[Asterisk-Users] Newbie has a few basic questions please.

[Bruce]

Hi,

Thanks for the replies.  I do have vonage phone service and they have 
provided me a motorla device I plug into my broadband and also plug my 
phone into to make calls. this is a nice service for 30 bucks, but as 
with all things linux, why cant one connect to the PSTN for free? I 
mean isnt there a protocol one can use to get access to the pstn?  
What does vonage use to do this?  Or do they have to pay for access to 
the pstn. 
Bruce

> For what you want to do asterisk isn't really the right solution.
> Asterisk is a PBX. It doesn't provide a way for you to connect to the
> PSTN.
> 
> To do what you want, you need to buy VOIP service from any of the
> providers (broadvoice, vonage, packet8, etc). They will provide you a
> device that you connect to your broadband connection and a analog
> telephone and it lets you make calls to anyone on the PSTN. They  all
> have a some sort of unlimited calling plan that might save you money
> calling your family.
> 
> You said you wanted the phone connected to your Linux box. Why? From
> what you describe as your goal, that's not necessary.
> 
> You also asked, about the purpose of Asterisk. Once you've got a
> connection to the PSTN (VOIP service, a card in your linux box, or a
> gateway box of some sort) Asterisk can be useful. It would let you
> plug one or more phone lines into your Linux box and have multiple
> extensions. It can provide voicemail and voice menu systems. It can 
do
> call logging and monitoring. All useful stuff, but none of it lets 
you
> call the PSTN for free.
> 
> - |Daryll
> 
> 
> On Mon, 20 Sep 2004 14:25:25 -0500, Bruce 
<bruce at bruce.homelinux.com> wrote:
> > 
> > I think I am missing the whole purposes of *. i see that it can do
> > mainy things, but in laymans temrs I am not sure what it does.
> > I am very proficient in Linux and would like to use * for the
> > following:
> > 
> > 1) I would like to get rid of my landline(verizon) and use voip as 
my
> > main means to communicate on the telephone.  I would like to be 
able
> > to plug in my plain old phone into my linux box and be able to 
make a
> > phone call to my family who has a plain old telephone line going 
into
> > thier house, using voip and then I guess connecting to the pstn.  
Can
> > i do this?  If so, how? What hardware do I need? Can anyone 
connect to
> > PSTN lines for free? Or do I need to pay some phone company 
somewhere?
> > 
> > thanks to anyone who can help.
> > 
> > Bruce
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