[Asterisk-Users] asterisk in real estate developments

[Robert Augustyn]

Colin,
Nice summary, what gateway are you using and with what carrier.
Thanks,
robert 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: asterisk-users-bounces at lists.digium.com 
> [mailto:asterisk-users-bounces at lists.digium.com] On Behalf Of 
> Colin Anderson
> Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2005 10:53 PM
> To: 'Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion'
> Subject: RE: [Asterisk-Users] asterisk in real estate developments
> 
> been there done that
> 
> The biggest problems that we have had to deal with is 
> stability. Stability with respect to system stability and 
> also stability of the user.  System stability is extremely 
> difficult to deal with when you have poor power, power 
> outages, guys pressing the buttons next to the blinkenlights 
> because they are curious (very difficult to control access to 
> gear in a construction trailer when everything is set up 
> ad-hoc) and users doing stupid things like moving their phone 
> from their desk to another guys desk for god-knows-why reason 
> then not plugging into the cat5 cable. Then the users tend to 
> say that your phone system is shit, when these types of 
> problems are largely beyond your control. 
> 
> As to user stability, I don't refer to mental stability, I 
> refer to churn.
> Staff churn in the construction industry is brutal and 
> combined with the relative unsophistication of people in the 
> construction industry, it's the Training Session That Will Never End. 
> 
> My evolution of how to deal with this problem has gone from 
> broadband to a construction trailer, wifi and wired sip 
> phones, to masking a user's cell number behind a DID and 
> cutting airtime with a GSM gateway. Really, it's the best 
> way, treating cell phones as "extensions". Masking the cell 
> number behind a DID allows me to get the audio inside of 
> Asterisk so I can do VoIP-y things with it, the GSM gateway 
> adds very little incremental cost (a
> 4 port GSM gateway adds only, for us, $100 Cdn a month to our 
> cell costs and saves us $2-3k a month at 25c / min) and 
> there's not too much of a training issue, since these 
> blockheads grock their cell phones already. We even have
> 4 digit extension dialling from office staff to cells, and 
> call transfer from the cell. MWI and inbound fax reception 
> notification is done via SMS (each DID can recieve faxes, and 
> the fax goes to the user's email, thanks SpanDSP!). Overflow 
> when the gateway is full goes out our PRI, and we eat the 
> airtime, but that's a good thing because if the GSM gateway 
> is full, we are saving money. 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Steve Totaro [mailto:stotaro at totarotechnologies.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2005 8:12 PM
> To: Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion
> Subject: RE: [Asterisk-Users] asterisk in real estate developments
> 
> 
> Very true.  How about using WiFi and DEC phones?
> 
> Thanks,
> Steve
> 
> > 
> >  hey chris,
> > 
> > The only issue you'll run into is that with all temp stuff like 
> > construction trailers ect they like to cut there lines A 
> LOT  with all 
> > there nice machines.
> > 
> > Carlos Alcantar
> > Race Technologies, Inc.
> > 101 Haskins Way
> > South San Francisco, CA 94080
> > P: 650.246.8900
> > F: 650.246.8901
> > E: carlos at race.com
> > 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: asterisk-users-bounces at lists.digium.com
> > [mailto:asterisk-users-bounces at lists.digium.com] On Behalf Of Chris 
> > Bagnall
> > Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2005 5:08 PM
> > To: 'Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion'
> > Subject: RE: [Asterisk-Users] asterisk in real estate developments
> > 
> > > I was wondering if anyone has used asterisk in a real estate 
> > > development project. I know someone that is developing a 
> ~400 home 
> > > project and thought asterisk might be a possible 
> alternative to the 
> > > phone company and a way to offer more service to buyers.
> > 
> > How about deploying asterisk to support the contractor 
> responsible for
> the
> > construction of these sites? Instead of developers (who are often
> on-site
> > for 6 months plus) relying purely on cellphones or asking 
> the ILEC to 
> > install a load of phone lines for them, stick an asterisk server in
> their
> > site office linked to a net connection, shove a load of cordless
> phones on
> > a
> > channel bank at convenient points around the site and 
> contractors are 
> > never far from a phone.
> > 
> > This is something we're hopefully doing for a property developer in
> the
> > new
> > year. It'll be interesting to see how well it all works out.
> > 
> > Regards,
> > 
> > Chris
> > --
> > C.M. Bagnall, Director, Minotaur I.T. Limited This email is 
> made from
> 100%
> > recycled electrons
> > 
> > 
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