I have a client who wants to set up a smartphone-based (android) walkie-talkie-like system.
It will be used in a shop, where shop assistants often need to talk to each other discreetly. They currently have a analog system that can only be used to call all the other handsets. They want a system that can either be used to call all connected handsets or to call specifically to one of them.
The system should have the following capabilities:
Some form of user authentication, only allowing communication within a defined group of handsets.
No call-and-answer the phone type delay: Press a button to immediately connect to either all other headsets or one specific one
Should be relatively low cost, either based on software that can be purchased or open source software that can be modified without requiring too much development time
Would a client-server system with the smartphone voip clients connected to an asterisk server (probably running on an embedded linux box) be suitable for something like this? I am unsure if the requirement that it work like a walkie-talkie system rather than a call-and-pick-up type system will mean that asterisk is unsuitable.
I don’t see where Asterisk wouldn’t be able to handle this. The hardest part is the client side. In order for a walkietalkie system to work well, you’d have to have a SIP client that auto answers so audio can be sent, but also have a PTT “switch” so you don’t call someone and then get to hear them in an…ahem…compromising situation.
The all-page can be done too. Dial out to all handsets, put them in a conference so everyone gets the audio from the caller, then hangup when done.
I can see how it can be done, but having no Android experience I just don’t have an answer on how to do it on the client side.
Some quick googling shows a few Java based SIP phones for Android that could be modified, but I don’t know if your phones would support the Java apps.
The headsets would all be android-based and will support an app written in Java.
The client wants the project to be low-cost, so an existing open-source Android-based SIP phone application that can be modified with relatively little extra programming required would be ideal. Pointers are welcome, I also have very little Android experience.