I was just refilling a prescription on the automated line and the thought just dawned on me. How do they know what buttons I’m pressing? Sorry if this is really dumb. I understand next to nothing about technology. Thanks
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Each button press initiates a tone which is sent and recognized by the receiving party.
It’s actually a combination of 2 tones in harmony. 2 sets of 4 tones. Meaning there are a total of 16 different combinations. You have access to 12 (0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 # *) and there are 4 ‘hidden’ ones (A B C D) that the phone company can use for special system access, diagnostics, and whatnot.
For more information, the system is called Touch Tone
Basically the same way that when you hear music being played on the radio, you hear all the different sounds.
Each button has a different sound. You can think of them as notes on a piano.
1 – A
2 – B
3 – C
4 – D
etc.
So then when you are on the call, and lets say you type in your prescription number, your phone transmits those tones (called DTMF) and the other side hears it, and converts it back to the numbers they meant. Then looks up the prescription.
Nowadays with newer technology and digital everything the tones don’t even need to be sent all the time. But that’s how the older technology worked.
You know those beeps that happen each time you hit a button? Those are [DTMF tones](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual-tone_multi-frequency_signaling), and they can be decoded on the other side. The frequencies of each beep correspond to a number.
That system has been in place since touch-tone dialing was a thing.
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Dual Tone Multi Frequency Signaling: DTMF. The different tones each number creates are interpreted and converted to numbers. This is also how you tell the phone carrier which phone number you want to connect to.
They are sent over the voice part of the line contrary to pulse dialing that was used in the days of old.
Pulse dialing was used mainly on rotary phones. It uses a sequence: one click for 1, two clicks for 2 etc. and disconnects and connects the phone line in quick succession for each digit. A lengthy process compared to DTMF. Pulse dialing also only worked for local calls. Not long distance. For long distance you neede and operator to dispatch your call to the destination.
Using pulse dialing for your automated line wouldn’t work particularly well.
Another fact and life hack.
If it’s the same sequence of numbers you need each time you refill you can automatically do the menu selection.
Say you call 84777491, you need menu item 3, then you need menu item 6, then 4, then 1.
If you save the number like this: 84777491,3,6,4,1
The commas means it pauses for two seconds before inputting the number for the menu item.
Pressing down +*# in your phone book when entering a number for a contact you’ll get the options “wait” and “pause” in a menu and those will enter the , or ; for you.
If it forces you to listen to the entire message before menu selection you insert a wait by using ; instead. The phone will create a pop-up and you press “ok” when the message has finished. iPhone it will be in the lower left corner.
Don’t know if this extra info is allowed.
Dual Tone Multi Frequency Signaling: DTMF. The different tones each number creates are interpreted and converted to numbers. This is also how you tell the phone carrier which phone number you want to connect to.
They are sent over the voice part of the line contrary to pulse dialing that was used in the days of old.
Pulse dialing was used mainly on rotary phones. It uses a sequence: one click for 1, two clicks for 2 etc. and disconnects and connects the phone line in quick succession for each digit. A lengthy process compared to DTMF. Pulse dialing also only worked for local calls. Not long distance. For long distance you neede and operator to dispatch your call to the destination.
Using pulse dialing for your automated line wouldn’t work particularly well.
Another fact and life hack.
If it’s the same sequence of numbers you need each time you refill you can automatically do the menu selection.
Say you call 84777491, you need menu item 3, then you need menu item 6, then 4, then 1.
If you save the number like this: 84777491,3,6,4,1
The commas means it pauses for two seconds before inputting the number for the menu item.
Pressing down +*# in your phone book when entering a number for a contact you’ll get the options “wait” and “pause” in a menu and those will enter the , or ; for you.
If it forces you to listen to the entire message before menu selection you insert a wait by using ; instead. The phone will create a pop-up and you press “ok” when the message has finished. iPhone it will be in the lower left corner.
Don’t know if this extra info is allowed.
Dual Tone Multi Frequency Signaling: DTMF. The different tones each number creates are interpreted and converted to numbers. This is also how you tell the phone carrier which phone number you want to connect to.
They are sent over the voice part of the line contrary to pulse dialing that was used in the days of old.
Pulse dialing was used mainly on rotary phones. It uses a sequence: one click for 1, two clicks for 2 etc. and disconnects and connects the phone line in quick succession for each digit. A lengthy process compared to DTMF. Pulse dialing also only worked for local calls. Not long distance. For long distance you neede and operator to dispatch your call to the destination.
Using pulse dialing for your automated line wouldn’t work particularly well.
Another fact and life hack.
If it’s the same sequence of numbers you need each time you refill you can automatically do the menu selection.
Say you call 84777491, you need menu item 3, then you need menu item 6, then 4, then 1.
If you save the number like this: 84777491,3,6,4,1
The commas means it pauses for two seconds before inputting the number for the menu item.
Pressing down +*# in your phone book when entering a number for a contact you’ll get the options “wait” and “pause” in a menu and those will enter the , or ; for you.
If it forces you to listen to the entire message before menu selection you insert a wait by using ; instead. The phone will create a pop-up and you press “ok” when the message has finished. iPhone it will be in the lower left corner.
Don’t know if this extra info is allowed.
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