[sllug-members]: Google Talk, VOIP, Asterisk = free phone?

[Chad]

On 8/4/06, Knight Walker <kwalker at kobran.org> wrote:

> I can't answer all of it, but I can answer some, since this is a topic
> that has been interesting me lately.  I don't know about the free phone
> number, but I do know you can setup Asterisk to do about anything you
> want from a PBX, including call forwarding, multiple incoming lines
> (Different numbers, including area codes), and setting up an "extension"
> to your mom's house (or wherever) that doesn't even touch the POTS
> system if she has an Asterisk or even a SIP phone (Free LD!).

What's an LD?  This is great news, I've been over at www.voip-info.org
this weekend and seem to be getting the 'jist' of what I'll need.

> Yes, you can use a regular POTS phone with Asterisk, but you need
> something called an ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter), which basically is a
> D/A SIP converter for a regular old telephone.

Definitely, actually I'm looking at the Digium TDM400P with and FXS or
2 attached.  Although it seems maybe an ATA might be cheaper in the
short run, the Digium hardware has great reviews.

> > I know we have some Asterisk gurus here, so I figured this might be a
> > good place to discuss this.
>
> I'm not a guru by any stretch, but I'm greatly interested in Asterisk
> and talking about integrating it into my network and my phone system.
>
> -KW
>
> ______________________________________________________________________


Thanks for the reply!  If I take the step and begin integrating all
this and playing, I'll see if I can write up a how-to or something on
any successes I have.  A free phone would be cool, if nothing else, at
least rigging something up to work with Gizmo and my old school phones
would be a great start.

Thanks again!

-Chad