[ale] OT help ENDING unsolicited phone calls

[JD]

Learning VoIP is like learning Linux. Initially, it is a tough uphill battle.

Good info here: http://www.voip-info.org/
All noob questions are answered there.

You don't need any hardware directly connected to your PC. An ATA device can sit
on your LAN and you'll probably want to pay a service provider to bridge the
SIP/POTS network for you. That way, you don't get stuck paying AT&T/Comcast for
anything anymore except ISP bandwidth.

Almost any PC you have that is less than 15 yrs old can run Asterisk and support
10+ lines.  Businesses deploy Atom-based mini-PCs for 100+ concurrent VoIP
lines. It isn't about CPU, usually.  I've run FreeSWITCH inside a Xen VM
happily, but having access to a low latency timer does seem to matter for better
call quality.

You can setup a PBX, not connected it to any POTS network, use only soft-phones
and have fun. Try it out, before you drop any cash.  I've been using the same
$35 ATA for 8+ yrs - that's the entire extent of my SIP-specific hardware
investment. I do not have any FX0 connections - i.e. no POTS.



On 06/06/2012 12:59 AM, Ron Frazier (ALE) wrote:
> Hi JD,
> 
> Thank you, and also the other party, who mentioned the DIY PBX concept to me. I
> can't believe I'm even considering such a thing for home use, and I may or may
> not actually try it. However ...
> 
> I was looking over some docs from here:
>