Call filtering products

I wouldn't have dreamed of mentioning a small Gaul.

Or even a PBX.

I've got TrueCall and it certainly stops those spam calls. I have the unit were you can enter and edit your 'allowed' list via their website, which allows you copy and paste your phone book into it. Included for the first year but charged for afterwards, IIRC. Not sure I could be bothered entering all numbers manually.

The snag with it is it may put off some genuine calls that you've not got the number for in your system. Like perhaps a delivery driver, where leaving a message won't do.

But all in all I'm extremely pleased with it. I disabled it to allow in a call I was expecting, and got 4 spam calls in a few hours.

It is an extra bit of kit to have lying around, and when I get round to tidying the wiring to it I might well include a bypass switch. Easier than doing it via the keypad on the phone.

I have a DECT phone that has trucall built in, works really well. Its set so someone can say their name and the phone will ring so you can decide to answer or not. None of these silent calls or the ones that dial and put you through to a person work as they don't get the message about how to operate it.

If anyone wants to know what it is I will say but not to that huge prick.

I've also got a trueCAll stand-alone unit - and it has stopped all my junk calls dead!

It's designed to use with just one handset (or the base unit for a stack of Dect phones). I use mine with several wired handsets, and needed to do a bit of jiggery pokery in order to insert it between the master socket and my extension wiring. Most people from whom I wish to receive calls are 'plumbed in' and get straight through. It intercepts call from unknown, withheld or international numbers and asks the caller to identify themselves before ringing my phone. This puts off most junk callers, but genuine callers don't seem to be put off.

There are some BT-branded DECT phones which have trueCall technology built in. These are cheaper than the stand-alone unit but, in my view, are a bit less versatile. Worth looking at, anyway.

As I understand it, any numbers you want to allow straight in have to be entered manually? Not sure I could be bothered with that. I keep one central list up to date here - and it's easy to use that to update the Truecall I have.

One day, someone will produce an integrated landline/mobile system with decent spam blocking. I'll be at the front of the queue for that - unless it costs silly money.

I've been using the Plusnet Call Protect for a couple of weeks. I use the default blacklist of junk call numbers and have added a few more myself, which is quite easy to do, call 1572 and 'add last received number'. I allow calls with number withheld because there are a couple of those that I want to receive. I have barred international calls and received none (added my brother's number, he lives in Germany, to the VIP list so I won't find out if that works until Christmas.)

We just leave all withheld, international and unrecognised number to the answerphone. As soon as anyone we want to talk to starts leaving a message we pick up.

Mike

I've got several DECT phones here (with different base stations) and not any corded types left in use. And the TrueCall cuts in quick enough to stop any of them ringing on spam calls, just plugged into an extension socket. It might well not with corded ones, though.

But does this mean the phone doesn't ring before the answerphone cuts in?

Of course it rings, how else would we know to look if we want to answer.

Mike

Roger, It sounds like I have a similar set up to you with 4 wired phones and 3 dect with answering m/c. Can you confirm on your set up that putting the Truecall upstream of all devices that you get correct operation please?

TIA Bob

You can either use the caller ID or add it to the callers list. The list is shared by all the handsets so you only need to do it once.

I suppose that if you have hundreds of contcts it might be easier to keep a list on a PC.

They exist but they have monthly fees.

When my ageing mother got hit by the microsoft engineer calls and subsequent fake "suspicious activity on your account" "bank" calls from a Vietnam dialling code 00845... I bought her a CPR Call blocker

Plugs into the DECT base unit but picks up commands from any DECT handset (e.g. #0 to block current number)

If I didn't have my own alternative system I'd have one at home and at work.

HTH Pete

Mine doesn't if you set it send unknown callers to the answer machine.

For various reasons, we were forced to disconnect our landline a couple of years ago.

Can't say we've missed it.

Between myself and SWMBO we must rack up quite a few medical appointments, but have never missed a call (or text) to either of our mobiles.

I guess the risk of no signal, or a network outage could leave us uncontactable. But is that a risk worth paying £9.99 a month plus the management of spam calls to mitigate ???

I'd rather the phone didn't ring at all for calls I'm not going to take. And wouldn't you have to be close to the answer phone to know if it's a call you want?

She doesn't get any of those automated dialled calls where there is no one on the other end? Those are the majority here.

That's no use to me; the call this morning was before we normally get up.

I think she may well but without her hearing aid in, that could also be us or the doctors. ;-)

Cheers, T i m