HWS Caller ID no landline?

andreah1

SatelliteGuys Pro
Nov 28, 2005
221
22
I did a search and found a few older posts regarding caller id on the HWS without having a hardwired landline. We are thinking of dropping our landline and going with TWC phone. From the posts I found thru the search everything was a bit too technical for me, I just couldn't understand it. Can we still see caller id without a land line? How does it work? We have two HWS's and I would like caller id on both. Is there a way without running cable here and there? They are hooked up to our wireless network now. Any help explained simply would be a great help, thanks!
 

SandFarmer

SatelliteGuys Pro
Pub Member / Supporter
Mar 21, 2009
1,546
827
The Beach.
I have two separate phone numbers (actually broken out to 4 lines) VoIP phone lines. I have an old world two line switch that turns a single line phone into a 2-Line phone and it sends whichever line that is ringing to our Media Room HwS. As long as the VoIP ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter) sends a POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) style CID (Caller ID) signal which is the only way it's done to the HwS, it will display it. It has to be hooked up as if they are regular phone connections.
 

Tampa8

Supporting Founder - I'll stand up and say so
Pub Member / Supporter
Lifetime Supporter
Sep 8, 2003
18,259
8,049
Tampa/Eastern Ct
Basically using an internet phone, called VOIP should work for caller ID. A traditional phone that you apparently currently have uses phone lines to your house and sends an analog signal to your phone, a phone that works from the internet is digital and the "phone line" is the internet. Generally VOIP will send the correct signal to let a device know what the caller ID is, there are some exceptions but likely not a problem what you would be using. Either way I imagine the cost savings are huge probably even if you somehow do lose caller ID it would be worth it.

The only way to get the caller ID to the receiver is with a line to it. The good news is anywhere you now have a phone in your house can still work with the VOIP phone. So however you connect to the receiver now to get caller ID could still work. (Some possible exceptions include having too many phones)
 

andreah1

SatelliteGuys Pro
Nov 28, 2005
221
22
So are you saying leave the phone lines plugged into the receivers as is and magically the TWC phone will work with them? I'm not sure I understand. The TWC phone uses it's own modem that plugs into one of our phones and into the router (I assume, that's about as technical as I get), how would that carry over to the other phone lines?
 

andreah1

SatelliteGuys Pro
Nov 28, 2005
221
22
I see what you are saying, and mostly "get it" but for some reason it doesn't completely make sense, I think I have to pound it in my brain that the "signal" still carries thru the traditional phone line, that's what's not making sense to me for some reason. :)
 

dishrich

SatelliteGuys Pro
Sep 8, 2003
3,350
439
Springfield, IL
Interesting...never thought of using something like that for that purpose!

It's great for people that want to get rid of their landline, but still want landline "phones" in the house. When your cell rings & you are somewhere else in the house, you don't have to make a mad dash to the cell before the caller either hangs up or goes to VM; you just answer it from ANY house phone like it was a landline call. ;)
 

charlesrshell

SatelliteGuys Crazy
Lifetime Supporter
Jan 14, 2006
10,966
5,678
O'Fallon, IL
It's great for people that want to get rid of their landline, but still want landline "phones" in the house. When your cell rings & you are somewhere else in the house, you don't have to make a mad dash to the cell before the caller either hangs up or goes to VM; you just answer it from ANY house phone like it was a landline call. ;)
Which model do you have installed, BT or BTTN? I am interested in the BTTN because it can blend in the standard telephone service with three cell phones. I just wonder if all cell phones and our real hard wire home telephone service will show up in the on screen CID! I have down loaded the owner's manual and going to read up on it sometime this weekend. Thanks again for the great info.
 

dishrich

SatelliteGuys Pro
Sep 8, 2003
3,350
439
Springfield, IL
I actually have this old one from GE...but honestly I'd go with the ones I posted earlier:

Amazon product ASIN B001E2SPZ0
Also, I have 2-line cordless & hardwired phones in my house, so I wasn't really concerned with blending my landline on the adapter itself.
I'm not actually using the on-screen CID, because I have SO many phones in my house, I just never bothered hooking up my receivers to any phone line. I don't get THAT many calls & with having nomorobo on my landline, I all but do NOT get telemarketing & other SPAM calls!
 

n0qcu

Supporting Founder
Supporting Founder
Sep 7, 2003
5,093
1,879
Earth
Which model do you have installed, BT or BTTN? I am interested in the BTTN because it can blend in the standard telephone service with three cell phones. I just wonder if all cell phones and our real hard wire home telephone service will show up in the on screen CID! I have down loaded the owner's manual and going to read up on it sometime this weekend. Thanks again for the great info.
I have two of the BTTN in my house. If the caller is in your contacts you will get the name that's in your list otherwise it will show xlink bt for the name. Works good other than that.
 

charlesrshell

SatelliteGuys Crazy
Lifetime Supporter
Jan 14, 2006
10,966
5,678
O'Fallon, IL
I actually have this old one from GE...but honestly I'd go with the ones I posted earlier:

Amazon product ASIN B001E2SPZ0
Also, I have 2-line cordless & hardwired phones in my house, so I wasn't really concerned with blending my landline on the adapter itself.
I'm not actually using the on-screen CID, because I have SO many phones in my house, I just never bothered hooking up my receivers to any phone line. I don't get THAT many calls & with having nomorobo on my landline, I all but do NOT get telemarketing & other SPAM calls!
OK, understand. Will decide after I read the manual to get one or not.
 

charlesrshell

SatelliteGuys Crazy
Lifetime Supporter
Jan 14, 2006
10,966
5,678
O'Fallon, IL
I have two of the BTTN in my house. If the caller is in your contacts you will get the name that's in your list otherwise it will show xlink bt for the name. Works good other than that.
OK, thanks. What do you mean "will show xlink bt for the name."
 

n0qcu

Supporting Founder
Supporting Founder
Sep 7, 2003
5,093
1,879
Earth
OK, thanks. What do you mean "will show xlink bt for the name."
Your caller id will only show the name of the caller if they are in your contact list, if the caller is not in the list all you get is the callers number and xlink bt (the maker of the bttn is xlink) for the name
 
  • Like
Reactions: charlesrshell

charlesrshell

SatelliteGuys Crazy
Lifetime Supporter
Jan 14, 2006
10,966
5,678
O'Fallon, IL
Your caller id will only show the name of the caller if they are in your contact list, if the caller is not in the list all you get is the callers number and xlink bt (the maker of the bttn is xlink) for the name
OK, understand. So does your home hard wire telephone service show up too in your on screen Caller ID?
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Total: 0, Members: 0, Guests: 0)

Who Read This Thread (Total Members: 1)

Latest posts