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Thread: VoIP

  1. #1
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    VoIP

    Hello all and good evening on this bright, sunny, and friggin' scorching hot day. It was 95 here, with a heat index of more than 100 -- and it was only supposed to get hotter, with heat indices at the hottest point reaching 110, although that didn't happen.

    I'm not actually here to converse about the various temperatures in your respective cities, but am here to discuss VoIP and possible solutions.

    I was talking about VoIP for a couple hours on IM with a friend, who knows a good amount about it. I have experimented with some stuff with Asterisk before, but have never really done much.

    Anyway, our discussion got me interested in doing some stuff with it. He told me that you can buy a PSTN number for $11/month from VoicePulse Connect (not standard VoicePulse), get free inbound calls, and just go with a cheaper provider for outbound calls, for about 1.3 cents/minute at VoIPJet. However, I remembered that Stanaphone gives free PSTN numbers (though only five NYC area codes) and free incoming calls, which will be good for testing (and possibly more).

    I just want to do some experimenting with Asterisk, the open-source software PBX, and programming cool features into and using it. Also, perhaps I'll apply its use somewhere in my life, whether it's for personal or business communication, security, or just fun.

    So, I'm wondering how many people use non-residential VoIP plans or services. By non-residential, I mean no standard Vonage, VoicePulse, etc. plans that don't give you access to their SIP/IAX servers so you can do your own thing. How many people here use more commercial VoIP services, such as the ones I've mentioned? In addition, do you use and/or program Asterisk PBX software? What have you done, and what is your current setup? I'm thinking of using a spare box I have for an Asterisk PBX; it's just a P3 400 MHz with 128 MB of RAM.

    VoIP is a very exciting technology that is growing and expanding extremely quickly. Instead of having to pay $50,000 for a stupid analog hardware PBX, you can do everything with a couple standard (though powerful) commercial servers and this free, open-source software. What could be better?

  2. #2
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    Re: VoIP

    Originally posted by SniperDevil
    . . . VoIP is a very exciting technology that is growing and expanding extremely quickly. Instead of having to pay $50,000 for a stupid analog hardware PBX, you can do everything with a couple standard (though powerful) commercial servers and this free, open-source software. What could be better?
    God bless the internet!

    But yeah, it's a great technology and only getting better. It's something that I'll be looking into, over the coming years, that's for sure!
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  3. #3
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    I use telasip, I just have my sipura 3000 running now but have been thinking about setting up an asterisk box to play with it. I'm not sure if telasip is running IAX, but you can use asterisk with SIP anyways... (their plans are priced well, ignore the fact that their website blows, level3 network and based in DC)

  4. #4
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    Re: Re: VoIP

    Originally posted by Aussie Bob
    God bless the internet!
    Indeed. The Internet has unleashed so many awesome outgrowths, but it's more of a microcosm of one of humans' great qualities: collaboration.

    Originally posted by Aussie Bob
    But yeah, it's a great technology and only getting better. It's something that I'll be looking into, over the coming years, that's for sure!
    You don't have Vonage or a similar Australian service?

  5. #5
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    Re: Re: Re: VoIP

    Originally posted by SniperDevil
    . . . You don't have Vonage or a similar Australian service?
    There's pr0bably something available here in Aussie, along those lines, but I've yet to explore those paths, yet.
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  6. #6
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    /me has used Voicepulse Connect with Asterisk. Asterisk is an amazing thing, IMHO. They also have a very active community who would be more than happy to answer any questions you have.
    Jeremy Johnstone
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  7. #7
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    Originally posted by esh
    I use telasip, I just have my sipura 3000 running now but have been thinking about setting up an asterisk box to play with it. I'm not sure if telasip is running IAX, but you can use asterisk with SIP anyways... (their plans are priced well, ignore the fact that their website blows, level3 network and based in DC)
    Does TelaSip give you access to their SIP servers so you can interface directly with them? It seems like more of a home user- or small business-geared service for people who don't want to mess around with the technical stuff; or, as you said, is that just their website?

    Quote Originally Posted by Aussie Bob
    There's pr0bably something available here in Aussie, along those lines, but I've yet to explore those paths, yet.
    Yeah, well, I guess the idea and subsequent services are less popular in Aussieland than here.

    Quote Originally Posted by Jeremy Johnstone
    /me has used Voicepulse Connect with Asterisk. Asterisk is an amazing thing, IMHO. They also have a very active community who would be more than happy to answer any questions you have.
    Indeed, Asterisk is amazing. I haven't checked it or its community out for several months now, but when I did, the community didn't seem especially active. I guess that's changed, though. What have you done or are you doing with Asterisk? Do you do mailboxes? Automated attendant? Special on-hold music or something? Extensions?

  8. #8
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    I haven't played around with software or hardware but I do use VOIP. I have my own little black box, Sipura 3000 and it works wonderfully. I save an absolute fortune and the only on going charge is the $2.50 per month for the pstn number. My number is actually for our capital city which is about 100 miles away. That means family and friends that live there are able eto ring me for the cost of a local call.

    While we're not talking about temperature it's midday here and I have the Gas heater going full bore and also have the reverse cycle aircondition on heating it's about 50F outside (very very cold)

    Doc
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  9. #9
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    Originally posted by SniperDevil
    Indeed, Asterisk is amazing. I haven't checked it or its community out for several months now, but when I did, the community didn't seem especially active. I guess that's changed, though. What have you done or are you doing with Asterisk? Do you do mailboxes? Automated attendant? Special on-hold music or something? Extensions?
    I was mainly testing it as a replacement for my Nortel phone system. I haven't had a chance to pick up the SIP handsets I want (Cisco 7960/7970's), so I haven't done much else besides testing and learning. Being the fact that I have received over 33,000 emails from their mailing lists in the past year, I would say they are having no shortage of activity.
    Jeremy Johnstone
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  10. #10
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    Originally posted by TheDoctor
    I haven't played around with software or hardware but I do use VOIP. I have my own little black box, Sipura 3000 and it works wonderfully. I save an absolute fortune and the only on going charge is the $2.50 per month for the pstn number. My number is actually for our capital city which is about 100 miles away. That means family and friends that live there are able eto ring me for the cost of a local call.
    So that's two people so far that have the Sipura 3000. What's especially good about it? I've read the product description on TelephonyWare.com, but don't see anything that especially differentiates it from other products.

    Originally posted by TheDoctor
    While we're not talking about temperature it's midday here and I have the Gas heater going full bore and also have the reverse cycle aircondition on heating it's about 50F outside (very very cold)
    That's cold, but I suppose it is winter over there. Things are so backward there.

    Quote Originally Posted by Jeremy Johnstone
    was mainly testing it as a replacement for my Nortel phone system. I haven't had a chance to pick up the SIP handsets I want (Cisco 7960/7970's), so I haven't done much else besides testing and learning. Being the fact that I have received over 33,000 emails from their mailing lists in the past year, I would say they are having no shortage of activity.
    Oh, okay. The Ciscos sure look like nice phones, but they're just so darn expensive! That's one complaint I have of VoIP -- or, probably more realistically, the telecom industry itself. The hardware equipment is just so expensive! I wonder what it costs to make one of those $350 phones. The cheapest I saw on TelephonyWare.com is $85, a Sipura SPA-841, and it's probably not very good. Those Ciscos sure look enticing.
    Last edited by SniperDevil; 07-26-2005 at 10:52 PM.

  11. #11
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    Remembering that the Internet structure is not as advanced down this part of the world in comparison to the US. VoIP is definitely growing in recognition, if not popularity, but it's still a few years before it gains any real traction. There are a few residential providers but the costs benefits are still relatively negligible.

  12. #12
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    Originally posted by SniperDevil
    So that's two people so far that have the Sipura 3000. What's especially good about it? I've read the product description on TelephonyWare.com, but don't see anything that especially differentiates it from other products.



    That's cold, but I suppose it is winter over there. Things are so backward there.
    The fact that it is fully programmable. you can set rules. You can set it up to use different providers for different calls. My provider has different rates,depending on what prefix you use, It is cheaper to dial the 09 plans for Capital city and mobiles but better to use the other plan for regional and overseas. Once it has been programmed the user cannot tell that he/she is uping VOIP, you pick up the receiver and dial exacly like you would with an ordinary pstn phone, the Sipura converts the numbers.

    Doc
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  13. #13
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    Originally posted by -T{H}R-
    Remembering that the Internet structure is not as advanced down this part of the world in comparison to the US. VoIP is definitely growing in recognition, if not popularity, but it's still a few years before it gains any real traction. There are a few residential providers but the costs benefits are still relatively negligible.
    That's precisely what I was thinking.

    Quote Originally Posted by TheDoctor
    The fact that it is fully programmable. you can set rules. You can set it up to use different providers for different calls. My provider has different rates,depending on what prefix you use, It is cheaper to dial the 09 plans for Capital city and mobiles but better to use the other plan for regional and overseas. Once it has been programmed the user cannot tell that he/she is uping VOIP, you pick up the receiver and dial exacly like you would with an ordinary pstn phone, the Sipura converts the numbers.

    Doc
    Yep, those are both useful features, but the latter is esential. You can set up rules in Asterisk, as well. The only difference is that it's software, instead of hardware. In order to use standard analog phones, you'd have to get an FXS card.

  14. #14
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    Originally posted by -T{H}R-
    Remembering that the Internet structure is not as advanced down this part of the world in comparison to the US. VoIP is definitely growing in recognition, if not popularity, but it's still a few years before it gains any real traction. There are a few residential providers but the costs benefits are still relatively negligible.
    I would have to disagree with you there. I am saving hundreds of dollars per month by using voip and I am using a local Australian provider. There is however some problems.

    1. The general public aren't aware of the services.
    2. Providers aren't marketing there services.
    3. Some providers are going to extreme lengths to tie people to their service.
    4. Due to lack of knowledge of the general public some providers are charging large monthly fees.

    In my opinion there is no justification for on going charges, pay as you go is fairer and cheaper in my opinion. I also think there should be laws against modifying hardware so that it is permanently locked to one provider. If you purchase your own unmodified hardware you can use multiple providers taking advantage of various specials.

    Doc
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    Need help? just ask The Doctor
    House calls a specialty
    If ignorance is bliss, why aren't more people happy ?

  15. #15
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    Yeah, I agree with most of what you said, however when I said that the cost benefits are relatively negligible, I meant from a residential user's perspective - as you have mentioned, the monthly fees are fairly prohibitive. And spot on about the hardware restrictions, it's really frustrating. It's like buying a mobile handset that they prevent you from ever switching to another network.

    So until such time the system is fairer and cheaper, Telstra will still have a strangehold on the common consumer.

  16. #16
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    I've been using VoIP for a couple of years now and love it (situated in Sydney, AU).

    I've got a Cisco Callmanager and Asterisk machine. Phones include (several of each): Cisco 7960G, Cisco 7940G, Cisco 7905G, Cisco SP12+ and Cisco ATA 186.

    Hardware configuration:
    - Callmanager: Pentium 4 2.8GHz with 512MB RAM.
    - Asterisk: Pentium 2 350MHz with 256MB RAM.

    I have my own ISDN gateway, so I can send calls directly to the PSTN (which means the only VoIP component is over the local network, or the VPN/WAN).

    I also send calls out through several providers both within Australia and overseas (mainly long distance for the former).

    I'm using Voicepulse Connect (mentioned earlier) and NuFone (http://www.nufone.net) for outbound calls. I also have 4 inbound 800 numbers with NuFone (no monthly fee, just 2c per minute for the incoming calls).

    Currently have interconnects with the following:
    Paid:
    - Oztralia/Oztell
    - NuFone
    - Voicepulse Connect
    - Faktortel
    - NodePhone
    - Astratel

    Free:
    - Free World Dialup
    - SipPhone
    - SipBroker
    - IAXtel
    - Freshtel/Firefly

    I have setup routes for various destinations in a priority order. If one route fails, the next route is tried and so on. A particular route can be forced by using a prefix.

    The system has cost a fair bit of money to setup (particularly the phones), but it has paid for itself already. I installed it when it came time to replace my telephone system.

    -Shaun

  17. #17
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    Originally posted by SniperDevil
    [B]Does TelaSip give you access to their SIP servers so you can interface directly with them? It seems like more of a home user- or small business-geared service for people who don't want to mess around with the technical stuff; or, as you said, is that just their website?
    No they are not at all like vonage, where as vonage will lock your device down and give you no access... Telasip is open access, use your own device, they will help you configure it or if you jump on the voxilla forums plenty of help there too... oh and I just found this forum too that was starting up for telasip users... http://telasipforums.com

    Also if you do any international calling their rates are incredible. (don't show on website, but if you email sales they will send you an excel sheet with the current rates).

    The sipura 3000, is highly configurable and what is nice about it is it has an FXO and an FXS port, so you can plug a standard telephone line into it and route calls through it... like for instance, have telasip setup for voip, then your landline plugged in, you can configure it so you can call your landline from wherever and then place calls through you voip device. (ie. like your own calling card setup). There are tons of options, and it interfaces well with asterisk (and is cheap for what you get)... I bought mine from voxilla, good prices.

  18. #18
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    Wow, it sounds like you have quite a system over there, Shaun! Do you use it primarily for business or at home? What do you, particularly, use CallManager and Asterisk for?

  19. #19
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    Originally posted by esh
    No they are not at all like vonage, where as vonage will lock your device down and give you no access... Telasip is open access, use your own device, they will help you configure it or if you jump on the voxilla forums plenty of help there too... oh and I just found this forum too that was starting up for telasip users... http://telasipforums.com

    Also if you do any international calling their rates are incredible. (don't show on website, but if you email sales they will send you an excel sheet with the current rates).

    The sipura 3000, is highly configurable and what is nice about it is it has an FXO and an FXS port, so you can plug a standard telephone line into it and route calls through it... like for instance, have telasip setup for voip, then your landline plugged in, you can configure it so you can call your landline from wherever and then place calls through you voip device. (ie. like your own calling card setup). There are tons of options, and it interfaces well with asterisk (and is cheap for what you get)... I bought mine from voxilla, good prices.
    Wow, thanks for all that information. The Sipura 3000 sounds really cool; I really like that idea of, effectively, your own calling card setup. I'm sure I could configure Asterisk to do that, too. That would be awesome!

  20. #20
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    Originally posted by SniperDevil
    Wow, thanks for all that information. The Sipura 3000 sounds really cool; I really like that idea of, effectively, your own calling card setup. I'm sure I could configure Asterisk to do that, too. That would be awesome!
    Ya it is a fairly feature packed device for the price...
    http://www.sipura.com/products/spa3000.htm

    also this guy did a little review and some of the setups you can use it for http://www.voipuser.org/review_8.html

    I think the spa3000 + asterisk box would be a nice cheap setup and do most all you need. Also a fairly large user base out there, so lots of community help/tips available.

  21. #21
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    Originally posted by SniperDevil
    Wow, it sounds like you have quite a system over there, Shaun! Do you use it primarily for business or at home? What do you, particularly, use CallManager and Asterisk for?
    Home and business (I work from home).

    The phones all register to CallManager (except for some of the remote phones which register to Asterisk). Asterisk handles some of the business features (IVR, Voicemail, etc) as well as the interconnects with VoIP providers.

    All phones have an extension '7xxx' regardless of what they're registered to. Calls are routed between CallManager and Asterisk seamlessly.

    -Shaun

  22. #22
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    really glad to start seeing a VOIP topic come up , hopefully soon there is some discussion about billing systems , and such as this is the point where we are stuck we have searched and have seen alot of systems out there , just nothing that looks like a viable option for use with asterisk.
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  23. #23
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    oh yes and our setup is an asterisk box with 2 4 port line cards in it and a bunch of polycom phones and a couple sipura ata adapters , so far so good, but would like to get into it more.
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  24. #24
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    Originally posted by HiVelocity
    really glad to start seeing a VOIP topic come up , hopefully soon there is some discussion about billing systems , and such as this is the point where we are stuck we have searched and have seen alot of systems out there , just nothing that looks like a viable option for use with asterisk.
    freeside?
    others..

    I'd really like to get a lot deeper into voip than I have, it is just beginning to take hold.

  25. #25
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    Originally posted by esh
    freeside?
    others..

    I'd really like to get a lot deeper into voip than I have, it is just beginning to take hold.
     

    I have looked into most of these , does anyone have some first hand experience , as this is what I was referring to when I said no viable options as of yet.
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