Review on AT 438 Internet Call Alert by Dan Husband

I purchased this item from Wal-Mart for $35 2 weeks ago but have only had it a few days. When I first connected the box to my computer, it had an expandable wireless phone system attached to it. The box did what was claimed, but when I used one of my cordless phones to make a voice call, no caller ID/call waiting information was displayed. Instead it was displayed on a box at the top next to my computer. Since I was at home during the day (wedding for telemarketers), that didn't work. I had a 2-line phone adapter lying around, so I figured I'd plug the cordless phone system directly into the wall rather than the back of the unit. This fixed my CID/CW issue, but when I was online and another call came in, I had to manually log out of the internet before I could answer the call. When my connection dropped, most of the callers had hung up. So the thing ended up in the box. After some research I downloaded a computer program that should do the same thing but through my modem. This worked for a week, but then I noticed I was only getting notified for 50-60% of incoming calls. Furthermore, even if I ignored the call, I was quickly hung up on. I have disabled internet calling. The alarm failed again and I decided to try again. Here's how I made it work for me. I still use a dual line adapter for my phone line. My expandable wireless phone system plugs directly into the wall with a single line. The Internet call alert window is connected to the second line. I connected a modem/computer to it, a fax machine, and then I added a wired phone that I only use to take incoming calls on the network. Aside from that, I've also added voicemail to my phone pack to answer calls I've been ignoring. I ended up spending less than $45. That doesn't sound like much at first, but compared to internet call notification programs that charge a monthly fee, I'd be spending more in less than a year. I didn't notice any page freezes or false alarms. I was able to take a couple of very short calls without disconnecting, and if I choose to ignore the calls, it's happy browsing. I only use the internet for email, research and chat. I like that this window shows the caller ID information and seems to work like a normal caller ID field even when not online. The call waiting alarm beeps and 1/4 of the field flashes. It's not just a small LED. Overall I gave this product 4 stars because I've been using it for less than a month.