There are some "free-trial" and low-cost services out there. Gizmo comes to mind but "buyer beware"; look through this site for recommendations and warnings.
-----Original Message----- From: asterisk-users-boun...@lists.digium.com [mailto:asterisk-users-boun...@lists.digium.com] On Behalf Of UIT DEVELOPMENT Sent: Tuesday, January 05, 2010 2:48 PM To: Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion Subject: Re: [asterisk-users] Really Silly Question From Total Newbie James, Thank you for the reply. I do not have phone service in my home. I've been 100% cell since 2003. I do have an old analog phone - big heavy thing... If I connect it to the wall outlet there is nothing. I've tried every outlet in the house. I didnt expect to find a tone as we've never connected phone service here. My assumption, however stupid it might be, is that I could set this up to make calls but as I began to read more and more I started reading about gateways and other costly services that I was hoping to avoid -- for now at least. This all began when my wife went food shopping around the holiddays and wanted to know if we had something or not already, and I wasnt home to confirm or not. So I got to thinking, if she could call the VoIP box and get one of those "press 1 for spices... press 2 for dry foods, press 3 for canned goods, press 4 for snacks, press 5 for drinks............." and it would access a database that I already have set up with our groceries already in there. Yea - geeky, I know. :-) So that was the plan but first I needed to be able to get this thing set up. I THINK you're saying I need to purchase another service to get myself to make calls. I dont know anyone with a SIP server.. I'd rather keep it all inside our home if possible. I've got a lot of old hardware laying around and I do have MODEMs - internal and external 56k types. Thanks for the hints. I'll check into Magic Jack type stuff and see how it can help. -M On Tue, Jan 5, 2010 at 3:19 PM, James A. Shigley <j...@answeringserv.com> wrote: > I can't help you two much with configuration of linux, but as to the call question. You will need some route for the server to be capable of sending/receiving calls. There is a couple of ways to do this cheaply. > > Buy a standard telephone modem (usb, pci, or serial). And plug into wall a jack. This will only allow you one call at a time. But if this is just a proof of concept that sounds like it will be plenty. Your number would be whatever the phone jack corresponds to. > > Integrate it with something like skype. > > Buy one of the products similar to a magic jack which will work with linux. > > Or if you know someone who has a sip server already running. And is amiable to letting you piggy back off of it. Your phone number would point to that person's Server (be it one of the friends that the person is lending you, or a number that you have forwarded/ported at/to them) with it set to forward to your asterisk server. from there you could use your dialplan to do whatever you wanted it to. And for outbound you would send the calls out thru the friends server via sip or iax. > > James Shigley > Monroe Telephone Answering Service > 409-981-9213 > Infinity 5.51,UC 4.02.3803, Blink 3.0.104 > Ecreator:2.21, eResponse 1.1.7 > Webportal,WebApps, > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This email, including any attachments, contains information which may be confidential or privileged. The information =is intended to be for the use of the individual or entity named above. If you are not the intended recipient, be aware that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of the contents of this information is prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please notify the sender immediately by "reply to sender only" message and destroy all electronic and hard copies of the communication, including attachments. > > -----Original Message----- > From: asterisk-users-boun...@lists.digium.com [mailto:asterisk-users-boun...@lists.digium.com] On Behalf Of UIT DEVELOPMENT > Sent: Tuesday, January 05, 2010 1:54 PM > To: Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion > Subject: [asterisk-users] Really Silly Question From Total Newbie > > ......................... > > My main question is: CAN I make call from that box to my cell phone > using a soft-phone? If so, how can I do that? Also, can I use my > cell phone to call into that box? I dont know if I have to get a > phone number, or do I NEED a phone number? At the moment, I do not > have any dollars to throw at this project. Its purely for learning, > proof of concept sort of thing for myself on my spare time in the > evenings. I would simply like to be able to call out and be able to > call into that box. Later on down the road maybe I will get into > setting up an IVR using a database so I can call into that system from > wherever and get information read back to me. But, first things > first.... I'd like to know if I am heading down the wrong path here. > ........................... > > _______________________________________________ > -- Bandwidth and Colocation Provided by http://www.api-digital.com -- > > asterisk-users mailing list > To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit: > http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users > > _______________________________________________ > -- Bandwidth and Colocation Provided by http://www.api-digital.com -- > > asterisk-users mailing list > To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit: > http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users > _______________________________________________ -- Bandwidth and Colocation Provided by http://www.api-digital.com -- asterisk-users mailing list To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit: http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users _______________________________________________ -- Bandwidth and Colocation Provided by http://www.api-digital.com -- asterisk-users mailing list To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit: http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users