audio-talk

Stumbled across this little box of tricks; obviously not top-drawer accuracy but it looks functional and very versatile for an outlay of £45

Neal wrote: ↑Wed Mar 29, 2023 10:41 am VoIP is coming to you.

Though of course (as I am sure you are aware), VoIP is entirely possible using nothing more than a IP connection and a gateway endpoint provider to connect to.

Its been some years since I was last involved, but setting up something like Asterisk and some handsets will let you do just about anything you can do with a commercial PABX system. A dynamic ip address should not be a problem as your connection to the VoIP can be outgoing, or you can use something like duckdns to give you 95% what a static will give you.

Ray P wrote: ↑Fri Mar 31, 2023 9:26 pm Stumbled across this little box of tricks; obviously not top-drawer accuracy but it looks functional and very versatile for an outlay of £45

I just couldnt stand listening to the dull idiot.

seems like a pretty useful tool. Good comprehensive vid appraisal as well..

curses, curses, curses....I just won an ebay auction for a vintage sig gen. I chased thd quality when I built my replacement for the broken farnell lfm4. The replacement didn't have square wave and it maxed out at 2v output but it was very accurate(wien bridge topology)....

I never finished the mark2 version it lounged as pcb with parts in a pot in the workroom.

I suspect the gadget is dds and budget also, so the sig gen quality might not be up to scratch(I couldn't find a figure in the spec)

but..it seems to do everything that my uni-t scope does with a similar spec...so to my mind it looks good.

Yes looks well worth it

I ordered one, I reason that it will be useful for quick checks/investigations. I will report back in due course.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005 ... Redirect=y

Nick wrote: ↑Fri Mar 31, 2023 9:48 pm

Neal wrote: ↑Wed Mar 29, 2023 10:41 am VoIP is coming to you.

Though of course (as I am sure you are aware), VoIP is entirely possible using nothing more than a IP connection and a gateway endpoint provider to connect to.

Its been some years since I was last involved, but setting up something like Asterisk and some handsets will let you do just about anything you can do with a commercial PABX system. A dynamic ip address should not be a problem as your connection to the VoIP can be outgoing, or you can use something like duckdns to give you 95% what a static will give you.

I must admit I don’t fully understand it…I’m told that PSTN along with ISDN, ADSL and FTTC will be phased out by the end of 2025, necessitating a Broadband upgrade at the club. We need a static IP address as the cloud application we use requires it but BT can’t transfer our exiting one or currently issue new ones so we are on hold at the moment.

Neal wrote: ↑Sun Apr 02, 2023 2:28 pm

Nick wrote: ↑Fri Mar 31, 2023 9:48 pm

Neal wrote: ↑Wed Mar 29, 2023 10:41 am VoIP is coming to you.

Though of course (as I am sure you are aware), VoIP is entirely possible using nothing more than a IP connection and a gateway endpoint provider to connect to.

Its been some years since I was last involved, but setting up something like Asterisk and some handsets will let you do just about anything you can do with a commercial PABX system. A dynamic ip address should not be a problem as your connection to the VoIP can be outgoing, or you can use something like duckdns to give you 95% what a static will give you.

I must admit I don’t fully understand it…I’m told that PSTN along with ISDN, ADSL and FTTC will be phased out by the end of 2025, necessitating a Broadband upgrade at the club. We need a static IP address as the cloud application we use requires it but BT can’t transfer our exiting one or currently issue new ones so we are on hold at the moment.

When we had FTTP last year, we were allowed to keep our PTSN number and line, though the copper is actually another core on the fiber cable (special cable made for Open Reach). The rationale for this is that we we have a decent PSTN/DECT structure that I don't want to replace yet, plus at the time we'd have had to change the land-line number that we've had for 30+ years (don't ask!). I will be going down the VoIP route later this year along with a number transfer.

EDIT: Just remembered - the reason we couldn't have VoIP is that BT call it "Digital Voice" and that requires that you use a BT SmartHub, i.e. are sucked into the BT universe. We use Ubiquity / Cisco here so under no circumstances could we use a BT SmartHub as it has no "pass-through" mode and thus has to be your main router.

Digital Voice is a great evil and almost everyone who is IT literate that I know hates it. Worse than going down the Apple rabbit hole...

You can run VoIP services over any router once the number is ported and you have a VoIP device or devices, or phone app to handle it.
BT are spouting BS wrt your services, Jack.
You don't need to have one of their POS devices.

The Stratmangler wrote: ↑Sun Apr 02, 2023 5:09 pm You can run VoIP services over any router once the number is ported and you have a VoIP device or devices, or phone app to handle it.
BT are spouting BS wrt your services, Jack.
You don't need to have one of their POS devices.

Not so at the time - we would have lost the POTS number we've had for 30+ years - they changed the rules on that at the back end of last year, so now we can.

Yes, the SmartHub is a POS, which is why I have mostly Ubiquiti kit here.

We need a static IP address as the cloud application we use requires it

Whats the app? I would have thought dynamic name resolution would have been close enough. Its not my area, but I would have thought the only justification for needing a static IP was security and if it needs that for security then I worry about just how secure it actually is. As far as I understand BT's IP replacement of POTS to the home is the thing that needs the HomeHub (at least thats how what was connected to out house land line is now working), and I can understand that Jack (Nick) is/was stuck as he wants to keep his original BT number. But if you are not stuck with needing a BT number then you can just ignore BT other than for IP connectivity and use a third party VoIP provider to provide an inwards number or numbers to the rest of the world.

Paul Barker wrote: ↑Sat Apr 01, 2023 9:44 am I just couldnt stand listening to the dull idiot.

That's a specific dialect that I can't place right now.

I like the gadget though! Very tempted .....

Paul Barker wrote: ↑Sat Apr 01, 2023 9:44 am I just couldnt stand listening to the dull idiot.

Paul, maybe this one will be easier on your ears...

im too busy surviving real life.

Nick wrote: ↑Sun Apr 02, 2023 6:27 pm

We need a static IP address as the cloud application we use requires it

Whats the app? I would have thought dynamic name resolution would have been close enough. Its not my area, but I would have thought the only justification for needing a static IP was security and if it needs that for security then I worry about just how secure it actually is. As far as I understand BT's IP replacement of POTS to the home is the thing that needs the HomeHub (at least thats how what was connected to out house land line is now working), and I can understand that Jack (Nick) is/was stuck as he wants to keep his original BT number. But if you are not stuck with needing a BT number then you can just ignore BT other than for IP connectivity and use a third party VoIP provider to provide an inwards number or numbers to the rest of the world.

You can retain your old number now as Jack pointed out.

We need reliability for time sensitive actions like turning on court lights at set times or for specific events. I’m sure DDNS would be fine for 95% of the time but when it is out of sync or the service is down the sh*t storm of complaints that follow it is just not worth it…

Anyhow I have more research to do, you’ve got me looking at alternatives VoIP solutions, thank you!