router, but you can plug in a DECT base station to the router, and have a client phone somewhere else or buy an IP phone. It's probably cheaper to ditch the old phone and just use a mobile. I assume the fibre rental would be cheaper without including a phone package, but I don't know. I do know they try to up-sell people into packages they don't need!

 

Thanks Steve, but its all a bit confusing for me. Not sure what IP is. My router is around 10 years old so not a fibre one. I am only on a Fast Broadband contract with the company just renewed a 24 month contract. Therefore if the fibre switchover comes before my 24 month contract ends, i guess they would put me on a new fibre contract and supply me a new fibre router.

What is a DECT base station? I guess a separate unit that i would have to buy which then sends a signal to the phone.

I think the best bet would be for me to buy a new cordless phone that comes with 2 phones. One a base station phone which i would plug into the router,(or use it by WiFi) either my present router or the new fibre router and the other phone keep downstairs where my old one is. I dont want to rely on a mobile phone.

Anyway it may not be for around two years yet so i will sort things out then hopefully.

 

An IP phone is just a digital one using "internet protocol" in the same way as a PC connects on your home network to the internet, using either WiFi (radio) or Ethernet (wires)....

But don't worry about it, as a cordless phone (DECT), or pair of cordless phones will do you, as you say. One of the phones will be a "base station", possibly with an answering machine built-in, that has a phone lead (wire) that usually plugs into the new router that will be needed when you get fibre. The router does a conversion from old analogue phone to digital suitable for internet use (that's the IP bit). The other phone of the pair can be put anywhere in the house that is convenient for you, as it just needs a mains plug nearby for keeping it charged up.

We have 4 cordless phones around the house, so we can always hear one them, andvget recorded missed calls. The audio quality is poor, which a feature o DECT, but it's OK for use once in a while.

We have one shared mobile phone (80 pence per month, Lebara on the Vodafone system), and until we switched provider, we needed the landline phone as there was no indoor mobile signal with the previous provider (EE)!

I think when we get fibre, we'll keep the cordless (DECT) phones even if they charge a bit more for a landline number. Maybe all providers give landline phone capability for free - I don't know. TalkTalk would be off our list of possibles though, no matter the price, as we had a basic broadband fault once with them that turned into a massive PITA, as their customer support was dreadful - they blamed our house, when the actual problem was in the exchange or street box!

 

All the providers are fine until something goes wrong, either a technical problem or a billing or renewal problem. We try to operate a policy of "screw me once, and it's bye-bye for good".

For renewal of internet or phone providers, I usually check with Martin's Money first. Sometimes, discounts can be found. For example, my phone has a rolling monthly contract with Lebara, which is 80p a month for unlimited calls & texts and 10GB of data. You could argue that since I probably make 7-8 calls a month, and maybe 10 texts, plus I rarely need mobile data at all, then it's quite expensive per text or call!

Switching provider has never been easier. For internet, I just renewed PlusNet (a BT company) who are not the cheapest for my postcode, but were good when we had a problem. I also avoid companies (where possible) that have support centres offshore. Not because I'm racist, but because no matter how good their english is, they never understand the nuances of what I'm saying, and I can never hear them properly owing noisy backgrounds and accents. And I hate being told to 'have nice day' especially when I'm angry at their general uselessnes.

 

Just an update. A complaint log has been taken out and they say a TalkTalk Manager will contact me re the wrong bill in a few days.

I am still on Copper landline but i have purchased a new Panasonic cordless DECT phone. The model is KXTGC262EB It comes with 2 phones a built in answerphone and a speaker. Fresh out of the box i managed to set it up and had to put the phones on charge for 7 hours. The instructions said it takes 7 hours to charge and it did.

My question is......now the phones are fully charged and it says fully charged on the handset displays.....Do i leave the handsets in the base holder and charge holder or take them out and leave them on the table? I did remove the handsets from the holders to check i had inputted the date and time correctly. I then put the handset back in the base holder and it said charging again on the display, so i removed the handset again.

I am not sure if the phones will over charge if left in the holder and get damaged or if the charging cuts off when fully charged. I guess the display would have changed to fully charged after a few seconds but i did not wait. Also do i need to keep the base station plugged in to the mains all the time or can i unplug it at night?

Sorry to be a pain but it is the first cordless phone i have had and the instructions are very basic and useless. It has 2 AAA Rechargeable batteries in each handset as well.

 

I tend to leave them on the table and only charge them up when the batteries are low.
Mine are Siemens phones.

Thanks. UP SI

 

T-D - I've used DECT or similar cordless phones for well more than 20 years. I have the same Panasonic phones as you, but about 6 years older (the tech has not changed for many years). Mine have always lived in their charging bases and have had no ill effects on the batteries. If you leave them out of the bases, they will discharge as you will forget to charge them up (170 hours claimed). The batteries in these phones are 2x standard AAA NiMH rechargeables, and are cheap and readily available if you are worried about how long they last, in terms of long-term "holding charge", either in or out of the bases.

Besides, in my case, if I did not put the handsets back in the bases, they would likely end up lost for weeks! But you can do internal calls between them, so you can locate them by the ringing tone!

Interestingly, I only get about 1 message a year on the answering machine, but a few years ago, if I went out there would likely be a message. It's possibly 'cos nobody likes me anymore, or maybe everyone just does texts, and has no time to leave a message.

The "spoken caller name announce" feature is good, as is the call barring.

 

I will leave the handsets in the holders then. The instructions are very basic. The description on the Argos web site says the phone has 5 different ring tones, but nothing in the instructions to say how to change them.

When i go on holiday i was thinking of unplugging the phones from the mains, the same as i do with my PC Router. Would that mean i would have to set up the phone again when plugged back in like the first time, date time etc?

Just like you i rarely get any messages or even calls seeing as i am Billy No Mates. The only way i can test the phone is by calling from my mobile to the landline which i do every 3 months to keep the mobile valid. Sad i know.

 

IIRC, ring tones can be set by working your way through the menus on the handset. (Spanner icon, initial setup?)

The base station keeps time and date only for a short while if unplugged (not sure how long), but setting time from the handset is easy enough when you're used to it. In any case the time on the phone drifts a bit, so if you are OCD like me, it needs resetting periodically.

 

Final Update on the phone saga. The Manager phoned yesterday as he said he would. That alone was unusual.

He apologised for the mix up and said the only way to input the correct price of £20-00 a month instead of the incorrect £22-00 was to take out a new Contract for £20-00 a month, so this is what i have done.

I could not believe it. He then said there would be a £30-00 admin charge for the change. I said no way will i pay that when the error was your companies fault. He agreed not to charge it. He also said he will send me the latest new router and said the postage would be £10-00. Again i refused to pay this so he said he would not charge it. I have all this in writing.

So all sorted at last. The correct contract price. £40-00 saved that he tried to charge (admin and postage) and a new router when it arrives. I hope when i connect the new router it does not mess up my home page and Google tool bar on the PC. He said you just unplug the old router and plug in the new one. I hope it is that simple.

It was also the first time i could try out my new phone and it is excellent. The ringer, handset and speaker are all loud and clear. How anyone can say in reviews the sounds are too low i do not know. Perhaps their ears need cleaning. Even on mid volume it was ok and on full volume amazing.

 

Glad you are sorted and happy with the new phone.
The router just plugs into the wall socket, but you may be asked to set up a new password, and any PCs, phones, tablets etc that connect over WiFi will need to use the new SSID (name) of the router and the password/passcode or other means of getting securely connected - there will be a short user guide in the box.

TalkTalk - what a shower! I used them once, but never again!

 

Thanks. Im not sure if i made it clear, but i am still on Copper landline and the new router will still be Copper landline not digital fibre. I think at the moment my router is plugged into the mains and another wire goes into the landline socket with a filter so the internet and phone can be used together. I guess the new router will have to be plugged in the same way?

I think when we change over to Digital fibre i will get another new router that only needs to be plugged into the mains? Must be as there will be no landline any more as the phone is plugged into the router. I dont know how the router receives the signal though without being connected to a landline socket. I guess by wifi from outside?

I agree with you about TalkTalk but they are still far cheaper than the others. I guess the old saying You get what you pay for is correct.

 

The new router will connect in the same way - mains wall-power unit, a lead between router and the wall socket/filter thing (US-style RJ11 connector) and the DECT base station into the other socket (BT connector). You can't really get it wrong as the connectors are different.

When you get fibre, depending on supplier there can be a couple of configurations. One way is a small box that needs power, which terminates the fibre cable, and just presents an ethernet (RJ45) socket. You also get a unit that is like your current WiFi router, but instead of it having a phone-type outlet to the old wall socket, it will have an ethernet socket. A standard ethernet short 'patch' cable will link it to the fibre termination box. These routers are commonly (incorrectly) called 'cable modems', or cable routers. Much the same as what you have now, but a different connection to the wall thingy. An advantage of this system is that you could get a 50m ethernet cable and route it around your house so as to have the WiFi router in a different room to where the fibre comes into the house. This router will probably have a socket for your DECT phone to plug in, too, and it will convert it to digital operation.

There are several configurations and box-types around the world for fibre, so your milage might vary. And the names of the various "RJ" connectors vary if we are picky, but most people know which is which.

 

Thanks again Steve for all the info, but as usual i am a bit confused with all the fibre jargon.
An Ethernet socket. A cable that will link to the fibre termination box????

There is a small box outside my house fitted on the outside wall that is connected to the phone socket inside. Is that the socket that will need changing? The small wall box outside has been there for years. There is also a large junction box over the road for connecting the phones to all the houses. All the wires are underground i think, as there are no wires above from a pole stretching to each house and no pole.
I did think you just plugged the fibre router into the mains and plugged the DECT phone into the router, but it looks like its more involved and i guess needs an engineer to make all the new fittings, boxes and connections. I certainly would not be able to do it. Lets hope its many months away until the fibre changeover.

 

Sorry to confuse.

The current box inside your house probably has a BT-style socket for your existing phone and a socket for your WiFi router. Or an extra filter that has those 2 sockets that plugs into the wall box. I'm not sure what the box on the outside of your house is unless it's some kind of junction box.

When you get fibre, that new fibre is usually routed through the existing street conduits into your house, and for their fitting convenience it will enter the house where the existing hole is for the current copper wires. An Openreach guy I know told me they can put the fibre through into your house anywhere you like within reason, but I have not had chance to find out.

So, keeping it simple, your BT wall socket will become unused when you get fibre. You'll get another kind of wall socket for fibre, and a new WiFi router. The router and wall socket are connected with a cable. All this is done by an Openreach (or other supplier) engineer. You don't have to worry, as they get it working, with you being able to use the internet before they leave - they are usually pretty helpful.

The only real difference for you is that your DECT phone will plug l into the new WiFi router. The engineer will do that too.

Basically, the most you'll need to do is to set up your mobile phone or WiFi PC to connect to the new router (but only if your mobile phone is a smart phone). The engineer may help you get a WiFi PC or laptop connected... The procedure to link a smart phone or WiFi PC will be just the same as what you have done before with your current broadband unit, and what you will be doing again with the about-to-arrive TalkTalk WiFi router.

 

Thanks Steve. Excellent information.

I have been on Openreach, TalkTalk, BT and Plusnet sites that all say Fibre is available now in my street.
However i do not see any advantage in swapping to fibre at the moment. My broadband is fast enough for me and perhaps by next year when more people have signed up to fibre it will be cheaper.

Also remember it is TalkTalk we are dealing with. Can you imagine if after only 2 days of changing to the correct price i say i want to change to Fibre. They will be so confused they will probably end up switching everything off saying they thought that is what the customer wanted.

Now all is clear thanks to you. I do not need to worry or do anything as the Openreach engineer will do everything when i am ready to swap which will probably be next year.