Abstract: An apparatus is provided which can be physically connected underneath a guest telephone in a hotel. The apparatus is set up with interconnection logic and a networking card so as to allow for a notebook computer to interconnect with a local area network in the hotel. The apparatus is set up to switch between sending a voice data from the guest telephone or computer data packets from the notebook computer across the hotel room telephone wire.

Abstract: Crescendo telephone ringers and methods of providing a crescendo telephone ring signal. The crescendo telephone ringer provides a gradual increase in audible ringing volume as a sequence of incoming electrical ring signals is detected. According to one embodiment, upon receipt of an incoming call, a first audible ring signal corresponding to a first detected electrical ring signal is set to a minimum volume. Subsequent audible ring signals corresponding to subsequent detected electrical ring signals are set to increasing volume levels, and finally to a maximum ringer volume.