Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!ames!killer!vector!nobody From: van-bc!sl@uunet.UU.NET (pri=-10 Stuart Lynne) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Telephone gizmo for one-line customers Message-ID: Date: 7 Jan 89 09:09:12 GMT Sender: chip@vector.UUCP Lines: 55 Approved: telecom-request@vector.uucp X-Submissions-To: telecom@bu-cs.bu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@vector.uucp X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 7, message 2 In article chaney@E.MS.UKY.EDU (Dan Chaney) writes: >In article soley@ontenv writes: >>In article , black%ll-micro@ll-vlsi.arpa (Jerry Glomph Black) writes: >>: I just read a short review in PC Week about a $400 gizmo which >>: answers your phone, then issues a robot-voice announcement to the >>.... > >-- Is there a way to differentiate between FAX and regular modem-logins? > I understand that there are el-cheapo FAX programs that, using your > modem, act as a document-based fax machine. These programs are much > cheaper, on the order of $50-$100. No, there is no way to use a normal (Hayes 1200/2400) type modem for Fax. > What I would like to be able to do is have the computer pick up > the phone and run either the FAX program if this is a fax call or > go ahead and run a login to Unix. I can also for see DOS people > wanting to choose between FAX, UUCP and possibly a third BBS package. > Am I dreaming or is this at all possible? I do not have any specs > on FAX protocol but would be interested if anyone has such data. > I heard a rumour yesterday about a Fax Modem with a built in Hayes 2400 compatible modem that can offer a dial tone to incoming calls. The caller then can send another touch tone digit to activate the service he requires. So you could tell your uucp users to dial: atdt555-1212W1 And your fax users to dial: atdt555-1212W2 Assuming W stands for "wait for tone". Of course if the fax person is really calling from a fax machine he may have to use other modifiers for the dial strings, but this is the equivalent to getting through a PBX which most machines seem to be capable of. On the computer side it would see some messages from the modem along the lines of "DIGIT 1" or "DIGIT 2". Sounds like just the thing for small systems where you don't really want to dedicate a line to both uucp *AND* fax. You just need software that can watch the modem and give a normal login for some connects, and go direct to a fax receive program for others. Of even more interest the person I talked to claimed that this would be in an external box that you can talk to over a serial port! So it's not tied to the PC architecture. I'll forward more details when I confirm all this. -- Stuart.Lynne@wimsey.bc.ca {ubc-cs,uunet}!van-bc!sl Vancouver,BC,604-937-7532