If you have questions about how Telehamster works, where to get a phone, where to put your phone, and so forth, see our FAQ first.

Telehamster uses "voice over IP" (VOIP) protocols to connect calls over the internet. We have a server that acts as a central switchboard for our private network. All communication through our server is encrypted and secure. Your calls are not recorded. Advertising and spam are not allowed.

Customize the machines

You can add an answering machine to your TeleHamster phone!

You can add a mechanical dial-style Christmas light timer to control when your phone can and can't operate. (See the FAQ).

Router not in a convenient location?  Get a wifi range extender with an ethernet port and set that up where you want the phone. (See the FAQ).  We recommend these, and you can follow our instructions here to configure them.

Troubleshooting

If you have any trouble with your phone, please get in touch and we'll get you sorted out.

Don't press the hard-reset button on your black box (the one you can only hit with a pin) -- that will only make the situation worse.

If you change anything about where/how your box is plugged in, unplug the power supply, wait 30 seconds, then plug it in and wait five full minutes for the box to power up and try to make contact with the internet and the server.

There are three blue lights on your box:

HT801

  • The top one tells you the power is on.  

  • The one on the right labeled "NET" tells you that the box is connected to the internet.

  • The one on the left, when it glows solid, tells you that you are connected to the TeleHamster server. If the light on the left is not glowing solid, you will not be able to make or receive calls.

If all three lights are glowing solid, everything is most likely good on our end; any issues you have are probably problems with your phone.

If none of the three lights are glowing, make sure the box is plugged into a power source.

If only the top light is glowing, make sure your box is plugged into an ethernet port. If it's plugged into a wifi range extender but the NET light isn't on, try plugging it directly into your router instead. If that does the trick, then it's a problem with the wifi range extender. If that doesn't do the trick, leave everything plugged in and let us know.

If the top and right lights are solid but the left light is dark, power down and then up again, wait 5 minutes. If that doesn't fix it, leave everything plugged in and let us know.

If the top and right lights are solid and the left light is blinking, make sure your phone is hung up. If that doesn't stop the blinking, unplug your phone from the box. Now note which lights are solid and go to one of the steps above. If they don't solve your issue, it could be a problem with your phone. Feel free to get in touch and we'll figure it out with you.