Telecom Made Easy - Money-Saving Profit-Building Solutions for Home Businesses Telecommuters and Small Organizations

money: Telecom Made Easy - Money-Saving Profit-Building Solutions for Home Businesses Telecommuters and Small Organizations

• Foreword
• 1... Communications Today
• Why join the telecom revolution?
• Evaluating your needs
• How to use this book
• Things change fast around here
• Let's keep in touch
• 2... Connections
• The anatomy of a phone call
• Long-distance call routing
• Your connection
• Network interface
• Wiring plans
• Phone wires
• Types of telephone wire
• Number of wires (pair)
• Use the right wire for the right job
• Save money: install extra capacity
• Always plan for more than you need
• Types of connections
• Hard-wired connection
• Modular connection
• Four-prong connection
• Not all modular connectors are equal
• Maximizing your current setup
• Splitter
• Wireless phone jack
• Line sharing
• Troubleshooting
• Pay attention to safety
• A few common problems
• Do-it-yourself wiring
• Resources
• 3... Phone Services
• How phone services work
• My favorite phone services
• Distinctive ring
• Caller ID services
• Forwarding calls
• Toll-free service
• Follow-me phone service
• 900 (and 976) service
• A phone service sampler
• Internet calling
• On the horizon
• Voice dialing
• Spoken Caller ID
• Resources
• 4... Phone Lines
• Line service types
• Analog services
• Digital services
• ISDN service
• Things to do with an ISDN line
• ISDN flexibility
• Types of ISDN equipment
• Ordering ISDN
• Preparing for installation
• Costs
• T-1 service
• Speed comparison
• On the horizon - ADSL
• Central office secrets
• Ordering service
• Payment plans
• Other factors
• Resources
• 5... Stand-Alone Phones
• How phones work
• Single-line corded phones
• Phone features - dialing
• Phone features - display
• Phone features - control
• Phone features - comfort
• Multi-line phones
• Multi-line features
• Cordless phones
• Cordless features
• Troubleshooting tips - cordless
• Troubleshooting tips - other phones
• Static on the line
• Read your manual
• Headsets
• Productivity increase based on headset use
• Headset features
• Earphone
• Using a headset
• Phone accessories
• Amplified phones and handsets
• Recording devices
• Call signalers
• Conferencers
• What's new?
• Wristphone
• The everything phone
• Portable videophone
• PC phone
• Stay tuned
• Resources
• 6 ...Phone Systems
• Key system
• KSU-less system
• PBX (Private Branch Exchange)
• Hybrid system
• Centrex
• Selecting a phone system
• Capacity
• Suggestions for determining your organization's needs
• Compatibility
• Migration path
• Digital or analog?
• Cost
• Features
• PC phone system
• Which way to go?
• Resources
• Books & magazines
• 7 ...Mobile Phones
• A brief history of mobile services
• How cellular works
• Digital cellular
• Competing technologies
• Bottom line
• Cellular charges
• Roaming - using your phone outside your service area
• Privacy
• Cellular phone features
• Types of cellular phones
• Portable phone
• Battery basics
• Car phone
• Car phone features
• Antenna choices
• Transportable phone
• Buying a cellular phone
• Choosing a carrier
• Accessories for your cellular phone
• Cellular fraud
• How can you tell if your phone has been
• cloned?
• Safeguarding your cell phone
• Cellular and your health
• Cellular aloft
• Cellular at sea
• Personal satellite communication
• Cellular fax
• PCS - Personal communications services
• PCS phones
• Wireless data
• Resources
• 8 ...Voice Mail
• How organizations use voice mail
• Basic voice mail features
• Advanced features
• Types of voice mail
• Voice mail in your computer
• Dedicated voice mail system
• Voice mail service
• Problem solving
• Which voice mail option is best?
• Wildfire--ultra voice mail
• What's new?
• Universal messaging
• Voice mail over the Internet
• Coast-to-coast voice messaging
• Voice annotation
• Teleputer
• Tips for user-friendly voice mail
• Creating a successful voice mail menu
• Resources
• Books, magazines and newsletters
• 9 ...Answering Machines
• Message media - cassette or chip?
• Types of answering devices
• Tape-based answering machine
• Digital answering machine
• Phone plus answering device
• Answering device features
• Multifunction machines
• What's best for you?
• Sharing a line
• Daisy-chaining
• Switching
• Answering services
• What's new?
• Portable answering machine
• Computer-based answering machine/fax/phone
• Tips for leaving an effective message
• Resources - Product comparisons
• 10 ...Paging
• How it works
• Types of pagers
• Plain old beeper
• Numeric pager
• Alphanumeric pager
• Two-way pager
• Voice pager
• Personal communicator
• PC message receiver
• Rent or buy?
• Alpha or numeric?
• Pager features
• Shopping for a paging service
• Coverage
• Paging service features
• Service costs
• Security concerns
• Paging communications software
• Two-way radio mail
• PDA pagers
• Do you need a pager?
• What's new?
• Internet paging
• Beeper watch
• Piggyback pager
• Personalized pager disk
• On the horizon
• Resources
• 11 ...Going Online
• An introduction to online services
• News and information
• Finance
• Reference and learning
• E-mail and other communications
• Shopping and travel
• Forums
• Computing & software
• Fun stuff
• How to sign up for an online service
• An online sampler
• Advertising online
• E-mail
• How e-mail works
• How much does e-mail cost?
• How to get an e-mail address
• What's your address?
• How to find someone's e-mail address
• Is e-mail private?
• E-mail tips
• Transferring files
• Compressing/decompressing a file
• Downloading/uploading a file
• What about viruses?
• How to recognize symptoms of infection
• How to avoid infection
• The Internet
• Newsgroups
• Mailing lists
• Mailbots
• The Web
• Finding information
• Doing business on the Web
• Steps for building your own Web site
• Getting connected
• Saving time
• A word about BBSs
• Choices! choices!
• Resources
• Books
• 12 ...Modems
• How modems work
• Choosing a modem
• Modem location
• Type of connection
• Type of modem
• Transmission speeds
• Standards
• Communications software
• Getting connected
• Daisy-chaining
• Troubleshooting
• Connecting the first time
• Protecting your modem
• Modem is slowing down
• Modem & call waiting--an unhappy duo
• Reading your modem lights
• Warning: digital line = modem killer
• Fried modem
• Modem line won't release
• Installing a modem on a two-line phone
• Modeming internationally
• How to dial blind
• How to dial manually
• Resources
• Books and magazines
• Connection supplies
• 13 ...Fax
• How fax works
• Thermal fax
• Plain paper fax
• Types of plain paper fax machines
• Stand-alone fax features
• Fax modems
• How fax modems work
• Fax modem advantages
• Fax modem disadvantages
• Fax software
• Fax modem speed
• Sending a fax using a fax modem
• Is a fax modem right for you?
• Portable faxing
• Fax standards & protocols
• Fax-on-demand
• Setting up a fax-on-demand system
• Calling a fax-on-demand system
• Getting connected
• Switch first
• Sharing a line
• Fax/answering machine compatibility
• Distinctive ring
• Daisy-chaining
• Do you need another line?
• Fax line hunting
• Connecting portable fax
• Multifunction machines
• Internet faxing
• Do you need your own fax machine?
• Send via e-mail or fax?
• Sending faxes overseas
• Tips for effective faxing
• Troubleshooting
• Call Waiting
• Slow transmission
• Resources
• Books and newsletters
• Fax-on-demand systems & software
• 14 ...Telecommuting
• Why telecommute?
• Facility savings
• The downside
• Survey: the successful telecommuter
• How to get started
• Telecommuter's tool kit - at home
• Tips for telecommuting from home
• Telecommuter's tool kit - on the road
• Power for the road
• Solar power
• Tips for working on the road
• Before you leave
• In the air
• At your hotel
• Technologies for telecommuting
• Desktop document conferencing
• Web conferencing
• Remote control
• Remote power switch control
• Node on the road
• Desktop video
• How it works
• Resources
• Books
• Newsletters
• Associations
• Online support
• Remote control software
• Document conferencing software
• Web conferencing
• Desktop video vendors
• 15 ...Your Phone Bill
• Save money on long-distance
• Types of calling plans
• Choosing a plan
• Analyze your calling behavior
• Shopping for a plan
• Comparing plans
• Example: June picks a calling plan
• Tips for controlling phone costs
• Cost-saving tips from a pro
• Resources
• Long-distance carriers & resellers
• 16 ...Future Planning
• Is it time for a network?
• Types of LANs
• Do you need a LAN?
• EDI--another kind of network
• Planning for disaster
• Disaster-proofing your communications
• Putting it all together
• One line (needs another)
• One line, three phone numbers
• Two lines: one incoming; one outgoing
• Two lines, five phone numbers
• Three lines - key system
• Four lines - heavy online use
• Four lines, three phone numbers
• Six lines - KSU-less system
• Seven lines - modular phone system
• How many lines do you need?
• What's next?
• I love getting mail
• Resources
• Appendix A - Additional Resources
• General books about telecommunications
• Magazines
• Telephone equipment catalogs
• Web sites
• Internet Yellow Pages
• Appendix B - Telephone Companies
• Major telephone companies - U.S. & Canada
• RBOCs
• LECs

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