Asterisk resources

[xyyz]

anyone have any recommendations for asterisk tutorials that have helped you in implementing your own system?

i was going to start with o'reilly's "Asterisk" which is apparently available for as a free download:

link

but i'd really like something quick and easy to read to setup a home box.

 

[cmetz]

xyyz, go get Asterisk at Home (asteriskathome.sf.net). If you're a beginner, it will get you up and running with far less headache than any alternative I've seen.

 

[DaiShan]

Originally posted by: cmetz
xyyz, go get Asterisk at Home (asteriskathome.sf.net). If you're a beginner, it will get you up and running with far less headache than any alternative I've seen.

QFT. Asterisk is a phenomenal telephony engine. The O'reilly book is also a very good reference. You can check out the wiki at voip-info.org for some good postings.

 

[xyyz]

thanks for the link.

one bit of confusion. the asterisk box, if you were to call someone in another country who's on a PSTN, do you need the converter that will take the asterisk box into your local PSTN? the call, will it be billed long distance through your telco? is the only way to get free calls using an asterisk box to have another asterisk box on the opposite end?

 

[RebateMonger]

Asterisk can use analog or digital (IP) phones, and can use analog or digital (IP) phone lines.

Or, you can use a mix with somebody like Vonage: You send digital data to Vonage, and Vonage sends it to an analog phone line at the far end.

If you have an IP-capable phone at the other end (either hardware or a software phone), you should be able to send digital calls for free across your IP (Internet) connection.

Of course, you've been able to do that sort of thing for years with software like NetMeeting and even MSN Messenger, too. You don't need an Asterisk box to make "free" phone calls. Asterisk comes in handy with its ability to convert many phones of many different types, and to route calls, share lines, etc.

 

[netsysadmin]

I have really been interested in setting up an asterisk box to have at home to get some experience with it. One thing I am having a hard time with is the hardware end of it. Who makes the best cards for the software? I checked out Ebay and there are some cheap cards on there, but Im not sure if they are good. It is best to stick with Digium cards? It would be great for someone to recomend a nice card and a good phone to start with. I need one FXO port to connect with my home phone line and at least seven or eight FXS ports to hook up my home phones.

Thanks,

John

 

[cmetz]

netsysadmin, get a Sipura SPA-3000. It's not perfect, but it's a cheap 1xFXO / 1xFXS.