Asterisk + VoicePulse - Part 1

WARNING
This can get complicated! Although a basic configuration using Asterisk is easy to copy, once you start developing your own PBX extensions you’ll find it can get tricky quick. I’d recommend everyone read: A guide to VoIP and Asterisk for more details on the language and concepts.

The other day, I helped one of our clients setup a Vonage VoIP phone. The process was so simple, and the quality / service seemed terrific. I’ve always been interested in VoIP, but I wanted more functionality then a just another phone line. Since I already have a cell phone it didn’t make much sense to buy another phone for my home. After doing some research I found Asterisk an open-source PBX application which lets you do just about anything with an incoming / outgoing phone call. From my initial investigation it sounded like this was exactly the application I was looking for. Cell phones are a way of life now, but a traditional home phone is still very convenient.

Voice Pulse offers a special service called CONNECT! They allow you to connect your PBX to the PSTN (Publicly Switched Telephone Network) without much hassle. They also offer a set of Asterisk configuration samples to work from. Their website admin tool is very helpful as well; you can create new phone numbers instantly, all for just $11 per month!

The setup process has been fairly easy. I’ve setup the configuration using a soft phone, and I can route incoming / outgoing calls perfectly. Although I have not finished configuring additional services like voicemail / 3-way calling / etc all of these seem to be build into Asterisk.

The next setup is to connect my normal phones into the PBX. A soft phone is neat, but the point of this process is to setup a traditional home phone as well. Asterisk has a close relationship with the hardware vender Digium. I decided to test my initial setup using an IAXy, which is a little blue box that connects to the PBX automatically. This is very similar to the Vonage phone solutions you would buy at the store, except much more cut down.

So far so good, although I have much more testing to do, this is a prefect combination! Asterisk is for any tech-savvy uber-geek who is looking to get more out of VoIP.