I'm really inspired by this video I saw where someone turned a traditional landline phone into a Bluetooth device. When she gets a call, it rings on the landline, and she can even use Siri or Google Assistant with the press of a button. I've always wanted an antique rotary phone in my home, but I want it to serve a purpose instead of just sitting there. Does anyone know how I could accomplish this or if there are any DIY methods out there?
3 Answers
I took a different route and used an adapter to connect my phone to a cordless base station. I haven't tried it with an old rotary phone yet, but I've always been curious about whether an old-school phone can handle it since it needs a stronger signal to ring.
Are you talking about something like the "Cell2Jack" device that can convert cell calls to a landline? It’s pretty affordable on Amazon, but it sounds like you’re looking for a DIY approach. Just a heads up, a lot of those TikTok electronic DIY projects can be a bit misleading. Still, if you’re seriously into making it yourself, there might be options out there.
Yeah, you can definitely build something like this! There are some technical challenges, like needing a ringer generator and managing the SLIC, but it's not impossible for DIY. I’ve seen projects on GitHub that explain how to wire traditional phones in parallel while connecting them to a cell service. It might cost more than just buying a simple device, but it can be a fun project if you enjoy getting hands-on.