>> And to respond to DLR's concern about the line getting 'answered by
>> the wrong machine', the point is that the _box_ answers the call and
>> routes it appropriately. 'Distinctive ringing' from the telephone
>> company isn't required at all.
> Sorry for jumping in, but how do those boxes work? Does the box pick
> up the line, waits for a few seconds, and ...
> - if it gets a FAX tone, it will direct the call to the fax plug
> - if it gets nothing, it will forward it to the phone plug?
Yes.
But if it's a voice call, will users just get silence for several
> seconds, or does the box simultaneously listens to the incoming call
> to tell if it's fax or voice, and also play a ring tone so, in case
> it's a human calling, the caller thinks the phone is still ringing?
Yes.
Probably one of the most industry standard boxes over here is the Command CS-5500. It runs about $55.00. Oh, check this out; I can't do that on my laptop :-)
Here's the link to the command comm website operating instructions for the CS550:
formatting link
Carl Navarro