Programatic access to Voice Mail

Posts: 110 · Vonage Forum Senior Joined: Mar 06, 2004 Posts: 110

Just answered my own question... It's Vonage beta stuff! Very nice.

Posts: 110 · Vonage Forum Senior Joined: Mar 06, 2004 Posts: 110

I just tried this stuff with call forwarding and it doesn't seem to work.

What I did:

Turned on instant call fowarding so all calls get forwarded to my office (where I am right now).

Then I tried to trigger a call from my Vonage phone to my cell phone via the https interface.

My work phone rings with no Caller ID info, but when I pick it up, it disconnects almost immedately. I wonder if that's a built-in limitation.

Posts: 11 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Mar 03, 2004 Posts: 11

plyons,

This beta software is pretty cool, but it doesn't do exactly what I was thinking in my earlier post.

If what you try last actually worked, we'd be half way there.... the only other thing would be url we could hit to programmatically change the number my Vonage phone number is fwded to.

Again, what I'd like to be able to do is.... use my cell phone to make a call through my Vonage service. Ideally, there'd be no web involved... just call into my VM and hit an option like "Press 8 to make an outgoing call", I press 8 and it asks me "Enter the 11 digit number you'd like to call", I enter it, and bang it connects me.

Seems like something Vonage could trivially implement.... maybe even support international numbers too.

G

Posts: 110 · Vonage Forum Senior Joined: Mar 06, 2004 Posts: 110

I saw that wouldn't quite get you there... but it does have potential for people with restricted outgoing calls who might have WEB access.

I've thought about your suggestion some more since yesterday, and at first I thought it would just be a loser for them (add'l call volume, limited upside), but more and more I'm beginning to agree with you that it would be relatively simple, and also a great feature.

However, it also reminds me very much of some of the first alternative phone services that came out in the 80s. Many of these had a local or an 800 line to which you entered an access code and the number you wished to dial. These were widely hacked and some may still be around.

The problem is that these are PHONE COMPANIES, not information service providers! Not so sure the FCC et al would be able to keep their grubby paws off of Vonage with this type of service.

Nonetheless, you really should post your suggestion directly to Vonage.

Posts: 37 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Feb 12, 2004 Posts: 37

gfilicetti wrote:

Again, what I'd like to be able to do is.... use my cell phone to make a call through my Vonage service. Ideally, there'd be no web involved... just call into my VM and hit an option like "Press 8 to make an outgoing call", I press 8 and it asks me "Enter the 11 digit number you'd like to call", I enter it, and bang it connects me.

How about just using a cheap calling card to call Canada or other international locations? It would work almost as you describe in your quote, above.