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From: ewing-martin@cs.yale.edu (Martin Ewing)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Pseudo PBX For the Home?
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Date: 20 Jul 90 21:22:43 GMT
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Reply-To: Martin Ewing <ewing-martin@cs.yale.edu>
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In our new house we have expanded to quite a number of phone devices,
about six, using two lines.  As you might expect, the ringing voltage
is down.  We also don't get full value out of the second line, since
we have only one-line phones except at our Macintosh.  So much for
introduction, now the question:

Is there such a thing as a box that takes two normal residential lines
in on one side and six extensions in to the other side?  (All our
extensions are radially connected to a central phone block.)  The box
would function as a wannabee PBX, giving dialtone, handling intercom
calls, and dealing with incoming and outgoing calls.  (I assume a REAL
PBX with trunk lines to SNET would be expensive if possible at all.)

I have not seen such a home "PBX" advertised in consumer channels, but
I think it may exist.  The technology ought to permit it at a
reasonable price.

Thanks for any leads.


Martin Ewing, Yale University, Ewing@Yale.Edu


[Moderator's Note: There are indeed some 'home PBX' units available.
Mitel is one example which comes to mind. The Melco 212 is another,
with its provision for two CO lines and twelve extensions. I think
Melco is over around Seattle somewhere. Of course, you might also
consider centrex, or Intellidial, or whatever it is called there.  PT]