Xref: utzoo comp.dcom.modems:3364 comp.sys.ibm.pc:24691
Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!apple!rutgers!gatech!mcdchg!chinet!pdg
From: pdg@chinet.chi.il.us (Paul Guthrie)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.modems,comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Modem and ans. mach. on same line!!
Message-ID: <7705@chinet.chi.il.us>
Date: 14 Feb 89 03:29:02 GMT
References: <1903@loral.UUCP> <101@sopwith.UUCP>
Reply-To: pdg@chinet.chi.il.us (Paul Guthrie)
Followup-To: comp.dcom.modems
Distribution: usa
Organization: The League of Crafty Hackers
Lines: 36

In article <101@sopwith.UUCP> snoopy@sopwith.UUCP (Snoopy) writes:
>In article <1903@loral.UUCP> jcb@loral.UUCP (Jay C. Bowden) writes:
>|I saw a new gadget advertised in the  Feb '89 COMPUUTER SHOPPER
>|that is supposed to allow you to let a modem share a line with
>|a voice answering machine.  Works like this:  Call first, let the
>|phone ring ONCE ONLY.  Clever box understands this ISOLATED ring
>|is a signal to SWITCH the phone line over to the MODEM for
>|the next 100 seconds.
>Cute idea, but this would be unreliable in practice.  The ringback you
>hear when calling someone does NOT happen at the same time as their phone
>rings.  Ever have someone pick up the phone "before it rang"?


Actually, it does work in practice.  You are correct about the fact that
power ringing and ringback aren't synchronized, but they usually occur closely
enough for this to work.  It would depend on your CO.  I have one of the
5 prototypes of this unit, and it *does* work reliably.


>Does it silence the ringing to your regular phones, or do you hear them ring
>once whenever someone calls for the modem?

You hear them ring.

>It might work in some cases, but I suspect it would be a giant headache.

Not at all.  I don't even notice that the unit is there, unless I want
to call in to my computer.  Then I'm very thankfull that the unit is
installed.

--paul


-- 
Paul Guthrie
chinet!nsacray!paul