[Asterisk-Users] RE: Answering Machine Function?

[Jason Kawakami]

-----Original Message-----
<snip>

    Is this possible with asterisk?  Anyone have a sample dialplan?

-other than the problem outlined below I would try something like 

S,1,wait(20)
S,2,voicemail(uwhatever)
S,3,hangup

That should ignore the call for 20 seconds and then leave a message in the
unavailable greeting for 'whatever' then hangup

    That leaves another problem - retrieving the messages.  Sounds
    like console GUI or web interface would be the only way to do this -
    since the only way to get connected to the voicemail service
    is by calling in through the PSTN - since asterisk doesn't "own"
    any extensions.  Do I have this right?

2.  Now, a more full-blown home-use scenario.

    Suppose I DO want to have asterisk run my two-line home
    phone system, and I obtained the requisite FXS and FXO
    interfaces - maybe the 2x2 Digium card, or maybe go SIP
    on my side.

    Now, I'm as much a hobbyist as anyone... but my wife and kids
    aren't.  There's no way I'm going to run a PBX at home if anyone
    except me actually has to treat it like one, at least for basic 
    features, like placing a phone call.

    So...

    Is it in principle possible to create a dialplan that allows
    prefix-free dialing to an outside line, and move all the
    "PBX-like" features behind some special prefix?

    i.e. recognize 3, 7 and 11 digit numbers as phone numbers
    and dial them without further ado, and put voicemail and
    every other PBX-ish feature behind, say "#"?

this really isn't this complex.  I taught my mother how to dial '9' and she
bitched for about a month until she started making free calls to all of her
friends all over the world.  They will need to have an "aha moment" where
they realize the power of the system.  Sell the kids on personalized
voicemails for them etc.  crap like that.  Kids will love it, and you will
never have to take messages for them ever again.


[default]
Include=home_extensions
Include=local
Include=long_distance

[home_extensions]

Include=default
Exten => 1000,1,...		;dial 1000,1001 etc


Exten=9999,1,voicemailmain(${CALLERIDNUM}@home_vmbox_context 	;dial 9999
for voicemail retrieval, leave out a pin in voicemail.conf to make it easy

[local]

Exten=_NXXXXXX,1,Dial(zap/outgoing channel/${EXTEN})

[long_distance]

Exten=_1NXXNXXXXXX,1,Dial(zap/outgoing channel/${EXTEN})

Note that I haven't done the first example but the second one is duck soup.


Jason Kawakami
www.optellabs.com
Salt Lake City, UT