Mobile "callback" or "call routing" application with Asterisk...

[colinjones]

Was just wondering if anybody had ever come across a mobile phone application (say Java), that would allow you to intercept calls placed on the mobile phone, and route them all to a specific landline number. Then on the Asterisk PABX at that number, receive the call, and route it back out based on the real number that the mobile app sends to it.

The idea being to be able to place all your mobile calls through Asterisk and benefit from cheap VoIP plans to make these calls rather than more expensive mobile plans. Would require the app to intercept the call, place a new call, and then communicate with Asterisk the actual call destination. And for something in Asterisk to be able to understand the number communicated to it from the app - maybe an extension to IVR? DTMF tones?

Or even just a callback, perhaps where the phone app sends an SMS to Asterisk? Then Asterisk places a call to your mobile and the destination and conferences them?

Just some idle thought!

[pigdog]

Hi Col,

I've tried to respond to this for 2 to 3 hours but it just gets to convoluted.

Sorry, I'm an old telco guy.

This isn't probably something you want just anyone to be able to do when they call your cell?  You talked about intercept.

Or do you mean just making calls from the cell phone?

[colinjones]

Calling from my mobile phone (via Asterisk) to another number...

[pigdog]

Hi,

Just so that I understand the scenario.

You are on your cell and you place a local call to your home phone (which is VOIP service and running under LinuxMCE/Asterisk).

This incoming call terminates (gets answered) by the LinuxMCE/Asterisk system and somehow through an access code/whatever you would then receive a second dial tone.

This would then provide originating service on the LinuxMCE/Asterisk/VOIP line and allow you to call out long distance?

According to the Asterisk feature list...

Local and Remote Call Agents     Staff can log onto the PABX from any phone using a login ID allowing them to make and take calls as if they were in their office.

[colinjones]

pigdog - yes that's pretty much it, except I was hoping there might be maybe a java type app for the mobile phone that would intercept the user making the normal call, and do this in the background (I know that Avaya have something like this, but uses a callback from the PABX, rather than the routing approach)

You could almost do it as described, manually, now, except that is not exactly transparent or convenient!

The Local/Remote call agents description you gave sounds more like a SIP client logging on remotely to Asterisk and using it to make the call, like a softphone... which would be ideal and avoid this approach except mobile data is more expensive than placing a normal mobile call, so kind of defeats the purpose!

[pigdog]

Hi,

The feature says "from any phone" which to me means generic -POTS, whatever.. 

What I don't get is how they take calls?

I know of a now defunct system (C.O. - central office switch) that had something called registered users.

If you called into the switch from a POTS phone (from off a step by step system) it would allow you to use custom calling features.

You got registered on the digital switch and essentially were a line appearance on that system.

Could it be something like that?

[lemming86_au]

A lot of new mobiles lately have SIP clients built in, that you can set up as an extension in asterisk.
When you make calls, you can choose if you wish to make call via mobile or Asterisk, though for that you need Wifi or 3G internet connection.

[pigdog]

Hi,

If the mobile phone has a SIP client built in then you'd just connect to your VOIP provider and begone.

None of this, connecting to Asterisk, would be necessary unless you had an older cell phone that you didn't want to give up!

Wait a minute I half paid attention to some crappy advertisement/tech show...

Vonage Softphone ®

Forgot your phone? Use your computer! Just download Vonage Softphone to add a fully functioning telephone interface to your PC or Mac. Perfect while on the road, you can use it to make calls, receive calls, and check your voicemail.

You'll always feel connected with Vonage Softphone, not to mention safe - 911 calls are routed to the Vonage National Emergency Call Center. When the trained agent answers, provide your phone number and location. They'll then report your emergency to a local call center.

I think I remember something about cell phones... not sure.

[los93sol]

I have a few questions about this, are you wanting to be able to do this just when you are at home or do you want to be able to do this from anywhere?  I guess I don't really understand the need for this as you'll be using your cellular airtime minutes which here in the states is pretty standard free long distance (I don't know how it works across the pond though, maybe this is where I'm missing the goal) plus you'll be using up VOIP time so in all cases except international calls you'd actually be spending more money.  Or are you proposing to use the data side and connect back to your asterisk box via sip and call out that way?  Routing back over SIP is doable now and I've been doing it for quite sometime with my iPhone using Siphon and Fring (I prefer Siphon personally for anyone looking at doing this).

However, if you are looking to do this only when at home and don't have a SIP capable device then the upgrades I've been working on for Asterisk and FreePBX would be of significant usefullness to you as bluetooth channels are enabled in more recent versions of Asterisk, including the one I currently have running on my system.  NOTE:  The development of this is NOT complete at this time and I don't have an ETA as my time to work on it is quite limited.  With the bluetooth channels you can do much more as long you're device is within range of your bluetooth dongle.  It will allow you to use your phone as a trunk when it's in range, you can also use the phone as a locally connected phone which would solve this problem for you as far as I can tell if you only want to be able to do it while you are at home and will also not even touch your mobile plan in any way whatsoever.

If you are looking to do this remotely from anywhere without connecting to your Asterisk box over SIP I really don't have any idea how that type of setup would work, but it doesn't really sound feasible without some hackery that would likely be usable by very few people.

[colinjones]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Let me clarify what I am thinking....

Yes, this is from anywhere (so Wifi isn't the answer). I'm over the other "pond" from you! In Australia there isn't any distinction between distance for mobile calls, they are charged by the minute whether the person is next to you or on the other side of the country, so that isn't the issue.

As I mentioned above, I am trying to avoid mobile data, and thus a SIP connection, because this is charged for, and (although I haven't checked the plans recently) I suspect that the equivalent data charge for a minute of data even with a good codec is likely to be more than a minute of normal voice time, so there would be no advantage.

I was thinking about picking up one of those voice plans where you can specify one or more fixed line numbers to be freecalls (like a "family and friends plan"). If that was my inbound VoIP number to my Asterisk server, then I could place freecalls to it all the time. Then I can get a VoIP plan that is very competitive compared with mobile plan minutes, and use that to route the calls back out again. Thus it needs to be a voice call to the Asterisk box then a SIP call out, with something to coordinate rerouting calls this way on the mobile phone and on Asterisk.

Was just a thought... doesn't sound like anybody has come up with something like this yet. Thanks anyway!!

[maybeoneday]

Hi  colin ,
 
if I understand you correctly,I think you could achieve this (outside of lmce) through a spa 3102 dial plan ,but I've not seen a cell plan giving free calls to a landline , so you would still have the cell->home charge.

However,if you were on a cell plan which was free to  other cells on  your own provider then you could get a  home  gsm gateway,(similar to  http://www.gsmgatewaysolutions.co.uk/  ) another sim  (which I seem to recall either nite man or bulek mentioning doing about a year ago) to get the call into asterisk , and then forward the call, thro' your sip provider.Seems to be an expensive way to save money tho
 

regards
Ian

[los93sol]

Okay, I'm with you and understand what you're after now.  Let me do some digging, but I'm pretty sure I've seen this type of setup before.

[lemming86_au]

The feature you are looking for is DISA (Direct Inward System Access) which allows you to rin in, enter a pin & get an internal dialtone.
It is normally a module in FreePBX, but doesn't seem to be available in the version currently in LinuxMCE.

Regards,
Josh

PS. Nice to see another fellow Aussie here!

[colinjones]

The feature you are looking for is DISA (Direct Inward System Access) which allows you to rin in, enter a pin & get an internal dialtone.
It is normally a module in FreePBX, but doesn't seem to be available in the version currently in LinuxMCE.

Regards,
Josh

PS. Nice to see another fellow Aussie here!

Hmm, thanks Josh, will take a look into it!

[lemming86_au]

It could be manually added into your dialplan, but you would need to get it into the IVR menu, im not sure how you would do that without breaking it.

The details can be found here: http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/view/Asterisk+cmd+DISA