AT&T 438 Internet Call Alert

Rating:
Summary: Performs As Advertised
Review: I have caller ID with caller ID waiting as well as home voice mail. When I am online, incoming calls come up on the display with the name and phone number. The unit beeps and flashes when you receive a call. You can turn down the beep or turn it off altogether. You can hook a phone up to it to take a call that is important, although I have not done this.

I also like that a light will flash and it will display an envelope icon when I have a voice mail message. There is also a light that shows that your modem is connected. If the light goes out you know that your connection has been dropped. In conclusion, it does everything I expected of it.

Rating:
Summary: Gave it a second try!
Review: I purchased this item 2 weeks ago from Wal-Mart for $35, but have only been using it for a few days. When I first connected the box to my computer, I had an expandable cordless phone system connected to it. The box did what it claimed, however when I was using any one of my cordless phones for a voice call, no caller-id / call-waiting information was displayed. Instead it was displayed on the box, which was upstairs by my computer. With me being home during the day (high time for telemarketers), this was not going to work. I had a 2-line phone adapter laying around, so I thought that I would connect my cordless phone system directly into the wall, rather than into the back of the unit. That fixed my CID / CW problem, but when I was on-line and another call came in I had to manually sign off of the internet before I could pick up the call. By the time my connection signed off, most of the callers had hung up. So, in the box this thing went.

After some research, I downloaded computer software which was supposed to do the same thing but through my modem. This worked for a week, but then I noticed that I was being notified of only 50-60% of the calls coming in. On top of that, even if I chose to ignore the call I was quickly disconnected.

I pulled the Internet Call Alert box out again and decided to give it another try. Here is how I got it to work for me. I still use the 2-line adapter for my phone line. My expandable cordless phone system goes directly into the wall using one line. The Internet Call Alert box is plugged into the second line. Into that I have my modem/pc connected, a fax machine, and then I added a corded telephone which I only use to answer incoming calls while on the net. With that, I have also added voice mail to my telephone package to answer calls which I choose to ignore. In the end I have spent less than $45. Up front that's not so good, but in comparison with internet call alert programs charging a monthly fee I would have spent more than that in less than a year.

I have not noticed any type of page freezing, or false signals. I have been able to answer a few very short phone calls without being disconnected, and when I choose to ignore the calls it's happy surfing. I only use the internet for e-mail, research and chatting. I like that this box displays caller id information, and it seems to work like a normal caller id box even when not on the internet. The call waiting alert makes an audible sound and also 1/4 of the box flashes. It's not just a little LED light.

Overall, I gave this product 4 stars because I have been using it for less than a month.

Rating:
Summary: Must have CID and Call Waiting package for it to work
Review: It may work well. I don't really know since I only have Call Waiting and it seems to require both CID and Call Waiting to function. I'm taking it back and giving Catch-A-Call a try.

Rating:
Summary: For absolute novice users only.
Review: The device appears to work very well at a glance. However, when you're working with any sort of constant data stream (i.e. online games, chat, etc.), the stupid thing renders itself useless.

Once connected to the internet, the device will audibly 'click' at random intervals, and your connection will effectively freeze for several seconds... sometimes as long as 15 seconds. The 'clicks' may subside for as long as ten minutes, or they may occur several times one right after the other (which adds up to almost a full minute of no data going in or out!). It doesn't make any sense, and it's not addressed in the manual. I tried to troubleshoot the problem on my own, but I don't know why it's even happening in the first place.

It's very frustrating. Maybe my unit is defective, maybe it's not. Maybe my line causes the device to behave this way, or maybe not. After experimenting with several devices of this nature, I'm convinced that DSL or Cable internet is the only internet that can peacefully co-exist with a single phone line in the same household. 56k is either on or it's not. Software that manages incoming calls is not a viable option for me.

I really wanted to like this device. I really liked the design and features, but I just can't recommend it to anyone. Say, if all you do is surf and check e-mail, it is very likely that this device will *still* slow you down and interrupt your usual online habits. I mean, it does a fine job of alerting you of calls when they come in... but when the connection is this useless, why even bother signing on? 1 star. Move along, folks.