VOIP NOOB

[gdtms247]

I'm a network engineer by trade so VOIP itself is not new to me.

I do however have ZERO experience in "residential" solutions and that is what I'm looking at. I want to have 1 phone number at home be connected to 1 IP phone. That's it. this phone will be for account usage when they request your home phone, and back up for cell issues. It won't be my primary number (cell phone paid by work) so i just need something simple sitting at my house to accept calls (not making many calls on it or receiving them for that matter). I have WHS 2011 and windows server 2008 boxes running already and gigabit ethernet everywhere. I can't find a simple "home" solution out there that is cheaper than 20-30 bucks a month for a regular old phone line. Any help in pointing me in the right direction?

J

 

[leejor]

If you have an IP phone, or ATA, and either a static public IP or use a dynamic DNS service, you can get a free phone number from IPKall. They are limited Washington state area codes, and they require a call in every 30 days to remain active. They can also be set as an incoming trunk on 3CX. For a single line involving the PBX might be overkill. There might be other "free" numbers available in North America that I'm not familiar with.

 

[gdtms247]

still missing a part there. IPKALL wants a SIP URI to register. without paying a VOIP service how does it work? who translates the XXX-XXXX into IP?

 

[leejor]

Are you going with a VoIP phone/ATA, or with 3CX?

If just a "device", you have to set it to not register, but, allow direct SIP calls. Give it a phone number, this can be anything, but, that number is what is going to be sent by IPKall when you set-up your account.

Say, you have a DynDNS of mydns.info, and the number you assigned you device is 5001. You would set up IPKall to send calls to [email protected]:5060 (if 5060 is the port your device is set to "listen" on).

The same pretty much goes for 3CX except that you have to be sure that your DYN DNS name is in the Domain Name setting and the IPKall IP is in the trunk setting that you created. You'll see the IP if you try a call. It will fail but will show the originators IP. That's the one to use in the trunk datafill.

There is at least one company in the UK that offers a similar service.

 

[gdtms247]

that makes sense now thanks. Still won't work for my "idea". I want one of those magic 10 digit numbers every automated system in the world wants you to use to access your account blah blah blah without using my cell phone (and have a back up).

I have a server and a high speed cable modem thats it. I wanted to play around and learn with the whole thing but since it can't be done on the cheap i think i'm just going to go Obi device and Google voice and just be done with it. Thanks for the help!

 

[leejor]

You will have a 10 digit number, you just won't be able to place calls from it.

As I understand it, the days of using Google Voice, on an Obi device, may be numbered. It sounds as if GV may be moving away from open standards, unfortunately.

 

[cobaltit]

Not to take anything away from 3CX, but it sounds like you just want an IP phone and a single DID/trunk from someone like Vitelity. With no usage it would run you about $1.50/month US for the DID.