So I got PBX in a Flash installed with Asterisk on a little home computer (trust me…it was a huge deal for me because it my first time using linux! :mrgreen: )
Now that I have asterisk installed, I wanted to know the different hardware components that would be needed to send/receive calls.
I have a headset that connects to my mic/ear phone inputs on my computer…could I use that to make calls?
I also have a basic usb phone that I used to use for skype. It has a number pad on it…could I use that to make calls?
Do I need to have any special pci cards in order to make VoIP calls? All I have right now is an ethernet card…if that is sufficient, it would be great news to learn that the ethernet card is all I need.
I know that I need a VoIP provider. I have found BroadVoice, and it looks like they even have a page on how to configure Asterisk. I’m just tinkering right now, so as long as the prices aren’t outrageous, any provider that can get the service turned on quickly is a bonus.
I guess my questions boil down to…I have a usb phone, a computer setup with Asterisk, high speed DSL, and will be getting a VoIP provider. Is there anything else I need?
If you have a sound card (or USB or MB equivalent), you can use the console channel driver, in combination with dialling using the CLI, but you may find the audio quality poor, as there will not be good echo suppression, etc.
You may find it easier to use a SIP or IAX softphone, on the same machine.
I’d expect the “Skype” handset to work from an audio point of view (it is really just a USB sound card, microphone and speaker), however Asterisk won’t support the keypad, and I don’t know if any of the available softphones will. Most serious home users will use a dedicated SIP phone, or an ATA and an analogue phone. A proper FXS card, to use an analogue phone, is quite expensive. The cheap cards generally only support PSTN connection FXO), not extension connection (FXS).
So you’re saying the USB phone won’t work. I believe I came to the same conclusion last night whilst doing some research and found that the doesn’t support linux.
However, the headset that connect to my sound card should work. From there, all I need is a voip provider, and I can dial using the CLI interface provided in asterisk?
A USB phone will work, but not its keypad, when used with the console channel driver.
There are some exotic, rarely used, channel drivers that might allow more full use of a USB phone, but most people would use a separate soft phone, or a SIP hardware phone.
[quote=“david55”]A USB phone will work, but not its keypad, when used with the console channel driver.
There are some exotic, rarely used, channel drivers that might allow more full use of a USB phone, but most people would use a separate soft phone, or a SIP hardware phone.[/quote]
How would a SIP phone connect to the computer? Can I just run an ethernet cable to the phone, or do I need some special device to connect it?
Would I just assign the SIP phone an IP on the local network and connect that way? In other words…could I just run an ethernet cable from my router directly to the IP Phone? (That would be a big help rather than having to install a 2nd ethernet card in the pc)
I’m sorry for my ignorance…but I’m still not sure if anything other than a switch is required to connect a VoIP phone to an asterisk PBX…thanks for any help
