How to Remotely Activate an Answering Machine

Answering machines are great devices to aid us keeping in touch with our friends and family. If you have left home and forgotten to turn on the answering machine, most models available today have a remote turn-on feature built in, that you can activate from wherever you are.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Call your telephone number and wait for the answering machine to answer. If you have left the answering machine in the off state then you should let it continue ringing until the machine finally answers, this may be as many as ten rings or more. When the machine finally answers, you may hear a series of beeping sounds.

2. Press "0" during the playback of the greeting message or during the series of beeps. Enter your PIN code within the next 2 seconds. You must know your PIN code to operate the answering machine remotely.

3. Wait for the prompt to enter a command code for remote operation. You will hear the machine report the current time and how many messages are in memory. The machine will then play a beep and wait for your command. To turn on the answering machine you must enter the corresponding code. You must enter the remote command within 15 seconds.

4. Hang up after the machine finishes the command and beeps. Call back to your number and make sure that the machine is now in the on state and will answer incoming calls.

Tips & Warnings

• Each brand and manufacturer of answering machines have different commands and PIN codes for the answering machines. Refer to your user manual for the exact codes and instructions on how to pick your PIN number for your phone.