LaraBond Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Sorry for a daft question but we bought here a very nice and rather expensive set of landline phones, so shame to give them away when we depart to the UK. I read somewhere that OZ and UK home phones are incompatible? Or if we just change the leads to the UK ones they might work back home? Anybody knows? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozinoz Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Sorry for a daft question but we bought here a very nice and rather expensive set of landline phones, so shame to give them away when we depart to the UK. I read somewhere that OZ and UK home phones are incompatible? Or if we just change the leads to the UK ones they might work back home? Anybody knows? I was looking into this yesterday because I have a really nice Uniden Cordless Set made for Aus/NZ. Basically the answer is most likely not... even if they do work (as some don't even ring), the calling number display etc probably won't. If you have the space, you may as well pack them and see but I am going to sell mine before I go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest41161 Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Our Panasonic phones fitted right into the sockets, and work exactly as they did in Brisbane, so answer is yes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaraBond Posted March 13, 2013 Author Share Posted March 13, 2013 Seems like there is a hope. Ours are Telstra dect phones - one of the latest ones. Any info on these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwkl Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 Our uk phones worked with no problem, shows number calling as normal. Just need adaptor for the power plug. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flybyknight Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 yes it'll be fine, at most you will need a fresh wire or adaptor for the phone side. the salesmen will say the standards are different and its illegal, but they are just talking. unless you want to sell that nice new phone to me, for next to nothing :wink:..... in that case, no it wont work, infact it could explode :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 We took a Panasonic phone back one time as well, worked no problem, dont know about others sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 (edited) yes it'll be fine, at most you will need a fresh wire or adaptor for the phone side. the salesmen will say the standards are different and its illegal, but they are just talking. unless you want to sell that nice new phone to me, for next to nothing :wink:..... in that case, no it wont work, infact it could explode :wink: No, they're not just talking. Both the UK and Australia have organisations to check and approve phone equipment before it is connected to the network--the "green triangle" in the UK and an equivalent in Australia. The two are not transferable. It's illegal to plug in a phone without the proper approval, even just to test it. Second, I'm curious about the statement that even the jacks were the same. They're not. The UK uses a very specific jack only found in the UK: Australia uses a connector known as an RJ11: (There's also an older one but it's no longer standard.) Anyway, a change of connector would be necessary. Finally, it's not mentioned specifically but implied that we're talking about wireless phones here. Australia has several frequencies that are allowed for wireless phones; in the UK only the DECT standard is legal. You'd need to make sure any wireless phone was DECT rather than one of the others. Now, are you likely to be caught if you use an unapproved phone? Nope. However, can it happen? Yup. If a BT engineer has to visit and spots a phone without the appropriate approval, they can refuse to work on your line and bill you at high rates for the time taken making the visit. You pays your money and takes your chances...but it's wrong to say that salesman is "just talking". Edited March 14, 2013 by Bobbsy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 I can assure you the phone we took back from Aus to UK worked - I am not in the habit of making stuff up and am sure no one else is who has said this either! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 Let's be clear. If you take the time to read what I said, I'm not saying the phone won't work. I'm saying it's illegal to use it and, in the unlikely event you get caught, could cost you a lot of money. As for the connectors, it's an easy change but the connectors ARE different. Either somebody in your household did the swap without you knowing or your UK house has non standard (and possibly illegal) wiring. The BT connector is very distinctive and used ONLY in the UK. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notts Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 As for the connectors, it's an easy change but the connectors ARE different. Either somebody in your household did the swap without you knowing or your UK house has non standard (and possibly illegal) wiring. The BT connector is very distinctive and used ONLY in the UK. Don't most modern phones have an RJ11 socket on the back, so a cable from a modem would allow the phone to be plugged in without changing the house wiring? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsmb Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 No, they're not just talking. Both the UK and Australia have organisations to check and approve phone equipment before it is connected to the network--the "green triangle" in the UK and an equivalent in Australia. The two are not transferable. It's illegal to plug in a phone without the proper approval, even just to test it. Second, I'm curious about the statement that even the jacks were the same. They're not. The UK uses a very specific jack only found in the UK: [ATTACH=CONFIG]18610[/ATTACH] Australia uses a connector known as an RJ11: [ATTACH=CONFIG]18611[/ATTACH] (There's also an older one but it's no longer standard.) Anyway, a change of connector would be necessary. Finally, it's not mentioned specifically but implied that we're talking about wireless phones here. Australia has several frequencies that are allowed for wireless phones; in the UK only the DECT standard is legal. You'd need to make sure any wireless phone was DECT rather than one of the others. Now, are you likely to be caught if you use an unapproved phone? Nope. However, can it happen? Yup. If a BT engineer has to visit and spots a phone without the appropriate approval, they can refuse to work on your line and bill you at high rates for the time taken making the visit. You pays your money and takes your chances...but it's wrong to say that salesman is "just talking". the fine is supposdely in $$$$$ for using a phone thats not 'legal' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 Don't most modern phones have an RJ11 socket on the back, so a cable from a modem would allow the phone to be plugged in without changing the house wiring? Yup. Most modern phones have an RJ11 socket on the phone itself, allowing you to plug in either an RJ11 to RJ11 cable for use in Australia (or with a modem--though that's getting unusual in these days of ADSL broadband) or an RJ11 to BS6312 431A (which is the official name of the BT jack--and why I usually just say BT Jack!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 the fine is supposdely in $$$$$ for using a phone thats not 'legal' Yeah, the fine is pretty sizeable though the chances of being caught and prosecuted are fairly slim. More commonly, BT use it as an excuse to refuse to fix a fault with your line and also to charge you bucketloads for the aborted service call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsmb Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 Yeah, the fine is pretty sizeable though the chances of being caught and prosecuted are fairly slim. More commonly, BT use it as an excuse to refuse to fix a fault with your line and also to charge you bucketloads for the aborted service call. It was not BT i meant its the Oz telecommunications thingy -dont know its proper name I am sure I read some time ago the fine was around $10,000.oo -something silly and I know there is a caught but then again ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flybyknight Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 i stand corrected, bt are just talking 'they' are fine :wink: from a standpoint of will it work. yes it will. from a legal standpoint, no you need to buy a new phone. you also need to ensure you dont get a fish drunk .... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1568475/Ten-stupidest-laws-are-named.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 Ours did , its just the transformers that are the issue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest41161 Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 Other option to save buying adapters or new power cables is to take an Australian extension board back (we have a 4 plug), chop the end off, fit a UK plug and plug your Australian gadgets into it. I have my home phone, media centre and two hard drives all with Australian plugs running beautifully with only the cost of a plug at Tesco, £1, we went for the dearer one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaraBond Posted March 15, 2013 Author Share Posted March 15, 2013 I found in my box a cable with RJ11 jack at one end and a UK jack at the other. Just need to find an electrical charger for a mobile to fit or use an adapter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris N Lora Posted March 16, 2013 Share Posted March 16, 2013 I can assure you the phone we took back from Aus to UK worked - I am not in the habit of making stuff up and am sure no one else is who has said this either! here,here we brought our phones from uk, we put ours in worked perfect so i assure you that ur not lying or doing anything illegal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted March 16, 2013 Share Posted March 16, 2013 here,here we brought our phones from uk, we put ours in worked perfect so i assure you that ur not lying or doing anything illegal You're not lying but you are mistaken. You ARE doing something illegal. Both the UK and Australia demand that any phone (or fax or modem or anything else) connected to the telephone system MUST have the appropriate approval, as evidenced by the tag with the green triangle in a circle in the UK. If your Australian phone doesn't have this approval and you plug it in in the UK, you are liable to a hefty fine. Additionally, if BT find out you've connected to their network, they can refuse to service you and charge you a large hourly fee for an engineer (who would be free if your phone was approved). The same thing works in reverse if you take a UK phone to Australia. Will the phone work technically? Yup--just change the cable to the right connector. Are you likely to be caught and fined? Nope. So long as you're not so stupid as to leave a "wrong" phone plugged in if you have to call a BT engineer, you'll be fine. But telling people you're "not doing anything illegal" is simply not true. You are. If you want to take the small risk, then go ahead--I have. I use a UK ADSL modem as a back up here in Aus. However, I firmly believe that people should have accurate information to take an informed decision. How would you feel if somebody took your advice and the 1 in a thousand chance happened and they got a big fine? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris N Lora Posted March 16, 2013 Share Posted March 16, 2013 (edited) You're not lying but you are mistaken. You ARE doing something illegal. Both the UK and Australia demand that any phone (or fax or modem or anything else) connected to the telephone system MUST have the appropriate approval, as evidenced by the tag with the green triangle in a circle in the UK. If your Australian phone doesn't have this approval and you plug it in in the UK, you are liable to a hefty fine. Additionally, if BT find out you've connected to their network, they can refuse to service you and charge you a large hourly fee for an engineer (who would be free if your phone was approved). The same thing works in reverse if you take a UK phone to Australia. Will the phone work technically? Yup--just change the cable to the right connector. Are you likely to be caught and fined? Nope. So long as you're not so stupid as to leave a "wrong" phone plugged in if you have to call a BT engineer, you'll be fine. But telling people you're "not doing anything illegal" is simply not true. You are. If you want to take the small risk, then go ahead--I have. I use a UK ADSL modem as a back up here in Aus. However, I firmly believe that people should have accurate information to take an informed decision. How would you feel if somebody took your advice and the 1 in a thousand chance happened and they got a big fine? You are totally wrong, back in UK I used any phone I wished in the BT socket as even though the line was owned by BT I paid sky, the manual on my phone states that my Panasonic phone is legal to use in Australia, also Telstra came out to fix my phone as there was a crackle on the line the engineer looked at it and said oh this aint a normal one explained it is what I brought over from UK, he said that is cool just as good as over here as all made in same place and shipped around the world, so why was I not reported for this illegal phone?? SO in your opinion all my TV's I brought over my stereo lamps all my electricals are not legal?? Edited March 16, 2013 by Chris N Lora Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted March 16, 2013 Share Posted March 16, 2013 Sigh. If the manual says it has the Australian approval (and it probably has some details of an approval number in the back) then you're okay. It's far from every phone that has this though. A great many manufacturers don't sell the same model everywhere. I repeat. Without the approval it is illegal. Your chances of being caught are slim but you, I'm afraid, are showing that you don't understand the situation. As for "using any phone you wish in a BT socket" that is 100% wrong. It doesn't matter who you pay for the service--to connect a phone to the network it MUST have the BABT approval and, if it doesn't, you are breaking the law. However, if you bought the phone in the UK there is every chance it did have the approval--about the only way to get unapproved phones is to order them from overseas on fleabay. Look, I'm past caring what you believe or don't believe but you're wrong on this one. As I said, even I have plugged UK only stuff into the Aussie network. However, it is totally irresponsible not to give people accurate information so they can take a decision. The chances of being prosecuted are slim but I'm not going to risk leading anyone into unknowingly breaking the law. For your info, the Australian approval is issued by ACMA. From their web site: If you have purchased a telecommunications product overseas (apart from a mobile phone), the product will not have the A-Tick mark on it and you should not connect it to a telecommunications network in Australia.Only telecommunications products that carry the A-Tick mark should be connected to a telecommunications network in Australia. It is illegal to connect equipment that does not carry the A-Tick label and penalties can be imposed. If you connect equipment that is not labelled with the A-Tick mark to an Australian telecommunications network, and this equipment causes damage to the network, the Australian carrier may also seek financial compensation from you. In almost all cases, communications equipment purchased overseas is not suitable for use in Australia. The differences between Australian requirements and those of other countries are concerned with electrical safety for the user of the equipment and protection of the network within Australia. These requirements are different to those in most other countries. The full web site for ACMA is at http://www.acma.gov.au/scripts/nc.dll?WEB/STANDARD/1001/pc=PC_1784 if you want to read it all in context. The approvals organisation in the UK is known as BABT, as appointed by OFCOM/OFTEL. I haven't waded through their site for the details but I'm sure you can do that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozinoz Posted March 16, 2013 Share Posted March 16, 2013 Legalities aside, do Australian Phones work fully in the UK including Calling Number Display? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIDNINN Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 Hi... I bought my phones...DVD and Video all nearly new back from OZ to UK but none of them work here....sorry.....anyone going out to Oz from Torbay area are very welcome to have them.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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