[voip247]

In order to stop junk calls from both the PSTN and the VOIP sides and to uncripple the SPA3000's gateway, I would like the Sipura SPA-3000 to have a 'Please press the # key' option. It would work like this:

1) If a line 1 VOIP call arrives, the caller would hear "Please press the pound key." Only AFTER the caller pressed # would the line 1 phone start ringing.

2) If a PSTN call arrives, the caller would hear "Please press the pound key," and then the caller could enter # to ring line 1 or * to access the gateway without ringing line 1.


Why this would be a good feature:

1) It stops all autodialed telemarketing calls and eliminates all of the need for antitelemarketer devices (such as Screen Machine) and much of the need for call screening. If you think junk PSTN calls are bad, JUST WAIT UNTIL INTERNATIONALLY-ORIGINATED JUNK VOIP CALLS START! At that point, VoIP adapters either will have antitelemarketing features or will be unplugged.

2) The SPA3000's gateway is somewhat crippled right now, in the sense that it's not an effective way to add a gateway to an already-used PSTN line. (The current 'PSTN Ring Thru Line 1' option makes the SPA-3000 owner choose between getting a dedicated PSTN line for the gateway or being disturbed by gateway ring-thrus.) A 'Please press the # key' feature would enable the SPA-3000 to be plugged into an already-used PSTN line without the need to tell PSTN callers anything in advance. PSTN callers who are calling the SPA-3000's owner would just hear the message, press #, hear the phone ringing, and then talk to the owner as usual. PSTN callers who are calling the gateway would hear the message and could then enter *, sparing the SPA-3000's owner from being disturbed by a call that's not for him. (Since gateway users would need instructions to even know about the gateway's existence, and since mentioning the 'press * for the gateway' option would confuse those PSTN callers who didn't already know about the gateway, it's better not to announce that option.)

[PhoneBoy]

That sounds like a reasonably cool idea.

[muppetmaster]

Asterisk can do that for you today...

[voip247]

http://news.com.com/2100-7352_3-5302988.html

[descore]

There is a big problem with this feature if the incoming call is a toll one, because it will register as being answered so the caller will have to pay just to press the # key, even if you don't answer the phone.

[e18]

well, that's right.

Anyhow, it should be an option.