[Asterisk-Users] 12 FXO ports into Asterisk

[Rich Adamson]

> I have a client that has 10 POTS lines incoming.  There is no other
> option for lines here.
> 
> I have 3 options I can see:
> 
> 1. 3 TDM400 cards
> 2. An external SIP/FXO gateway
> 3. A T1 card plus a channel bank.
> 
> 
> Does anyone have any thoughts on these 3 or suggestions on keeping the
> cost down?

You might have a 4th choice by subscribing to itsp services (DID)
and either call forward the existing numbers to the DID's, or
perm transfer those numbers to the itsp.

Having used the TDM card since it came out, I'd be very hesitant to
use them in this type environment. Very likely to be a high
maintenance/support item for you. They are sort of okay in small soho
environments, but if you dig through the last year's worth of postings,
you'll see lots of quality and audio level issues with the TDM.

The gateway approach will work, but you'll probably spend a fair amount
of up-front time finding one that works well and getting it set up to
be reliable. They are rather expensive as well (comparatively speaking).

The T1 card with channel bank will likely be your least cost approach
after considering setup time, ongoing support costs, etc. Generally
considered the most solid approach with *.