CAll waiting software?

[Bovon]

I have some relatives nearby who have Bellsouth as an ISP. Bellsouth around here is the pits. Tech help is in India, so there is no use calling...they speak some dialect in a badly broken english...and, it goes downhill from there.

Problem. They run a small business and rely on their telephone a lot...now, please don't suggest a second phone line.. I did, and got my head bit almost off.

They have call waiting and caller ID. Bellsouth sent some software that when installed, goes out and polls a certain number at Bellsouth to see if their telephone number is still a member..if not, the ICW does not work. (ICW=Internet Call Waiting).
I have googled to find some similar sortware so that they can change ISP's, and all I can find are similar "services".

I am pretty sure there is software that can be purchased that will do the same thing as Bellsouth.net's ICW..and to heck with having to poll some distant server to see if they are still paying for a membership.

Several years ago, I remember reading about some software that would do exactly what I want, but I (personally) did not need it.

Anybody know of any call waiting software that can be purchased straight out?..a freebie would be wonderful, but we are able to pay for some if it isn't outrageous in cost.

[r8500]

Emerson makes a call waiting box that you might be interested in. I will try to find it, but what it does, is it makes a chime when a call is coming in, so you can answer it.

[r8500]

Here it is:

http://www.asseenontv.com/prod-pages/emersonswitchboard.html?gid=ELECTRONICS

[Bovon]

Thanks a bunch r8500, I just sent them an email with the URL... but I am almost sure that whatever we do, will need to include caller ID. A device like this Emerson that includes caller ID would be nice...and probably twice as much cost.

What she has now is software that pops up with a dialog that includes the number that the call is coming from plus the name of the caller (I think)...gives her the option to accept the call or not. If she accepts the call, she must disconnect from the net.

I meant to mention in my first post that we live 8 miles out, and I have no clue how far to the telephone company's equipment room or digital field room...ASL/DSL does not work out here, and I am very surprised that 56K analog works...but it does...until a heavy rainstorm passes thru.

[Bovon]

LOL....go to eBay and do a search for Emerson Switchboard, just a tad cheaper!

[Crashman]

Hey, I bought one of those a long time ago! But I don't need it any longer, my Zoom modem upgraded to V.92 and supports the feature: It detects the call waiting beep and sends a signal to the server to pause, allowing me to answer the phone. I'm not certain what the time limit is as I lost my call waiting service when I switched lines and decided not to pay extra for it.

[Bovon]

Thanks for the input Crashman. When you used to use the Emerson, how well did it work?..was it reliable?

We use the USR Courier V.Everything here, external. These are V90, but may be flash upgradeable.. I'll look and see if they are, but the newer external modems are so reasonable today, its almost as cheap to just buy a new modem than it is to upgrade etc.

Right now, I am trying to find a software replacement solution, some application that will do what Bellsouths ICW does, but at the same time.. I am looking at other types of call notifying...and the Emerson Switchboard may be a good answer if it does what the brochure says it does...can handle a fax while remaining online, can handle a phone conversation without disconnecting from the net...to me, this would be the answer, but the family likes their caller ID feature, so I may need two devices!..

[Crashman]

There's a time limit, I can't remember how long it is, but it did work as advertised while I used it for around 3 months

[Bovon]

Well, thanks to an email.. I may have found a software version that could be compatible with the Bellsouth ICW.

http://www.ivrsoft.com/call-alert.htm

I have D/L the freebie and will install it on the other machine and see how well it works, in the meantime.. I am still looking at possibly trying out the Emerson Switchboard, especially if I can get one at eBay real cheap and low shipping, lol...

[r8500]

That switchboard worked pretty well. My dad used it for a couple of years, before broadband became an option.