Topic: What can Asterisk be used for on a SME 7.0 gateway ?

[arne]

Hello !

I have never installed or tested Asterisk, and before I get started I would like to try to find out basically what it can be used for, in a practical way.

I understand it is a "ip telephone server" or a "sip server" (right ?).

I guess that there might be two potensial uses.

1. If you have a number of "old telephone lines" you can make a "sip terminating point" so it's possible to call to local telephones (to local rates) in your country from everywhere in the world.

2. You can establish your own "private sip telephone central" which will give you your own "world wide local telephone central", so if two persons are logged in to your sip server they can speak to each other (for free via a sip telephone client) wherever they are in the world.

I guess the alternative 1 will require some hardware problems, installation of modems etc.

I guess that the alternative no 2 can be done/implemented rather (relatively) "easy".

If there is 10-12 SIP telephones behind a SME gateway then you could have the choice of calling "for some money" via your sip telephone vendor or for free via your own sip telephone server.

Have I understand this correct, or could it be that I have not understand it at all ??

By the way, I can se from the asterisk homepage that there is two different product "Asterisk" and "Zaptel". What can those two products be used for ?

Best reg Arne.

[thedude]

I've been looking into Voip myself over the past few days, specifically Asterisk. I'd like to add this to our service offerings.

Anyhow, Asterisk offers you the ability to use services other than your local telephone provider. You don't have to use those old POTS lines, you can use your broadband connection for both incoming and outgoing calls.

Asterisk handles all of that for you. Including voicemail, music on hold, etc.

Apparently, you can plug in normal telephone lines but for that you have to get special cards.

This is what I have gathered over the last few days. Gonna keep on digging.

[arne]

Well, I think that if the person that you want to call is sitting at a Plain Old Telephony line, your Asterix server will not be able to help you with that. It will be needed some link betwen the "sip network" and the "pot network".

I belive that if you are calling from sip telephone to sip telephone you will as a general and basic rule only be able to call the other clients on this server. On the other hand the different sip telephone vendors make some cooperation, so sometimes you can call (for free) from sip network to sip network using a number like this 00123123123@domene.com

If you shall call to ordinary phones I think there must be a "link" somewhere between the sip and the pot network. I also think that the price or cost of the call will depend much where on the "pot network" this link between networks is.

Because it is a question of two different worldwide networks where your "private" sip server basically will have "no role or connection" I think it is limited what you can do with your own sip server.

One thing I think you can do is to make wordwide free communication within your own "worldwide local telephone server".

One thing I belive this can be used for is to set up free telephone lines between offices or friends in different countries.

I believe that a sip telephone server can give some new interesing telephony functions but it can not replace the ordinary telephone (as long as your sip server is not a part of a worldwide chain of sip telephone servers.)

But .. this is just how I believe things work after experimenting with some SIP clients. I might be completely wrong and I might change my opinion after testing the Asterisk server .. and learning some more.

By the way I can see from some googeling that there is some other alternative sip servers as well, but it looks like Asterisk is the one that everybody is talking about.

Arne.

[matsk]

Arne you are partially right.

There is sip gateway providers that gives you access to POTS from your sip phone system.

And there are a couple of alternatives to asterisk.

There is also ser (SIP Express Router) but you can say that asterisk is a PBX and ser is more of a telco PBX.


/Mats

[thedude]

Yes, you would need a provider for calls to POTS. There are lots of them here in the states, and the plans are very cheap.

www.broadvoice.com

is one that I'm looking at right now. Their plans include your long distance, etc. Heck, their advanced business plan (with all kinds of long distance) is about the same as what I pay just for my phone with SBC.

Something like this could save me over a hundred per month for my business. I can think of several customers that would really save some $$ with something like this.

[arne]

OK. I have now installed a Asterisk server on my SME 7.0 gatway. I used the link on one other question her on this discussion board.

Related to the coplexity of the task I think it has been done a really great job making a automated instllation procedure for the sme server. There were som eminor bugs but allmost everything of it runned automatically by itself.

But now the BIG question. It lookes like it is running OK as it should. But what can it be used for in a practical way ?

Is it for instance possible to set up two user accounts and to call between those acounts ? How to do this ? Is there other tasks that can be performed ?

Anybody who knows how to go further on when the installation is there ?

[matsk]

At the A@H project http://asteriskathome.sf.net you can find some documentation, a handbook that explains what you are asking for.

Or you can hire a consultant


/Mats

[arne]

Thanks a lot !

I have found the handbook here:

http://asteriskathome.sourceforge.net/handbook/index.html#Section_1

First imression is that this is a very comprehensive, nice and clear manual

By the way - I'm just trying to learn a litle bit about this technology because of the fun and joy of it, but one should believe that the use of this technology on the proffesional market should more or less explode in the near future. (Sip telephone vendors are now targeting mainly the home maket. Product specs fit best with the home market intil now. The biggest potensial savings should be in the professional market.)

Best reg Arne.

[arne]

Found an article that I think gives a rather complete owerview in relatively few words:
http://www.networkworld.com/research/2004/0510sipgettingstarted.html

Also found that there is a free Windows SIP/PBX server variant that might also be possible to use to explore and find out about about the potencials this technology. http://www.brekeke.com/index.html

Arne.

[thedude]

Ahh, you used the "W" word, them's fighting words here in linux land.

[arne]

Well .. as long as Linux in this case is 1. quicker to install 2. A lot easier to use 3. More stable in use it should not be any reason to not to mention Windows. I also think that putty and winscp has a number of users.