Be alerted to incoming calls when you're online

Helpline Q&A Directory

I only have one phoneline, so when I'm connected to the internet I can't tell if anyone is trying to contact me. Is there software that can make me aware of an incoming call so that I can decide if I want to drop the web connection and answer it?

Many people find BT Call Minder works well. If someone calls while you are on the internet or in conversation with someone else, the caller is invited to leave a voice message. After you hang up, Call Minder calls you back to let you know a message is waiting. It's inexpensive, and works whatever you are doing on the phone.

If you tend to stay online for hours at a time and can't wait until you log off to be notified of a call there are other solutions, but they all involve call diversion and therefore cost money for each call handled (ú4 per quarter for the call diversion service, plus the cost of each diverted call). The simplest and most effective solution is to use divert on busy to divert calls to your mobile phone. But you pay for the call to your mobile, so it's not inexpensive.

A software solution is Online Call Manager, available from www.internetcallmanager.com. Using OCM, calls are diverted to a special number costing 10p a minute. If you are online, the system alerts you that a call has been received, giving you a choice of ways to handle it including voicemail, divert to another number or even to speak to the caller over the internet using voice-over-IP.

The disadvantage is that unless you set and reset call divert each time you connect to the internet, calls will still be diverted to OCM even if you are only talking on the phone. In that case, callers will still be able to leave voicemail, but you won't receive an alert about it until the next time you go online.

Innovations (www.innovations.co.uk) sells an 'Internet Alert' (ú29.99) that lets you suspend your web connection and take voice calls, if you subscribe to your phone provider's Call Waiting service. See also tip, BT answercall prevents internet connection