[Asterisk-Users] Newbie

[Michael Graves]

On Sat, 28 Aug 2004 17:44:53 -0700, Greg Broiles wrote:

>There are at least two ways to configure Vonage and Asterisk to
>connect to each other: you can connect the FXS port on your Vonaga ATA
>to an FXO port on an Asterisk box, or you can make a SIP connection to
>Vonage's server that Vonage thinks is coming from a "soft phone".
>
>If you connect the ports between the Vonage ATA and your Asterisk box,
>you will be limited to one call at a time.
>
>If you use the "soft phone" approach, another user has reported that
>multiple simultaneous calls appear to be possible.
>
>I don't know if I would want to gamble on that being true forever - my
>best guess is that it's an oversight on Vonage's part, not a choice.
>They don't seem to be very flexible or interested in the
>hobbyist/prosumer market.
>
>(Besides, if they let you start 2 or 3 or 4 simultaneous conversations
>with a single account, what's your motivation to sign up for multiple
>Vonage lines? very little, I suppose ..)
>
>Long-term, my impression is that if you want multiple simultaneous
>calls, you'll want to switch to another VoIP provider. I am in the
>same situation that you are (single Vonage line, want multiple inbound
>calls, don't want to change my phone number) and I'm slowly reaching
>the conclusion that I need to bite the bullet and dump Vonage, and my
>phone number along with it.
>
>-- 
>Greg Broiles, JD, EA
>gbroiles at gmail.com (Lists only. Not for confidential communications.)
>Law Office of Gregory A. Broiles
>San Jose, CA

<Evangelical Mode>Here, here! This is about the most sensible thing
that I've read all day. I too used Vonage for a year. I was very
pleased with all aspects of their service. However, two events
conspired to direct my migration elsewhere; I built and Asterisk server
and I realized that there were many weeks when I was entirely out of my
home office.

To the first point, well it simply didn't make too much sense to
convert a SIP line (Vonage) back to analog just to run it into an FXO
and make fresh digits. This was in Jan '04 when the soft phone account
was yet to be announced. Given the relative weakness in the small FXO
offerings from various vendors ATA>FXO seems less than ideal even
today.

On to my second observation, I travel a lot and was not in office to be
taking advantage of the great deal that "flat rate plans" posed. Which
in turn, means that they are not such a great deal at all.

Presently my Asterisk server registers with three separate providers
for outbound calling (VoipJet, NuFone, VoicePulse Connect) which each
support multiple simultaneous calls. All three are prepaid plans with
low or very low per-minute rates. I am now paying less for calls per
month than a single $40 Vonage account.

I also have an 800 number from Clearpath and a NYC DID from VoicePulse
Connect. On the road I use a Firefly soft phone on a laptop. It
registers with my own server but can also use one of my ITSP accounts
directly. 

I feel that I've just started to lever * for my personal home office
application. And apart from an unending desire to try new IP phones
(Polycom, SNOM, Pingtel & Zultys thus far) it's costing me less than
SBC or Vonage ever did.</Evangelical Mode>

My wife says I have a curious new hobby ;-)

Michael Graves

--
Michael Graves                           mgraves at pixelpower.com
Sr. Product Specialist                          www.pixelpower.com
Pixel Power Inc.                                 mgraves at mstvp.com

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