New
phone systems (like the one we have installed in the McKinney office) are
digital. You can plug a compatible telephone station into the system's
telephone jack on your wall and it will work, but you couldn't plug an analog
device (e.g., modem, standard fax machine, standard home phone) into that
same wall jack and expect it to work.
What
Steve is referring to is that schools, libraries and other sites used for
polling locations are getting rid of their analog phone systems and installing
digital based phone systems. They apparently are also replacing their
stand analog fax machines with a fax machine that is compatible to their
digital phone system. (I've never heard of a digital fax but it highly
likely they exist.)
Now
the counties are inquiring as to the AccuVote's compatibility with their
digital phone systems.
As
the AccuVote only has an analog modem, the only suggestion I can make at this
point is that they purchase an external modem that is compatible with their
digital phone system and redirect communications out the main serial port
connector on the back of the AccuVote. From a hardware stand point it's
possible, but I don't know if the AccuVote firmware would properly communicate
with the external digital modem. That's a question for Guy or
Ken.
Does
the manufacturer of the digital phone system offer an external modem that is
compatible with their system?
Perhaps they can spec one
off-the-shelf.
Steve?
Need
more input. Non-sequitor.