[asterisk-users] misc newbie VoIP questions

[Randy R]

On Mon, Sep 27, 2010 at 5:04 AM, Rogelio <scubacuda at gmail.com> wrote:

> Please excuse the ignorance of these questions.  (I still have yet to
> install and configure a VoIP solution.)  Depending on the feasibility
> of some of these questions, I was going to try my hand at installing
> something...

It would be a good idea to read at least one book about the subject.
You can download a free copy of Asterisk TFOT book here:
http://downloads.oreilly.com/books/9780596510480.pdf


> --Is there a way to pick the best SIP service for each country?  So,
> let's say I buy service from several companies, and one country is 50c
> per minute and another service offers 45c, how do the VoIP servers
> (Asterisk, Trixbox, FreePBX, etc) auto switch between the best rest
> rate?

This would be done by the dialplan. Look at http://voip-info.org for
more about dialplans. I recommend reading the book first, though.

> --Can people's VoIP phones be a part of several extensions (on
> different VoIP solutions)?

Definitely. Extensions are part of the dialplan.

> --Say about 10-20 of us want a virtual receptionist, and want to
> rotate them so that calls work in different times zones (autoswitch on
> certain times, auto go to a different receptionist if one is busy,
> etc).  Where might I look to think about this?

The dialplan takes care of this kind of switching.

> --Google Voice will not forward texts and calls to foreign numbers, so
> what type of solution would I need to accept calls (to a US number)
> and then forward the texts / calls to foreign cell phones?

A USA number. Get a free one from ipkall.com or go to on.com or
sipgate.com or teliax.com and buy a pay as you go DID. Forward GV
number to the US number.

> --Can DID number I buy intelligently forward faxes to one number and
> all other calls to another number?

See "Dialplan".

> Thanks for any advice you might have.  I'm very new to all of this...

Take the first advice, look for a book, there are many but Asterisk
The Future of Telephony is excellent and you can get everywhere.

/r