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From: whit@milton.u.washington.edu (John Whitmore)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Pay Telephone at Home
Summary: This sounds more like a problem than a solution to one.
Keywords: Telephone
Message-ID: <5079@milton.u.washington.edu>
Date: 14 Jul 90 04:01:58 GMT
References: <1990Jul10.180944.12143@watdragon.waterloo.edu> <1990Jul12.143201.2416@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>
Followup-To: sci.electronics
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
Lines: 23

In article <1990Jul12.143201.2416@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> wehmer@aries.scs.uiuc.edu (\
James Wehmer) writes:
>
>We had trouble in the past with our kids making unauthorized long distance
>calls.  One month alone, one kid made $300 worth.  We solved that problem
>by having AT+T install a security code for long distance calls, and it has
>stopped the abuse.
>       My current problem is how to regulate the local calls now that we
>must pay for every call.  I want a system where the kid must go to some
>central location, put a nickle into a box, and all the phones in the
>house will be activated for one and only one call.

        The phone lines all have standard plugs?  And there
are phones for sale ($4.95 or so) at the local K-mart?
        You'll have to armor the phone wiring, and if a
burglar shows up (or someone's arteries get severed), you'll
need to find a nickel before you can call the emergency services.
        I'd look into instilling some simple discipline, instead.
Getting the kids their own phone services is a thought, but... you'd
have to post a deposit for them (no, the phone company is NOT obliged
to take the risk of nonpayment).

                        John Whitmore