Clever Geek Handbook

Asterisk & IVR & provider

I'm trying to set up an IVR or be a more specific automatic assistant using Asterisk. I don't want anything interesting other than a simple automated menu system, and instead of dialing a number (for now) just dial the same phone line (POTS) if you press 1, or play the recording if you press 2. The server running Asterisk will be in a remote location.

My questions:

  • Can this setup be done?
  • Do I need to register with an IAX VOIP provider? (no VOIP calls made / received) Only regular POTS calls will be made. (possibly in another country)
  • What kind of equipment do I need? Remote Server Side and Client Side (POTS Phone Line)

Any comments would be appreciated.

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This is definitely doable, however it looks like your specs need to change a little. Here are a few things to consider:

  • What type of PSTN connection to your remote Asterisk server? (SIP / POTS / T1 / PRI / etc.)
  • If your remote Asterisk server will use physical media, do you have connectors and hardware? EG: If you use a T1 line, do you have a channel bank or a T1 card?
  • You are more comfortable using the Asterisk / AGI / AMI dialplan, or you are going to use an Asterisk distribution like trixbox, AsteriskNOW, Elastix, etc.
  • Will your customer position (with the POTS line you want to call) have a PBX, or is it just a typical POTS line connected to an analog handset?

My recommendation to you:



  • Get a cheap server (any 1U with a dual-core processor and 512MB of RAM) and put it in a remote location.
  • Download Asterisk 1.6+ to your server. I recommend 1.6+ as it can use the dahdi_dummy driver as a reliable software sync source (this will ensure the sound quality is not choppy or broken).
  • Get a SIP account from a trusted SIP provider. My personal favorites are flowroute and voipms .
  • Set up a new SIP account in Asterisk and purchase a DID (phone number). This phone number will be your business number, which you give out to customers and put on business cards.

  • Configure your Asterisk tablet to receive calls from your SIP account in the IVR menu.

    The IVR menu logic should look something like this:

    and. Open the IVR menu. b. Wait for a key press. from. If the user dialed "1", then make an outgoing SIP call to the POTS line phone number you want to reach. If the user has typed "2", then play the recorded message.

Now if you want to save money and have the most economical setup for your remote IVR, I would recommend dropping a second Asterisk server to the site at your client location (where the POTS line comes in) and ditching the pot line and just installing an IAX2 trunk between your client location and the location of your hosted server. This way, when calls come in to your remote Asterisk server through the SIP provider, you can route the calls (when the user presses option 1) over your IAX2 backbone, straight to the customer's site for free!

Depending on your skill level and comfort, using Asterisk can be either a very exciting learning experience or a confusing nightmare. If you want to learn more about telephony and Asterisk, especially if you are going to use it for your business, you can use a simple (free) Asterisk distribution such as trixbox CE , Elastix or AsteriskNOW .

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You can program a simple IVR in less time than it takes to install Asterisk if you are using a hosted service such as Twilio or Tropo . I am partly related to Twilio.



Edit: Here's an example of a simple phone menu .

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Quick answers to your simple questions:

  • this setting is doable.
  • no, IAX is optional
  • some hardware settings are listed in the wiki

I think you should start with a wiki and free Asterisk Book

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