Setup a simple Asterisk/FreePBX phone system, and you will reduce spam callers dramatically, and robocallers down to zero.
Setting an asterisk server can seem like a daunting task. But using a freePBX as a controller system will make it much simpler.
FreePBX is a system that sits on top of an asterisk server. Asterisk is the bare bones VoIP phone system, you can program it piecemeal is you want, but to get to all the fancy features is going to be a lot of work.
Some of the FreePBX features are: conference lines, automated routing, time and caller based menus, multiple phone numbers including 800 numbers, voice mail, announcements, home automation, the list is really way too much to list here.
My NUC, handling hundreds of phone calls as needed.
What do you need?
- First you need a computer, even a raspberry Pi should be enough
- You need one or more “phone numbers” — You can order or transfer phone numbers to, for example LES.net (Canadian provider, a phone number is usually about $4/mth). You can pick phone numbers from almost any area code, including 800 numbers.
- A decent internet connectivity — AT&T is good, Comcast has trouble frequently.
- You can pick a dozen phone numbers, incoming and/or outgoing depending on your need.
I use a NUC, a simple Atom CPU based fanless computer (quiet), with four gigabit interfaces. For phone system you definitely don’t need gigabit, generally,100 Mbps is plenty.
For phone I use an assortment of Polycom phones, and wireless Grandstream phones — all of which I’ve bought used, for about $50 a piece. I have phones in every room of the house.
Polycom phones, especially wuth HD audio, are lovely, easy to use, have a speakerphone as well.
The polycom sounstation is nice, it picks discussion from entire room, I can continue working while talking on the phone.
Grandstream phones are versatile carriable, have a few hours (at least) of battery life — I’ve never run our of battery life, and I can walk anywhere due to the meshed wireless.
When you call our number, you are greeted with a voice menu. Unless you type a number to tell who you’re calling your call will not even go through. Though you can leave a voice mail. And, the system uses PST time zone, so calls outside usual “business hours” won’t ring through (unless you use an emergency override code).
Oh, and “number of lines” — by default you’ll have four incoming or outgoing lines — never worry if someone is already dialing out, or calling in. Four “lines” are usually enough. There’s a nifty trick to expand that to 32 lines — let me know and I might write a subsequent post.
If I go traveling, I have the home PBX transfer the calls to my cell phone. I don’t usually give anyone my cell phone number.
If I need to make international calls, I call my home PBX system, enter a password, and I can call anywhere in the world at reduced rates.
I’ve had conference calls where 32 people called my home number and they all met at a conference call, all by the PBX.
Occasionally my wife needs a new phone number, easy to add, just need to pick the state & prefix. Usually done in a few minutes.
You do have to be carefull, there are lots of people who try to hack into a FreePBX system to use your lines for spam call, racking up bills to hundreds of dollars. Use the FreePBX with its firewall, and don’t loosen the restriction even to the slightest.
Number of robocallers has dropped to zero, turns out robot can’t follow instructions (voice prompt menus), regular/real callers don’t seem to have any problems. Friends and relatives — enjoy something called “old girlfriend logic” and they come right through without being bothered by voice menus.
If there is interest, I will continue with the details.