Originally Posted by xyzzy
I'm about to install an Asterisk system at home to replace my aging Executone <cough><cough> system <blech!>. I need three or four analog ports. Is there a multi-port alternative to an x100p that is inexpensive? I've only seen the Digium multi-port cards and they are rather expensive, at about $100/port. Also, do you have any suggestions for wired VOIP phones that offer ethernet passthrough to a PC?
Ohhh you are going big! Very cool!
For the VoIP phones, I REALLY like the cisco stuff, of course that comes with a price tag. The Linksys phones are basically sipura firmware inside a Cisco shell...and they are amazing. I believe some of them offer a switch built in...at least mine have a 'knock-out' on the back for the port.
My only recomendation for a card would have been the TDM400 from digium, but like you have seen, its expensive. They used to offer a hobbiest/home version that was exactly the same, only a fraction of the cost. Not sure if they still do...
Another option is to use an external adapter. Sipura makes both FXO and FXS...
I get the two backwards all the time... but an FXO is what you use to connecting an incoming PSTN line (a traditional phone line) and and FXS is what allows you connect a traditional phone. Either way Sipura, and now Linksys makes devices with combos of both. You can get a PAP2 which is a 2 port FXS for less than $100 on Ebay...or even for like $40 for the vonage version and re-flash it with the unlocked firmware (if you can find it
)
They also made multiport FXO's as wells as combo devices with FXS and FXO ports...mostly under the sipura label.
Hope that helps!