Digital Voice: Busting the myths

Digital Voice is the new home phone service that works over your full fibre or SOGEA broadband connection. It offers high-quality voice calls, competitive call rates, and a range of features to enhance your communication experience.

But what is Digital Voice and how does it differ from your traditional landline? In this article, we’ll deal with some of the myths and beliefs that people have about Digital Voice.

So, without further ado, here’s our answers to some of those popular preconceptions.

‘Digital Voice is the same as VoIP’

One of the most common myths about Digital Voice is that it is the same as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), which is a technology that allows you to make voice calls using an internet connection. While both Digital Voice and VoIP use the internet to transmit voice data, they are not exactly the same.

Digital Voice is a specific type of VoIP service that is designed to replace traditional landline services and works seamlessly with your fibre connection. It doesn’t require any additional software or hardware, such as a computer, a headset, or an app. You can simply plug your existing telephone handset into the back of your router and start making calls.

VoIP, on the other hand, is a more generic term that covers various types of internet-based voice services, such as Skype, WhatsApp, or Zoom. These services require you to have a device that can run the software or app, such as a smartphone, a tablet, or a laptop. You also need to have an account with the service provider and access to a stable internet connection.

‘Digital Voice is more expensive than a landline’

Another myth about Digital Voice is that it is more expensive than a traditional landline service. This is not true. In fact, Digital Voice can save you money on your phone bills in several ways.

First, Digital Voice doesn’t require you to pay for line rental, which is a monthly fee that you pay for having a copper landline connection. Line rental can cost up to £20 per month, depending on your provider. With Digital Voice, you only pay a small amount on top of your broadband package plus the cost of any call charges outside of your allowance.

Secondly, Digital Voice offers competitive call rates that are lower than most landline providers. For example, Zen’s Digital Voice service costs just £6 per month and includes 1,000 minutes to call UK landlines or mobiles monthly. That’s equivalent to nearly 17 hours’ worth of inclusive minutes every month.

‘Digital Voice is less reliable than a landline’

Many people believe that Digital Voice is less reliable than a traditional landline service. For the most part, this is not true. Digital Voice is designed to work seamlessly with your fibre broadband connection and provide high-quality voice calls.

Digital Voice uses HD voice technology, which delivers crystal clear sound quality and reduces background noise, so you can enjoy conversations that sound more natural and lifelike than ever before.

‘Digital Voice will not work in a power cut’

While power outages in the UK are rare, nevertheless, this statement is true. Digital Voice relies on your broadband connection, which in turn relies on your router, which needs power to operate. Therefore, in the event of a power cut, your Digital Voice service will stop working.

There are a couple of things that could help to mitigate this however should you need to continue making calls during a power cut, one of which you probably already have with you.

Firstly, if you have a mobile phone (assuming sufficient charge and mobile signal), you will be able to make emergency calls even during a power cut.

Secondly, a battery backup or uninterruptible power supply (UPS) could help to keep your router powered – and your Digital Voice service working - even during short outages.

‘Digital Voice is difficult to set up and use’

Digital Voice is actually easy to set up and use with minimal hassle.

To set up Digital Voice, you just need a fibre broadband connection from Zen and a compatible FRITZ!Box router. You can plug your existing telephone handset into the back of your router and start making calls. You may need an RJ11 adapter if you have an incompatible phone, but you should have been provided one of these with your FRITZ!Box router.

‘Digital Voice is open to security attacks’

Another myth about Digital Voice is that it is open to security attacks. This is not true. Digital Voice is a secure service that uses encryption and other security measures to protect your voice data from unauthorized access. Zen also has mechanisms in place to detect and block fraudulent traffic.

By default, inbound calls are sent to your router based on its IP address. The Zen platform has mechanisms in place to detect fraudulent traffic and performs automatic blocking of such activity. You can also set up a whitelist or a blacklist of numbers that you want to allow or block from calling you.

‘Old Sky boxes need an analogue phone line connection’

This is not true. Sky dropped the need for a phone line connection to their boxes (including older Sky Plus boxes) years ago.

Old Sky boxes used to require a phone line connection for various purposes, such as ordering pay-per-view events, accessing interactive services, updating software, and verifying multiroom subscriptions. However, these functions are now obsolete or replaced by internet-based alternatives.

Therefore, you can safely disconnect your old Sky box from the phone line and use it without any problems.

‘Digital Voice cannot be used with other routers’

An eighth myth about Digital Voice is that it cannot be used with other routers. This is partly true, but not impossible. Digital Voice is designed to work specifically with the FRITZ!Box router that Zen provides with your broadband service, and as such we cannot provide any support with third-party devices.

However, this does not mean that you cannot use your own router with Digital Voice. Should you wish to use a router not provided by Zen we can supply you with your credentials which will allow you to manually configure your hardware of choice. We would recommend that you call our technical support team on the date of activation for your credentials to minimise the risk of any period without service.