TC systems

An answering machine is able to accept missed calls and greet the caller with a personalised message. After the message is played it provides the option to leave a message which the called person can listen to on their return. The call acceptance by the answering machine can be configured in a number of ways: Answering machines can be set so that they only play a short message, without a subsequent recording option. They can answer every call immediately or after a certain number of rings. They can also be set so that no calls will be accepted. Modern answering machines are also able to store fax calls so that they are available for later retrieval or printing out. The earliest devices were equipped with magnetic audio tape, on which the welcome messages and caller messages were stored. Modern answering machines are almost exclusively equipped with digital storage.

What is VoIP?

The Voice over Internet Protocol, also called IP telephony, is a method of communication for making calls over a broadband Internet connection as an alternative to regular calls made over an analogue phone using the PSTN. These VoIP calls can happen entirely over the Internet but where required, gateways also link to the PSTN. This means that VoIP users can still connect to anyone with a telephone number including local, mobile, and international numbers. VoIP services can be accessed from a computer with a so-called softphone, from an IP phone, from a smartphone or from a conventional landline phone that is connected to a VoIP adapter.

Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications, abbreviated to DECT, is the name of a standard for the wireless transmission of telephone calls or data.

DECT is often used for cordless telephony in buildings and has established a strong presence in this market. A cordless phone with this standard usually consists of a DECT base station and one or more handsets.

The DECT base station is connected to the network by an analogue or digital phone line. It handles the radio part of the phone connectionand voice transmission with the handsets. Systems using the Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications standard allow a single base station to support up to 6 cordless handsets. The frequency range uses various radio bands at around the 2 GHz range. A handset can be used at distances of up to 50 metres indoors and up to 300 metres in an open environment and reach standard data rates of 32 kilobits per second. The maximum transmission power of the base station is limited, so that coverage over any greater distance can only be achieved with booster units.

In order to be used, a handset must first be authenticated by a base station. In general, this is accomplished by using a special PIN, set by the user. The DECT standard can also provide the encrypted transfer of user data, thereby protecting it from unauthorised access. However, this type of transmission is relatively rarely used and is not implemented in many phones.

In order to reduce so-called electric smog there are various methods used within Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications to minimise the transmitting power of both the base station and the handset while in idle mode. These methods are often called ECO DECT.

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The Internet allows computers, network-enabled devices or entire networks to access the Internet. The service comes from an internet service provider (ISP) and requires, depending on the access technology, a special access device or it can be used directly by terminal devices. In the broadband environment, a router is usually required, which makes a connection to the Internet and connects local devices via a LAN cable or Wi-Fi.

There are various tariffs for Internet connections of different types. While flat rates tariffs allow Internet use at a flat rate, volume or time-based billing models are also available.
For devices to communicate via the Internet every Internet connection requires a public Internet address, a so-called IP address. As the number of addresses is limited, techniques such as Network Address Translation (NAT) are often used, whereby multiple devices use a public address at the same time.

Various services can be accessed from each Internet connection. In addition to data transfer and surfing the net, other services, such as email, video, voice-over-IP and many other applications are available. Some providers also offer their customers television via the Internet (IPTV).

Private Branch Exchange (PBX) is another term for a telephone system or an interphone network. It refers to a system connecting a specific number of communication devices such as phones or fax machines with each other and the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). One or several parallel lines can be used to connect to the telephone network.