home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- Geoff,
-
- My heartiest sympathies with your problem.
-
- your problem is very much further compounded by the fact that there are
- a number fo different CLI standards in existance here in the UK, not
- just the BT one !!
-
- Firstly - BT's - very different to that used in North America (BELL
- 202), primarily to allow for the future enhancement to 'no-ring access'
- to homes for the purposes of meter reading etc. This is why the data is
- sent before the ring.
-
- Secondly - CCA Spec (Cable Communications Association) for all those
- people who subscribe to cable telephony. This is based heavily on NA
- BELL 202 ... BUT.... with some significant differences in the
- allerting timings and in the content of the data sent.
-
- Thirdly - some switches (exchanges) implement their own slight
- variations that render absolute compatibility very difficult indeed.
-
- So, to date, there is only ONE manufacturer able to support ALL
- standards in the UK and that is NORTEL (formerly Northern Telecom).
-
- Relating this to your problem - how does this help. Well, re the
- phoneblaster - i'm not sure it does. even if there were a hardware
- conversion of the signalling (which there isn't) you'd still be left
- with the problem of incompatible data.
-
- Only solution is to contact the sales office of NORTEL and pester them
- for CLI Line interface unit that can sit between the phone socket and
- your PC. Currently, this is available as a fully featured phone (so you
- get a great phone as well as the PC link), though a simple(r) interface
- unit will be available shortly. I have one of these phones working at
- home and the phone itself will store 50 callers even when your pc is
- switched off.
-
- Yeah ! OK, sounds like a sales pitch - I run the NORTEL design group
- here in the UK and we've struggled with this problem too, though we now
- have a big family of UK and European CLI products being sold widely
-
- Ring Annette Chamberlain on 01495 270521 for more details. Ask for info
- on the C9316CTI (the great phone) and the CTI-SB (interface unit).
-
- Hope this helps !
-
- Andrew Clifforth
- NORTEL
-
-
-