2nd Phone lines for home business

[foz01]

Whats the most economic way of getting a 2nd phone line for a business at home- clearly i don't want people calling the personal number at all hours, is there any fancy splitters can give you 2 different ringtones and is there anything, skype or similar can give you a number for routing calls?!

Looked at BT andas soon as the word business appears the price skyrockets :/

thanks

[MonkeyBusiness]

Have a look at this company - www.vonage.co.uk

I used them for a few years and thought they were great (only moved because I got a good deal from Virgin).

As long as you have broadband (which you do), then simply plug their little device into your router and you have full VOIP. You can even have a fax number too.

[Deva Link]

If you don't need a separate line then you could just use BT's Call Sign - it's available as part of a calling features (like call waiting etc) package or you can have it on its own for a couple of £ per month.

You get a separate number, but it's still on the same physical line and it rings like a US phone (some people call it Distictive Ringing). One issue I have is that it works fine on my hard wired desk phone, but the DECT phones dotted around the house seem to generate their own ring so they ring the same whichever number is being called - maybe that can be sorted but I haven't checked.

[AAT1981]

foz01 said:

Whats the most economic way of getting a 2nd phone line for a business at home- clearly i don't want people calling the personal number at all hours, is there any fancy splitters can give you 2 different ringtones and is there anything, skype or similar can give you a number for routing calls?!

Looked at BT andas soon as the word business appears the price skyrockets :/

thanks

Use a 0845 number, with call routing so during the day it will ring your home phone, after hours it will take a message and e-mail it to you. Call me if you need any help on 07876 592896

[JonRB]

AAT1981 said:

Use a 0845 number, with call routing so during the day it will ring your home phone, after hours it will take a message and e-mail it to you. Call me if you need any help on 07876 592896

Calls charged at 57p per minute from a landline. Mobile rates may vary. Please seek permission from the bill-payer before calling. May contain nuts. Do not run with scissors. It's only funny until you have someone's eye out. Objects in a rear-view mirror may appear smaller than they are, you retard. E&OE. TTFN.

Edited by JonRB on Monday 29th September 12:26

[MonkeyBusiness]

AAT1981 said:

Use a 0845 number, with call routing so during the day it will ring your home phone, after hours it will take a message and e-mail it to you. Call me if you need any help on 07876 592896

I'd be wary of calling 0845 numbers.

[foz01]

yeah it has to appear as a local no, ie same dialling code..

[Deva Link]

foz01 said:

yeah it has to appear as a local no, ie same dialling code..

Use the Call Sign thing I mentioned or just get a second line in and don't tell BT its for business. They don't care if it's being installed in domestic premises. One of my colleagues has just had a 3rd line installed and only paid the normal domestic cost.

[timskipper]

Foz we use voipfone (www.voipfone.co.uk) for all our business telecom. Cheap and very flexible.

[JonRB]

Trouble with VOIP solutions, on the whole, is that you don't have the same rights and protections to the virtual phone number as you do with a proper Telco.

Skype caused a huge stink recently by reallocating loads of telephone numbers, and there was nothing anyone could do about it other than bin all their stationary, signage, and the like, and do it all over again.

[DavidY]

BT Twin Talk will do it

http://www.twintalkhelp.com/tt_features.htm

davidy

[Deva Link]

DavidY said:

BT Twin Talk will do it

http://www.twintalkhelp.com/tt_features.htm

davidy

I've always been somewhat baffled by that - to me the advantage of call sign is that you can pick up either "line" on any 'phone in the house.

I would bet most people use DECT phones these days, so they'll all ring anyway.

I guess it would be useful if you had the kind of business where you can get away with only answering the 'phone when it suits you, but if my business number rings then I want to answer it.

[DavidY]

Deva Link

The advantage is that if your 'home office' phone is in your office or with you then the kids can't answer it first!

davidy

[Deva Link]

DavidY said:

Deva Link

The advantage is that if your 'home office' phone is in your office or with you then the kids can't answer it first!

davidy

Ah! OK. Well my "kids" are in their 20's now, but, to be honest, I've worked from home all their lives and never had any issues like that. These days it's tough to get them to answer the 'phone at all - anybody ringing for them will ring their mobile so they ignore the landline assuming someone else will answer it.

[AAT1981]

JonRB said:

AAT1981 said:

Use a 0845 number, with call routing so during the day it will ring your home phone, after hours it will take a message and e-mail it to you. Call me if you need any help on 07876 592896

Calls charged at 57p per minute from a landline. Mobile rates may vary. Please seek permission from the bill-payer before calling. May contain nuts. Do not run with scissors. It's only funny until you have someone's eye out. Objects in a rear-view mirror may appear smaller than they are, you retard. E&OE. TTFN.

Edited by JonRB on Monday 29th September 12:26

Er

No standard cost of 3.4ppm

[JonRB]

AAT1981 said:

No standard cost of 3.4ppm

It was a joke!

[AAT1981]

JonRB said:

AAT1981 said:

No standard cost of 3.4ppm

It was a joke!

I know.....

Most people dont actually know how much these things cost, and so most will not dial.

[jeff m]

Two line telephones have selectable ring tones.

Easy to tell which line is ringing.

[cjs]

I use BT call sign, I was even able to choose my second number although that was a few years back. I use VOIP Skype for outgoing calls which leaves the BT line open for incoming.