[Asterisk-Users] A Simple * Answering Machine w/ Caller Screening like the olden days

[Jon Gabrielson]

Make sure your fxo and fxs are in two different groups.
Otherwise, you won't be able to specify which one to steal.

Also, check out zapbarge, that should work better than meetme
for what you are trying to do.


Hope this helps,


Jon.


On Wednesday 22 June 2005 01:18 pm, Richard Koch wrote:
> Sorry about the lengthy post, I've searched high and lo for
> information on how to do this but now I need your help...
>
>
> ======== Brief intro on problem and requirements ===========
>
> I'm hoping to use Asterisk in a Home environment where I'd like to
> replace the current non-PC Answering Machine, and get added benefits
> such as IVR, and text to speeach, for Home Automation purposes.
>
> Coming up to speed now a couple weeks in to Asterisk, I've been able
> to setup a TDM400P (1FXS-1FXO), get enough correct data in to
> the zap*.conf's and extension.conf so I can get incoming calls
> and make outgoing calls. What I'm working on now is how to integrate
> the answering machine part.
>
> I want to be able to screen my calls just like with an analog machine.
> Someone calls that either doesn't have CID, or is using a calling
> card and I dont recognize the CID. This could be my grandfather, father,
> freinds, of which I usually want to talk with, or some business (or
> in-law) that I'd prefer to ignore.
>
> The only solutions I've been able to find with (my friend) Google, and
> the (elusive) Wiki (http://www.voip-info.org) when its not inaccessable
> (60% of the time) is a method where the caller has to either record their
> voice
> or they punch in their CID info, that is then presented to the callee,
> and then the callee chooses whether to accept the call or not.
>
> I think if I used that particular approach it may seem rude to the caller
> since they know for a FACT that I'm screening the call. I'd much prefer
> the old analog style where they wouldn't know if I was screening or
> just not home. Besides I'm not even sure that my caller (grandparents) has
> a DTMF phone in order to interact with the screening.
>
>
> ======== My thoughts on an approach to the solution ===========
>
>
> I'm using Zap hardware, I figure I can use ZapBarge, Record, or Monitor
> to start a GSM recording of the call. Once the size of the file grows
> to a point where I can stream it (in practice I have found that it needs
> to be over 4K) to a sox client. The recording file will be in an NFS
> exported directory on the server, and there will be a small (internet
> appliance)
> PC that sits in the kitchen that will use Sox to play the GSM file. I
> figure it will have about a 3 to 4 second delay with the buffering which
> seems acceptable. I'll have to tell it (figure I'll use xPL) that the file
> is there and to start playing it. As an alternate approach I could monitor
> the call on the server's sound card and wire a speaker up in the kitchen.
>
> Now I am listening to the call taking place in the kitchen and can either
> decide to pick it up or not.
>
> So I decide to pick it up (Mom's calling using a calling card), I figured
> I could use the command "Steal" from the Bristuff patch to steal the call
> from Asterisk's answering machine. But no, this doesn't seem to work. I can
> Steal Asterisk's answering machine from the caller (This works great from
> a SIP call too), but really need to steal the caller away from the
> answering machine and preferrably have the answering machine recognize this
> and stop the call monitoring/screening (and send an xPL cmd to the kitchen
> PC
> to stop playing).
>
> Doing some more Googling and reading reams of posts to this maillist I'm
> starting to wonder if maybe the "Meetme" command might help here? I'm
> just not sure how deal with Asterisk's answering machine part. Or maybe I
> shouldn't use it at all and just use stream_file?
>
> So this is where I'm at. Hoping someone out there has either implemented
> this or could give me enough info so I can implement it.
>
> TIA,
>
> Rick
>
>
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