Call filtering products

[Mark Allread]

Could you set the ringtone to mute and then let the calls go to answerphone? Answerphone should show if you have any calls and you can then decide who, if anyone, you want to talk to.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

For many it supplies the broadband too.

I get a fair few spam calls and texts on my mobile too - but nothing like as many.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Think few friends or family would phone at un ungodly hour - unless important.

[Roger Mills]

So you get interrupted from what you're doing, whatever. The benefit of trueCall is that the phone *doesn't* ring until it has decided that it's someone you want to speak to.

[Harry Bloomfield]

Huge expressed precisely :

Yes, the numbers of the calls is back on the increase. Our 8500 logged five such callers today.

We use a set of four BT 8500, which can filter all incoming calls and remains silent unless an allowed caller rings or the caller has the patience to listen and follow the instructions the 8500 gives them - nuisance callers and without fail over many months, just drop the call. The only indication that they have rung, is that they get listed in the call log system.

[Harry Bloomfield]

It happens that The Natural Philosopher formulated :

I used to do that, it gave very limited success - they mostly carried on for another earfull.

[Harry Bloomfield]

dennis@home formulated the question :

Those people I ring are entered in to my BT 8500's callbook and get straight through, everyone else gets the chance to say their name, press a button and get through - nuisance callers never do this and so never get through.

In the many months since I installed it, I have never heard a complaint from anyone, that they couldn't get through due to the filter.

[Roger Mills]

Yes, indeed. I have 3 wired handsets and one DECT base unit which supports 3 DECT handsets. If trueCall knows the name of the caller, it sends it to the handsets to display.

One of my wired handsets has a built-in answering m/c but I've disabled that and just use trueCall's answering m/c feature. You may be able to use both together, but you'd need think carefully about which one you want to answer first.

I don't think it applies to you, but if you use 1571 as an answering service and have a phone which goes off-hook regularly to listen for a broken dial tone, that will upset trueCall - particularly its ability to 'call home' in order to do a weblink.

[Harry Bloomfield]

Peter Johnson submitted this idea :

TT had that facility for free, but it proved to be in practice useless. The nuisance callers often as not spoof the number they present and often change the spoofed number.

My system rejects all international calls with no number, all with held numbers - the only ones which get to ring, are those who follow the procedure it announces, or those in my call book who get straight through.

[Bob Minchin]

Thanks Roger

[Brian Gaff]

I've had a true call for over a year and a half. This is the original Truecall VI for blind users. It is very good but there are some unexpected issues. Firstly, if friends or commonly ringing folk have withheld numbers, often local authorities health care etc, then they always have to say their name before the device rings your phones. some of these organisations seem reluctant to do this and put the phone down for whatever reason. Some pre recorded junk calls can leak through if they have a small gap after a few short words, as it thinks its a name. If they have a number you can block them of course. The first few weeks are when you need to put the wanted callers in the star list. they then get straight through without having to say their name. Most cold callers give up when asked for their names as time is money and they just move on to the next number. I've not had a live junk call since I've had the device. So really its up to you to decide whether people from places like companies and helth and council bodies are important callers for you as their response to call screeners seems pretty random. Of course both Sky and BT offer a built in system for free. BTs is on 1572, and has to be set up either online or via a freephone number. Most of these devices whether built in via the telephone exchange or as a box at home can record your calls like any answering machine but True call can also record all incoming and out going calls as well and if you buy a memory card this is a big number of hours. The administration of this can get very long winded, but if you need to have calls recorded and are disciplined enough to do manual deletions each week its not so bad. 60 hours sounds a long time but it can fill up and going through that lot could easily take several sessions. Of course the card can be read with software on a computer, but its still quite a slow process working through the files.

Some telephones also now have true call built into them, but these rely on sight, so for me they are not so useful. Note however that I have now started to get junk calls via my mobile. I guess its only a matter of time before this will be covered as well.

Brian

[Muddymike]

We have a set of five Gigaset handsets so one is mostly within sight. When someone starts speaking we can hear them in most rooms that we regularly inhabit. We purposely don't have one in the bedroom.

I'm not saying it works for everyone but it suits us and has no running costs or set up hassles.

Mike

[Muddymike]

We do have the phone in the upstairs office set to a very low ring. We can then hardly hear it outside that room.

Mike

[Tim Lamb]

In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes

One has to hope that normal service will be resumed once the divorce is final.

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[Dave Plowman (News)]

Think it's because many large switchboards have outgoing only lines, which you can't easily find out the number of and put in your system.

My doctor's surgery seemed OK with Truecall, though.

The other one is a delivery driver phoning up to make sure you are in. Seems to defeat them. I turn mine off if expecting such a call.

[alan_m]

I have the BT8500 and only use the number withheld and international blocking filters[1] and have had only 1 junk call get through in the past 4 weeks. There hasn't been a problem with my local doctors surgery or hospital leaving messages on the answerphone.

[1] I also have around a dozen numbers in a VIP white-list that overrides any filtering and with an added benefit of displaying the callers name on the handsets.

You have to remember that these phones give a message to people phoning from a blocked number with a simple instruction on how to get through. Dialling robots don't understand the message and cold callers tend not to bother. Many cold callers actually just drop the line instantly on hearing a recorded message as their aim is to talk to a human and not the machine.

The phones display lights up (but is silent) when dealing with a blocked number so that I'm aware that I'm still getting around 3 junk calls per evening.

You need caller display activated from your phone supplier. With BT you can get this part for free for 12 months if you sign up to their privacy pack and enter a 12 month line rental agreement. After a year you can renew this again to get caller display free for another 12 months BUT you have to keep a record of the dates as BT will not remind you and default you to paying a monthly fee for the service as your contract expires.

[alan_m]

BTW, For BT customers

[Capitol]

I have a perfect call filtering service provided by BT. The phone rings once and cuts off!

[alan_m]

Mobile numbers are also targeted by spammers!

[Huge]

Oh, the irony; TrueCall do not accept emails from Yahoo.