Phone Security (OT?)

[Nookie_Bear]

Not exactly system security, but here goes.

I understand that SIP phones would allow secure communications.
How secure is this? Do the two phones negotiate an encryption key for the call?

Is there any way to secure an ordinary telephone call, perhaps with a box between the phone and the wall (provided the person you are calling has a similar box).

I also read a recent article about home phones. It is my understanding that the wires which carry the voice signal are seperate from the wires which cause the phone to ring. Therefore, if you tapped a phone, even when your phone was on the hook, the tapper could hear anyone talking near the phone, is this true? or is my understanding of the phone exchange system out of date?

Thanks for any help guys.

[unclex]

Are you talking about this sort of stuff?

http://www.iptel.org/info/products/sipphones.php

Is there any way to secure an ordinary telephone call ?

Yes there is.

There are phone tapping detectors that you can place on the BT box - but at the end of the day there are larger bits of kit that can trace back 2 miles down the line

It is all about how much you want to spend...