Using a PC as a telephone connected to the regular telephone line.

[aralebd]

I have a modem with voice support. My PC (naturally) also has a soundcard.
The modem also can be used as an answering machine.
It does not have what is called Speakerphone facility – which means separate jacks for the speakers and microphone onboard the modem, but it does work with the soundcard as far as recordings and playback of calls are concerned.
I’m sure that it’s possible to use the microphone and speakers for regular phone calls as they are connected to soundcard. It’s probably a matter of software.
Does anyone know how it can be done? Have any suggestions?

 

[Lorand]

What modem have you exactly? As far as I know it need to be a voice modem to use your computer as a phone.

 

[aralebd]

Hi Lorand
I have a Creative modem blaster V.90 PCI DI5655
It has no speakerphone facility but it supports voice.

 

[Lorand]

I'm sorry, but it seems that this modem is modem-only, so you couldn't use it to phone conversation.

 

[aralebd]

Hi Lorand
The modem I have supports TAM (Telephone Answering Machine) - and I do use it as such.
I can also record calls (to wav files). It's also a fax.
It is declared by the manufacturer as a voice modem with voicemail support.
The only thing is, that it's not possible to operate the sound card and the modem at the same time when talking on the phone.
A spakerphone's separate I/O can be put directly to a sound card I/O, this is done all the time. I think though that there must be a way using software to make the modem and sound card will talk to each other at the same time.
The only difference detween modems like I have and a modem with speakerphone facility is the physical separate I/O jacks for the speakers and mic.

 

[nomav6]

do a search on google for VOIP and you'll find all kinds of things, it stands for Voice Over IP

 

[aralebd]

Hi nomav6
Thanks. Are you talking about internet phone (because of the IP you mentioned) ?

 

[nomav6]

yes, I think theres diff. software for dailup and broadband.

 

[aralebd]

Well I'm not talking about anything to do with the internet.
I'm interested in connecting my computer to the regular telephone line for normal talking, making the conversation through my existing speaker and mic like a hands free telephone (having nothing to do with the internet).
By the way my internet is made using a LAN (Local Area Network) card which is fast internet like ADSL only that it's connected to a cable TV company. It's a different card in my computer, so my moden only serves for phone/fax facilities.

 

[Lorand]

If you have an internal audio in/out plug on your modem (to connect with the sound card), then it may be a chance to use it as a phone. But even then, I'm sure it's not duplex, so you could use it like an CB-radio (push the button - speek; release the button - listen).

 

[Praetor]

Well I'm not talking about anything to do with the internet.

You can do this with something like say Teamspeak or hell even Netmeeting. You dont need ineternet to get it to work

I'm sure it's not duplex, so you could use it like an CB-radio

Depends in most cases its full duplex unless you're running an antiquated setup

 

[aralebd]

That's the whole point, the modem does not have a physical I/O, only the sound card has one.
Otherwise it would have been speakerphone supported - but as I said earlier it's not speakerphone supported (By the way all speakerphone supported modems are full duplex by definition).
I just go further and say that since the modem can record wav files (Or even mp3) I'm sure that it's possible to imitate the speakerphone facility by software using temerary wav files buffering as an audio stream for the sound card in a similar manner as one hears radio streams from the internet. So I thought may be one of you guys know about a software that does it.
By the way duplexing here might seem a bit hard because of the question wheter we can buffer both ways simultaneously or say fast enough. But I think that my Pentium IV with 2.8 GB clock or say today’s computers which are even better, should be able to handle it quite easily.
another thing: I'm not iterested in Netmeetings or any kind of messengers (I already have that) because the whole point is to connect the PC to the regular phone line to answer ordinary phone calls using my computer without the need for my telephone apparatus on my desk.
Finally I want to add - If no such software exists it's a damn good idea to write one, But I just can’t believe that I’m the first one who thought about it.

 

[Praetor]

That's the whole point, the modem does not have a physical I/O, only the sound card has one.

I dont even have a modem and I can chat with buddies (a) around the world and (b) down the hall .... maybe im misinterpreting something :S

By the way duplexing here might seem a bit hard because of the question wheter we can buffer both ways simultaneously or say fast enough

You can have a 20-billion GHz chip and it will still be capped by your network. You can handle full duplex on a pentium 133 chip (ive not tested on lower).

because the whole point is to connect the PC to the regular phone line to answer ordinary phone calls using my computer without the need for my telephone apparatus on my desk.

There is such software, have a look for "phone software", "pc answering machine" etc. AT home we've got that setup going and it works pretty well