[asterisk-users] any possibility of Vonage Integration

[Michael Graves]

On Wed, 6 Dec 2006 12:58:32 -0800, Brad Templeton wrote:

>On Wed, Dec 06, 2006 at 08:13:00AM -0500, Paul wrote:
>Some companies offer PSTN failover on DIDs, which I think is a good
>idea.  Works at least if your equipment, or their middle equipment is
>down but doesn't work if the PSTN failover equipment itself is down.

>Vonage does offer PSTN failover if your ATA is not responding.

>But having an FXO box talk to your Vonage ATA is just nuts.

I wholeheartedly agree! This sort of setup becomes the defining hardware in your Asterisk experience...small FXOs pretty much suck, which is why they've been a recurring topic on this list 
for litterally years.

I dropped Vonage specifically because it doesn't make sense for me to pay $40/mo/each for my home office lines during periods when I'm travelling and not able to use the service. Yes, I 
know that they eventually offered soft phones in support of travellers, but I'm not THAT much enamored of such things that I wouldn't just reach for my cell phone when out of office. Besides, 
hotels are so variable in their networking that SIP soft phones probably can't be relied upon.

OTOH, using an IAX soft phone has worked just ahout everywhere I've tried it. I even tried Firefly over IAX2 using iLBC on a POTS dialup to Covad in a pinch one day. I simply used the same 
account info that my server uses to passs calls to ITSPs like VOIPJet, Nufone and Voxee. That was purely experimental, and not something I'd ever do for business.

Paying by the minute, even a slightly higher rate, works out cheaper for me. Not theoretically cheaper, actually cheaper.

Michael