Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!netsys!vector!telecom-gateway From: klb@lzaz.att.com (K.BLATTER) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: AT&T and the 'Simple PBX' Market Message-ID: Date: 15 Jun 89 19:55:40 GMT Sender: news@vector.Dallas.TX.US Organization: AT&T ISL Lincroft NJ USA Lines: 37 Approved: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 200, message 3 of 7 In article , jshelton@ads.com (John L. Shelton) writes: > * After writing to AT&T to complain about prices, marketing strategy, > etc, I was reminded that they do have two lower priced products: > Spirit, a system with 80% of Merlin's features, but only two styles of > phone. Pricing is about 20 - 30% less than comparable Merlin systems. > The other one escapes me, but is a simple 2-line system that works > over standard inside wiring. (would work well at home.) I had > suggested to AT&T that they market Merlin for home use, but they > countered that most people don't have 4 pair wires running from each > room to a central location. I think that he is referring to a System 2000 which sells at the local AT&T phone center for $349.95 for a master unit (which one is required) and $219.95 for each extension phone. You can only have a maximum of 2 lines, but I don't know what the maximum number of stations is. I would love to buy a Merlin system for my house, but I can't afford it. (No employee discounts on Merlins :-( ) I guess that I'll have to settle for AT&T 412's. > * I'll repeat a request from the past: Does anyone know the protocol > Merlin phones use to transmit button-press information back to the > central unit? Merlin phones (the digital phones, anyway) use a proprietary protocol called DCP (Digital Communications Protocol). I'm sure (although I have no first-hand knowledge) that the button-press information is passed via DCP. Because DCP is proprietary, you won't find the internals discussed anywhere. Sorry. Kevin L. Blatter AT&T - Bell Labs Disclaimer: My employer has never asked me to speak for it and therefore I only speak for myself.