What to do with a hacked Linksys PAP2

[Scarpozzi]

I picked up a Linksys PAP2 adapter a couple of years ago when they were free after rebate. I instantly followed all the instructions on how to hack the thing and thought it'd be fun to setup a asterisk server. I ended up using a speaker/mic on a computer with a software voip program and had it call a phone plugged into the PAP2...success.

Now what? I'm curious to see what other people are doing with those adapters since I'm sure Staples sold a ton of them thanks to Vonage. I don't have a landline at home and am trying to decide if I should keep it or eBay it. I have too many techy toys that collect dust. Is there a free voip service out there that I can hook up to to get a call in number or anything worthwhile or should I chuck the device?

-Scar

 

[Binky]

Install Orgasmatron 5.2. Free phone. This can be done in a virtual machine on an existing computer (e.g. VMware server) under pretty much any host operating system. The computer requires very little cpu power and memory.

http://nerdvittles.com/

Sign up for a secondary pay-as-you-go account with somebody like callcentric, and setup asterisk to go the secondary route if you dial 9.

 

[drebo]

Install Orgasmatron 5.2. Free phone. This can be done in a virtual machine on an existing computer (e.g. VMware server) under pretty much any host operating system. The computer requires very little cpu power and memory.

http://nerdvittles.com/

Sign up for a secondary pay-as-you-go account with somebody like callcentric, and setup asterisk to go the secondary route if you dial 9.

Wow, the people at that site are.....well.....I just can't find the adjective. Simply, wow.

They play up their "new security model" and "inability to receive anonymous calls" as if allowguest=no, general SIP contexts, and proper NAT settings on system, firewall, and UA, were their own invention. Seriously, it's not hard to set Asterisk up so that you don't have to forward ports. And if you're not an idiot, an Asterisk box exposed to the internet is not in any inherent danger.

Packaged Asterisk distributions are counterintuitive. If you're not intimately familiar with your platform, you shouldn't be using it.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Thanks for the responses. I'll check Orgasmatron out. I've seen similar Asterisk packages out there. I'll download it and fire up a vm. I'm tempted to get a dedicated media server/vm server for the house. I may have to go shopping soon and plan for this to be one of the vms I run 24/7.

 

[Scarpozzi]

drebo,
I know what you're saying...sales/marketing speak is all fluff. I don't know anything about their project, but they may be rolling up asterisk with hopes to find a company endorsement or buyout... I've seen a lot of similar distros of various projects on Sourceforge that make all kinds of claims...everything from Xen distros to Federated Identity...

The real question is whether or not the individuals pieces put together as a whole can save you time without posing a security threat. It's tough to analyze the risk if the project is too dense, but I'm just running this as a fun project so it's a risk I'm willing to take if it allows me to dust my PAP2 off at the cost of a few hours and some virtual resources.

 

[Binky]

The beauty of the pbx-in-a-flash package is that the googlevoice python scripting is built in. It's a preconfigured CentOS installation. You CAN add this to a vanilla installation of Asterisk, but it's not nearly as easy. His instructions basically hold your hand through the whole setup. The website is funded by advertising, probably some donations, and referral links to companies like Vitelity. There's no sales activity/links in the actual installation - it's pure open source.

 

[Gillbot]

I have one and set it up for Gizmo5 and Google Voice, but I never use it. I should probably just ebay it.

 

[SunnyD]

Free SIPGate account + google voice + ATA = free phone service. What's not to like?