[Tfug] VOIP

[George Cohn]

johngalt1 wrote:
> As an alternative to land line hell how practical is cheap
> or free VOIP over DSL or cable?  What is the downside?
> 
> What do TFUGgers use for this application if anything?
> 
> Is DSL pricing dependent on having a landline?
> 
> What kind of card do you need to use with an Asterisk server
> to plug in your POTS equipment?
> 

To connect to analog pots lines, you need a TDM400P base card with one 
or more daughter board modules on it.

An FXS interface daughter board module allows you to connect an analog 
telephone or modem to Asterisk while an FXO interface daughter board 
allows you to connect Asterisk to an analog telephone line provided by 
the telephone company.

You could also use voip phones instead of the analog phones if you have 
a home network.  If you have wi-fi at home, the UTStarcom wi-fi voip 
phones work well.

The PC needs to be something fairly robust like a 3 gig machine with a 
good power supply and 512 meg of memory.  Hard drive can be fairly small 
like 60 gig for home use.  This would be suitable for a half-dozen users 
or so. This is pretty much an entry level bare bones PC nowadays.

The Asterisk software runs on Linux and provides all the features like 
voice mail, music on hold, and a multitude of business type functions 
like call park, conference rooms, AGI applications like the weather 
station I use on mine, etc.

There is a pretty simple example at:

<http://www.voiplink.com/Digium_TDM400P_p/digium-tdm400p.htm>

Asterisk can also be used to IP enable traditional PBX's.  Where I used 
to work, we had Nortel 81C PBX's and I put a T1 card in an Asterisk box, 
connected it to the PBX and data network so I could access the wi-fi, 
and was able to carry around a UTStarcom phone with my office number on 
it.  If you called me, I could take the call anywhere on campus that was 
within range of the wi-fi network.  ;-)

I also had some features programmed for an internal ANI or Automatic 
Number Identification so if a tech was moving a traditional phone on the 
Nortel PBX and he didn't know if he had the right jack, he could dial 
the ANI number on the Asterisk box and it would say his extension 
number, hang up and call him back!  ;-)

> What about unlocking a Linksys PAP2 instead of using
> Asterisk?

There are also analog to voip adapters like the Grandstream Handytone 
486 that allow you to connect an analog device to a voip network 
connection.  These can be used without Asterisk to connect to services 
like http://www.broadvoice.com if you have a DSL or cable network 
connection.  They come unlocked so you can program them for any service 
that allows you to BYOB.

> 
> I need to use dial-up to access stuff at work.
> 
> Questions, questions. TIA
> 

This is an incredibly fascinating niche of networking and IT.  Most 
businesses that are getting new phone systems are just going VOIP and 
making them part of their regular data network, so the days of the old 
phone guy with his analog butt set and punch down tool are numbered.

I was one of those for years but always embraced the new technologies as 
they came along.

BTW, I think PCC may finally offer the VOIP class using Asterisk in the 
spring.  I talked to Ron Evans, the CIS department chair last week, and 
he told me they were going to get it on the schedule.

This is very much a hands-on type subject and will be a traditional 
classroom environment, probably a Friday evening or Saturday morning class.

George Cohn