[GlenC]

Hi,

Has anyone tried to configure PSGw to work with Asterisk. For anyone who doesn't know what it is, it's a skype -> sip gateway.

Unfortunately it doesn't come with any instructions, and being new to the whole SIP / Asterisk thing, I'm still finding my feet.

Thanks

Glen.

[mberlant]

The documentation lays out some serious restrictions, almost all dictated by the limitations of Skype. PSGw is an interface between a Skype client (which must be active and logged in) and a SIP or H.323 channel. It supports only one simultaneous conversation and has only three fixed entries in its routing table.

Version 1.0 users reported poor voice quality, as well, but Version 2.0 was just released and seems to have addressed this problem.

Aside from the single conversation limitation, the biggest limitation seems to be routing. Since Skype is an instant messaging protocol, user names are alphanumeric and may also include some symbols. This limits calls from SIP to Skype to as many as two Skype destinations, which the Asterisk chooses between by setting the originating Caller ID for the outbound Skype call. With one of the three table entries being occupied by the Skype-to-SIP routing entry, that leaves only two entries for use in the outbound direction.

Inbound is easier, thanks to the capabilities of Asterisk. Inbound calls can be routed to an IVR in Asterisk, from where the caller can select the extension he/she wishes, or calls can be routed to a live person who can transfer the call to the ultimate destination.

The folks who developed PSGw have announced that they are developing a multi-channel gateway Skype PBX, which might overcome some of these constraints.

[GlenC]

Hi,

Thanks for the info. The skype side of things is purely for incoming calls, we use sipgate.co.uk for the main outgoing and incoming calls. The skype calling in is just a convience for a few people who will call using the skype network.

I have tried setting up the version 2 software to link into the asterisk box, but I haven't had much luck. The documentation is seriously lacking (for a newbie to this anyway)

If anyone has any further information on the settings to use to get this working, it would be most appreciated.

Thanks

Glen.