intercom using home telephone circuit

DFE Communications Corp. make a device they call "single line phone-to-phone intercom system" called TNT-8000. They do not have a Web page, believe you or not, so you'll have to call them at 800-822-4TNT to find out more. Basically, this device makes it possible to share a single line that is expected to be paralleled between all the phones in the house, the traditional way phone wiring has been done residentially. If you ask me though, I'd say that the best way would be to get a hold of an inexpensive KSU or PBX phone system like another poster suggested here. You will have to re-wire the house so every phone has a separate cable coming to the phone switch location, but in the long run I think it is well worth it.

There's usually a number the telco techs call to get a callback on the same line you're calling from. It used to be your own number, dial it, then after 1 blip, hang up and then the phone rings back. ( Telus has downgraded their system , so that doesn't work here in BC anymore :-( ) Might try to get in touch with your local telco tech & get the callback number from him ( $0.00 intercom) ;-)

Sorry, I also should have said that with this callback method, that when the phone rings back, keep waiting on your phone until the ringing stops (means someone in the house has picked up another extension) then pick up your phone again. I dunno how clear that is..but it used to work for me.

Buy a set of FM intercoms - much cheaper and easier.

Buy one of the newer multi-handset cordless phone systems. I know the Panasonics let you call from the base or any handset to any other handset. The sell some models with three to five handset capability, but most come with only two handsets and you must buy the additional units seperately. I use this in my home as a one-line telephone, and three-station intercom ( base plus two handsets )

Buy a small PABX on Ebay. You'll probably need to rewire the house as I'll bet the current wiring is a single pair being paralleled throughout the house. Almost any method you use for an intercom will require separate a pair for each room.

Ken

They also sell (sold) one which uses the phone line to carry the RF from one station to another...a little more reliable than the ones which inject RF into the power line. Those get stymied by being plugged into outlets which are on another phase of the AC network in ones house.

I've actually converted some of the power line ones to work on the phone line...pretty easy to do. I find them all the time at thrift shops for next to nothing. They always seem to work fine.

jak

Years ago one would simply dial 4191 or 1191, hang up, and woit for the phones to ring. My bet is thet there is still such a "test" facility out there.

In my house I used the 2 spare wires in the phone cable and added a cheap buzzer by the phones. Connected at the calling phone was a battery with a button that when activated sounded the buzzers at all of the phones. The battery/button can be placed near as many phones as desired as long as the polarity is maintained. Dave

The presence of only a single circuit of wiring in the house is not necessarily a problem, as long as only one talk circuit is used at a time, and security of comms is not needed. Simply wire all phones to the one circuit, and use a different ring pattern for each user or each phone point. I used this method to run a small exchange, plus an answerphone for voice announcement, so the right end user was selected regardless of which phone they were near.

NT