F R E Q U E N T L Y A S K E D Q U E S T I O N S
What is the Captioned Telephone (CapTel)?
Captioned Telephone (or CapTel for short) is a new telephone technology that allows people to receive word-for-word captions of their telephone conversations. It is similar in concept to Captioned Television, where spoken words appear as written text for viewers to read. The CapTel phone looks and works like any traditional phone, with callers talking and listening to each other, but with one very significant difference: Captions are provided live for every phone call. The captions are displayed on the phone's built-in screen so the user can read the words while listening to the voice of the other party. If the CapTel phone user has difficulty hearing what the caller says, he can read the captions for clarification.
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How does CapTel 200 work?
The user dials the number of the person they wish to call on the CapTel 200 phone. The call is transparently connected over the phone line to a service that provides the captions. At the Captioning Service, a specially-trained operator uses voice-recognition technology to transcribe whatever is said by the other party. The captions appear on the CapTel 200 display screen. User can hear the other party, plus read the captions to be certain of what is said. More about how CapTel 200 works.
NOTE: The CapTel 200 phone does not generate captions of the phone call on its own. The phone works with the Captioning Service (over the telephone line) to display captions during your calls.
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How do I get captions on my phone calls?
During outgoing calls (calls you place) the captioning service is connected automatically to provide captions. Make sure that the caption button is depressed and the light above the button is on. Then you just dial the phone number of the person you want to call, and the call will be captioned. The way you get captions on incoming calls (calls you receive) depends on if you are using CapTel in 1-Line mode or 2-Line mode:With 1-Line CapTel: To get captions on your incoming calls, your caller must first dial the toll free number for the Captioning Service and then enter your phone number. You will get captions during any call that is placed through the captioning service. If your caller dials you directly, the call will not be captioned. "Call Me" cards that list the toll free captioning service number are included with the CapTel phone. You can give the "Call Me" cards to people who call frequently.
With 2-Line CapTel: If you are using 2-Line CapTel, you simply press the caption button at any point in a conversation to get captions. Your callers dial your number directly to reach you, they don't need to dial the captioning service first. More about 2-Line CapTel
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Can I get captions on my current telephone?
No. The Captioned Telephone requires a customized, built-in display screen to show the captions properly together with highly sophisticated electronics and software to handle both the voice and text. Captions cannot be displayed on a regular telephone.
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What equipment do I need to use CapTel 200?
- A CapTel 200 telephone.
- Landline telephone service. Not compatiable with digital PBX systems found in offices or some residential facilities (unless an analog port is available).
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What are the telephone line requirements?
| CapTel 200 1-Line |
CapTel 200 2-Line |
|
Line 1:
- analog
- VOIP
- DSL with filter
Line 2:
|
| Does not work with PBX system unless analog port available. |
CapTel 200 requires connection to a standard analog telephone line (or analog port), such as is commonly found in households. You cannot connect CapTel to a digital telephone line (as is sometimes found in offices) or to any other non-analog telephone line. Users in an office environment should check with their telephone administrator to make sure an analog port is available. DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) users can connect a CapTel phone if the appropriate inline DSL filter is installed between the phone jack and the CapTel. Inline filters are commonly available from the DSL provider.
CapTel requires connection to a standard analog telephone line (or analog port), such as is commonly found in households. You cannot connect CapTel to a digital telephone line (as is sometimes found in offices) or to any other non-analog telepone line. Users in an office environment should check with their telephone administrator to make sure an analog port is available. DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) users can connect a CapTel phone if the appropriate inline DSL filter is installed between the phone jack and the CapTel. Inline filters are commonly available from the DSL provider.
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What is 2-Line CapTel?
In addition to standard mode (which uses just one telephone line), the CapTel 200 can be used in 2-line mode, which requires two separate telephone lines. With 2-line CapTel, you can turn captions on or off at any point during the call. Callers can dial your phone number directly, instead of calling through the Captioning Service first, and you will still receive captions throughout the call. 2-Line CapTel also allows users to enjoy advanced phone features they may have purchased, such as Call Waiting, while still receiving captions. More about 2-Line CapTel
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How does Captioned Telephone compare to Voice Carry Over (VCO)?
CapTel phone users can simultaneously hear the voice over the phone and read captions of what is said. Current VCO technology allows only voice or text on the line at one time and does not allow the VCO user to hear the voice of the other party.
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How does the Captioned Telephone compare to two-line VCO?
Captioned Telephone is similar to two-line VCO in that users get the benefit of both voice and text. However, Captioned Telephone uses only one telephone line instead of requiring two, the captions appear at a much faster speed — nearly simultaneously with the spoken words (instead of significantly slower than the speaker). It is far less complicated and cumbersome, and CapTel uses only one device (a CapTel phone) instead of two (a TTY and a Telephone).
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