The Stick® works on a standard POTS line and answers inbound calls at the first sign of ring voltage. After The Stick® goes off-hook, it immediately screens for CNG (fax) and DTMF transfer codes. During this ≈ 5.5 sec processing period, a bell spec "ring back" is issued out to the calling party. Once a transfer command is received, the call is routed to the corresponding port. In the absence of fax/transfer codes, the call is defaulted to the voice ports. Outbound calls are processed in the normal fashion with barge-in protection.