How to dial from a USB 56k Voice Modem normal BT Telco line?

[dailafing]

Hi everyone,

Just getting started with ViciDialler with no Linux or any experience with mac and windows.

I'm looking for a full guide on how to get a USB 56k Voice Modem to dial as my carrier, and possible add more modems later on as hard lines for dialing.

I'm very familiar with ViciDial from a hosted provider but now want my own server.

Kind regards

P.S. The intention is to dial from a real land line. Not to sure what else to add. Wish me luck, I've had a lot of fun thus far!
And I'm using the latest vicidial 32bit express or preloaded....

[williamconley]

Vicidial will work with any trunk that will work with Asterisk. So actually, your goal is NOT vicidial related as all you need to do is figure out how to make your trunking method work with Asterisk.

If you search for a method that will make a 56K Voice Modem work with asterisk, however, you may come back disappointed. But Digium (the corporate sponsor/owner of Asterisk) makes hardware for this purpose. There are also other companies that make similar products. Similar to a modem, but often with up to 4 lines, still capable of just plugging into a PSTN wall jack (ie: the phone line your 56k Modem would plug into for faxing).

The downside of this approach is that now you have extra hardware inside your box and it must be 'configured' at boot time and you can't use that hardware with another box (without yanking it out of this box).

Grandstream makes a standalone device (called a Gateway) in 4, 8 or 12 port designs that will JUST convert a the wall jack PSTN to a SIP trunk. Then you would consider the Grandstream device a SIP carrier. Even though it may sit right next to the Vicidial machine .. it is not IN the Vicidial machine. So when you kill your HD, you can fire up the "backup server" and go right back to work. In fact, properly configured, you can pull phone lines from the wall, pass them through the internet, and hit another Vicidial machine on the other side of the world (so it does not actually NEED to sit right next to the Vicidial server at all).

When purchasing the Digium module/card, beware that you get the "Trunk" instead of the "Station" modules installed so you can connect to the wall jack. The other would be designed to allow you to connect a standard phone to it (not useful for making calls! It's for agents to connect to the Vicidial server!).

http://www.amazon.com/Digium-TDM410P-Ba ... gy_e_img_z

http://www.metrolinedirect.com/grandstr ... 7Aod1kMAEw

Links are not a recommendation to buy that particular product from that supplier. Just an example of what you could google or eBay.

[dailafing]

Thanks for such a detailed explanation.

Would I be right in saying that ViciDial sits in top of asterisk then?
I've seen about the Internet instructions on how to edit the sip trunks directly in the asterisk config file. Would I be right in saying that if I did configure something in asterisk, then it would simply appear in the carrier list on my ViciDial?

If not, could you explain how to add a compatible device to asterisk and then getting ViciDial to work with it?

Thanks

[williamconley]

Would I be right in saying that ViciDial sits in top of asterisk then?

Consider Asterisk the Engine and Vicidial the Steering column (and perhaps the GPS! LOL). Vicidial Controls Asterisk.

Would I be right in saying that if I did configure something in asterisk, then it would simply appear in the carrier list on my ViciDial?

Not. Admin->Carriers entries are created in the Vicidial GUI. (IE: The Carrier List)

could you explain how to add a compatible device to asterisk and then getting ViciDial to work with it?

But if you created your own "Carrier" that would use the "pre-configured" account (sip? IAX? dahdi? something else?) and created your own dialplan (mimicing a standard sip dialplan entry), you would then be able to use the configured trunk. This method is also used for zaptal/dahdi trunks. Remember that in the dialplan those first and third lines are NOT optional any more than the second (dial) line is. The first line (agi) connects vicidial to the call (and sets the caller id name and number) and the second line "dials". The Vicidial system then manages the call BECAUSE of that first line. Then the third line "disconnects" Vicidial from the call (while clearing out all database entries, marking the call as hung up ... etc).

IF you can get asterisk to successfully call out through a trunk (any trunk), bring us your methodology and we can help you convert it for Vicidial use, so Vicidial can make a managed call through it as well. Asterisk CLI output is quite useful in this regard.

[dailafing]

Was, it felt amazing reading what you typed, but... I've no idea what I'm doing, or more importantly where to look up the info I need?
Mr Conley, I see your name everywhere and I guess if anyone can help me it's your good self.

So, although what you replied seems positive, I've no idea where to go from here? Can I make my own carrier, as it were? Or perhaps just my original question?

[williamconley]

If your goal is to use a 56k modem as a telco line, you'll need to get yourself hooked up with an asterisk forum. Vicidial is a control system for Asterisk. Once you get the modem working with asterisk come on back and we'll get that working modem working with Vicidial as well. But it's far outside the scope of this board and there are A FREAKIN LOT more Asterisk users in the world than there are Vicidial (ie: Vicidial is likely less than 1% of asterisk users worldwide).