Hi. About 10 yrs ago, I had a compaq presario, that had a media center s/w package, that include a telephone. It was pretty neat, as I could dial out local or long distance phone calls, like a regular phone. So why is there no such software like this available? It's like like I'm circumventing the phone company, it is just like using a regular phone, only it's through my pc. Like use my webcam for mic and spk's for speaker? Uh, is there something out there that I'm just not seeing? Thx
been using skype for over a year. it ain't free to make phone calls to telephones. something like the phone dialer that is in xp, but something that actually works.
My apologies. I obviously don't know what your asking for. However, I don't believe what you're asking for exists. Anytime you have to get on the PSTN (Public Switched telephone Network) it's not free. PC to PC can be free because you never leave the internet. PC to anything else will incur a charge because you have to exit the internet and get on the phone lines.
I don't know why it would not exist. It does not seem any different, than having an $10 phone sitting next to the pc, plugged into the wall. But intstead, you punch an icon on your desktop, and an animated phonepad comes up. You dial the number, say a local number, your party pics up and you talk over a mic and headset. I had this setup before with my presario, way back when.
"It's like like I'm circumventing the phone company," OK, I think here is where I got lost. Did you mean to say "It's not like I'm circumventing the telephone company"? If that's the case, then you are looking for a software program that would dial out through your modem and allow you to talk on your PC through the normal PSTN. I had a similar function on my Heathkit Television in the 80's. Since most PCs don't have modems anymore, the popularity of such software has limited appeal. If that's not what you're looking for, then I don't mind admitting that I am totally clueless to what you're looking for.
Not possible to make PSTN calls through the exchange for free any more.. it was years ago because the phone companies mostly used click/dial.. as soon as all the local exchanges went over to tone dial then that game was over.. It was called "phreaking" and though illegal it worked using a loophole where all the phones connected to the network could send and accept tone dial instructions. If you know the number you want to dial you can still get around a mechanical phone handset lock by tapping on the receiver with a coin.. or using a tonedialler. People got sent to jail for stealing phone services.. and the telecommunications industry moved forward. We all used to build and carry tonediallers around with us to make free calls from payphones..or by getting a "maintenance" connection to the exchange post on the arpanet bbs XD anybody remember JKZ I have told you the two ways to get free calls.. but if you are after stealing or hacking a normal phone line.. sorry.. I won't help. Any info you get from me about how to do that will be an instant way to get your phone service disconnected and land you with criminal charges.. That's the deal I did with BT in 1986 so I didn't have to go to court :lol: Think you can walk away from your past?.. I still can't get a BT phoneline without paying a huge security deposit.. and a £350 connection charge.. and I don't even have the same name.
No, I'm not trying to steal. I guess it's too hard to explain. Just wanted to use my pc to make local phone calls. I can use my phone to make local call, why not have a keypad pop up on pc monitor, i use my number keys on keyboard to dial out....the end. I'm over it. Thx
Fresh mind...perhaps i just need to plug a regular phone line into pc, for as of now, it's just dsl. Then my modem could connect and ring out. There is a progy alread on XP, located in program files under the NT folder. It's a dialer of some sort. I'll mess with it another day. Thx for the info.
