Does this thing have an API? I would want to leave it running but have some interface that could do things during calls like have some LEDs flash or nixies count calls.
I'm not sure, I don't know much about it.
But from watching the videos, I put into my post above this one. It does seem to have functionality along those lines.
I already have at least one Raspberry PI, and the exercise of installing "it", seems to be fun and educational, so I'm tempted.
But it seems to need other hardware, to get it working, at least the version in the videos I linked to. There could be a cheaper or easier way, I'm not sure.
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In the UK, you can also get phones, which include anti-SCAMMER/SPAM call minder type devices.
I have one/some, so if I was to get a lot of SPAM calls, I can switch it on (or you can enable it all the time).
One of the things it does, is insist that the caller tells it the name of whom they want to speak to. So that, instead of immediately answering the phone, you can check they at least know your name.
98%+ (guesstimate) of the time, they won't know your name.
Your phone doesn't even ring, unless they provide the name and have not been filtered out by a blocked phone number list.
For calls you want, it can recognize the phone numbers of friends/family etc, and let them through, unhindered.