4.1. What Do I Really
Need?
The asterisk character (*) is used as a
wildcard in many different applications. It is the perfect name for
this PBX for many reasons, one of which is the enormous number of
interface types to which Asterisk can connect . These include:
-
Analog interfaces, such as your telephone line
and analog telephones
-
Digital circuits, such as T-1 and E-1
lines
-
VoIP protocols such as SIP and IAX
Asterisk doesn't need any specialized
hardwarenot even a sound card. Channel cards that connect Asterisk
to analog phones or phone lines are available, but not essential.
You can connect to Asterisk using the soft phones that are
available for Windows, Linux, and other operating systems without
using a special hardware interface. You can also use any IP phone
that supports either SIP or IAX2. On the other side, if you don't
connect directly to an analog phone line from your central office,
you can route your calls over the Internet to a telephony service
provider. |
