Caller ID Computer Telephony|
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The following appeared in Computer Telephone Magazine. In the previous issue they
reviewed our competitor's unit but only YES Telecom
received their Editors' Choice Award.![]()
Just Say YES to Caller IDThe Identifier does something that most other Caller ID boxes don’t--it detects outgoing DTMF digits. This is helpful to log outgoing calls as well as the inbound Caller ID data. Other Caller ID boxes require you to set jumpers when more than one box is used. The Identifier automatically sets up each box when multiple boxes are hooked together. If all you want is a printed log of your call information, the Identifier supports a printer mode. This mode formats the data to be handed to a serial printer instead of a computer. Everything is printed out in columns including call time, date, call duration and phone number data. The opposite of the printer mode is called the event mode. The event mode sends the data out in a compact comma delimited mode.
![]() The YES Identifier unit buffers the last 512 caller ID numbers for remote access. The serial command set lets an application review and delete the call information stored in the buffer one at a time. The call buffer feature makes sure you won’t lose call data if you don’t poll the box fast enough. The buffer has its limits. Once it is filled up, it loses the first call (the oldest one) in the buffer. The Identifier box outputs what are called maintenance events every three minutes if no other events have occurred. This feature is helpful when you want to make sure the box is still communicating with your application. In other units, you have to poll it regularly to see if it’s still listening. This is an important reliability feature. Distinctive ring signals are also trapped (if you enable the status reporting features). Additional commands let you adjust several timing variables to solve location specific compatibility problems. Most other Caller ID boxes don’t allow modification of onhook, offhook and other durations which vary in different areas. The Identifier has RJ-11 connectors for each phone line, but also supports two-line wiring as well. This is the common method of wiring up multi-port voice cards and makes it simpler to integrate the Caller ID box into a system using Y adaptors. It does not offer pass-through connectors, which would be nice and would eliminate the need for Y adaptors. The Identifier box has a self-test feature to loop the output serial port to the input serial port and test the box and cable. To my knowledge, none of the other Caller ID products support this. The automatic configuration of multiple boxes is another plus. Overall, The Identifier is a top notch Caller ID box. Stuart Warren, Computer Telephony Magazine
See Inside an Identifier Detailed Pictures of the Identifiers PC Board ![]() Click on the above image |