Does it matter if I use Digital or Analog phone services?

YES, it does matter.

To protect your equipment from damage and guarantee best performance, be sure to follow proper connection and usage guidelines.

In General:

The following is true regarding plugging any TTY into a telephone line in a home or office, i.e. using a landline connection.

• TTYs should NOT be plugged directly into a digital telephone network unless:
  • there is a separate analog line, or
  • there is an analog port, or
  • there is an analog converter available
• The TTY and/or the digital network can be damaged if the TTY is plugged directly into a digital jack.
• It is always safe to use a TTY in acoustic mode (by placing the telephone handset on the TTY’s acoustic cups), which is a good way to use your TTY in an office that has a digital phone system.

At Home:

Most telephone lines coming into homes are analog. TTYs can be plugged into any standard phone jack in your home. If you have a special telephone line for ISDN connections for a computer user, however, do not plug the TTY phone line into this jack. On the other hand, DSL lines (also used for computers) generally include analog frequencies, so it is OK to directly attach a TTY on a DSL line.

It is always safe to use the TTY in acoustic mode by placing the telephone handset into the TTY cups.

At the Office:

Most office telephone systems (as well as hotels and hospitals) use digital telephone lines such as ISDN, PBX or T1 lines. Often, these office telephone systems can also provide an “analog” port or jack connection within the system. Sometimes workstations have two phone jacks, one to connect the office telephone to the digital system and the other for an analog connection. It is possible that one of these jacks may be used to connect a fax machine or modem, which may also use analog connections.

In hotels, an analog phone jack is sometimes provided on the side of a hotel telephone. Individuals use this analog connection to plug in their laptop computers. This same jack can be used to directly connect your TTY. If this analog jack is not available you can still use the TTY acoustically by placing the telephone handset on the cups. Remember that a TTY can only be plugged directly in the telephone jack when it is an analog jack.

It is always safe to use a TTY in acoustic mode (by placing the telephone handset on the TTY’s acoustic cups), which is a good way to use your TTY in an office that has a digital phone system.