[A*UG] Newbie question

[Wayne Walker]

On Fri, Sep 28, 2007 at 12:20:33AM -0500, Abhinav wrote:
> Hi
> I am thinking about installing asterisk at home and I am a complete
> newbie. I have few basic questions and I would appreciate if someone
> could point me in the right direction to get answers
> 1. What kind of service do I need so I can make calls to non-ip phones?
Most any VoIP service.

> 2. What kind of internet connection do I need to have clear
> communication? It is for home use,  for two to three people. The
> internet connection is mainly used to surf the web and watching web
> videos etc.
Most VoIP is done using G771u codec which is 64Kbit/sec of audio and
translates to 87 Kbits/sec (each direction) total (including the UDP/IP
overhead.

Cable and DSL are almost always 1.5 Mbits or greater down, and usually
384 Kbits or more up.  that could SQUEEZE 4 calls in.  I'd only trust
it for 1 or 2 simultaneous calls unless you have more than 384 K.

Having a router with QoS (Quality of Service) will allow you to give
priority to the phone audio, then excessive web  traffic might not hurt
too badly.

> 3. What kind of hardware do I need besides a linux box? Special phone?
> What interfaces a normal phone to the server?

Either a special phone (an IP phone) or an ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter).

IP Phones run from $70 to $200 each (last time I priced them).  ATAs run
$45-$120 I think.


-- 

Wayne Walker

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