Taking the plunge: Questions

Getting ready to start Asterisk@home for my sister’s small business which will be using the regular phone service. Just need to make sure what I’ve read is actualy how things are:

  1. My sister wants 4 “phone lines” for her business. Am I correct in assuming that I can use any of the following configurations?
  • A card like the TDM400P with 4 FXO modules that are physically connected to the four phone lines

  • A Wildcard X100P with a line that has DID (Direct Inward Dialing)

  • 4 Wildcard X100P with 4 physical lines connected to each card

  1. Regardless of the configuration I use, I can write a dial plan to make it so that when a someone calls the main phone number, another customer can call the same main number and still get through to another phone. Is this correct?

  2. Which method do you recommend in terms of easy of use and cost?

If this works out I can save my sister $4K in costs (that’s what this one company quoted her).

I’m nowhere near an asterisk expert, but I do have an AAH with four phone lines running into our business.

  1. My sister wants 4 “phone lines” for her business. Am I correct in assuming that I can use any of the following configurations?
  • A card like the TDM400P with 4 FXO modules that are physically connected to the four phone lines
    Yes, this is what I use. It is a common configuration.

  • A Wildcard X100P with a line that has DID (Direct Inward Dialing)
    I cannot answer this.

  • 4 Wildcard X100P with 4 physical lines connected to each card
    This is not recommended from what I have read - you will run into problems.

[quote]
2. Regardless of the configuration I use, I can write a dial plan to make it so that when a someone calls the main phone number, another customer can call the same main number and still get through to another phone. Is this correct?[/quote]

Depends on your telco !
First, each line should have its own number, so if the “main” number is busy, no second call on the SAME number.

If the telco has it configured that way, that the main number is “linehopping” in case of the mainline being busy, it WOULD work.
Might wanna check with your telco.

Why so many peeps still use FXO lines ?
Hmm…weired :stuck_out_tongue:

And yes, you def. want to use the 4-port card, not 4 X 1 port.

You might want to check with your telco, if a T1 is cheaper !
The card is about the half of the FXO 4-port card in $…

Or switching to ISDN generally ?
ISDN can handle two lines per physical line, so you just need two cheap HCF cards (20,- each) to handle all calls with asterisk.