[Gloucs] VoIP- back to square one.

[Glyn Davies]

David Corking wrote:
> On Nov 30, 2007 Geoff Bagley wrote:
>
>   
>> Did someone say that there was a Gloucester-LUG member who could supply
>> a suitable Linux friendly phone instrument ?
>>     
>
> I thought so, but if you did not hear from him, perhaps his business
> plans are not going in the direction I thought.
>
>   
You are probably thinking of Chris who gave the talk on Asterisk a few 
months back. I don't think he's list member.
> By the way - it does not need to be Linux-friendly.  A SIP phone
> connects directly to Ethernet, so directly to the back of your
> broadband router.  No Linux PC (nor Windows PC) required - except to
> configure it with a web browser.
>   
You've made me stir from pedants' corner. SIP  (AFAIUI) is a protocol 
much like HTTP so in truth, some SIP phones connect directly to ethernet 
while many phones do not. A few examples of this are the SIP client on a 
Nokia N95 mobile phone (which can use WiFi), and the many softphones 
(Linphone, etc) that are just pieces of software that run on OSes (be 
they Windows, Linux, etc). Some of the cheap USB phones (effectively a 
USB audio device) 'support SIP' but that really means (I believe) the 
software client (aka softphone) they come with does.
> So here is another local firm that can take your order for a SIP phone
>
> http://store.gradwell.com/   (Peter Gradwell, Bath)
>
> There are others but I don't have their details to hand.
>   
For SIP phones, have a look at 
http://www.ebuyer.com/search/?qfind=SIP&x=0&y=0
If the link doesn't work, go to http://www.ebuyer.co.uk and type SIP 
into the Product Finder.

As said in previous posts, the other option is an ATA which is basically 
a bit of hardware that does all the voip stuff but allows you to plug a 
standard telephone into it. Have a look at Linksys' site and search for 
the PAP2 and the SPA2002. Can't quite tell the difference between the 
two of these (from a quick glance). My only advice would be to make sure 
it is a UK model (so it doesn't have to wrong phone jacks)

More info that you can shake a stick at here:
http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-Analog+Telephone+Adapters

And my final offering:
Back to the USB phones. Have a look at http://www.ebuyer.com/product/101480
There is a chance that it will work with Skype on Linux.
There is a chance that it will work with other softphones on Linux.
It works with FC3 whatever that means. I guess it means it is recognised 
as a USB audio device and (possibly) comes with an FC3 client.

I'd suggest my final offering might be the easiest, especially if it 
works with Skype. You won't have to get your daughter to change her 
setup then.

-- 
Best Regards
Glyn Davies