image from nerdvittles.com

*** UPDATE *** nerdvittles.com just released the INCREDIBLE PBX which now does not require you to open external facing ports on your router/firewall and fixes some instability with the Google voice scripts (also allows for multiple Google Voice accounts on the same server)!!

For those of you who follow me (all 2 of you) you know that I am a BIG fan of Voice Over IP.  Not only because it is a really cool technology that helps reduce costs while giving the end user (and system administrator) a plethora of functionality, but also because the open source community has made it extremely easy to implement and extremely affordable!  Well things just got better!!


Take all of the above mentioned benefits and make them easier to do with more functionality, mix in a little bit of FREE and what do you get?  A PBX ORGASM!!!!!!


The amazing folks over at nerdvittles.com have released their newest all-in-one package for home or office VOIP solution.  They have incorporated the ability to use your Google Voice account to make and receive calls — why is that so cool/important?  Well for those of you who aren’t familiar with Google Voice I suggest you read this or this and watch this first.   It is a pretty amazing service that Google is providing on an invitation only basis for FREE to anyone who has the patience to request and be extended a Google Voice account.  My advice to you?  Go get yours now!! To continue in their tradition of awesomeness, the nerdvittles.com team and supporting members have not only incorporated Google Voice into their latest build but also a myriad of additional features — to give you a brief glimpse:

  • AsteriDex (database searchable address book)
  • CallerID Superfecta (multi-source caller-id lookups)
  • CallWho for Asterisk
  • Cepstral TTS (improved text-to-speech engine)
  • Email That Works with SendMail
  • Extensions (15 preconfigured)
  • Fax Module using nvFax (ability to send faxes over digital trunks)
  • FONmail
  • FreePBX Backups
  • Gizmo5
  • Google Voice (preconfigured)
  • Hamachi VPN (installer script only)
  • Hotel-Style Wakeup Calls
  • ISN: Free SIP Calling from Any Phone
  • iPhone Visual Voicemail for Asterisk
  • MeetMe Conferences
  • Mondo Full System Backups
  • NewsClips from Yahoo
  • ODBC Database Support
  • Reminders by Phone and Web
  • SIP URI support (fax, mothership, e164, nv-demo, gv-ringback)
  • TeleYapper
  • Tide Reports with xTide
  • Trunk Lister Script
  • Trunks (Vitelity, Fonica, Gizmo, ENUM, Remote Peer)
  • Weather by Airport Code
  • Weather by ZIP Code
  • Worldwide Weather
  • Zaptel Updater

Wow!!!  That is a mouthful! And remember that this is just a list of the biggest, newest features — it doesn’t include any of the boring stuff like intra-system intercoms, follow-me extension settings, music on hold, ring-back tunes, IVR applications, parking lot, or DISA (this is where you can call into your system, enter a password and then be able to call out from your own trunks).  As usual the guys at nerdvittles have provided an excellent tutorial on how to download and configure their Orgasmatron V in lickety-split no-time-at-all-hassle-free-wonderfulness.  Please see HERE for more info.

I have recently moved my servers from physical to virtual (will discuss in later post) and I HIGHLY recommend anyone who is considering implementing this PBX solution to think seriously about implementing a virtual instance rather than a physical.  Why?  Mainly because the hardware requirements of this system are fairly minimal — I am running my virtual install on 512 MB of RAM, less than 8 GB hard drive space and a single core 2.0 ghz CPU.  There is no reason to tie up an entire physical server with a system that doesn’t need many resources to begin with.  From an end-user perspective there is no difference in call quality (assuming you have configured the server, network and end points correctly) and a VM offers you a higher percentage of up-time making migrations or upgrades a snap.  ** FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DO GO THE VIRTUAL ROUTE, PLEASE BE SURE TO REFERENCE THE VIRTUAL MACHINE PAGE ON PBXIAF WEBSITE SO THAT YOU CAN PATCH THE KERNEL WITH VM-ENHANCED KERNEL!!  –> SEE HERE. **

Now a quick word about trunks.  The tutorial says that you can use ipkall or SipGate.  From personal experience I would recommend SipGate — just make sure that when you sign-up for your account you do not get the e911 service (remember the SipGate account is your free incoming DID that you use in the google voice config).  If you are interested in having a secondary line I would recommend you consider Vitelity.  I have used them now for 4+ years and have been impressed with their voice quality, customer service and pricing.  For all nerdvittles members Vitelity offers a special pricing on their inbound and outbound trunks.  Please search nerdvittles.com for the special sign-up link.

On a final note I wanted to share my experience in using this system.  It is not 100% perfect — anyone who has spent time in the open source world has come to know that sometimes you encounter things that require a little bit of elbow grease to get working — for the most part Orgasmatron V is very straight forward and easy to install/use.  For me, the install was painless.  Using Google Voice as a service provider has been a bit of a roller coaster.  On some days Google Voice is crystal clear and you could talk for hours without any problems — on other days however you can’t even make a phone call because there is so much static or packet loss over the connection.  In spite of this, I would still recommend using this system (with a backup trunk via Vitelity to provide maximum reliability and safety).  As Google Voice continues to grow in popularity and use we will only see its reliability increase.  Now onto safety.  If you are going to implement a home phone (especially in the context of an office phone) system you need to consider the safety implications of what VOIP means.  Essentially VOIP does not natively support 911 location services.  A lot of VOIP providers don’t even offer this functionality (Vitelity does for a small fee, Google Voice does not).  This means that if you had an emergency situation and dialed 911 but were not able to clearly vocalize your physical location, the 911 dispatcher would not be able to send emergency personnel to your location.  This is a HUGE safety concern!!!!!  The solution?  Use a VOIP service provider that offers e911 service and then configure your PBXIAF system to default to the e911 trunk whenever 911 is dialed.  Please be sure to take the time to setup your PBXIAF extensions and trunks to properly route emergency calls over the correct trunk — this will ensure that all emergency calls can be traced back to the correct physical location!!

Well I hope that I have got your blood pumping and mind spinning with the endless possibilities that exist with a VOIP system — there has never been a better time than now to install your own!!  You know the drill, any comments, concerns or suggestions please post them below!