[Asterisk-Users] SIP/IAX2 phones with builtin magnetic stripe reader

[James H. Thompson]

Dinesh Nair wrote:
> hey * folk,
>
> need to tap the collective wisdom of this list for any details or
> pointers to vendors who manufacture/sell SIP or IAX phones with
> builtin magnetic stripe readers. these phones will be used in
> combination with * in a prepaid application. it would be advantageous
> if the mag stripe data was sent as DTMF over the SIP connection.
>
> any clues as to who manufactures/produces these phones ?
>

Years ago it was common to integrate a credit card magnetic strip reader into phones for doing
credit card authorizations.  The industry moved to stand-alone authorization terminals years ago.

The pay phone industry has been using phones with integrated magnetic strip readers, and you may be
able to find some of these and use them with a SIP ATA. For example:
    http://www.payphone.com/shop/customer/product.php?productid=16148&cat=252&page=1

Here is a payphone with an ethernet interface:
    http://www.vending-usa.com/einpa.html


You can also find magnetic card readers that have a DTMF output, you would need to integrate such a
device with a phone of your choice.  For example this reader has optional DTMF output:
    http://www.internationalbarcode.com/smagj.htm


Another possibility would be to use a magnetic stripe reader that attached separately to an ethernet
connection:
    http://www.computerwise.com/ethernet/ep210.html
    http://www.internationalbarcode.com/seriesj.htm

If you used a soft client on a PC then you would have many different options for attaching a
magnetic stripe reader: USB, RS-232, Keyboard wedge, built-in to keyboard, etc.




Jim
jht at lava.net