I know there are computer people here - and I am clearly NOT one of
them..........

Is there some sort of gadget that would help me out here?

My brother lives with my mother. They have one phone line. And the
computer is on dial-up and uses that phone line.

My brother is fighting changing to a different type of access for his
computer. Even though he would not be the one paying for it. (Go figure.)

But there are times that I cannot get through to him because the phone line
is busy. I'm not asking him to limit his computer time. He lives with our
mother who has dementia and the computer is one of his few outlets.

Last night, the caregiver agency that we use tried all evening to call him -
and he also didn't have his cell phone turned on - and finally called me
(after I had gone to bed) to tell me that tomorrow's caregiver had been in
an accident and wouldn't be arriving in the morning. What wasn't really a
big deal (the woman is okay and we can manage today without anyone there)
became a bigger deal than it needed to be because we couldn't contact him.

Is there some technology that would let him know - through the computer -
that someone is trying to call the phone line? Or am I going to have to
insist on a second phone line in the house or that he get other computer
access?

Thanks for your thoughts...........

Judy

"Melinda Shore" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Judy wrote:
Is there some technology that would let him know - through the computer -
that someone is trying to call the phone line?

Call waiting should do it, although my understanding is that
because an incoming call drops a session modems will disable
it on the line before placing the call. So, if they don't
have call waiting they should get it (something on the order
of $3-5/month) and you'll need to research how to enable
it. Windows will pop up a pop-up from the toolbar when
there's an incoming call.

Or am I going to have to
insist on a second phone line in the house or that he get other computer
access?

That would be my first choice, frankly.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community

"Melinda Shore" wrote in message
...
Call waiting should do it, although my understanding is that
because an incoming call drops a session modems will disable
it on the line before placing the call. So, if they don't
have call waiting they should get it (something on the order
of $3-5/month) and you'll need to research how to enable
it. Windows will pop up a pop-up from the toolbar when
there's an incoming call.

Ah. I do remember something like that back when I had dial-up and call
waiting. I remember having to disable it. That would work. AND he would
just have to live with the consequences of having the dropped session. (I
am an evil sister. Probably because I'm tired of having to try for hours on
end to deliver a simple message.)

Or am I going to have to
insist on a second phone line in the house or that he get other computer
access?

That would be my first choice, frankly.

And mine. I can't imagine why he's not willing to get something faster -
since the rest of the family is willing to let Mom's finances pay for it.
(She, unfortunately, doesn't get a vote anymore.) I think he's afraid of
the technology. But if he's not willing to do that, a second phone line
seems like a simple enough thing.

I'm thinking that if he got frustrated with the dropped sessions that he
would figure out how to disable it and *I* would be back to being the
frustrated one. I may have to insist on the second phone line.

Thanks.

Judy

In article ,
Judy wrote:
Is there some technology that would let him know - through the computer -
that someone is trying to call the phone line?

Call waiting should do it, although my understanding is that
because an incoming call drops a session modems will disable
it on the line before placing the call. So, if they don't
have call waiting they should get it (something on the order
of $3-5/month) and you'll need to research how to enable
it. Windows will pop up a pop-up from the toolbar when
there's an incoming call.

Or am I going to have to
insist on a second phone line in the house or that he get other computer
access?

That would be my first choice, frankly.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community

"kat" wrote in message
net...

www.callwave.com It lets you see who is calling so you have the choice of
disconnecting and answering the call. It also lets the caller leave a
message that the user can hear without dropping the session. At $6.95 per
month it is much cheaper than a second phone line! We can't get broadband
in my area so I use this and have no complaints.

Ooh - that might work.

I *know* he uses the caller ID that we put on the phone a couple of years
ago. And it would mean that he wouldn't have a dropped session just because
of a call that he didn't need to take right then.

Thanks!

Judy

"Judy" wrote in message
...
"Melinda Shore" wrote in message
...
Call waiting should do it, although my understanding is that
because an incoming call drops a session modems will disable
it on the line before placing the call. So, if they don't
have call waiting they should get it (something on the order
of $3-5/month) and you'll need to research how to enable
it. Windows will pop up a pop-up from the toolbar when
there's an incoming call.

Ah. I do remember something like that back when I had dial-up and call
waiting. I remember having to disable it. That would work. AND he would
just have to live with the consequences of having the dropped session. (I
am an evil sister. Probably because I'm tired of having to try for hours
on
end to deliver a simple message.)

www.callwave.com It lets you see who is calling so you have the choice of
disconnecting and answering the call. It also lets the caller leave a
message that the user can hear without dropping the session. At $6.95 per
month it is much cheaper than a second phone line! We can't get broadband
in my area so I use this and have no complaints.

Kathy

"Marcel Beaudoin" wrote in message
. 1.4...

I know that back when I was on dial-up (shudder) many, many years ago, my
ISP had software that would, as Melinda indicated, throw up a pop-up that
there was a call incoming. Try the ISP and see what options there are.

It's AOL. I hate to even LOOK at their website. But probably if anyone has
such a thing, they would.

If that doesn't work, don't give your brother a choice. Get him
high-speed.

Choosing my battles. And he doesn't think it's a problem.

Besides that, I really don't want to have to spend any more of my mother's
money to solve the problem than I have to.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Judy

in rec.pets.dogs.behavior, "Judy" wrote in
:

I'm thinking that if he got frustrated with the dropped sessions that he
would figure out how to disable it and *I* would be back to being the
frustrated one. I may have to insist on the second phone line.

I know that back when I was on dial-up (shudder) many, many years ago, my
ISP had software that would, as Melinda indicated, throw up a pop-up that
there was a call incoming. Try the ISP and see what options there are.

If that doesn't work, don't give your brother a choice. Get him high-speed.

--
Marcel Beaudoin and Moogli

"Judy" said in
rec.pets.dogs.behavior:

Is there some technology that would let him know - through
the computer - that someone is trying to call the phone
line? Or am I going to have to insist on a second phone
line in the house or that he get other computer access?

When I had dial-up I call-forwarded my land line to my cell
phone (I have unlimited "free" incoming calls). It's an
inexpensive solution, but your brother would have to remember to
keep his cell phone turned on.

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.

"Rocky" wrote in message
...
When I had dial-up I call-forwarded my land line to my cell
phone (I have unlimited "free" incoming calls). It's an
inexpensive solution, but your brother would have to remember to
keep his cell phone turned on.

Which he doesn't. And he doesn't have any free minutes. (Not that he pays
for them anyway. Mom does.) And his cell phone doesn't have voice mail
capability so it would have to be on to have it do any good. And if his
phone were on, we could have reached him because we both tried it.

He *says* that when we are in "emergency mode" - which is something he
declares periodically based on some criteria that only he knows or
determines - that he turns his cell phone on when he is on the computer.
I've never been clear on why he thinks that emergencies will only happen
when he has advance notice. He also doesn't see what the problem was last
night. After all, it was only a problem for the poor person calling from
the agency who just wanted to make the contact and move on. And for me,
because getting woken up out of a sound sleep and being presented with a
problem (however minor) is just not terribly pleasant. But for him? Not a
problem at all.

I think I remember that when we got the caller ID on Mom's line that we also
got two other features for the same price. He refused to have call waiting
so we got call forwarding and three way. So he *could* call forward. Maybe
he could call forward to me. That would at least help everyone else.

I think that callwave.com that Kathy suggested, or a second phone line,
sound like the answers he is most likely to accept.

I am incredibly frustrated with him lately on several issues. *This* one at
least seems solvable.

Thanks for the thought.

Judy