While using Asterisk to answer your calls is admittedly overkill, it’s a great way to get acquainted with this powerful open source VoIP application. Matt Kaatman takes you step-by-step through the process.
[Via Tom’s Hardware Guide: Articles]
I have to admit that I am interested in Asterisk despite it potentially becoming quite a distraction. This article gets closer to the problems I am interested in. Here are some features I would like implemented.
- I would like my phone to not wring when telemarketers call. This would generally mean that the phones without caller id or come in with “toll free” or “out of area” would get a voice prompt rather than a ring.
- I would like to add to known numbers to a telemarketers list.
- I would like my distinctive ring number for my fax to not ring, too. It should be forwarded directly to an extension or fax server.
I have a low need for VOIP at this time but it might be nice to have a VOIP number for business phone calls. Although I like Matt’s minimalist approach in this article, I think I would still prefer to run Asterisk At Home since it is bundled with the OS.