Frequently Asked Questions:
General Questions:
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Q1 My telephone service is not provided by BT. Will TwinTalk work on my line?
A TwinTalk needs BT CallSign or an equivalent distinctive ringing service, to operate. This is available on telephone lines from BT, but may also be available from your alternative telephone supplier. Check with your supplier and ask them about Call Sign or their distinctive ringing service.
We recommend that you check with you telephone supplier that you can subscribe to Call Sign, or an equivalent service, before buying your TwinTalk pack. It is even worth checking if your supplier is BT, as the Call Sign service is not available on all BT lines.
If it is not available from your telephone service supplier then this is another good reason to come back to BT?
Q2 Will TwinTalk let me make phone calls and connect to the Internet using my dial up modem at the same time?
A No. The BT CallSign service lets have two telephone numbers associated with your BT line and TwinTalk lets you decide which phones (or faxes) will ring when each number is called. However; if your phone line is already engaged on a call, you will not be able to make another call on that line at the same time including calls from your dial up modem.
If you want to be able to connect to the Internet and make phone calls on your line at the same time then you need to convert your line to Broadband. TwinTalk and Broadband work very well together and can make your single phone line work as hard as three lines. For more information look at our Interactive Presentation.
Q3 What is the difference between TwinTalk and BT TwinTalk?
A BT TwinTalk is the BT branded version of TwinTalk and is the original TwinTalk product. The new TwinTalk model has smarter software which responds more quickly to the ringing signals, reducing the delay before your phones start to ring. TwinTalk also has improved calling number display performance; particularly important on Broadband lines. The GuardCall operation on TwinTalk is simplified compared with BT TwinTalk. Q4
I have lost my TwinTalk User Guide where can I get a copy? A You
can view the TwinTalk User Guide on line, or download
it here. A Look
here for retailers and to buy on line. Q6
I have a Broadband connection on my phone line. Will TwinTalk work on my
line? A If BT
are your telephone service provider (you rent your line from BT), even if they are not the provider of
your Broadband Internet service, or they do not provide your telephone calls, then BT TwinTalk should work on your line.
To see what TwinTalk will do for you on your Broadband line then view our
Interactive Presentation. For important information
regarding installing TwinTalk on your Broadband line then read
this. If BT are not
your telephone service provider you may be able to use TwinTalk Q7
I have read on the pack that TwinTalk can be used as a Mini Business System.
What does it do? A You
can read about TwinTalk's Mini Business System
features here. To set your TwinTalks to operate as a Mini Business
System read this. Q8
How many TwinTalks and phones can I connect to my line? A All
items of telecommunications equipment have a REN (Ringer Equivalence Number)
which is used to help you calculate how may phones and other items of telecommunications
equipment you can connect to your line. Each TwinTalk has a REN of 0, most
BT phones can be assumed to have a REN of 1 unless otherwise stated on them.
A total REN of 4 is allowed on your line. Thus you could
connect up to four standard BT phones and four TwinTalks on your line Q9
My TwinTalk pack comes with two TwinTalks but I have three or more telephone
sockets. What should I do? A It is
important that all of your telephone equipment is connected through TwinTalks.
For more information concerning this and advice on sharing a Twintalk read
this. Q10
I have a Sky Digibox, or a TiVo Personal Video recorder which connect to my
telephone line. Should I connect the telephone plug on this through my
TwinTalk? A It is
important that all of your telephone equipment is connected through a TwinTalk.
For more information read this. A You
may have a wiring problem in your telephone socket wiring. Read carefully
through our Wiring Support Section which should help
you to identify and rectify the problem. You may have
telephone equipment connected to your line, but not through TwinTalk. You
should read this. If the phone
which rings to both your old and new numbers is a DECT cordless phone you
should probably read this first to see if that solves
the problem. Q12
I am having problems installing my TwinTalks. Can you help? A For
assistance look at our Installation Support Section
which has both video and pictorial
guides to setting up and sorting out your TwinTalk installation. Q13
My DECT Cordless phone rings once whenever my callers ring my old telephone
number or my new telephone number. What is happening? A You
may have a DECT cordless phone which rings in response to the Caller Display
signal on your phone line. To find out more and to sort it out read
this. Q14
My TwinTalks were working but now my phones ring whenever my old number or
new number is called. What has gone wrong? A It sound
like you need to replace your batteries. TwinTalk needs 2 AA cells, you
will get the longest life from Manganese Alkaline batteries. Make sure you
check the polarity of the batteries against the marking in the battery compartment
when you replace them. Any TwinTalk features you have set - like Mini
Business System or Caller Display Signal Blocking to work with your DECT
phone will need to reprogrammed when you change the batteries. Q15
My TwinTalks were working but now my phones do not ring and I can't make or
receive calls. What has gone wrong? A You
definitely need to replace your batteries. To allow you to make and receive
calls we suggest you plug your phones directly in to the wall sockets until
you have purchased replacement batteries. TwinTalk takes
2 AA cells, you will get the longest life from Manganese Alkaline batteries.
Make sure you check the polarity of the batteries against the marking in the
battery compartment when you replace them. Any TwinTalk features you have
set - like Mini Business System or Caller Display
Signal Blocking to work with your DECT phone will
need to reprogrammed when you change the batteries. Q16
I have a problem but I can't find the answer in my TwinTalk User Guide or
on this website. Can you help? A Yes.
Please contact us. Q17
Will TwinTalk work with my Caller Display Service from BT? A Yes.
TwinTalk is designed to pass the caller display signal to the attached
phone. Because TwinTalk delays (or blocks) the ringing to your phone it
is possible that the display of your caller's number may be affected a little.
For some advice read this. Q18
My BT TwinTalk is broken and out of warranty. What shall I do? A Contact
us for help. Q19
I have a private payphone. Can I use TwinTalk to provide an "incoming
line" to my payphone? A Yes.
With TwinTalk you can set up one number for calls to the payphone and one
number for calls to your other telephone. TwinTalk GuardCall will ensure that
calls to the payphone can only be answered at the payphone and not the other telephones
and vice versa. Q20
My phone seems to ring later when connected through TwinTalk. Is this true? A Yes.
TwinTalk monitors the ringing on your line before passing the ringing to
the attached phone, fax, EPOS unit, or PC modem. During this time TwinTalk is looking
at the ringing patterns which when you subscribe to BT CallSign are different, depending on
the number your caller has dialled. It is worth considering
this delay if you use fax machine, or answer
machine or BT's CallMinder service. Read
the underlined links for advice. Q21
Can I transfer an incoming call from one phone to another on my TwinTalk installation? A Yes.
To transfer an incoming call you should replace the handset on the first phone
and pick up the handset on the second phone. With BT TwinTalk you may not be
able to connect both of your telephones to the line at the same time to hand
over the call, but with the new TwinTalk you will be able to connect both of your phones at the same time.
Q22
I have a BT CDS 50 Caller Display Unit. I have problems when it is connected
to BT TwinTalk. Can you help? A Yes.
For guidance read this. Q23
I cannot make or receive calls on my brand new TwinTalks. Can you help? A Check
that you have removed the battery saver tag on your
TwinTalks Q24
I would like to view a copy of the Declaration of Conformity with European
Community Directive 1999/5/EC for TwinTalk. Can you help? A No problem.
You can view it here.
Otherwise BT TwinTalk and TwinTalk are identical and existing BT TwinTalk customers who need to extend their telephone system with more TwinTalks can be assured they work well together.
but you need to check that your telephone service provider can provide Call Sign, or an equivalent service.
We recommend that you check with you telephone supplier that you can subscribe to Call Sign, or an equivalent service, before buying your TwinTalk pack. It is even worth checking if your supplier is BT, as the Call Sign service is not available on all BT lines.
Q11 One of my phones rings whether my callers phone my
new number, or my old telephone number. Can you help?