Help choosing your ModemSwitch

General Questions

Question: What identifies an incoming fax call for automatic receipt processing?

Answer: A fax call initiated in the proper manner (generally without getting a dial tone before entering the phone number) will super-impose an 1100 Hz tone on the line repeating every 3 to 3.5 seconds. This tone is called a Calling tone and identifies the call as a FAX call.

Question: What is the difference between line sharing products which route inbound calls by using tone recognition and those which route inbound calls by ring pattern recognition?

Answer: Units which use tones for inbound call routing use DTMF or CNG tones to determine the desired device destination and must “answer” the ring from the telephone company before they can hear and act on the tones. DTMF tones are like those created by a tone capable telephone.

Units which route inbound calls based on “ring pattern” are generically using a process called Distinctive Ring Recognition”. These units Do Not “answer” the telephone company ring, but instead count the ring bursts within the ring interval, i.e. single, double or triple ring pattern. They then route the call to the applicable device associated with the ring pattern, for example, a double ring would be directed to the 2nd device port. These units require additional phone number(s) service be provided by the phone company to ring on the same line. Since the unit does not answer the call, it allows compatibility with phone company services that are dependent upon an un-answered scenario, such as Voice Mail or Call Forwarding.

Question: Which units are Caller ID compatible?

Answer: The operating characteristics of the units vary how they work with Caller ID. Some units (POLNET, SR & Line Hunter) will work, only on the Line (Phone Company) side of the unit. Still others will allow the Caller ID unit to be placed on either side of the unit (STICK & STICK II) through program control or special installation (SR). Check the FAQ’s under the products for additional information on this subject.

Question: Is Call Waiting compatible with line sharing?

Answer: Call waiting will work with/through our devices. It must be understood that data communication may be disturbed/impacted if the Call Waiting signal is received during the data call. This may only cause a “glitch” or my cause a complete disconnect. Consider carefully if this feature fits your overall needs for the line.

Question: What types of equipment can be connected to a line sharing unit?

Answer: These units are analog telephone devices designed to operate on telephone company service. Basically, any analog telephony equipment can be attached to any device port as desired to meet individual needs.

Question: How do I obtain Service/Repair for my unit?

Answer: Our Technical Support Department can be reached by 800-535-4651. Hours are 8am to 8pm EST Monday through Friday. Contact us for Problem Determination assistance and obtain a Return Authorization before sending the unit in for repair.

Question: What happens when I lose power to my line sharing unit?

Answer: With power off on most of our units, the phone company ring voltage will be passed (shorted) through to the Voice or Device 1 port where you will generally have your telephone equipment. This allows basic telephone services to be provided during power outages. On the SR’s the ring voltage will be passed through to all device ports where the first device to answer will capture the call which frequently is a FAX or a Modem

Question: Should I use Phone Company Voice Mail or is call forwarding a requirement?

Answer: A customer will occasionally require the full function of the Telco Voice Mail or the ability to automatically Call Forward an unanswered call. Any line sharing unit that uses tones (CNG / DTMF) must answer the Telco ring before using the tones to route the call to the desired device on premises. This means any function/service provided by the phone company that is dependent on the “unanswered” condition will not work with these units.

An alternative line sharing unit is our SR series (SR-2 / SR-3). These units work in combination with a Telco service generically called “Distinctive Ring Service” which provides a 2nd and possibly a 3rd phone number on a single phone line. These numbers will ring with a distinctive double or triple ring pattern. This service is usually available at a nominal price. The SRs operate by counting the bursts in the ring pattern and routing the call to the appropriate device port without “answering” the call, hence allowing those features like Voice Mail and Call Forwarding to work. Caution: If your service package includes Caller ID on the device side of the SR, call us for a solution.

In customer locations where there are extension phones that cannot be connected to the device side of the line sharing unit, i.e. old homes, out-building, two site drops, the SR allows all phones on the line side of the unit to ring on all inbound ring patterns. This enables the customer to audibly identify the purpose of the inbound call by the ring pattern at the extension phones.

Question: I am not very handy. Is there a simple way just to plug everything in with no wiring changes and no fuss?

Answer: There is a simple way to install a fax switch in a single line home that allows barge-in protection and normal voice operation of all of your extension phones (so your phones act just like they do now, without the switch for voice) and have all fax and modem calls automatically routed to the right device without ringing any phones.

You just go to Radio Shack and purchase a simple two line splitter (Radio Shack part # 279-402) for each phone in your home.

Then plug an adaptor in each jack in your home.

Where the Fax Switch is installed plug in the first input (on the left) on the two line splitter (it will say line 1) into the jack on the back of the fax switch where it says "Phone Line". Then plug in the phone and/or answering machine for your office into the back of the line sharing device where it says where it says "Voice 1". Plug "Voice 2" in the back of the line sharing device into the second input (Line 2) on the two line adaptor on the wall jack. Then plug in your fax and modem if you have one into the jacks in the back of the line sharing device where it says "FAX" and "MODEM" respectively. You are done with plugging in everything at the fax switch.

Next, plug in your extension phones into the second input in the two line adaptors that you have already plugged in where your phones are.

Your done. It's really that easy.

If you need any help with this or any other installation, just call our toll free tech support staff at 1-800-535-4651. We are always happy to help you.

Here is a link to a more detailed explanation of this installation titled, "Simple plug-in with Adaptors", taken from the online manual of The Stick, which is our most popular line sharing device.