[Asterisk-Users] Modems

[Jeremy Hall]

-----Original Message-----
>Hi Jeremy,


>Jeremy Hall wrote:

>>Actually, the short answer any more is yes, you can use a modem.

>Cool! that could make my life easier when setting up a demo system to 
>"sell" Asterisk to my bosses... :-)
<<SNIP>>>

Glad I could help, that is why I posted the message to the list when I
saw the latest "no modems" reply.

>By now I only need a working VoIP<->PSTN demo on Asterisk. Buying such 
>dedicated telephony cards is the next step.

That was the same situation I was in.  I had my system working with a
couple of different SIP and IAX providers, and wanted to make that next
step.  Now I am just waiting for the IAXY to become available to connect
standard phones into the mix as extensions and maybe get a SIP or IAX
phone or two as well.

>>That being said, you need a specific firmware on the modem, Intel 537
or
>>MD3200.  

>How to find out? For both the built-in modem in my laptop and for the 
>external US-Robotics I can't find it on the provided docs...

I can tell you right now that the external USR modem will not work.  It
will have a 3Com chipset on it.  And unless it is USB, it is a serial
modem and doesn't support voice anyway.  Ironically, what you need is a
WinModem that most of us have tried to avoid for so long.  The modem on
your laptop probably won't work either.  But if Linux recognizes it, you
won't break anything by trying.  Just follow the directions as if you
are using an X100P and see if it works.

What I did was do a search on eBay for Intel MD3200 modem and it
returned several auctions where the seller specifically listed the
firmware.  If you have a bunch of modems you want to look at, mine came
with a white Intel sticker on the main chip.  When I removed that label,
it had MD3200 etched on the chip along with some other numbers.

>[ snip ]

>Could you please provide some help on how to configure Asterisk to use
a 
>modem for outgoing calls? For outgoing SIP-calls it works fine...

Your first step is finding a compatible modem and installing it.  In my
case, I physically installed it in my system, and let Kudzu set it up on
the first boot in.  I then followed the instructions for installing an
X100P, and it worked like a charm.  Contrary to popular belief, I did
not need to modify any source code or any odd settings.  Zttools
recognized it as a Generic or Clone (don't remember which) telephony
card.  When I first went in to zttools, it showed the card in a RED
alarm state.  I plugged in the phone line and it happily went to GREEN.

Once you have a working card, there are several examples out there, some
off of the Unofficial Links page on the Asterisk web page, and others on
the Wiki.

>Thanks and regards,
>Martin

You're very welcome Martin.  If you have any more questions, please feel
free to ask.

Jeremy