New Phone Connection

Ever wanted to receive your cell phone calls on a nice, comfy home phone? A new device, the $199 Vox.Link Cellphone Base Station, has finally arrived to help you do it.

The Vox.Link routes cell phone signals through a standard desktop phone. The advantages are comfort and easier dialing, plus better acoustics for the call. The Vox.Link also enables you to stay well away from the radio signals emitted by the wireless phone (just to be safe).

People who buy a large allotment of monthly cell-phone minutes can save money by using the wireless phone as a second line.

Vox.Link can be connected to a stand-alone phone (without any cords plugged into the wall), or plugged into home phone wiring so that calls coming in over the wireless number can be answered on any two-line phone in the house. You also can plug it into a single home phone line, but when the cell phone line is in use, the home line won’t ring, and vice versa.

The main drawbacks are that you can’t connect the device to a phone system that uses digital lines (as do many office buildings) because of differing jacks and plugs. It also won’t help you if your cell-phone signal is weak or nonexistent at the installation site. Still, the idea is a good one, and the product is useful and works as advertised.

Vox.Link, made by Vox2 Inc., works with the most commonly used models of Ericsson, Nokia and Motorola mobile phones and is available through catalog and Web retailer Hello Direct Inc. (https://www.hellodirect.com).