So, in summary what FXO cards can I use with Asterisk? what is the cheapest solution?
the X100p cards on ebay, are claimed by some to not be supported in Asterisk? some posts claim that only Digium cards are supported. What is the actual situation if I will just install the latest version of AsteriskNow?
if I have to go with Digium, what is the most affordable card?
And if it is only digium cards that are supported, wouldn’t that be kind of strange with Asterisk being an open source system and all?
What sort of standard telecom interface are you attempting to adapt? How many lines/channels do you need to support?
Are they analog? T1? E1? J1? ISDN?
Each uses different cards or adapter types. Some are much more expensive than others, and may be necessary if you’re trying to support a large number of simultaneous calls using the Asterisk box.
You can also get “gateway” style devices that will adapt the above interfaces to a SIP connection on a network. Your needs will largely dictate which type you end up buying.
A short (incomplete) list of cards and devices that Asterisk ZAP drivers will work with is available at the link below. Note that x100 cards are listed here and have no technical support. If you can’t make it work, the Asterisk folks won’t provide any assistance with an x100 card.
Also, the fact that Asterisk is open source software does not necessarily mean that it MUST support EVERYTHING out there. Open source means only that you have access to the source code. Nothing more. This gives you the chance to modify it yourself, if it’s not doing what you want it to do. (Like support a particular manufacturers telephony card.)
Asterisk systems are do-it-yourself systems. This may include work to integrate Asterisk with something new. It’s work you, yourself, will need to be willing to take on.
I have tried AsteriskNow with an x100 card. Caller-ID delivery never worked, it had trouble disconnecting calls, and would have to be restarted frequently to get it to answer calls. Forget it. It’s not worth your time.
You can get a TDM01B card with an FXO port in it for around $150 new. Or look for them on ebay. You’ll probably find them cheaper there. They’re no longer manufactured, but they’re still supported by Digium.
Since this is just my very new toy to play around with, I am trying to simply interface to an analog line form my phone company. I actually want have 2 FXOs on my asterisk-box, and have the call coming into one line to be transfered to the other line or something like that.
I do not want gateway devices (u mean like an ATA right?) So, I need a card that would handle 2 Analog FXO lines.
All the TDM01B sold on ebay have only 1 FXO module? I am assuming I can look on ebay for more modules?
Now, on the “supported” cards, what does that really mean? who IS responsible for supporting asterisk? like if I do buy the TDM01B, and have a problem, do i contact digium? and with that in mind, why didn’t you contact the manufacturer of the X100P ?
Who is responsible for the releases of Asterisk, and decides which drivers for which cards are supported and who is not?
As I said before, the x100 was a proof of concept card. It was intended to prove that you could move the functions of a DSP (sampling and digitizing voice) from a telephony card to the host computer’s CPU and a software process. It worked, but wasn’t intended to be a production device. It’s pretty poor card, and will not work for you in a production environment. The next logical step was to design a proper voice telephony card.
No one supports the use of an x100 card as a voice telephony card. It was not intended or designed to be used that way. Contacting the manufacturer of that card is largely pointless. They’ll simply say it’s a win modem. (Which it is.)
Digium has a cororate supported version of Asterisk called Asterisk for Business. However, if you tried to ask them for help with an x100 card, they’d just tell you it’s not supported.
Yes, when I say “gateway device” I mean ATA for analog lines. Other gateways exist that would connect T1’s or ISDN PRIs through SIP services to an Asterisk box as well. They’re all basically the same. It’s just a capacity decision.
If you want two analog lines, you’d buy a TDM02B. That has two FXO cards. The TDMxxB cards can support up to 4 lines (some combination of FXS and FXO). If you need additional lines in the future, you can add as many as two more FXO daughter cards. (about $70 each)
As for who is responsible for supporting Asterisk, unless you buy Asterisk for Business, and a maintenance contract from Digium, the answer is; You are. If you buy the Business version and a maintenance contract, Digium will assist you when you need help, and they’re willing to contract development and installation. Otherwise, like us, you’re on your own. There are online resources such as the voip wiki, forums, etc… But you’re really left to do the work yourself.
As Ian mentioned, there are resellers out there. They’re also a choice. Contact Digium for a list of authorized resellers.