DoorBell Fon and VOIP linksys adapters - can they co-exist?

It won't affect your Linksys adapter at all. Just follow the installation instructions as you would a normal telephone connection.

Nope. The DoorBell Fon won't put voltage on the VOIP adapter.

You can also email tech support, but they'll only confirm what I've already posted.

First, call Paul at DoorbellFon and talk to him. He will know for sure. I use these in both my homes and the ring voltage is sent to the phones - not back to the CO line. I would expect you'd be fine. One note: If you have a lot of phones, then, depending on the kinds of phones you have, you may need a ring booster. I needed one in this house (18 phones) and my friend's home (10 phones) but it works OK without it in my other home with 11phones. The Viking Ring Booster is what I used where needed ($150!).

From:cribis snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com

You've got 18 phones in your house, Bruce??? Wow!! I thought we were "pushing it" with six... :-))

If you put the linksys ahead of the doorbell unit it should be fine. At in, connect it into the 'incoming phone line' jack of the doorbell fon unit. That way anything the doorbellfon needs to 'send' to the handsets won't go to the linksys.

I'd wonder if there's anything the handsets need to send to the linksys that the doorbellfon might interfere with? Catching the 'hook flash' is one, what else does it need?

I have a number of customers who use the Doorbell Fon with VoIP service and it works fine. As another gentleman mentioned, you'll need a ring booster if you have a *lot* of phones in the house.

You assume correctly. The Doorbell Fon won't harm the VoIP unit.

Robert:

I went to the web-site for this product and the DorbellFon seems to be a key component that I will be needing, so it's good to hear some confirmation of its usefulness.

Being a software developer by trade, I'm also wondering how I might include this product into what I will build on top of the CharmedQuark components.

Specifically, I intend to have my system invoke some highly-variable canned responses if it can't reach me on my cell in a specific amount of time. (with apologies to Ferris Bueller) And while it's dialing, I also want my system to be able to detect that an attempt is being made to call me so that I can have a sequence of lights come on inside the house at varying intervals ahead of my voice response.

What I'm wondering is if your experience with the DoorbellFon indicates that it would be a candidate for my system. Like, have you used their add-on module DP28CI to trigger other activity, or better yet, to notify some programmed system of the doorbell event?

I use the DP28CI to provide a contact closure to my Stargate SG-1 controller. By sensing the closure I can have the SG-1 do just about anything, so, in addition to the phones ringing, an X10 chime sounds and, if we're not home, an outgoing call can be placed to my cellphone. If the doorbell rings at night, all the front exterior lights come on for 10 minutes. I also can use it to tell the camera server to record video from the gate camera.

From:Toonces snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com

BruceR:

Thanks. This all makes sense. While I'm anticipating using the CharmedQuark components as my starting point, I realize that only programmers really have the option of taking that approach to the limit. But even for those of us who program all day and night, it's always nice when some desired behavior is already built in. So one capability I will be needing is the ability to time events with resolution smaller than minutes.

Does the SG-1 have the ability to program responses (response delays) that are specified to the level of seconds instead of just minutes?

For example, when the doorbell rings, I want to wait a varying number of seconds until the first indoor light goes on, then another varying interval before an indoor light goes on nearer the door where the button was pressed. The idea here is to buy some time while the DoorbellFon reaches me via VoIP, but it won't be vary convincing if the time is fixed in integer minutes.

For the application you want Stargate will give you 1 second resolution using Delays. For example, (and I'll do this in plain English rather than program syntax): If Doorbell Rings Then A-1 ON Delay 4 seconds A-2 On Delay 2 seconds A-3 On

There are also variables that can be used to change the timing of the events. For more details see

From:Toonces snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com