If you're starting a home business or need an additional phone line because your children are tying up the main phone, you'll want to look into having a second phone line added to your home. Because of advances made in telecommunications technology, it has become easier to install your own second phone line. You can also explore options offered by your local phone company that don't involve installing a second line to your home.

Installing a Phone Line

Your local phone company can install a second line for you that can feature a phone jack in any room in your house. Before you pay the phone company to install a second line, make sure a rep from the phone company looks your house over; ask him to pay special attention to the phone jacks that you never use. Your house may already be wired for a second line and all you'd need the phone company to do is turn the service on or install a phone jack that connects to an existing second line to your home (this will save you installation charges). If you don't have an existing second line installed in your home, you'll have to pay to have one installed and activated.

USB Ports

The increased use of high-speed Internet has made it possible for some telecommunications companies to release products that can create a second phone line for your house by simply using the USB port on your computer. You simply pay for the phone service jack, pay an annual fee for using the service and then plug the phone jack into an available USB port on your desktop computer. This type of service normally provides everything you'd need, from long-distance calling to voicemail.

Distinctive Ring

It's possible for the phone company to assign a second phone number to your home without having to charge you for an expensive second-line installation. The service is referred to as distinctive ring. The phone company can set up a second phone number to ring to your existing phone line, but when someone calls the second number, it sets off a different-sounding ring on your phone. You need to make sure your phone has a distinctive-ring setting. Once you set the phone to "distinctive ring," it will normally ring in two short blasts at a time instead of the one long ring we're accustomed to.

Source:

OldHouseWeb.com: Add Phone Line

VoIPPlanet.com: Review: MagicJack

ThisOldHouse.com: Adding a Second Phone Line

More Information:

HomePhoneWiring.com: Home Phone Wiring Advice Page