Small office setup: hardware needs?

I’m quite new to Asterisk, and I’ve been looking around and reading the excellent documentation (and book!) for a time, but I have still no practical experience with Asterisk.

My needs are very simple. I just need a PBX to implement a IVR (Interactive Voice Response), to record the conversations and to log the calls to my small office.

I have just a POTS line and a couple of traditional analog phonesets. I’m used to GNU/Linux, so I’m not afraid of installing and configuring Asterisk, but I’m a bit lost about what HARDWARE do I need for my purpouse.

AFAIK I need a TDM400P with 1 XFO port and 2 XFS ports (TDM21B), but my budget is reduced and I wornder if there is a simpler possibility. I have an Ethernet network, is ATA an alternative? :question: Is the TDM400P PCI card the optimum choice? :question: Is there any better alternative, am I missing something? :question:

I’d appreciate any help on this. Thanks!

Hi,

I have been installing VoIP systems for a while…

Like you, I am quite comfortable with Linux…

The TDM400P is the absolute worst piece of hardware I have ever come across.

Fritz!Box are the best ATAs I have come across, but they are not cheap (although they’re only about 1/3 the price of a TDM400).

I don’t know how a Fritz will interface to Asterisk, though, as I have yet to get an Asterisk system working reliably…

Fritzes log calls received by default, have a baby PBX (call transfer, conference calling etc) but no IVR or built-in voicemail.

After 4 weeks of investigating Asterisk for a client, I am not able to recommend it.

If you really need IVR tread carefully. Asterisk isn’t really there (yet) as a production system and the Digium cards are not worth their scrap value.

  • David

Hi,

Thanks for your point of view, but I’m decided to implement the IVR service too, and to use Asterisk and a GNU/Linux box to do this task, because I’d like to give Asterisk a chance and to learn it.

But I’m unsure about what hardware to use for a one phone line and two or three phonesets setup.

Do I need a TDM400P card or is there any cheaper solution? I’ve heard about Openvox clones too, but I’m unsure.

Hi,

Thanks for your point of view, but I’m decided to implement the IVR service too, and to use Asterisk and a GNU/Linux box to do this task, because I’d like to give Asterisk a chance and to learn it.

But I’m unsure about what hardware to use for a one phone line and two or three phonesets setup.

Do I need a TDM400P card or is there any cheaper solution? I’ve heard about Openvox clones too, but I’m unsure.

j4ime,

The TDM400 is the cheapest decent card I know of. Cheap X100P clone cards are available for £10 on ebay but they truly are poor quality. only good for your first ever test system in my opinion.

the fxs ports for the tdm card normally cost as much as a cheap IP phone or a decent ATA such as linksys PAP2T. the choice is yours.

one way to reduce costs would be to go for soft phones insead of the fxs ports.

good luck.

seabro