Existing pendant or personal-alarm users
If your alarm uses the landline, ask your landline provider and telecare supplier whether the exact equipment and monitoring service can continue after migration and how they will test it.
Who needs to plan ahead?
Ofcom advises people with care alarms, health pendants or other devices connected to their phone line to tell their provider before the line changes. The equipment and service you already use determine what needs checking.
Homes needing power-cut resilience
If you rely on the alarm or cannot depend on a mobile phone during an outage, ask both providers to assess the whole calling arrangement. BT says its Digital Voice hub needs power for calls; backup for one device does not establish that the alarm service will keep working.
Households facing an alarm replacement
If your telecare supplier says the current equipment cannot continue, ask it to specify a supported replacement, monitoring arrangement, installation and test. Manufacturer information from Tunstall Healthcare and Appello describes digital options, but does not establish compatibility with your existing service.
What should you check before choosing?
For a household moving from an Openreach landline, confirm whether the existing alarm can stay in service before considering replacement equipment. Then agree power-cut and, if relevant, mobile-signal arrangements with the landline provider and telecare supplier.
| Concern | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Exact compatibility | Ask both providers whether the current alarm and monitoring service are supported on the planned digital line, and who will test them. | I want to keep my current pendant working after the line changes, rather than replace it on a guess; around 36% of consumers put confirmed compatibility first. |
| Power-cut resilience | Confirm which parts of the calling and alarm setup have backup power, for how long, and how the service will be tested during an outage. | If the power goes off, I still need a dependable way to reach help; that is the primary concern for around 29% of consumers. |
| Supported digital replacement | If replacement is required, confirm the exact hub, sensors, monitoring service and installation arrangements with the telecare supplier. | My existing alarm may need replacing, but a new hub must work with the service that receives its calls; around 21% of consumers prioritise a supplier-approved digital replacement. |
| Mobile-connected option | Ask the supplier to assess signal at home, monitoring and power arrangements before relying on a mobile-connected alarm. | I would consider moving away from the fixed line only if a supported service works at my home; for around 14% of consumers, a mobile-connected alternative is the main priority. |
Mistakes to avoid
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Assuming a VoIP label confirms alarm compatibility
A generic adaptor or handset description cannot establish that your alarm model, monitoring service and provider setup work together. Ofcom advises users of connected alarms to notify their provider before the change.
Give the landline provider and telecare supplier your exact equipment and service details, then follow their installation and testing instructions.
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Assuming one battery protects the whole service
BT says its Digital Voice hub needs power for calls. A backup arrangement for the hub alone does not establish whether the alarm unit, any modem and the complete alarm service will operate during an outage.
Ask which devices the proposed backup powers and how the telecare supplier will confirm operation during a power cut.
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Treating mobile connectivity as an automatic fallback
A mobile-connected alarm still depends on usable signal at home and a supported monitoring arrangement. Ofcom advises customers to tell their provider if their mobile signal is insufficient for emergency calls.
Have the telecare supplier assess the proposed mobile service and local conditions before changing equipment.
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Applying the Openreach deadline to every network
Ofcom says BT plans to retire its old PSTN network by 31 January 2027. That date does not establish the migration timetable for a home on another fixed network.
Confirm your network and scheduled change directly with your landline provider before arranging an equipment change.
Relevant brands for reference
These organisations illustrate different provider-led and supplier-led arrangements; a brand name alone does not confirm that equipment will work with your alarm service.
BT
Relevant to BT Digital Voice customers arranging their landline migration through BT.
- BT describes hub and battery-backup arrangements for its Digital Voice service.
- BT says the hub needs power for calls. Its service arrangements do not confirm that a particular third-party alarm and monitoring service are compatible.
Tunstall Healthcare
Relevant to supplier-led digital telecare arrangements, including its Lifeline Digital home unit.
- Tunstall Healthcare lists Ethernet, Wi-Fi and 4G/3G/2G connectivity for the Lifeline Digital model.
- Those model-specific features do not confirm that another supplier’s sensors or monitoring service will work with it; the complete setup needs supplier assessment.
Appello
Relevant to supported-housing and monitoring-service transitions involving digital alarms or analogue-to-digital conversion.
- Appello describes digital dispersed-alarm and conversion options in its product information.
- Its catalogue does not establish that an individual household can select and install a compatible converter or alarm without service-provider support.
Joybuy products
Related products coming soon.
Common questions
Do I need a new personal alarm before the digital-landline switch?
Not necessarily: your existing alarm may be able to stay in service if the landline provider and telecare supplier confirm the exact equipment and monitoring arrangement. Tell both providers what you use before the change, and ask who will reconnect or replace the equipment and test the service. Ofcom advises users of care alarms and health pendants to notify their provider.
Will my digital landline and alarm work during a power cut?
Do not assume they will: the answer depends on the powered equipment and the alarm service’s arrangements. BT says its Digital Voice hub needs power to make calls, while Ofcom notes that digital calling without suitable backup will not work during an outage. Ask your provider and telecare supplier to confirm and test the complete arrangement.
Can I replace a landline alarm with a mobile-connected one?
Only if your telecare supplier or care service supports that route for your monitoring arrangement and conditions at home. Ask it to assess local signal and power resilience; Ofcom advises telling the landline provider if mobile signal at home is insufficient for emergency calls.
Does the 31 January 2027 deadline apply to every UK landline?
No: Ofcom identifies 31 January 2027 as BT’s planned retirement date for the old PSTN network, not a confirmed switching date for every fixed network or household. Ask your landline provider which network serves your home and when your service is scheduled to change.