(newbie) I'd like to configure FreePBX in a home setup

Hi,
I’m new in this field, I tried configuring FreePBX and it works in local (using Zoiper).
I wanted to configure it with the telephone I’ve at home just to see how it works (and even IF it works).
I don’t wanna use Patton or something like that, i’d like it to be “virtual”, is it possible? If yes, what should i do/ look for?
(I’m sorry if I used the wrong category, i didn’t know what to use)

The technology you need is an ATA (analog telephone adapter) with an FXS (station) port. Common brands are Cisco, Poly/Obi, Grandstream. A Patton gateway does the same but at enterprise scale.

Hi, thanks for the response.
So i need an adapter for the signal to be converted from/to analog (idk) even if i use virtual phones?

When you said

I assumed you meant an analog phone.

What do you mean by virtual?

True, that was my bad when i explained it…
I would like to use programs like Zoiper/X-lite so that i can answer calls (outside calls) from a PC and get 2-3 PCs to simulate something local.
I guess i won’t be able to use the telephone without an analog adapter

If you want to use your curent phone at home, you need an adaptor (SIP to FXS / FXO).
Grandstream HT813 works correctly.
You can replace your phone with the HT813 and use only the softphones too.
If you’ve got a SIP trunk, then you can plug your analog phone to the HT813 and use it as an internal phone.

I started to use this kind of adaptor at home (Cisco SPA 3102) and X-Lite too.
You can use some softphones installed on your smartphone and connect to your FreePBX system through Wifi.(It’s not best but that works).

The hardest for you will be to find the good settings if you think to replace your current analog phone by the HT813.

Anyway, your plan is doable for sure.

I like this, i just want to play with it for the moment and see how it all works.

This might sound as a stupid quesion, if i want to dismiss my analog phone and use only softphones would i need to pay for a SIP trunk service?
I seemed to understand that whatever i want to do i’d need a Grandstream or something like that for it to work

No, you can plug the HT813 instead of your curent phone.
No need to use SIP trunk
In this case, your HT813 will convert the analog line to a SIP trunk.
For resume, The HT813 will replace your curent analog phone and generate a SIP trunk.

So to make it work i’d need to:

  • buy and install a Grandstream H813 (or something like that);

    OR

  • buy an analogic adapter and pay a SIP trunk service?

Sorry but i’m really new to it and don’t know how to move.
Thanks a lot for the help

Which country are you in? E.g. in the UK you will be forced replace your current analogue line with a VoIP line in, at most, a little over three years, and possibly sooner in some areas. In the UK case, if you don’t take control and port your number to an explicit VoIP provider, the VoIP credentials may not be available to you, so you may have to use the telephone operator’s ATA or VoIP phones.

I suspect North America is operating on similar timescales.

I’d expect most Western countries to require network operators to allow number porting.

I still don’t really understand your requirements.

It might be worth noting that Asterisk wasn’t, originally, a VoIP switch, and you can buy PCI and PCIe cards to allow it to interface to analogue (US spelling analog) lines. However, those interface cards are likely to be more expensive that dedicated ATAs and gateways. Also, you need to note what I said about its being likely that the analogue line to your house will go away very soon.

I live in Italy, sorry i just noticed i never said i have a VoIP line at home.

‘I have a voip line at home’

Please can you confirm that you understand the basics in

What are FXS and FXO ports and what is the difference? | Yeastar.

and that you understand that the Grandstream has one of each?

One alternative to the FXO to connect to the PSTN is a ‘voip service’, and one alternative to the FXS you connect to an analog phone, is a softphone.

Ok i understand more or less the basics of it, but this is the first time i move in this field so i’m not sure where to go and what to do.
I don’t really care about my telephone at home because i’d like to use softphones.

I configured PBX and tried it with different PCs with softphones and it worked, now i’d like to do outside calls.
I’m pretty sure i have a VoIP line but i saw i need a SIP trunk for it to work but if possible i’d like a free solution because i’m doing it just for testing.
Then i landed here where there seemed to be experts in that field so i tried asking you.
Any suggestion/advice?

Anyway thank you all

‘Free’ SIP services are few and far between (if at all), GoogleVoice is largely ‘free’ but needs an ATA to SIPify itself.

Still don’t know what you mean by ‘VoIP line’

If you have FreePBX setup and working internally via softphones and now want to be able to make and receive external calls you need a SIP service…thats not gonna be free…

Easy button…Sipstation…easy and quick integration with FreePBX and will cost you $15-$20 per month…

https://wiki.freepbx.org/plugins/servlet/mobile?contentId=5538454#content/view/5538454

Just remember, there are sort of two components here,

  1. your service which can be a regular POTS/Analog phone line or a Voip trunk service --and–
  2. your phones which can be VOIP hard phones or soft phones -OR- you can use an ATA and have old analog phones

I use a Grandstream HT802 which is FXS I believe to plug analog phones into my VOIP (FreePBX) system. You’d need an FXO device like a grandstream HT801 (I think) to use a POTS / Analog/ Copper phone line with your VOIP system.

If I were you, I’d find a relatively inexpensive VOIP service provider, and set up your system and play with it. And when you are ready either port your land line (if you have one) over to your VOIP service or get an FXO device. I use a pay as you go service (LES.NET) in Canada, but for you, something closer to home maybe. There are people here (dicko) who blow me away with experience, But I seem to have similar experience to what you are trying to do (home FreePBX system).

BTW, I finally got rid of my Copper PSTN POTS line and do it all on VOIP (well I do have a Cellphone)

There is actually a third type, which is a locked down VoIP service. As best I can tell, in the UK, people who stay with the main POTS provider, will be given a modem/router, with an analogue phone socket and a built in DECT base station, together with DECT phones. They may also be given an optical termination unit.

My suspicion is that the OP may actually have something like the above, with his phone plugged into the analogue phone socket on the router.

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After all I got a SIP trunk and it all works.
I configured it and tried to call (from my cellphone) my telephone at home, and i answered from a softphone in my pc so inbound routes should be good.
Then i tried calling from softphone to my cellphone and it doesn’t work. It says something like “all circuits are busy”, now i gotta look into it, probably a misconfiguration of some sort.

Thank you all for your advices and help.

If I am understanding your question correctly, you are looking to setup a home phone system with Softphones on your PCs.

This is what I have done here myself.
I have a Freepbx server that has trunks provided by a sip trucking service that is incredible and affordable, a couple Polycom Desk phones, Microsip Softphones on my PCs, and a Cisco ATA device that allows me to use my analog cordless phone on my system.

I also have an FXO FXS card in the Freepbx server (the most expensive card ever) That I have connected to an analog POTS line, and a Fax machine.

IMHO as one who likes simple interfaces, and free software, I prefer Microsip over Zoiper.

I’d love to help you out more if you need.