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Caller rings twice

Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 12:41 pm
by Steve Hodge
Hi Bill, found another problem.

When a caller rings say for 2 rings hangs up then immediately phones back Caller ID doesn't show a new entry (name) it shows the caller as ringing once and adds the new amount of rings onto the previous amount of rings.

If you wait 10 seconds between calls Caller ID works normally.

Just thought I would let you know as the 1.8.1.0 version was ok.

Re: Caller rings twice

Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 6:53 am
by Bill Root
Hi Steve,

Two questions:
1) Are you using a modem?
2) If #1 is Yes, are you using TAPI or bypassing TAPI? (This is set in the Device properties, from the Devices page of the Ascendis Caller ID Options window.)

Finest regards,
Bill Root
Ascendis Software

Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 7:14 am
by Steve Hodge
Yep, I'm using a modem - U.S. Robotics 56K FAX EXT and I have the option ticked with access through TAPI.

Re: Caller rings twice

Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 7:51 am
by Bill Root
Well then, the answer is easy -- talk to Microsoft :D .

Of course, it might be the same with TAPI disabled. The fact is, modems are pretty dumb when it comes to call states. The vast majority of modems only report RING messages. The ones with caller id support also report DATE, TIME, NAME, and NMBR messages. Nothing explicitly indicates when a call starts or ends.

TAPI tries to deduce when a call ends, probably by waiting a period of time after the last ring. That's what Ascendis Caller ID does in TAPI bypass mode. Any solution will be imperfect, as phone rings occur with varying frequency depending on the country, and sometimes the region, you're in.

To be fair, until the phone is picked up, there's probably little that can be done to detect the end of one call and start of another. Can you always tell whether the phone has been ringing from one call, or whether the caller hung up and called again? There are certainly situations when you would not be able to tell, although the presence of caller id can help since it normally occurs between the first and second ring in the U.S. (Note that some modems incorrectly report too many rings, so ring counting is not a complete solution.)

It's possible that Ascendis Caller ID is acting differently in this version relative to the last one you used, but there is no perfect solution. The device Properties window includes a "Fast call refresh" option that may make a difference.

Non-Lite Whozz Calling? devices (like http://callerid.com/products/complete-packages/ ) can detect call states better than most modems (and will track call duration in Ascendis Caller ID version 2), but until the phone is picked up, it's sometimes impossible to tell where one call ends and another begins.

Finest regards,
Bill Root
Ascendis Software

Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 9:01 am
by Steve Hodge
Took the TAPI off, and it worked fine.