For CapTel user, Helen Rizzi, it’s all about independence. “Before I had CapTel, I had to depend on other people to make and receive my telephone calls,” she explains, as her progressive hearing loss made it difficult to use the phone. “If I was not at home, I had to depend on others – sometimes friends and sometimes complete strangers – to help.”

“It was not until I received a CapTel phone that I could be entirely independent in placing and receiving calls,” she states.

Helen, who lives in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, has never been shy about finding ways to deal with her hearing loss. “Even though for the past year and a half I have had a cochlear implant,” she explains, “I still use the CapTel for all my calls, to make sure that I understand each word of the conversation.”

“I use CapTel for every single phone call that I make,” she continues. Helen relies on CapTel with the USB option, hooked up to her computer. “I am so pleased to have the large text of the conversations printed on my computer screen,” she says.

“I like the independence that the CapTel gives me. It makes life safer and happier knowing that no matter what time of the day or night, I can make a CapTel call myself. That alone means the world to me.”

People who have an Apple iPhone 3G can talk and read captions – all on one device! Use the iPhone to access the WebCapTel* site of your choice, then enter the phone number for your iPhone and the phone number of the person you want to call. Speak and listen on the iPhone like any other call, while reading captions on the iPhone display. If you have an iPhone but do not have 3G service, you can read the captions on your iPhone, but you will need a second telephone for the voice part of the conversation (see directions above).

CapTel users can benefit from some of the exciting new technology that has recently become available. By using a “smartphone” or mobile device that has Internet access, you can now see captions of your phone calls even when you are away from your CapTel phone.

To see captions of your calls, you’ll need two things:
1. A telephone to talk/listen on (it can be a cell phone, a cordless phone – or any kind of phone!)
2. A mobile device with Internet access to run WebCapTel* on (such as a “smartphone” or mobile device running Windows Mobile 6 or Apple Mobile Safari browser – see Which Mobile Devices Work?)

Using your smartphone or mobile device, go online to the WebCapTel* site of your choice. On the site, enter the phone number of the telephone you will be speaking/listening on. Then enter the phone number of the person you want to call. Next, click on “Place Call”. WebCapTel sets up the call between you and the other person, then displays captions of the call on your mobile device. You talk and listen over one phone, while reading captions on the mobile device.

Which Mobile Devices Work?

WebCapTel supports the following smartphones and mobile devices:

• Apple 3G iPhone
• MotorolaQ9C
• HTC Mogul
• Treo 800w

WebCapTel may also work on other devices that use Windows Mobile 6 or Apple Mobile Safari. You can also run WebCapTel on any computer with broadband Internet access

Caution! Do not plug the CapTel into any telephone line other than a standard, analog telephone line, DSL line or an analog port. Connection to an office-type digital telephone network may damage the CapTel or the telephone system and will void the warranty. To be certain of what type of phone line works, see chart below.

To use CapTel in a home or office that has a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), you must connect to a DSL filter. The filter eliminates interference to and from the CapTel phone, allowing it to share the same line as the DSL service. Fax machines and answering machines also require DSL filters to work in a DSL environment.

Without a filter, line noises from the DSL service – such as echoes or static – can be picked up by the CapTel phone, resulting in connection problems.

The DSL filter is usually a small rectangular device that has connectors on both ends. You simply unplug the telephone line from the wall jack, insert the filter into the jack, then plug the telephone line into the filter. Typically, you’d install DSL filters on every telephone, fax machine, etc., in your home, leaving the DSL computer modem as the only unfiltered device.

If you make long distance calls, register your long distance carrier with CapTel Customer Service so that your long distance calls are billed under your existing calling plan. If you do not register your Long Distance Provider with CapTel, you may get a long distance bill from a default provider.

People who call you long distance should also register their long distance service, so that their captioned calls to you are billed under their current calling plan.

Registering is fast and easy! Just contact CapTel Customer Service!

Noted Wall Street Journal columnist Melinda Beck recently singled out CapTel in the September 16 issue of the paper as, “One of the niftiest advances in telephone technology.” Ms. Beck recommends CapTel and WebCapTel to people with hearing loss in her regular column on health-related issues. Read full article.

The procedure for setting up CapTel in an office is very similar to the way you set it up in a residential setting. However, many office telephone systems require a “dialing prefix”? generally an “8″ or “9″ ? to reach an “outside” line. Most systems also require a comma added after the number, which represents a 2 second delay before dialing. This number must be programmed into the CapTel in order to connect properly.

NOTE: The programmed prefix only affects captioned calls. You?ll have to manually dial the “9″ first if you are making a call without captions. With 2-Line CapTel, you’ll need to manually dial the “9″ before all outgoing calls.

If you bring your CapTel phone from the office to home or to a different location, remember to remove the dialing prefix!

Today there are more choices of phone lines than ever before, with options like Digital Cable phone service, DSL, Voice Over IP (VOIP), and Fiber Optics (FIOS). As you make decisions about your phone service, it is important to understand CapTel telephone line requirements.

Analog & DSL Lines
The CapTel phone is designed to work with an analog telephone line. CapTel may also be used with a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) with an appropriate analog filter. Digital office telephone lines are not compatible with CapTel and may damage the telephone. Please use the phone cord provided with CapTel or a similar phone cord.

If you are installing CapTel in an office, check with the telephone system administrator to ensure an analog port is available.

PBX Systems
CapTel can be used in offices, hotels, or nursing homes on a PBX network provided an analog line or analog port is used. This is the same line that an office fax or a direct connect TTY would require.

Digital Cable/VOIP
CapTel can ONLY be used on a digital cable or VOIP line if set up in 2-Line mode. In 2-Line mode, Line 1 (which carries the voice part of the conversation) can be a digital cable or VOIP line such as Time Warner, Comcast, or Vonage. However, Line 2 (which carries the captions) MUST be an analog line or DSL with an analog filter. Note: A PBX office environment still requires an analog line or analog port for both Lines 1 and 2.

Why an Analog Line?
While the CapTel looks and acts like a traditional telephone, it is really a very different kind of device. It is similar to a small computer. To show the text captions along with a caller?s voice, the CapTel sets up a data connection (just like a fax machine or a computer modem connection) with the Captioning Service. Because data connections require a more stable connection with minimum interference, the CapTel is only recommended for use on analog phone lines.

As the various telephone line options continue to expand, please visit the CapTel website for the most current information about line requirements.

To find out what type of telephone line you have, contact your telephone company.

For optimal hearing and “hands-free” convenience, you can use CapTel with headsets, neck loops, and other assistive devices -

The CapTel phone is compatible with hearing aids. If you wear a hearing aid, you may wish to experiment with how/where you hold the CapTel handset near your ear to find the best hearing position. Adjust the Tone Slide to match your hearing needs.

You can also use an assistive listening device with the 2.5 mm and 3.5 mm audio jacks included on your CapTel phone. These jacks are compatible with many types of assistive listening devices, such as neckloops, cochlear implant patch cords and headsets.

The 2.5 mm and 3.5 mm audio jacks are located on the front edge of the CapTel phone under a gray rubber cover. If you would like to use an assistive listening device, but your CapTel phone does not have audio jacks, please contact the provider of your CapTel phone.