Phone troubles (1 Viewer)

[Jeff_Brown]

I have terrible cell service in my apt at home, so often I miss calls from people. I want to use the regular cordless phone, but I cant really just take the reciever into my room, because I have a roommate and she might get a call.

Basically, I want to use one line, but have a phone with two recievers, and when someone dials, the phone would answer, and prompt them to choose which reciever would ring. That way, I could have a reciever in my room, and she in hers, and if we got calls late at night or in the morning, we wouldnt have to worry about the other person waking up.

Does anyone know if someting like that exists?

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

You're looking at something more like a two line phone system than an ordinary home phone. There are plenty of phone systems with multiple cordless handsets, but I've never heard of one that does quite what you want.

I have a GE system with a digital answering machine/charging base for the first handset, and a charger-only base for the second handset (no phone line required.) My sister has the same system but without the answering machine (she uses the phone company voice mail) and two additional handsets for the system maximum of 4. She can intercom between her handsets and "transfer" calls between them. (I don't use these features since I live alone, and hardly need to transfer calls to myself. ) My digital answering machine version does support up to 4 mailboxes, so that you can at least sort out your messages, even if all calls ring all handsets (plus the base.)

I don't see any easy way to avoid having both handsets ring with a system like this, anymore than you would with corded phones sharing one phone number. This is just a wireless version of that kind of installation, the mere fact the cordless handsets are involved doesn't really change the basic limitations. If one of you is expecting late night calls and the other isn't, the one who isn't can turn off the ringer. If an emergency call comes through the other party can wake him/her. Or you can both leave the ringers on and just check caller ID to figure out who should answer. Finally you could consider a cheap solution like the service variously known as "Distinctive Ring", "Ringmaster" and similar names - one or more "virtual" numbers added to your single real number, each of which produces a different ring tone. So, you could keep the "base" number as "your" number, and your roommate adds a new virtual number as "hers". Now you just listen to the ring to know who the call is for without even looking at the caller ID display. Still doesn't avoid late night diruptions (really, how often does this happen? My friends know not to call after 11 unless it is to tell me someone has died or my place is on fire) but it does let you know which calls you can ignore.

Regards,

Joe

 

[Linda Thompson]

Sounds like this would do what you need:

http://faxswitch.com/sr_next.html

 

[BrianW]

http://www.productivity.net/P2P/PRP2PConsumer.htm

Routes phone calls based on Caller ID.