Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: More Than You Wanted to Know About Distinctive Ringing
From: johnl@iecc.cambridge.ma.us (John R. Levine)
Date: 1 Dec 92 00:12:15 GMT
Organization: TELECOM Digest
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 881, Message 1 of 9

Lots of responses this time, as well as finding some old messages I'd
lost.  There are a few ??? still to be filled in.

 -- What is Distinctive Ringing?

It is a telephone service that assigns several different phone numbers
to the same line.  Its true name is "Multiple Directory Numbers Per
Line With Distinctive Ringing".  Each number rings in a different
cadence (single, double, and triple ring) so you can tell which number
the caller called.  The maximum number of numbers per line varies by
telco, but can be as high as four.  You can think of it as a party
line where all the parties are you.

The price is usually quite low: around here it's $3/month for the
second number and $2/month for the third.  You generally have the
option of listing the extra numbers or not.  (Note to Massachusetts
customers: NET orignally said I had to pay extra to have them
unlisted, but the DPU persuaded them that they were mistaken.)

 -- What is it good for?

All sorts of things.  One use is for people with home businesses, so
you can answer one ring "Hello" and the other "Thank you for calling
Bagel-tronics."  Another is to share a single line among several
devices such as faxes and modems.  For this use, you'll want a ring
leader, below.

It is also useful as a way to defeat Caller ID.  The C-ID number sent
on outgoing calls is always the first number so you could assign the
first number to your modem, or let an answering machine pick up calls
to the first number and tell your friends to call the second number.

Some allege that it's useful to distinguish between calls to parents
and calls to teenage children, but given the way teenagers use the
phone (call every possible number where a friend might be and talk for
hours) it's no substitute for a second line.

 -- Can I use it as a fax switch?

That's what I use it for.  I find it works better than the usual fax
switches.  It doesn't depend on answering the phone and listening for
fax tones which not all faxes generate, so it never guesses wrong.
Besides, you get a separate fax number which looks much more official.

 -- What happens if I also have call waiting?

When a call comes in, the beep is in the same pattern as the ring, so
you know which number it is.  At least, that's what's supposed to
happen.  Apparently, they sometimes forget to set up the beeps right.

 -- How do I order it?

You call up the business office, of course.  For some reason, each
telco gives it a different name.  The ones I know are:

NYNEX		Ring Mate
Bell Atlantic	Identa Ring
Southern Bell	Ring Master
Ameritech	???
SW Bell		Personalized Ring
US West		Custom Ringing
Pac Tel		not available, see below
GTE		Smart Ring

Technically, distinctive ringing can be installed on 1A and newer AT&T
exchanges and other modern units.  A software upgrade is required
(it's almost but not quite the same as a party line) so there are many
areas in which it's still not available even though the exchange would
seem to support it.

Note for Pac Bell customers: Pac Tel has a service which they call
"distinctive ringing" which is completely different.  Their service is
a home centrex which rings differently for inside and outside calls.
If you try to order distinctive ringing, be sure you know what you're
getting.

 -- Can I automatically connect to different devices for different
rings?

Yes.  That's what a "ring leader" does.  It is a box that has a
modular cord that plugs into the phone line and several modular jacks
into which the devices plug.  When the phone rings, it listens to the
first ring cycle and then connects to one of the devices depending on
which ring pattern it was.  The ring leader itself never answers the
phone -- it just connects to a phone, fax, modem, etc., which answers
the call normally.

For outgoing calls, ring leaders act as exclusion units and only let
one of the devices connect to the line at a time.  Excluded devices
hear either a busy signal or a silence.

Many vendors sell ring leaders.  Here's a summary of the ones I know
about, along with the names of the people providing reports.

I have an Autoline Plus fro ITS in Endicott NY. +1 607 754 6310.  It
connects up to three devices.  Mine has been entirely reliable.  I
paid about $80 but the price is more like $120 now.  (John Levine
<johnl@iecc.cambridge.ma.us>)

Misco now has a unit that will do just that.  It is called the Ring
Decipher (misco part #fl-3622).  The only other identification in the
ad is "ASAP RD-4000".  I'd like to know who makes it, and alternate
sources.  Supposedly, it will provide a standard ring signal on any
one of the four outputs determined by the incoming ring pattern.
Price $99.  (Bill Petrisko <petrisko@evax2.engr.arizona.edu>)

My first Lynx Automation box didn't work but their beta replacement
worked.  Four pattern model.  I bought another one that my brother had
problems with but I haven't hooked it up here yet so I dunno.  I
notice that Lechmere [local discount department store] is selling the
two line Lynx at a nonoutragous price ($69 or $79 which is about what
Lynx charges direct.  (Bob Frankston <Bob_Frankston@frankston.com>)

I use a ASAP RD4000 Ring Decipher made by Command Communications Inc
of Aurora CO.  It cost $100 at a trade show.  It decodes four
different patterns.  When one of the devices has the line, the other
devices get a busy signal if they try to access the box.  It has
worked flawlessly for the last nine months.

I had a bad experience with a box called RingMaster made by Lucas
Technologies of Beacon NY.  It failed repeatedly and the maker
wouldn't do anything about the problems until I cornered them at a
trade show and made a large noise.  They bought the box back for $100.
I had only paid $80!  That was the only good experience with Lucas'
RingMaster.  (John Adams <johna@a-k.boston.ma.us>)

The call route box (avail from Home Automation Lab at 1-800-HOMELAB)
or the RD1000 from mailorder (this is the one I have) doesn't even
pass ring voltage to the connected lines until after the end of the
first ring and it has determined which number was called; therefore,
you never even hear the phone ring unless they are calling the
authorized number.  (Carl Neihart <neihart@ga.com>)

Black Box's September 1992 catalog lists a product called DRD-4 that
automatically routes distinctive ring services from one incoming phone
line to up to four devices. $ 139. Phone 1-412-746-5500.  (Marc Kozam
<mlksoft!kozam@cs.umd.edu>)

 -- Can I build my own ring leader?

Probably.  Several people expressed interest in coming up with a
design, but nobody's told me about one yet.

Thanks to:

petrisko@evax2.engr.arizona.edu (William Petrisko)
barnett@zeppelin.convex.com (Paul Barnett)
lars@CMC.COM (Lars Poulsen)
richg@hatch.socal.com (Rich Greenberg)
petrisko@evax2.engr.arizona.edu (William Petrisko)
Bob_Frankston@frankston.com
johna@a-k.boston.ma.us (John Adams)
TERRY@spcvxa.spc.edu (Terry Kennedy)
tmatimar@empress.com (Ted M A Timar)
neihart@ga.com (Carl Neihart)
mmaster@parnasus.dell.com (Michael Masterson)
"Wm. Bryant Faust, IV" <WFAUST@NOMVS.LSUMC.EDU>
neihart@ga.com (Carl Neihart)
mlksoft!kozam@rutgers.edu
Steve Forrette <stevef@wrq.com>


[Moderator's Note: All those names can be confusing. Ameritech
(Illinois Bell, at least) says 'distinctive ringing' is when your CO
has been advised of up to ten telephone numbers which, when they call
you are to be given the red carpet; ie, they, and they alone are to
cause your phone to ring with a special cadence to let you know (for
example) the boss is calling, or your parents, etc.  On the other
hand, 'Multi-line' is the service discussed in John's article where
more than one number is assigned to a single line with different
ringing cadences as appropriate.  'Starline' is IBT's 'home centrex'
service which provides a different ring for calls from within and
without your premises.  I use my 'Multi-line' service as a way for
my 800 numbers to ring in. The two short rings tell me it is my
nickle paying for the call.  :)    PAT] 
--
bill petrisko                                  petrisko@evax2.engr.arizona.edu
   aka n7lwo                 ...!uunet!4gen!warlok!gargle!omnisec!thumper!bill