Asterisk + WiFi + Linux

Asterisk Asterisk Support
1

Hi there.

I’d like to know if there is a wifi card (among those that work best under Linux) which is for sure supported by Asterisk. Also meaning if there is a driver (like Zaptel for Digium cards) which would allow me to configure the Asterisk with, and make it go wireless.

Thx

2

wireless support is not a feature of Asterisk, but your operating system. check with the vendors of the card, and remember … google is your friend.

3

yes, i’ve heard of google, I’ve been using it for the past few days, but no relevant information was revealed to me :frowning:

I’ve found a number of wifi cards with drivers in linux for them, but from there on, there is a need for a driver, like Zaptel, to make the configurations in Asterisk, and set in/out lines. So here it comes into play the Asterisk - WiFi interaction.
Do you have any knowledge of such a driver?

4

Asterisk isn’t interested in your network hardware, only in having an IP address to bind to.

5

ok, so what should I put instead of Zap in this line, in case I use a wifi interface, instead of the Digium card?

exten => 264,1,Dial(Zap/1/264) :confused:

6

You are still missing it.
the Wi-fi is NETWORK
ZAP is TELCO

not the same thing

7

…ok, let me put it another way, and hopefully I’ll be able to get it:

what do I need, in order to have an unwired Linux box serving as an Asterisk server? for one of the next 2 cases:
1)to make just local phonecalls, between computers in the same LAN.
2)to get outside too, and get access to a Telco. But all this, WiFi. (is this possible?)

8

You’ll probably use
exten=>264,1,Dial(SIP/264)
Read about SIP (or AIX protocols). They are supported in asterisk and do not require any specialized hardware (like Digium cards).

  1. your_clients—(wifi)—asterisk----(internet)—your_sip_provider
  2. your_clients—(wifi)—asterisk----(E1/T1)—your_E1/T1_line_provider

In either case you will have a wifi card + a E1/Ethernet/some_other_card depending on the technology you use.

9

thank you facha.

so I must understand that in the 2nd case, If I want to make outside calls, the asterisk server cannnot be completelly wireless, because I have to connect a T1/E1 line to it, using a Digium card for example. right?

10

The wifi card is just a substitute for the ethernet card you have.
They both do the same thing connect you to an IP network but through a
different physical interface.
The wifi card uses the air interface while ethernet uses wired interface.
Thus if we consider the TCP/IP stack only the data link layer(MAC) and the
physical layer is different in both cases. The applications like browser or
asterisk needn’t know that the connection is through wifi or ethernet because
the networt layer remains the same i.e IP.

So after you fit the wifi card and install the appropriate driver(which is not trivial as it might require updating the kernel) you have to configure it with
a wireless router. Then you can use your new broadband connection for
VoIP calls.

11

Hi giov7anni,

my be you wont speek not wireless but GSM ,
You can put in your Asterisk box a Digium card like TDM400P. In one port of this card you can connect GSM Link - there for outgoing calls you don’t need cable connection.
For the inside part you can connect an access point to your NIC of the Asterix box. Therefore your inside part (extension) will be wireless (you have to use Wireless IP Phones).