Do you have an issue with an ever-increasing amount of unsolicited calls coming in on your phone line? I do, and apparently so does the FCC which has not only given permission for carriers to implement call-blocking technology, it says telephone companies can – and in fact should – offer consumers robocall-blocking tools. I read with great interest the article “Rage Against Robocalls” in the September 2015 issue of Consumer Reports magazine. I won’t go into the negative way it has affected our household, but I do want to mention a product that was not listed in Consumer Reports that solves the problem completely without the phone company and without even signing up for the free Nomorobo service. I should note that this applies only to landline service (not cell phones). The product is called “Advanced Caller ID with Phone Ring Controller” and is made by J F Technical Developing Company (jfteck.com).
What makes it better in my opinion than the four products listed in CR, is that it adds categories (lists) into which every call is placed; it also uses wildcards such as area codes or prefixes which can be used to accept or knock out blocks of numbers (such as 855-770-xxxx). It puts every incoming call into one of three lists: (1) unrestricted, (2) restricted to a certain time, such as 8AM to 8PM, and (3) blocked. Used with an answering machine either before or after the device can enhance the operation, especially for a business. This device is about $80 and can be purchased through Amazon as well as other from outlets. The Phone Ring Controller has solved our robocall problem 100%!