Call waiting

[Bryophyte]

So I get fed up with AT&T for long distance and decide to take Qwest up on their flat rate deal (fifty bucks plus tax for local, long distance up to 5000 mins, bunch of features like caller ID and call waiting.) It's great, but I need to know my options for when I'm online (modem). Incoming calls just ring and ring at their end, caller ID doesn't show up on my box. I know there are those gadgets you hook inline with your modem that will put your modem on hold while you check who it is and decide whether to take the call, but are there other options?

 

[fs5]

50 bucks? why not get DSL? unless you actually use 5000 minutes in long distance.

 

[Bryophyte]

Qwest is my only choice for local service. They're pretty expensive. My bill for long/local service is running about 50 bucks as it is, and that is with me keeping my long distance calling to a minimum. I'll never talk for 5000 mins long distance, so for my family, this amounts to unlimited calling. We can stop worrying about how much the bill will be if we talk more than usual some month (last month, it was 65 bucks.) I used to just have a cell phone when I was down at UC Davis, but we aren't getting a free T-1 line anymore for internet and have practically no cell signal up here in the hills. This is just what I have to deal with.

 

[Encryptic]

Don't know if this would be helpful for you or even if they're still around, but: My brother used to use this service called "CallWave" a few years ago when he still had dialup at his place. Basically, it's a program that runs on your computer while you're connected to the Internet via dialup. It tells you when you get a call so you can pick it up or let the program act as the answering machine, then play the messages back on your computer. I don't think it was very expensive (under $10) per month.

 

[thebestMAX]

I have Quest as my long distance provider. Cheapest availible here, 5 cents a minute anytime.

Really varies place to place.

 

[Bryophyte]

Ok, so husband IMs and says "We need a V.92 modem. It allows internet call waiting with our MSN8 service. With one of these modems, you get a popup window with caller ID, and the opportunity to talk for up to 16 minutes without losing connection."

Sound about right? How much do these modems run?