How do owners offering broadband usage prevent guests from plugging a phone into the phone socket and running up a phone bill?
In my case, they do not have access to that area at all.
However, if you’re doing whole-house renting, you could get it rewired such that the sockets sit in a metal (or strong enough) box on the wall which you can lock up when you’re not using the place yourself.
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Are you talking about a DSL broadband connection? Do you have an functioning phone line in the same location? Do they share a provider? More details, please.
I would put the chance of a guest traveling with a landline telephone equivalent to an alien invasion.
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Doesn’t everyone have a cellphone nowadays? I wouldn’t worry about that happening.
Just about to leave on a big trip, lucky I read this thread, forgot that clunky landline in the bag with my iPad and iPhone 
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Hope this catches you before you leave for the airport, but please remember to bring your answering machine as well.
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Just packing my facsimile machine, I hope it will count as carry on luggage. Last trip, teleprinter was a nightmare.
My computer is a bit old and clunky too. Here I am in Barcelona, uploading a pic to Facebook, took 3 days.
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Wow. I don’t know which party of the world that you’re all in but international calling and premium rate numbers are very expensive here and this is a serious concern. It’s very simple to pick up a small corded handset (I know that’s a difficult concept if you’re still stuck in a timewarp with your fax machines) and ring the relatives in Australia that you wouldn’t dream of phoning from your own landline, because it’s too expensive, and letting some poor unsuspecting landlord pick up the bill.
As hilarious as you are, if you don’t have any serious advice please go and play somewhere else.
Serious advice still much appreciated from the grown ups though.
3 days, I tells yer…
This post here, then
You never did answer my question above. It’s hard to give advice without more information.
Sorry faheem, got distracted there. Yes, phone line and broadband through same line with Sky. Socket in wall for DSL and phone connection.
Yes, this is the type of information I was looking for. May have to do this but wondered if anyone had any other ideas too.
is there a blank plate you could screw on? Although determined people will go out and buy a new socket to put on.
I need the socket to plug the router into as I want to offer broadband. Ideally Sky would block outgoing calls like they would if you didn’t pay the phone bill! But they say they can’t do that…
Why not put the router in a locked closet? Then disconnect the phone jack in the room, or if you’re especially evil label the nonworking connector “please connect your landline, fax machine, or answering machine here”
Skype is a penny a minute and free if the other person has skype as well, And the app is free, much less expensive than buying a modular phone and packing and you’ll have people who stay with you happier as well.
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Isn’t there a setting whereby you can your provide to disallow at least international calls unless you ‘unlock’ or unset the option?
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