General Questions
Question: What identifies an incoming fax call for automatic
receipt processing?
Answer: A fax call initiated in the proper manner (generally
without getting a dial tone before entering the phone number)
will super-impose an 1100 Hz tone on the line repeating every
3 to 3.5 seconds. This tone is called a Calling tone and identifies
the call as a FAX call.
Question: What is the difference between line sharing
products which route inbound calls by using tone recognition and
those which route inbound calls by ring pattern recognition?
Answer: Units which use tones for inbound call routing
use DTMF or CNG tones to determine the desired device destination
and must “answer” the ring from the telephone company
before they can hear and act on the tones. DTMF tones are like
those created by a tone capable telephone.
Units which route inbound calls based on “ring pattern”
are generically using a process called Distinctive Ring Recognition”.
These units Do Not “answer” the telephone company ring,
but instead count the ring bursts within the ring interval, i.e.
single, double or triple ring pattern. They then route the call
to the applicable device associated with the ring pattern, for
example, a double ring would be directed to the 2nd device port.
These units require additional phone number(s) service be provided
by the phone company to ring on the same line. Since the unit
does not answer the call, it allows compatibility with phone company
services that are dependent upon an un-answered scenario, such
as Voice Mail or Call Forwarding.
Question: Which units are Caller ID compatible?
Answer: The operating characteristics of the units vary
how they work with Caller ID. Some units (POLNET, SR & Line
Hunter) will work, only on the Line (Phone Company) side of the
unit. Still others will allow the Caller ID unit to be placed
on either side of the unit (STICK & STICK II) through program
control or special installation (SR). Check the FAQ’s under
the products for additional information on this subject.
Question: Is Call Waiting compatible with line sharing?
Answer: Call waiting will work with/through our devices.
It must be understood that data communication may be disturbed/impacted
if the Call Waiting signal is received during the data call. This
may only cause a “glitch” or my cause a complete disconnect.
Consider carefully if this feature fits your overall needs for
the line.
Question: What types of equipment can be connected to
a line sharing unit?
Answer: These units are analog telephone devices designed
to operate on telephone company service. Basically, any analog
telephony equipment can be attached to any device port as desired
to meet individual needs.
Question: How do I obtain Service/Repair for my unit?
Answer: Our Technical Support Department can be reached
by 800-535-4651. Hours are 8am to 8pm EST Monday through Friday.
Contact us for Problem Determination assistance and obtain a Return
Authorization before sending the unit in for repair.
Question: What happens when I lose power to my line sharing
unit?
Answer: With power off on most of our units, the phone
company ring voltage will be passed (shorted) through to the Voice
or Device 1 port where you will generally have your telephone
equipment. This allows basic telephone services to be provided
during power outages. On the SR’s the ring voltage will be
passed through to all device ports where the first device to answer
will capture the call which frequently is a FAX or a Modem
Question: Should I use Phone Company Voice Mail or is
call forwarding a requirement?
Answer: A customer will occasionally require the full
function of the Telco Voice Mail or the ability to automatically
Call Forward an unanswered call. Any line sharing unit that uses
tones (CNG / DTMF) must answer the Telco ring before using the
tones to route the call to the desired device on premises. This
means any function/service provided by the phone company that
is dependent on the “unanswered” condition will not
work with these units.
An alternative line sharing unit is our SR series (SR-2 / SR-3).
These units work in combination with a Telco service generically
called “Distinctive Ring Service” which provides a 2nd
and possibly a 3rd phone number on a single phone line. These
numbers will ring with a distinctive double or triple ring pattern.
This service is usually available at a nominal price. The SRs
operate by counting the bursts in the ring pattern and routing
the call to the appropriate device port without “answering”
the call, hence allowing those features like Voice Mail and Call
Forwarding to work. Caution: If your service package includes
Caller ID on the device side of the SR, call us for a solution.
In customer locations where there are extension phones that cannot
be connected to the device side of the line sharing unit, i.e.
old homes, out-building, two site drops, the SR allows all phones
on the line side of the unit to ring on all inbound ring patterns.
This enables the customer to audibly identify the purpose of the
inbound call by the ring pattern at the extension phones.
