[Asterisk-Users] iaxy vs sipura

[Benjamin on Asterisk Mailing Lists]

On Tue, 07 Sep 2004 08:14:57 -0500, Brian Capouch <brianc at palaver.net> wrote:
> If you have a Linux laptop with you, then in fact the SIP devices can be
> configured to "hide" behind it.  The laptop can then run an instance of
> asterisk that connects to the "home" asterisk server,

Like I said: I run Asterisk on my Powerbook to do IAX to my company's
Asterisk server.

Keep in mind though that you don't need to have a Linux notebook to do
this. A Powerbook running MacOSX runs Asterisk just fine. This may not
be much of an issue for the Linux geeks and techies on the list, but
if you have to send sales people and other non-tech folks on business
trips and give them something to connect, then probably a Powerbook
running OSX will be an easier choice since they get to keep their
native MS-Office.

If there is sufficient interest, I'll be happy to write an IAX Peering
Assistant for OSX so that non-tech folks can set this up by
themselves. Anybody interested may drop me an email if they wish.

> and with the
> asterisk server on the laptop handling the NAT issues, it's pretty much
> plug and play anywhere in the world.  I've even had mine going when I'm
> in a "double-NAT" situation.

I have tested IAX with six NAT levels (before we ran out of NAT
routers). NAT is no problem for IAX, regardless how many levels. The
only challenge are services that require you to sign in using a web
browser to set cookies or record MAC addresses of the machine signed
in from.

This would pose a problem for the IAXy because it hasn't got a browser
(not that it should). This problem is of course solved with the above
mentioned notebook gateway solution, too.

> This overcomes the codec situation with the iaxy mentioned in another
> mail in this thread.

I'd think that this is not a real problem because those places where
bandwidth is a problem are likely the places where you would need to
bring your own computer anyway.

As for challenging situations ...

I have used IAX and ILBC between Cairo, Egypt and Tokyo on what has
got to be one of the world's worst dialup connections. I am talking
about 3-4 kbps before and 15-18 kbps after replacing the phone wiring
in the building. It was so bad that SMTP always timed out and HTTP
required you to hit reload four or five times before you got anything
in your browser. Yet, IAX/ILBC worked like a Swiss clock. I had many
hour long phone calls and the voice quality was almost
indistinguishable from first world PSTNs. The only thing that made us
notice there was a problem with the connection was occassional lag.
SIP never worked once in Egypt, no matter what we tried.

SIP is another one of those overengineered things which only work in
the most ideal first world situations but become highly unreliable
when used in the rest of the world. IAX just works everywhere all the
time every time.

rgds
benjk
-- 
Sunrise Telephone Systems, 9F Shibuya Daikyo Bldg., 1-13-5 Shibuya,
Tokyo, Japan.

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