[asterisk-biz] Credit Card and EFTPOS Support

[Gregory Boehnlein]

> QUESTION
> 
> We are not considering sending these calls over the Public Internet.
> 
> If we use a Digium TDM400P x 2, 1 x TDM2400B or Sangoma A200d with 4 x
> FXO
> and 4 x FXS would any of these bridge the outbound call such that the
> call
> quality will not affect the performance and the Credit Card machine
> transaction function?

While several people have reported success w/ using low speed faxing and
data connections over VoIP, personally I wouldn't recommend it, especially
when it is a key revenue generating application that is being used over it.
Specifically, consider how it might feel to the ultimate end-user (the
customer at the cash register) sitting there waiting 5 minutes for a credit
authorization to go through while the error correction algorithms on the
modems resend the packets every couple of seconds. This just doesn't sound
like a smart idea to me.

For every installation we do, we require the customer to maintain at least a
single analog line for 911, Fax and Modem traffic, and we drop an Audiocodes
FXO/FXS gateway specifically for those purposes.

Here's what I use:
http://www.voipsupply.com/product_info.php?products_id=1633

And no, I'm not associated w/ Voipsupply or Audiocodes in anyway.. just
happen to have great experiences as a customer with both products.

I like the Audiocodes because it allows us to do some interesting disaster
recovery options even if the Asterisk box fails. I love the Digium hardware,
but I also like to spread my risk across multiple devices. If the PC fails,
w/ an external gateway we are able to re-route calls to the analog ports on
the media gateway.

Whatever you do, keep in mind that you never get a second chance to make a
first impression with your customer, so don't cheap out in any area. Do
proper design, scope and testing before you deploy, know your products and
charge a premium for that knowledge. With that mindset, you'll have great
success w/ Asterisk.