Re: Multiple telephone lines & Comfort system

["graham_howe" <graham@xxxxxxx>]

MSN is included with ISDN2e (though not with Home Highway) but you
will need to ask BT to set it up. I think 3 numbers is the maximum,
but I might be wrong (I only needed 3 numbers).

With ISDN2e, the is only one line and therefore only one bill.
Because my terminal adapter has built in PBX I can do things like
pick-up and transfer between business and home line.

Capitel is sold in the UK from here (though it is actually a German
guy who designed and supports it):

http://www.bmtmicro.com/BMTCatalog/win/capitel.html

Graham

--- In ukha_d@y..., "psghome2002" <psghome@h...> wrote:
> Thanks for the very comprehensive reply Graham. A few extra
> questions for you:
>
> 1) Does MSN cost you extra?
> 2) You're obviously using a separate POTS or DECT phone for each of
> the private/business lines. Is there a way of combining both
systems
> and getting access from a single phone? (i.e. I would ideally like
> to be able to make business or personal calls from the same phones
> but keep the billing separate).
> 3) Where is the Capitel software available from?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Paul.
>
> --- In ukha_d@y..., graham@s... wrote:
> >
> > I have ISDN2e, Comfort and Homevision, so my set up is simialr to
> yours,
> > however I have no standard BT line at all (we have mobile phones
> to use if
> > there is a power cut). Comfort can not handle multiple lines, nor
> can it
> > handle ISDN direct, so you have to have a PBX or TA or something
> that can
> > convert from ISDN to POTS. My setup is as follows:
> >
> > ISDN2e comes in to the house to the BT 'box' (I think this is
> called an NT
> > but Keith or someone will no doubt correct me).
> >
> > There are two ports on the BT box, one is connected to a Terminal
> Adapter,
> > the other to a Router.
> >
> > The router (Zyxel Prestige 202) has two analogue ports on it, but
> I don't
> > use them because I have three numbers through MSN (multi
subscriber
> > numbering) on the ISDN service.
> >
> > The router handles network traffic for the LAN and as a bonus
> distributes
> > CAPI information around the network, this allows me to have CAPI
> software
> > (e.g. caller ID) running on networked machines.
> >
> > The terminal adapter (Speeddragon) is no longer used for data at
> all as
> > router (a more recent purchase) handles all that.
> >
> > The terminal adapter does have PBX and 3 analogue ports built in,
> so these
> > are assigned to Home, Business and Fax.
> >
> > The fax port has an analogue modem attached to it which is in
turn
> attached
> > to my server for faxes in and out. I could use software only fax
> across the
> > CAPI but it is very resource hungry and I had the modem anyway.
> >
> > The business phone port connects to a Krone block where it is
> split into 5
> > CAT5 leads. These can be patched through to any 5 ports in the
> house
> > through the patch pannel (smug Graham awaits his pat on the back
> from Keith
> > for using true structured wiring ;-).
> >
> > The home phone port connects to the incoming phone connector on
> comfort.
> > The outgoing phone connection on comfort connects to another
Krone
> block
> > where it too is split into 5 CAT5 leads for patching through.
> >
> > Comfort is the answer phone for home calls, with mail boxes set
up
> for
> > Graham and Orla. Of course I can also dial into the home number
and
> > interact with Comfort. Also Comfort has access to the phone for
> calling me
> > with problems or door phone users when the alarm is armed.
> >
> > The answer phone for business calls is actually a piece of CAPI
> software
> > running on the server (no direct connection to the router or the
> terminal
> > adapter) called Capitel. It records caller ID information on
> multiple
> > machines but on the server it also takes messages and can
> interpret DTMF
> > tones. This means that I can dial into the business number to
> retrieve
> > business messages or to trigger programs to run. For example I
can
> call in
> > to the business line and trigger my server to open a web page on
> the server
> > located at my ISP. This web page captures the visitors IP
address.
> I can
> > then hang up the phone and browse to another page on the ISP
> located server
> > where I can view the last connected IP address. This allows me to
> force my
> > router to connect out and then allows me to pick up it's current
> dynamic IP
> > address so that I can then connect to home, all without using
> permanent
> > connections, static addresses or dns services.
> >
> > Finally I could say the Homevision is irrelevant in this
scenario,
> but
> > there are a couple of points worth making. First off, Homevision
> can not
> > get caller ID or even detect that a call is coming in with ISDN
> (unless
> > someone knows better). However my caller ID software (Capitel)
> creates a
> > log file with all caller ID information in it. So I put together
a
> custom
> > video screen in Homevision that displays the contents of a text
> file. I
> > also wrote a little batch program that picks up the Capitel CID
> log file,
> > places it in the Homevision directory and overwrites the
original.
> I then
> > attached the video screen and the batch program to a macro and
> attached the
> > macro to an IR code (along with commands to pause the video or
> dvd, switch
> > the channel etc etc). I also have the video from Homevision piped
> around
> > the house through a mosulator. Now when the phone rings I can
> press a
> > button on the remote (Pronto) if I want to know who's calling and
> the video
> > source will be paused, the channel will change, the HV screen
will
> be
> > displayed containing the CID information and the CID log used by
> Capitel
> > will be cleared ready for the next call. I also have another
> button/macro
> > combination that reverses this to switch the channel back and
> restart the
> > original video source (I have simplified this a little as there
are
> > separate macros to be run depending on which video source I am
> currently
> > watching and whether I am sitting in front of the projection
> screen or a
> > normal TV).
> >
> > I hope this is useful to you, feel free to ask for further
> information.
> >
> > Graham