Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: "Ole J. Jacobsen" Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Why Are Phone Systems so *Stupid*?? Message-ID: <11162@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 22 Aug 90 04:09:51 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Organization: TELECOM Digest Lines: 27 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 585, Message 8 of 14 Why is it that most phone systems insist on "knowing" about CO lines, *only* if these lines are properly "grabbed" by requesting extensions on the other side of the switch? If I can buy a cheap "line status indicator" which "knows" that a CO line is off hook, why can't the switches use similar brain power to figure the status of CO lines? The problem arises when you try to hook devices (modems, answering machines, faxen, etc.) *directly* to CO lines (which are also connected to the phone system). The phone system (stupidly) has no way of knowing when such a line is active and will merrily grab it at random with disastrous effects. Please don't tell me to hook my modem into an extension port, I only have 16, and that's not enough for a one bedroom place, besides having to dial 9....:-) P.S. This problem is present on both cheap systems like the Panasonic KX-T61610 and the expensive Merlin 2. Both fail the basic intelligence test in this respect. Arrg. Ole J Jacobsen, Editor and Publisher ConneXions--The Interoperability Report Interop, Inc. 480 San Antonio Road, Suite 100 Mountain View, CA 94040 USA Phone: (415) 941-3399 FAX: (415) 949-1779 ole@csli.stanford.edu