[dboyce]

Just a quick note to explain what the IX66 with the SIP Switch can do

1) Absolutely no set up to do, port opening, STUN, or Nat traversal, every device (SPAs, Cisco phones, softphones work straight off, as do multiple service providers)

2) Very easy to use web interface, with the ability to work at code level should you require it. Have a play with it here (it's the standard product, but will give you some idea) http://www.intertex.se/ix66_gui/first.htm

3) No excessive traffic due to frequent re-registrations due to STUN and NAT Traversal (great on capped data DSL accounts)

4) Your email address can also be your SIP Address, (ie me@mydomain.com, 123@mydomain.com rather than 1234567@provider.com yours to keep forever, even if your change service provider), it can be what ever you want it to be.

5) Where ever you in the world you can register on the IX66 via an internet connection and make and receive calls

6) Host your own SIP domains, it

[BSalita]

Now that we understand what it can do, which of these items cannot be done with, say a SPA3000 and BroadVoice?

[mberlant]

The mini-PBX functions cannot be done with anything else short of an Asterisk. For example, there is no way with the SPA3000 to set up other users as extensions.

Items 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12 and 14 of DBoyce's description cannot be implemented with a Sipura SPA3000 and a competent router.

Items 1, 2, 3, 7, 10, 11 and 13 may be implemented in a smoother manner with the Intertex, but they are all doable with the SPA3000.

[BSalita]

I'm too inexperienced to understand the significance of these items.

2. What is meant by code level?
4. Is the registration address an arbitrary string of email address form or must it be your DNS domain? Could I use ImAVoIPDummy@whitehouse.gov?
8. Saying I could use a DID number like IPKall to directly call the IX66?
9. Mom and sis could use a SIP adapter, like a SPA-1001, to connect to my IX66 and use my BroadVoice minutes?
11. I can't make sense of this. Whose local number would they call? Is this like IPKall from item 8?
12. In effect, speed dialing for registrees?
14. What is ENUM and why should I care?

I'm searching for tangible benefits. I can see tangible benefit for #9 in that others could share my service plan. Any other real benefits?

If I got an IX66, would I still use a service like BroadVoice? Does it allow me fewer or more choices of providers or service plans?

I believe the IX66 accepts an 802.11x compact flash cartridge to make it wireless? Anyone try this?

[mberlant]

2. I understand that this is a Linux box. As such, you can make modifications directly to the code.

4. You must own the domain name, else nobody outside your LAN would be able to DNS into you.

8. Just as you may have an IPKall number that points to 123456@fwd.pulver.com you could have one that instead points to 101@sip.mydomain.com.

9. Mom's SPA-1001 could have one of its lines registered as mom@sip.mydomain.com or 102@sip.mydomain.com instead of registering as 123456@fwd.pulver.com. She could then call you at extension 101 or dial 9 to use your SIPminutes, etc.

11. You could get yourself a BV number in granny's hometown and program the IX66 to answer that phone, ask for a PIN and give granny a Dial Tone. Or, if I understand correctly (I haven't taken delivery of my IX66 yet - I've only studied the documentation.), the IX66 could recognize granny's Caller ID and perform Selective Call Forwarding to your cell phone or her sister in Australia.

12. This is just a comment to say that you define your own number plan inside your IX66. Each subscriber gets a number that you specify.

14. ENUM is a public registry, riding on top of DNS, wherein you can learn the VoIP provider name for an E.164 (ordinary phone number-looking) telephone number. Let's say, for example, that you want to call someone in Japan, whose phone number is +81-50-1234-1234. With a non-ENUM service you would place the call via your VoIP provider, who would charge you anywhere from 15c to 28c per minute, depending on your plan. Your IX66, however, first tries an ENUM query, which reply includes a positive response that this is a VoIP phone number belonging to YahooBB. Your IX66 then places the call to 05012341234@sip.yahoobb.ne.jp for free. Of course, in order for this to work your client (the IX66) needs to know how to make an ENUM query and the target VoIP provider has to have contributed its numberspace to the ENUM database.

You ask about tangible benefits. For me the benefits are:
- I am running out of telephones. Even though I have a small PBX in the house, I already have more VoIP "outside lines" than I have buttons available on the phone. I have seven VoIP registrations in the house right now, but I have to work some magic to make them fit on three buttons. The IX66 will allow me to register all of my services and all three local extensions right there.
- My laptop, which right now has 4 registrations of its own, will be able to reduce that count by being an extension off of the IX66.
- Since the IX66 is a full function router, as well as a SIP handler, it can replace my router. My attempts at Asterisk so far have faltered because Asterisk has no STUN client capability, requiring hard forwarding of ports through the router both for outbound SIP and inbound extension registration.

If you got an IX66 you could move your BV registration off of your SPA and onto your IX66. Likewise, your FWD registration, etc. Then, you set up your Dial Plan in the IX66 to specify which calls go out via BV, FWD, SIPphone, sipgate, etc. No matter which client you are on (your phone in the Living Room, your laptop while on the road, your mother's SPA-2000 registered on your IX66) the dialing routine is the same.

I also plan on trying out both an 802.11 CF cartridge and a BlueTooth CF cartridge. I'll let you know my results when I get there.

[PhoneBoy]

I use an IX66 here with a SIP Switch. I use the 802.11b CF card and it works well enough. I've got a number of services that the IX66 registers, including both free and commercial providers (where I have credentials). I don't use the extension dialing feature since I'm the only VoIP user in my house (at the moment , but I do make calls out to multiple providers, including Voxilla's Asterisk server.

It is amazing to me that a device so small can do so much.

[BSalita]

Thanks all, this is all becoming clearer. Some followup questions:

4. Are you given source to the IX66 so that you can modify the code? Does it run a proprietary PBX or Asterisk?
8. So the IX66 has a service running on a well known port that uses an email style address as protocol, similar to sendmail?
14. Who runs the ENUM database? Do we know which VoIP providers contribute their numberspace? Does BroadVoice?

The IX66 advantages over Asterisk is that it is dedicated PBX hardware, a router (wireless, bluetooth capable), some IX66 models have a DSL modem, and can additionally do items 1, 2, 3, 14?

[dboyce]

4. Are you given source to the IX66 so that you can modify the code? Does it run a proprietary PBX or Asterisk?

Not access to the source, just the ability to go way beyond the web interface. Yes it is proprietary


8. So the IX66 has a service running on a well known port that uses an email style address as protocol, similar to sendmail?

Not exactly, the service is SIP, true SIP addresses are in the same format as eMail addresses, SIP uses port 5060


14. Who runs the ENUM database? Do we know which VoIP providers contribute their numberspace? Does BroadVoice?

ENUM is still in its infancy, there are many trials running at the moment

Example 1. I have registered my father-in-laws PSTN number so if my wife forgets to call the tricky 1 digit shortcode, and instead calls the 10 digit PSTN number, the IX66 will do a lookup on the number and resolve it to my father-in-laws SIP Address.

Example 2. My mobile is also registered, so that if my wife again forgets to call me on my every so tricky 1 digit shortcode, and dials my expensive Mobile number, the IX66 does a lookup and routes the call to my SIP Address also registered on my Mobile, thanks to X-PRO for Pocket PC v2.0

For take a look at
www.enum.org
http://www.e164.org

Not sure about the USA, but Sipgate and Pipecall do in the UK.

11. I can't make sense of this. Whose local number would they call? Is this like IPKall from item 8?

Yes, I live in the UK and have registered 8 additional numbers on my IX66, the IX66 performs inbound number processing, so when a call comes in on one of these number it can be forwarded to a SIP extension, or even be forwarded to an external number.

IPKall works in a slightly different way, I have an IPKall number, it just simply forwards to my SIP Address, net result is the same. A guy in Washington USA dials a local number, and gets me in the UK!

Example 1) My wife

[BSalita]

Awesome explanations, thank you.

[Anonymous]

If you look around in VoIP forums a lot of problems is caused by the NAT and firewall. Just an example, everything is working fine with external calls, but you cannot forward a call from one local phone to the other.

With the IX66 the local SIP clients is sharing the same public IP address as if it was their own IP. In every way they can run as if they have their own public IP. There is no need for NAT traversal traffic, no need for STUN, and they do not