Does anything like this exist:
Cordless home phone equipment that uses a cell phone as the network
connection?
More specifically, I would like to be able to plug my cell phone into
a stand at home that charges it AND extends the service to two (or
more) cordless extensions. Seems like this would be easy to do using
the headset contacts on the cell phone.
[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: It _is_ easy to do, and requires just
a few pieces of equipment. You want to get a device referred to
generically as a 'Cell Socket' (but various companies making them
refer to them under different names). The best supplier I know of on
this is Mike Sandman mailto: mike@sandman.com or his catalog at
http://www.sandman.com . The pinouts on a cell phone (as well as the
general shape and size is such that there is _no_ standardization.
Mike can tell you more about this and if it is possible to get a 'cell
socket' device for your particular make/model of cell phone. You can
reach his office at 630-980-7710 in the Chicago area. *Have your phone
make/model/type/serial number handy when you call or write him.*
(That's how varied the devices are). If you can find one, then you set
the cell phone in its cradle, plug the modular jack into an idle
wall jack somewhere, and telephone instruments plugged in the line
elsewhere give dial tone, and you dial calls in the normal way. On
mine, you then press the '#' key at the end of the dialing string and
that functions as the cell phone's 'send' key. When not in use, the
cell socket keeps the cell phone charged. Also, on mine, -- used in the
old Nokia 5100/6100 'series' of phones -- there is an external antenna
connection which it helps to use. I would say you can usually get by
with one or two external phones; don't press your luck; the REN is not
all that high. What I did, because of my disability and I need to
have phones around every few feet it seems, is I plugged the output
of the Cell Socket into my mini-PBX. I go 'off hook' on the cell
socket (and thus the cell phone) by dialing '7' from any phone in
my house. (Dialing '8' uses my Vonage/VOIP line; dialing '9' uses my
SBC/Prairie Stream landline.) Plus which, as sort of icing on the
cake, the various extensions around my house can dial each other using
the format '100' through '105', or the 'operator' by dialing '0' but
I rarely use any of that stuff. Whatever you do, though, the Cell
Socket is *easily offended*, just like the VOIP telephone adapters.
_Make certain_ there is no 'live' dial tone from somewhere that might
come in contact with Cell Socket. If it does, you'll lose your new
toy in a minute, and maybe your cell phone as well, if the backwash
gets that far up the line before you catch it.
You may need a couple of modular patch cords for convenience, Mike
has those also as needed. PAT]
Ken Abrams (k_abrams@[REMOVETHIS])