[asterisk-users] "Legacy" analog data modems and Asterisk

[Alexander Lopez]

I have had mixed results with Modems the pass through Asterisk. I can
recommend a solution that will always work however. We purchased an
Atlas 550 from Adtran, It 'splits' our PRIs into T1, PRI, BRI, and or
POTS. It is NOT a trivial purchase but it is a great product. We also
use it to provide incoming call failover in case of Server failure
and/or management.

-----Original Message-----
From: asterisk-users-bounces at lists.digium.com
[mailto:asterisk-users-bounces at lists.digium.com] On Behalf Of Brian
Vincent (C)
Sent: Monday, July 17, 2006 1:54 PM
To: Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion
Subject: RE: [asterisk-users] "Legacy" analog data modems and Asterisk


I think an easy solution for you might be along the lines of #3 but
using something like one of these devices:

http://www.command-comm.com/products.html

The ComSwitch 3.0, 5500, and 7500 are all "exclusionary" devices.  If
you're dialing outbound through it, Asterisk won't be allowed to pick up
the line.  It sounds like you're in a small office and something like
that would work.  

-------------------
Brian Vincent
Copper Mountain Telecom
vincentb at coppercolorado.com

-----Original Message-----
From: asterisk-users-bounces at lists.digium.com
[mailto:asterisk-users-bounces at lists.digium.com] On Behalf Of Erik
Jacobs
Sent: Friday, July 14, 2006 9:07 AM
To: asterisk-users at lists.digium.com
Subject: [asterisk-users] "Legacy" analog data modems and Asterisk

I did some poking around on the Googleweb and was unable to find a
concise
answer to my situation.  I have some guesses and some theories about
what
will work and what might not work, but I'm sure that others have
followed
this path before.

Currently we have a large number of customers that we support via analog
modem.  To make a long story short, it's very difficult for these
customers
to be able to provide VPN access into their networks of our hardware due
to
various security and large-company bureaucracy issues.  Therefore, the
modem
connections remain.

We are considering an Asterisk-based PBX for an upgrade to our existing
Panasonic DBS72, which is a fine system but simply doesn't cut it for
the
things we need to do.  However, this poses the problem of what to do
with
the modems.

Preface the following with this:  We have *0* desire to terminate calls
via
IP.  We're using Asterisk for the ease of adding phones locally and
remotely, not because we want to save money via IP calling (which would
be
improbable, as our 6 PSTNs have unlimited local and long distance +
DSL).

Options (in no particular order):

1) Connect Asterisk to existing 6 PSTN lines using FXO.  Connect
existing
modems to Asterisk using FXS.  Data speeds will probably be sub 14.4k,
which
is not acceptable.

2) Upgrade PSTN to PRI.  Connect Asterisk to PRI and connect modems to
FXS.
Anyone have an idea about the potential data speeds here?

3) Connect Asterisk *AND* modems to PSTN using splitters.  Does anyone
know
what happens if someone is using a PSTN with the modem and Asterisk
tries to
use an FXO?  Is Asterisk "smart" enough to detect that the PSTN is
currently
in use?  Or is it like your little sister and it will pick up the phone
while you're dialed into a BBS and knock you offline.... (ahh, those
were
the days).

4) We make PPP connections to our customers with the existing modems
(for
the most part), so I'm not sure that there would be any way to somehow
hook
the modems up to the Asterisk box and have the Asterisk make the
connection.
This would very likely involve some extraordinarily complex routing
tasks
and, as we're looking to a 3rd party Asterisk PBX provider, I don't
think
we'll have the access to the guts of the hardware to do this.

5) The most simple and least elegant -- unplug the phone line you want
to
use for modem from the FXO and plug it into your modem.  Que sera, sera.

Sorry that my first post is a huge plop, but it's an interesting
situation
that I've been going back and forth about for a while.

Plus, Asterisk sure beats a $20k Altigen setup.

Erik Jacobs
Project Engineer
erik.jacobs at crystalcc.com

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