[HELP] VOIP / PSTN: Implementation and hardware

Asterisk Asterisk Support
1

Hi,

I want to setup an experimental voip network between a couple of businesses, allowing them free voip calls to each other and reduced calling costs through a voip service provider. It’s typically small businesses with 2-3 telephones.

There are 2 problems:

  1. Businesses will receive incoming calls through the PSTN and therefore need a fully functional PSTN access.

  2. Our currency’s exchange rate makes hardware very expensive. I doubt each business would be willing to pay more than $/€ 150.

I am new to VOIP, especially concerning the types of hardware available and associated prices. It seems like each business would need at least $400 worth of hardware??

Any cheaper solutions (using computer sound card) or suggestions?

2

There are clone cards out there but I highly recommend not using them as they have a high failure rate and even when they do work the quality is still crap.

What would the first 6 months of savings equal for each of these companies? Can that be used as an ROI?

3

It’s hard to be exact, they can easily save $200 per month! So you have a point…

But the type of businesses I intend to target are very small businesses with little to invest in such. It would be hard to persuade them to give it a try.

On the other hand I could hand out the hardware for free and make the rates higher, but that makes old businesses pay for new ones who join. And then I will need more capital to start with.

I have however found things like the linksys spa-3000 who seems to be able to do the job. It’s not as flexible as an asterisk pbx, but I think it’s all I need.

4

Hi,

what i suggest to yuo is to use a voip gateway, like grandstream gxv-4104 or smaller one like spa 3102 if you have only one line.

Their amount it’s no so high and they have quiet a good quality.
If you think you can spend some more, take a patton and you forgot any problem.

cheers
smaikol

5

The other thing you could do is a 60 day free trial, if there happy they pay if not you grab the box and move on to the next business.

The SPA’a are another option but I have never used them so i cant speak from experience.

6

Yeah that’s some good ideas. I think I’ll give them a trial
the options to choose what they’ll buy. For cheaper hardware they get less functionality.

I’ve been looking at the ip04 http://www.rowetel.com/ucasterisk/ip04.html open hardware board, $305 for asterisk pbx with 1 FXS , 1 FXO and 1 ethernet. Does anyone have experience with it, is it worth the money? It’s a full asterisk pbx so I suppose the sky is the limit with these units…