topic Re: Do sky sell Battery Backup packs for their VOIP telephone service? in Talk

Do sky sell Battery Backup packs for their VOIP telephone service?

Wooden+Top — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 20:31:40 GMT

I recently suffered a Sky fault which resulted in me having no phone service for 24 hours and no internet for about 18 hours. I'm a new customer of Sky's with newly installed Fibre to the Property. I've read the article from Sky regarding VOIP but it doesn't say whether they sell battery back-up.

Re: Do sky sell Battery Backup packs for their VOIP telephone service?

caesarome — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 20:58:31 GMT

@Wooden+Top wrote:

but it doesn't say whether they sell battery back-up.

They don't sell this.

Is your service up and running again now ?

Re: Do sky sell Battery Backup packs for their VOIP telephone service?

Mark39 — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 21:03:38 GMT

No, not at the moment. Whether or not that might change in the future, I don't know.

Even if they did, it would, of course, only provide a backup in the event of a power outage. It wouldn't help if your broadband was down.

Re: Do sky sell Battery Backup packs for their VOIP telephone service?

Bob-32 — Sat, 31 May 2025 14:45:53 GMT

Yes, it would still help if the broadband was down. This is not how they work. You said that if there was a power outage it would work, yet when there's a power outage, then your broadband is down too!

These battery backups are constantly attached to the landline phone, albeit it has to be a digital corded phone, not a handset phone with a battery charging base and AA/AAA batteries needed also. The phone then essentially becomes a mobile phone, as such, with a mobile number if the power supply or broadband is down. Because the battery back up is constantly plugged in, then there will be a full charge available if the electricity went off, so you could at least contact someone to come to your aid or emergency services if required.

I'm disabled with very complex needs, so I can't adhere to the government's carer help, albeit that I am entitled to it, so because I don't have a carer, I don't get a care alarm and therefore can't get a battery backup from Sky, yet when I contacted their Accessibility Team, they couldn't tell me what actually WAS available from Sky as I wanted to see if u could change my package that I had just ordered! Virgin Media and BT in NI were able to offer me this backup for free, or for a price if I hadn't have qualified, but their customer service is atrocious in both companies and their deals are too expensive for me to afford after any initial new customer deals, so I decided to go back to Sky and just hope for the best that I never need the battery backup or that someone comes looking for me if there's a power cut or don't contact them in a few days!! 😱

Re: Do sky sell Battery Backup packs for their VOIP telephone service?

Mark39 — Sat, 31 May 2025 15:01:38 GMT

@Bob-32 things have moved on since 2022! We've seen a couple of examples of the UPS backup system Sky provides to vulnerable customers.

They're unsophisticated and simply provide power for the broadband Hub for a couple of hours in the event of a power outage.

Sky VOIP requires use of a standard analogue corded phone or cordless DECT phone. A digital VOIP phone won't work with Sky's system.

Re: Do sky sell Battery Backup packs for their VOIP telephone service?

Bob-32 — Sat, 31 May 2025 17:17:52 GMT

This was yesterday and today that I was talking to Sky, so they haven't moved any further since 2022.

Power to the broadband hub is not what I'm referring to, or the person that originally posted this thread. It does what I said in my previous post. But could you tell me where to find the examples of Sky's UPS backup systems anyway please as I'd be interested in having a look.

Do you mean through the copper based phone lines when u say "analogue" phone? The copper lines could still use VOIP phones when the connection was into the router, but the copper lines are becoming totally obsolete this year and anyone that wants broadband has to take a fibre line...sorry, "digital" was a bad word to use as the digital handsets, not fibre enabled digital handsets, could also be used plugged in straight to the copper phone line box. You CAN get a corded fibre enabled phone that plugs into the router with no need for AA/AAA batteries either as this is what I've had for the past 18 months but have to give it up as I've now changed suppliers back to Sky from Virgin Media as VM packages are not in my available budget after their initial new customer offer.

Sky just don't offer the battery back up, as far as I could ascertain from talking to various customer service people in Sky, even though it is a law requirement....there must be a loophole somewhere that they can just say that they can't offer their services then...cos that's what I was told. I think the only way around it for me, is to see if I can buy a separate phone with a battery back up from another company as I know they offer them for sale without having to rent the phone line too.

Re: Do sky sell Battery Backup packs for their VOIP telephone service?

Mark39 — Sat, 31 May 2025 19:53:04 GMT

So far as I'm aware Sky have only ever provided a UPS capable of powering a broadband Hub, and thereby their internet calls landline service in the event of a power outage.

They haven't, to my knowledge, provided a backup service for a broadband outage.

Re: Do sky sell Battery Backup packs for their VOIP telephone service?

Bob-32 — Sat, 31 May 2025 21:31:00 GMT

It doesn't matter. U would need to see it to understand what I'm talking about cos I'm not explaining it correctly then....take out the broadband etc components of the conversation and think of it a mobile phone that has a dead battery and it can be charged again by a fully charged power bank if the electricity goes off.

Re: Do sky sell Battery Backup packs for their VOIP telephone service?

Mark39 — Sat, 31 May 2025 21:41:45 GMT

You're right, I don't understand what you're referring to.

You can't take the broadband Hub out of the equation, as it's only via the Hub that the landline service is provided. The Hub is the only way to connect to Sky's VOIP landline service.

Re: Do sky sell Battery Backup packs for their VOIP telephone service?

Bob-32 — Sat, 31 May 2025 21:49:39 GMT

I just meant to take it out of the equation so I could explain it a bit better.

The broadband and VOIP will be out of the equation if there's a power cu anyway....this just turns the landline phone into a basic mobile for voice calls....no internet or any other features.

Re: Do sky sell Battery Backup packs for their VOIP telephone service?

TimmyBGood — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 07:35:47 GMT

@Bob-32 wrote:

....this just turns the landline phone into a basic mobile for voice calls....

That's not possible unless the phone hardware has cellular components and either SIM or eSIM functionality. Just a battery won't do it.

BT/EE Broadband offers such hardware as an optional add-on when subscribing or for later purchase as failover for their proprietary 'Digital Voice' service: Sky Broadband has no equivalent.

https://store.ee.co.uk/products/motorola-fw500-hybrid-back-up-phone-for-bt-ee-digital-voice-service-117693-HGJL.html

Re: Do sky sell Battery Backup packs for their VOIP telephone service?

Bob-32 — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 21:46:30 GMT

Thank u TimmyBGood!

Yes, this is exactly what I have that was supplied by Virgin Media. I can't fathom why Sky doesn't offer this when BT, EE and VM have it. Gosh, they're losing so many customers due to this. I don't know how the 'untech' elderly is gonna cope when the copper lines get turned off totally...I know many elderly people who can hardly use their landline phone, never mind having a mobile n then if they wanted something like this installed, it's gonna cost them a fortune, cos are they not gonna have to get fibre broadband installed to their property (which is free at the minute), pay for a fibre connection AND then pay for the landline feature, and, if there's nothing medically wrong with them to get the backup for free, pay for this as well??!?! Their landline phone cost would at least triple in an instant! They shouldn't be allowed to turn the copper lines off. I realize why they are....costs too much money to keep them on and maintain them when most of the population are now using fibre, but they've seen this coming for SOOO many years, that they shoulda come up with a solution! Fibre lines have been in the telegraph poles throughout the UK for 30+ years now, maybe even way more than that (info from a BT technician who installed them way back then n is now 80 years old and left the company almost 30 years ago!). It's just a ££££ thing....always is!! 😱😔🤬

Re: Do sky sell Battery Backup packs for their VOIP telephone service?

NigelCro — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 20:10:08 GMT

We're currently in this situation, no broadband & hence no phone. Mains power is not the issue. I'm concerned about my elderly parents & thinking of buying them a Motorola FW500 backup phone (as mentioned above).

Question is: how do I connect that & their cordless phone master station to the Sky Broadband router? There's one Brit & one RJ11 socket in the back. Would a splitter in the Brit socket work? Or an RJ11 socket to Brit socket converter?

I agree, Sky are going to lose business if they don't provide a solution to this!

Re: Do sky sell Battery Backup packs for their VOIP telephone service?

Mark39 — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 20:18:46 GMT

@NigelCro yes, you can use a standard BT splitter. However, as @TimmyBGood's posted earlier, a Motorola FW500 is designed to work with BT/EE's proprietary Digital Voice service, but not with Sky Talk.

Re: Do sky sell Battery Backup packs for their VOIP telephone service?

Bob-32 — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 22:05:35 GMT

But u said there was no broadband, so this phone won't work anyway without broadband. A basic big buttoned mobile phone that will be easy for your parents to use would probably be the only option now that the copper landline connection is off and phone sockets no longer work.

If u mean that u have now got fibre broadband in your parents house and wanting to connect a 'landline' phone to the router that will work if the electricity goes off and the broadband connection is therefore off too, then this seems to be the only one on offer from EE/BT/Virgin Media, but as said by the other poster, this will not work with Sky broadband services. Sky STILL don't offer anything like this for their Sky Talk service, but even if they did, this hybrid phone just connects straight into the 'phone' socket on the broadband router and has a plug on it to be plugged into the electrical socket constantly and then if the electricity goes off it would be fully charged and it has a mobile sim in it to become a basic mobile phone, as such, but just looks like a landline phone.

IMHO it is too much of a cost when a cheaper mobile phone can be bought. That's what I had to do in the end and just make sure it's always fully charged. Do they have mobiles? If yes, then that's all they need and just reiterate to them that it needs to be kept charged incase the electricity ever goes off. If they don't have mobiles, then I guess you'll just have to teach them how to use it - I had to give written instructions in a similar situation so the person could refer to them every time - and Sky offer a contract sim for £5 per month or Tesco now offer a PAYG sim for £5 a month but I think it can only be topped up online for the £5 a month deal, but you could do that for them. I hope you get sorted.

Re: Do sky sell Battery Backup packs for their VOIP telephone service?

Bob-32 — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 22:29:12 GMT

Lol, sorry, just re-read your post again @NigelCro and now thinking why you're thinking of getting this Motorola hybrid phone at all if your parents now have Sky broadband and they have a digital phone with a master socket?? ....unless it's a very very old one, like 20+years old, the phone line from the master socket just connects straight into the 'phone' socket on the broadband router and it should pair automatically with the master socket, but if it doesn't, then just read any message that appears on the phone's screen to connect it. You don't need any separate connectors or this additional phone. This is my set up now and then just a mobile is used if the electricity goes off.

Re: Do sky sell Battery Backup packs for their VOIP telephone service?

TimmyBGood — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 13:49:32 GMT

@Bob-32

That Motorola handset has a built-in cellular function and SIM, so continues to work during a broadband failure as long as it has power from a mains socket or battery backup. It's a more robust solution for users who aren't necessarily comfortable with mobile phones or may not keep them charged.

Re: Do sky sell Battery Backup packs for their VOIP telephone service?

Bob-32 — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 15:18:27 GMT

Yes I know @TimmyBGood ...I used to have one which was supplied by Virgin Media for free when I had a contract with them in 2023/24 as I am considered a vulnerable person and need to have a way to contact someone if the broadband went down or the electricity went off, but Sky don't do such a phone for their Sky Talk and I was told by Sky that if something like this was required, then Sky couldn't provide a contract to me. Even if an elderly (or otherwise) person has aone of those red panic alarm buttons or similar, Sky tells you to be aware that it won't work on a broadband/electricity outage.

But sure it doesn't matter anyhow as this BT/EE Motorola hybrid phone won't work with Sky services as you'd pointed out on a previous post.

Re: Do sky sell Battery Backup packs for their VOIP telephone service?

NigelCro — Sat, 04 Apr 2026 10:53:03 GMT

Yes, what concerns me is a VOIP outage coinciding with a low/no juice situation with Mum's mobile.

Their broadband was out for about 24 hours. The cause has been long in the making. In 2019 a car hit a pole carrying the fibre optic cables and since then the cables were entangled in a hedge. The line inevitably failed! Openreach were informed by Sky, BT and potentially others, but applied no fix until the point of failure.

Openreach have been a lot better since they were forced to break up the BT monopoly, but they're still hit and miss. A good step would be if end users could liaise directly with Openreach a *lot* more easily. I suspect pigs will fly sooner! 😂

Re: Do sky sell Battery Backup packs for their VOIP telephone service?

Bob-32 — Sat, 04 Apr 2026 17:33:18 GMT

The only thing that I can suggest for your peace of mind then is to get a cheap mobile, or if you have an old one that you no longer use but still works, and leave it plugged in on charge constantly and only use in emergencies for this situation. Just buy a PAYG sim for it.

Usually all sim providers will turn off a PAYG sim if not used within a specific time though (6 months for Tesco), so if you visit them regularly or even just on occasions, make sure you use the phone to make a call, text or use data within the alloted time scale so the sim isn't turned off. I do this with another mobile and have given the number to only 2 family members and my 'sensible' friend who have only used it once to ring me when my main mobile was turned off, landline was down and they didn't get a reply via Messenger/social media. I was fine but this exact scenario had happened where the electricity was on the blink during a storm and my main mobile had run out of charge, lol, but I'd like to think that they would've actually come to the house if I didn't have the other emergency mobile as they have keys, so I hope u have a key too or a closer neighbour has a key and you have the neighbour's phone number too. When I can't get in contact with my elderly aunt, I ring her neighbour.