I would like to find a hardware answering machine that has some advanced controls to manage which incoming numbers can make the phone ring. [more inside]
posted by royalchinook on Oct 8, 2009 - 9 answers

Do you know mobile producers which provide dual SIM mobiles with wifi supporting SIP protocol? [more inside]
posted by fifigyuri on Oct 2, 2009 - 2 answers

I need some help setting up a telephone system for a large conference room (about 50 people) for question and answers. [more inside]
posted by emmysue01 on Sep 22, 2009 - 6 answers

New baby in the house, easily awoken by telephone ringing, so I am after a phone that can be muted, with visual ring indicator, and preferably a multi hand set dect type if possible. I am in the UK.
posted by spyke23 on Aug 17, 2009 - 6 answers

My (land line) phone splitter stopped working and I don't know why. [more inside]
posted by Obscure Reference on Aug 8, 2009 - 5 answers

Asking for a not-so-tech-savvy friend... Is Ooma VOIP a decent service? Does anyone have any personal accounts to share? [more inside]
posted by hippybear on Jun 23, 2009 - 6 answers

Am I safe showering during a thunder and lightening storm? [more inside]
posted by boulder20something on Jun 10, 2009 - 21 answers

I'm spending about UKP65 on phone, cell/mobile phone and broadband Internet each month. How can I consolidate all these options into something cheaper but just as reliable? [more inside]
posted by BrokenEnglish on May 16, 2009 - 7 answers

PhoneFilter: For testing purposes I need phone numbers in the following categories: No Answer (just rings), Disconnected, Busy. [more inside]
posted by DetonatedManiac on May 8, 2009 - 9 answers

Is the ticking on my new cordless phone a result of interference from my old wireless router? [more inside]
posted by IndigoRain on Mar 15, 2009 - 8 answers

Are there any legal issues involved in asking people to call a telephone number? [more inside]
posted by 1001 questions on Mar 7, 2009 - 8 answers

PhoneNetworkFilter: Help me find government reports (or any official-ish industry reports) that give statistics for the failure rates of various phone systems under various conditions in the USA. [more inside]
posted by DetonatedManiac on Feb 18, 2009 - 1 answer

Why is one of our cordless phones ringing when no call is coming in? [more inside]
posted by Joleta on Feb 7, 2009 - 12 answers

My mom switched to land-line phone service through Comcast, but now she only has one working phone jack. How do we restore functionality to the remaining outlets in the house? [more inside]
posted by blueberry on Dec 30, 2008 - 5 answers

Would the landline telephone system be completely down after a nuclear strike on ~20 U.S. cities? [more inside]
posted by wastelands on Dec 28, 2008 - 9 answers

Where can I buy an upright non-voip telephone? [more inside]
posted by devnull on Dec 23, 2008 - 6 answers

I need recommendations for a good "emergency autodialer" system for my grandmother. The general idea is that should she fall and break her hip (or whatever), she can hit a button on a pendant, and the system calls some preprogrammed numbers and delivers an emergency message. CTQs below... [more inside]
posted by juliewhite on Dec 11, 2008 - 9 answers

I've unplugged all my home phones. What should I hear if I call the number, and my service is working properly?
posted by Chuckles McLaughy du Haha, the depressed clown on Dec 2, 2008 - 14 answers

Can I set up a U.K. land line to forward incoming calls to a U.S.-based number? [more inside]
posted by computech_apolloniajames on Nov 26, 2008 - 10 answers

Who recorded the canonical telephone operator messages? She was responsible for classic hits like, "We're sorry, your call did not go through," and "If you'd like to make a call, please hang up and try again." [more inside]
posted by miffed on Nov 15, 2008 - 7 answers

What can I do with $50 worth of Skype Credits? (other than make calls) [more inside]
posted by Spurious on Nov 12, 2008 - 4 answers

What can I possible do about someone that is repeatedly calling my place of employment and hanging up? [more inside]
posted by hammerthyme on Oct 10, 2008 - 6 answers

Why does my cable company (Cox) really really want me to keep my phone service with them? [more inside]
posted by Futurehouse on Oct 6, 2008 - 7 answers

No dial tone inside my house, but the DSL is working. When I plug a phone directly into the grey box (a.k.a. Network Interface Device) on the outside wall of the house, at the same time disconnecting the link from the phone company's incoming line to the wiring inside the house, I get a dial tone! It seems that the phone company is still providing service. The evidence is exactly what I'd expect if there were a phone off the hook inside the house... but there isn't. What else could be going on? [more inside]
posted by aws17576 on Aug 31, 2008 - 22 answers

Telephone lines: whose obligation? Renting in an unincorporated area [more inside]
posted by small_ruminant on Aug 28, 2008 - 4 answers

TelephoneFilter: How do I turn off call waiting for *incoming* calls? [more inside]
posted by Citrus on Aug 2, 2008 - 20 answers

I'm traveling to South Africa next week, and need to make regular calls to Germany. I'm from the UK and have a UK mobile. What's the cheapest way to do this? [more inside]
posted by gkhewitt on Jul 18, 2008 - 5 answers

Small business phone system. Surely there must be something better than Merlin/PBX? [more inside]
posted by StickyCarpet on Jul 17, 2008 - 13 answers

I'm looking for some good books and other resources about troubleshooting T-carrier problems at the DS1 and DS3 level. [more inside]
posted by 14580 on Jun 18, 2008 - 1 answer

is this thing on? Phone jack not working. [more inside]
posted by giddygirlie on Jun 6, 2008 - 3 answers

Phone from China, SIM card in the US: what do I need to know to make sure I have a working cell phone when I return to the US for a month or two this summer? [more inside]
posted by msbrauer on Jun 4, 2008 - 6 answers

Is there a cheap or free way to setup a phone number in Trinidad and Tobago and have it forward to an American number? Skype and Grand Central don't have numbers in that area code (868). A dozen other vaguely similar services don't, either. [more inside]
posted by Mo Nickels on May 20, 2008 - 2 answers

I am thinking of using GrandCentral for my telephone needs, and want to know the safety and privacy of the service. [more inside]
posted by ooklala on May 9, 2008 - 7 answers

For the last month or two I've been hearing noises from the flat above me. Specifically, I hear a phone number being dialled (as if by a modem), followed by the standard telephone voice saying that the number dialled has not been recognised. This voice repeats itself for a while, before the whole process starts again. This goes on for hours at a time. What's going on? [more inside]
posted by xchmp on May 1, 2008 - 13 answers

I am using a computerized telephone management system called Advanced Call Center. One of its features is it emails me whenever I receive a call at my business. That feature needs and uses the Telephone Applications Programming Interface (TAPI) feature within Outlook to function. [more inside]
posted by CollectiveMind on Apr 20, 2008 - 4 answers

Mathfilter: How many text messages (SMS) will fit on a floppy disk, or a CD-ROM? Once that number is derived, how much will it cost to send or receive that many messages if a consumer pays per message (American carriers or Intl carriers would be great)? [more inside]
posted by kenneth on Mar 3, 2008 - 6 answers

I’m planning the wiring for a new home, and I'm paralyzed by the variety of options for getting phone service throughout the house. Do I even need RJ11 any more? What's the best way to link up VoIP and POTS to a CAT6 home phone system? [more inside]
posted by JParker on Feb 11, 2008 - 25 answers

I just received an anti-Huckabee push poll. Who was it from? [more inside]
posted by ND¢ on Jan 17, 2008 - 11 answers

I live in a semi-rural area and am incredibly frustrated with my area's landline phone provider. The provider has a monopoly in the area and delays fixing constant faults for many weeks. I want to go completely Skype, wireless and mobile. What are my options? [more inside]
posted by zaebiz on Dec 31, 2007 - 7 answers

Is it possible to use the modem in an iBook running Tiger to send and receive voice messages? [more inside]
posted by ooklala on Dec 14, 2007 - 4 answers

How much will it cost to call my friend in Africa? [more inside]
posted by M.C. Lo-Carb! on Dec 10, 2007 - 12 answers

how can I keep my cell phone number cheaply while spending time abroad? [more inside]
posted by krautland on Nov 24, 2007 - 10 answers

What's the best lightweight, unobtrusive and form-fitting iPhone case? [more inside]
posted by killdevil on Oct 21, 2007 - 20 answers

While growing up in Houston in the mid-late 90s, I somehow became aware of several local phone-based voice computer entertainment systems (for lack of a better term). They offered games (in which you punched numbers on the phone keypad to play) like Telefun Trivia, Operation Desert Wolf and something called Pika Farmer, voice dating services (in which you listened to or recorded personal voice ads), random informational services (a life expectancy calculator), horoscopes, news and weather, etc. - all via a menu system at one phone number. What were/are these services called and what other information is available about them? Does anyone else actually remember them? [more inside]
posted by dustinAFN on Oct 15, 2007 - 20 answers

Advice on hiring an Indian call center to answer after-hours calls for a law practice? [more inside]
posted by jayder on Sep 23, 2007 - 19 answers

How do I turn friendly acquaintances into real friends? [more inside]
posted by serena15221 on Sep 2, 2007 - 17 answers

I'm looking for very inexpensive, inbound-only telephone service. Does such a thing exist? [more inside]
posted by vilcxjo_BLANKA on Aug 24, 2007 - 10 answers

Is there anywhere online or in print that provides help programming Avaya Partner Messaging "Automated Attendants"? [more inside]
posted by mikespez on Aug 21, 2007 - 5 answers

What kind of job can I get that involves working on the telephone from home and that is challenging in some way? [more inside]
posted by lunchbox on Aug 18, 2007 - 15 answers

How to legally and economically emulate a remote telephone area code so to a person receiving my call, it appears I am calling from their area code? [more inside]
posted by lometogo on Aug 12, 2007 - 5 answers