Using VoIP inside your house?
Discussion
Has anybody on here used VoIP (i.e. SIP) to connect multiple phones inside their home (and use whatever line for outside calls)?
I'm moving house in a couple of weeks and the new place has one set of copper wires (Cat5 type) running to each room so I'm considering whether to:
- use the line to run analog phone signals and have WLan all over the place for data
- nick some of the copper pairs from the phone line (comes with four pairs and uses only two for voice so potentially two free for other use) for data, set up a small switch in the basement and get probably 100 MBit worth in each room out of 2 pairs of copper
- do away with analog (or ISDN) voice and have an all IP setup with IP phones in all rooms (that need a phone) and share the same line for data
The latter would obviously need some kind of IP enabled small PBX in the basement to hand over internal IP voice traffic to my phone & DSL provider.
However, all VoIP equipment I have seen targeted at the home user is doing the opposite - taking the signal from your regular ol' phone and converting it to SIP for cheap external calls.
Has any of you folks seen or tried a similar setup or am I just two years early (by which time phone companies will have switched to all-IP internal networks)?
Cheers, Axel
I'm moving house in a couple of weeks and the new place has one set of copper wires (Cat5 type) running to each room so I'm considering whether to:
- use the line to run analog phone signals and have WLan all over the place for data
- nick some of the copper pairs from the phone line (comes with four pairs and uses only two for voice so potentially two free for other use) for data, set up a small switch in the basement and get probably 100 MBit worth in each room out of 2 pairs of copper
- do away with analog (or ISDN) voice and have an all IP setup with IP phones in all rooms (that need a phone) and share the same line for data
The latter would obviously need some kind of IP enabled small PBX in the basement to hand over internal IP voice traffic to my phone & DSL provider.
However, all VoIP equipment I have seen targeted at the home user is doing the opposite - taking the signal from your regular ol' phone and converting it to SIP for cheap external calls.
Has any of you folks seen or tried a similar setup or am I just two years early (by which time phone companies will have switched to all-IP internal networks)?
Cheers, Axel
You could buy a VoIP router such as the AVM FritzBox. Together with a VoIP gateway supplier (eg sipgate), you plug your standard phones into the back of it, then phone away using the Internet.
The nice thing about this widget is that you can route some calls (eg 0800/0845 and mobile numbers) over the landline because it's cheaper that way, and that you're stll using a standard analogue phone, so no need for new hardware. And the phone can be a DECT system so it's cordless too - all for the cost of a new £100 router.
Works for me.
The nice thing about this widget is that you can route some calls (eg 0800/0845 and mobile numbers) over the landline because it's cheaper that way, and that you're stll using a standard analogue phone, so no need for new hardware. And the phone can be a DECT system so it's cordless too - all for the cost of a new £100 router.
Works for me.
This one works for me... www.voipvoice.com/UConnect-2.html not as clever as other systems but it's cheap and reliable. I just plug the base station of my DECT phones into it and run the pc and phone base off of a UPS. That guarantees calls during power cuts too.
HTH
HTH
zumbruk said:
Asterisk is chuffing great.
Also, if you're feeling really clever, and have a suitable wireless router (a linksys WRT5G L for example), it can be run directly on the router....
Folks, thanks for all the replies
Had seen the FritzBox but am actually trying to achieve the opposite. This doesn't solve my core problem - making the most of existing cabling inside the home with an eye of getting data to/from individual rooms.
Nice toy but requires the PC to be on - since this would be my only phone connection to the outside world I'd need something that is less dependent on tons of other gear.
Had heard about Asterisk before and could do with an Asterisk appliance - small quiet box that hides in the closet and will connect to an outside ISDN line - perhaps I need to search harder for those.
The DECT route that most of you pointed to is obviously one alternative - pick one wall outlet to connect the DECT base station to and convert the remaining wall outlets to IP traffic. I'll need to check where the outlets are and if I can identify one where I don't need data traffic.
manek said:
... AVM FritzBox and stuff ...
Had seen the FritzBox but am actually trying to achieve the opposite. This doesn't solve my core problem - making the most of existing cabling inside the home with an eye of getting data to/from individual rooms.
leorest said:
... UConnect ...
Nice toy but requires the PC to be on - since this would be my only phone connection to the outside world I'd need something that is less dependent on tons of other gear.
zumbruk said:
... Asterisk ...
Had heard about Asterisk before and could do with an Asterisk appliance - small quiet box that hides in the closet and will connect to an outside ISDN line - perhaps I need to search harder for those.
The DECT route that most of you pointed to is obviously one alternative - pick one wall outlet to connect the DECT base station to and convert the remaining wall outlets to IP traffic. I'll need to check where the outlets are and if I can identify one where I don't need data traffic.
axels said:
zumbruk said:
... Asterisk ...
Had heard about Asterisk before and could do with an Asterisk appliance - small quiet box that hides in the closet and will connect to an outside ISDN line - perhaps I need to search harder for those.
No need. Linksys 54G Linux based router. Open WRT installation of Asterix on the device. Connect it to your ADSL/DSL line. Use someone like SIPGate to route calls for you.
Of course, if all you want is a phone line, I wouldn't even bother doing that. I'd just setup a wireless network, buy a 54g wireless SIP handset and use a sipgate account. No other hardware required.
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