RE: tlug: Linux telecom nexus

["J. David Beutel" <jdb@example.com>]

On Tue, 2 Jun 1998, Jonathan Byrne - 3Web wrote:

> >I must adjust my cordless plans.  I assume there are other basestations
> >which I could use instead.  How do these work?  Are they ISDN or
> >analog?  I.e., do I need to get a TA that I can daisychain later?
> 
> Just so I can clarify the objective here, are you just trying to avoid
> buying a regular telephone (or at least a cordless phone), or is there
> another objective here?   Also, do your care about not being able to receive
> PHS calls when your PHS is in cordless mode, or is that a non-issue?

I am trying to avoid buying a cordless phone and having one more
duplicate remote device floating around the apartment.  The stereo,
VCR, and PHS will be enough remotes, I think.  So, I care about receiving
PHS calls; I would like to have one phone with one number.  I would
like it to also be a mobile PDA, so this one thing is doing everything.
At home, my PHS should use my own antenna attached to my own ISDN,
to improve reception and make cheaper outgoing calls.  I thought that
if I bought a PHS station, it would relay PHS calls to my PHS as well
as letting me make land-line calls with my PHS.  Now I'm not so sure.

It gets complicated because I'd also like to use a voice modem and Linux
for voice mail and fax, on the same number.  If I'm not at home, I'd
like my PHS station TA to ring an analog line to my Linux box, as well
as the rest of the network ringing my PHS whereever I am.  I suppose
that's not possible.  How does PHS work?  Does the PHS station report
the location of the PHS handset to the PHS subscriber network via
the D channel every minute or two, so the network knows where to route
the calls?  Then the calls can't be routed to two places at once?
But apparently the NEC Aterm IW60, at least, doesn't even use PHS,
or else it would work with all the PHS PDAs, wouldn't it?  It must
be using some extra, stupid cordless mode, or what?  If I cannot have
just one number, and the PHS provider's voice mail is nice enough,
then perhaps I should use it instead of Linux.  But then I can't do
cool stuff like email myself notifications of voice mail messages.
Do the PHS voice mails do some such thing already?  Does the service vary
between the 3 PHS providers?
 
> There are some PHS/cordless base stations available, but I think you would
> probably spend more money on one of those than if you just bought a normal
> cordless phone and a PHS as well (a PHS is practically free, and sometimes
> really is free).  Whichever type of cordless phone you get, it will plug
> into an analog port on the TA either way.  Going this way has the additional
> benefit of allowing you to buy a less expensive TA, since you don't need it
> to be a PHS cordless base station.

I am going to get a fancy PHS that will also be a PDA with a decent sync,
an email reader, and a (albeit limited) web browser.  The web browser,
in particular, I plan to use as a dictionary, especially for kanji,
served off my Linux box (rather than going thru an ISP).  So kanji display
is necessary, if not kanji input.  My goal is to reduce the number of
things I carry around.  I think the kanji dictionary would be a big
win, since a WordTank by itself would be larger than the PHS/PDA.
I'm trying hard not to get a separate PHS and PDA. 

The Aterm IW60 supposedly can do a data connection from the local PHS
to the serial port, not involving any phone company.  I wanted to use
that for an easy sync, and perhaps a remote control for my Linux box.
But the salespeople said it won't work with the PHS/PDAs, only a bunch
of non-PDA PHSes (e.g., if I wired a palmtop to the PHS).

--
11011011   J. David Beutel   jdb@example.com

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