This FAQ aims to tell you all you need to know about Caller ID - how it works, the best phones to use, how to retrieve it on your computer and independent reviews of dozens of Caller ID programs.

When I first bought a Caller ID-capable modem, I was helped enormously by uk.telecom; from posts there I assembled the first draft of this FAQ, and it grew from there. www.calleridfaq.com will get you here, but http://www.ainslie.org.uk/callerid.htm is the main URL of this page. Please mail if you have any new information or corrections to tell me about; thanks to those who've mailed me so far. The last few years have been somewhat hectic, but I have started the long slow job of updating the FAQ, so keep the emails coming!

I suggest you start with the general Caller ID FAQ (v3.00 10/Feb/04 - 50K) I will get round to creating specific pages devoted to the various flavours of Caller ID at some point, and indeed adding all the various extra information I have sitting in files on my PC - I just need to find the time!!!

• Bellcore (now Telcordia) is used in Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore and USA
• BT and CCA standards in the UK (with reviews of UK boxes, UK phones and UK cordless phones)
• DTMF-based in Brazil, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, India, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Sweden & Uruguay
• ETSI in Eire, France, Germany, Norway, Italy, Spain, South Africa and Turkey
• NTT standard in Japan
• "USSR ANI-hacking" in the former Soviet Union