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adapting a candlestick

Started by candlestick1923, December 31, 2014, 11:13:55 PM

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candlestick1923

Hello,

I have a candlestick phone that has a regular jack to plug into a modern outlet. However, being a modern family, we haven't had a land line for several years, and I miss having the option to use my candlestick. Is there anything like a jack-to-USB adapter that will allow one to connect to a computer or cell phone to be able to at least receive calls and speak live on the phone?

unbeldi

#1
Welcome!

There are quite a few alternatives for traditional landlines, of course. We are almost at the verge of the old PSTN being turned off, after all.

Here are a only a few of the options, many varieties of these exist.

The most prevalent technology is to buy an analog telephone adapter (ATA), a device that provides dial tone to your telephone locally, but connects to an Internet telephony service provider (ITSP) for completing telephone calls via voice-over-IP technology.  These boxes come in version for anywhere from one telephone to 24 ports.  A well-known service is Vonage.

Your cable TV company provides the same service, but for a cost that unfortunately is only marginally cheaper than a traditional line if you don't make many calls. These days they usually have the ATA built into their cable modems already. As a component of so-called triple-play packages, however, the cost is somewhat hidden, at least for the initial contract periods.

The same service can be bought from many discount providers for as little as a penny/minute and base costs around $10/month. Pay-as-you go services also exist, that only charge for calls actually made, and provide a local telephone number for minimal monthly cost, if not even for free. I have a service for example, that has been providing me with an 800 number for 30 cents/month for almost ten years now, IIRC. That's all I pay, unless I make or receive some telephone calls (at a rate of 1.3c/min).

Another options is a cellular gateway device, such as the Xtremetech XLINK BT and BTTN devices. These are adapters that provide analog dial tone to a traditional telephone, but also connect to up to three cell phones via Bluetooth, and permit the use of the telephone for incoming and outgoing calls.

USB-based FXS interfaces also exist, MagicJack perhaps is the best-known brand, but the device is tied to a single provider. Similar adapters exist for the Skype service, a proprietary VoIP network that for some years now also has provided access to and from the PSTN. There used to be a greater variety of USB-telephone adapters, but since the proliferation of residential Ethernet and WiFi networks the USB-based devices have increasingly fallen out-of-favor, it seems, since they require a computer to be powered at all times.

You can also use an old small business PBX, such as the Panasonic EASAPhone line, and construct a local telephone system for your home, with extensions in various locations. These can be bought for perhaps $50. This forum has many discussions of these.

Many chapters could be written on this topic, of course... and there are many discussion threads here about this topic.  The "Search" button is your friend.






unbeldi

#2
Last not least, it should be mentioned that a collectors' telephony network exists, called Collectors' Net (C*NET), which interconnects quite a large number of local traditional telephone switching systems and networks, operated by telephony hobbyists. The network interconnects the local systems via the Internet using VoIP technology, primarily based on the Asterisk PBX software, so that any participant can place and receive telephone calls on this network to/from other members.  For this purpose the network provides a telephone numbering plan by which each node is allocated a block of telephone numbers, somewhat similar to the national numbering plans in the PSTN, using the same country codes as in the ITU E.164.  Some members provide single telephone number service to others who do not wish to install a full C*Net node, and all this requires is an ATA and a telephone.

candlestick1923

Thank you for sharing this helpful information!

Dan/Panther

Will these adapters also allow the ringers to ring ?

D/P

The More People I meet, The More I Love, and MISS My Dog.  Dan Robinson

poplar1

Yes, they will ring straight line ringers. Some can be programmed for other frequencies. The main problem is that many do not support rotary dials.

Later model Magic Jacks can be used without the computer being turned on. However, no Magic Jack recognizes dial pulses from a rotary dial.
"C'est pas une restauration, c'est une rénovation."--François Martin.

unbeldi

Indeed the main concern of antique telephone collectors is the capability to decode rotary dial pulses.  It's fair to say that most ATA these days don't do that anymore.  Most Vonage ATAs still do, as do the XLINK cell phone gateways.

Mr. Bones

Quote from: candlestick1923 on December 31, 2014, 11:13:55 PM
Hello,

I have a candlestick phone that has a regular jack to plug into a modern outlet. However, being a modern family, we haven't had a land line for several years, and I miss having the option to use my candlestick. Is there anything like a jack-to-USB adapter that will allow one to connect to a computer or cell phone to be able to at least receive calls and speak live on the phone?
I would like it very much if you could tell / show us more about your particular candlestick phone. It would help greatly in finding an answer to / resolution for your needs.

    Did it work fine, alone, on the previous landline? If so, then it might have later modifications that could make it easier for it to work with VOIP, and help to choose an adapter, ATA, etc.

Best regards!
Sláinte!
   Mr. Bones
      Rubricollis Ferus