I recently setup a FAX service for someone and needed a way to test if the system was receiving FAXes OK. I could have tracked down a friend with a FAX machine and have him send a test FAX. How much easier though to plug in the FAX numbher and have an automated system send you a FAX. Follow this link to send a test FAX.

Interpage Network Services Inc.TM Free Web to Fax and EMail OutFax Service.

I’m running FreePBX and sometimes need a telephone number for a special project. IPKall fits in perfectly.

Free Washington state phone number to your Internet phone.

Welcome to IPKall, the service that lets you receive FREE calls over the Internet from any phone, anywhere, any time!

FREE IP Calling with IPKall.

Here’s how I setup my FreePBX system:
1. Go to www.ipkall.com and sign up for a free number. Select/Use the following on the signup page:

Account type: IAX
User Name: <the 10 digit ipkall telephone number>
Proxy: <the IP or hostname of your freepbx server>/<the 10 digit ipkall telephone number>

Example:
User Name: 3065551212
Proxy: pbx1.mydomain.com/3065551212

2. On your freePBX server, create a new IAX trunk and use the following information. (Everything else can be left alone.)

TRUNK NAME:IPKALL
USER CONTEXT: <the 10 digit ipkall telephone number>
Remove the Secret line from the USER Details area.

3. On your freePBX server, create a new Inbound Route and use the following information. (Everything else can be left alone.)

Description: IPKALL
DID Number: <the 10 digit ipkall telephone number>
Set Destination: <Indicate where this DID should terminate>

4. Save and update the FreePBX configuration.

Here is a nice simple document to get you acquainted with telecommunication/network premise wiring. (PDF)
premise_wiring_tutorial

This is one device to keep an eye on. It will identify applications running on non standard ports and allow you to block/permit them.

In this Clear Choice, we found the Palo Alto Networks PA-4020 to be an innovative turn on the traditional firewall (see Is Palo Alto’s firewall a firewall or not?). By looking at application data streams, rather than TCP/IP port numbers, the PA-4020 is able to provide a finer-grained control over end-user Internet usage than has previously been available in any firewall. The PA-4020 also leverages this application knowledge to provide unprecedented (for a firewall, that is) levels of visibility into network traffic.

Palo Alto provides great visibility into network threats - Network World.

This article from InformationWeek shows why you should avoid cordless phones for sensitive converstations.

Passive radio eavesdropping is a low-budget, relatively safe way for potential attackers to scout out targets. Anyone in your organization using a wireless headset or cord-less phone is potentially broadcasting sensitive material.

Tech Tracker: Can Passive Radio Eavesdroppers Listen In On Your Company? — Wireless.

A=Alfa		N=November

B=Bravo		O=Oscar

C=Charlie	P=Papa

D=Delta		Q=Quebec

E=Echo		R=Romeo

F=Foxtrot	S=Sierra

G=Golf		T=Tango

H=Hotel		U=Uniform

I=India		V=Victor

J=Juliett	W=Whiskey

K=Kilo		X=X-ray

L=Lima		Y=Yankee

M=Mike		Z=Zulu

DS-0, DS-1, T1, DS-3, T3, STS-1, OC-1, STS-3, OC-3, OC-12, OC-48

I have a Motorola Razr V3 which has a mini USB port. This phone can be connected to your Ubuntu desktop using moto4lin to copy photographs, ringtones, etc. between your phone and desktop. You can also charge the battery (through the USB port).
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Just tried this out today. I need to punch through three panes of glass and go about 1/2 a mile to hit a free access point. Without the booster there was no signal. With the booster I connected with no problems. Here is a link to a video showing how to make it. Here is a link to the template.

Reynolds Wrap 6db WiFi antenna booster is sexy

You may have instances where you lose your WiFi signal when roaming around your pad. If you are a college student on a severe budget, or simply have an odd desire for working with aluminum foil, this free WiFi signal booster is for you.

Sure, there is a bit of work involved, but this relatively simple do-it-yourself project will have your internet-ing in the bathroom in no time. The increase of about 6db may almost be worth the hassle for some.

Here’s how to get the Motorola Mobile Phone Tools to recognize your V3.

Mobile Phone Tools Download [page 28/34]
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If you have a Motorola v3 cell phone you may be interested in this site about hacking the v3.

Start page - Hack the V3

I created this site because I wanted to learn how to modify the V3 simply and correctly.

This site will test your Internet speed. Very nice interface and easy to use.
Speedtest.net

Speedtest.net is a general use broadband connection testing site with many geographically dispersed servers to test against.

If you work with RS-232 you may be interested in how to make up your own DB9/DB25/RJ-45 connectors. Put one of these connectors on your equipment and use standard RJ-45 patch cords to connect everything together.
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Zfone

Quoting Phil Zimmermann -
14 Mar 2006 - I’ve just released Zfone, a new product that takes a new approach to make a secure telephone for the Internet.

I think it’s better than the other approaches to secure VoIP, because it achieves security without reliance on a PKI, key certification, trust models, certificate authorities, or key management complexity that bedevils the email encryption world. It also does not rely on SIP signaling for the key management, and in fact does not rely on any servers at all. It performs its key agreements and key management in a purely peer-to-peer manner over the RTP packet stream. It interoperates with any standard SIP phone, but naturally only encrypts the call if you are calling another Zfone client. This new protocol has been submitted to the IETF as a proposal for a public standard, to enable interoperability of SIP endpoints from different vendors.

Better networking with SCTP

SCTP is a reliable, general-purpose transport layer protocol for use on IP networks. While the protocol was originally designed for telephony signaling (under the RFC 2960), SCTP provided an added bonus — it solved some of the limitations of TCP while borrowing beneficial features of UDP. SCTP provides features for high availability, increased reliability, and improved security for socket initiation.

Asterisk@Home

“The Asterisk@Home project enables the home user to quickly set up a VOIP Asterisk PBX. A web GUI makes configuration and operation easy. We also provide an xPL (home automation) interface for easy interaction with other devices in the home.”

If found this interesting article on how to setup a VoIP server on your wireless access point.

Asterisk on OpenWRT part 2 - Lest Blood Be Shed

“There has been a lot of interest in the geek-world about being able to have a complete telco (more than just a PBX) system on hardware that costs less than $80US. In that vein, it seems like Saint Joseph’s College is the heart-beat of that movement and my blog which outlines a simplified how-to install the bugger is getting a lot of attention out in the blogosphere. Because of this (and some question I have received) I thought I would put together a more formal and informed “howto” for installing Asterisk on a Linksys WRT GS box (I think it works for the G but I don’t have one to test).”

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Now somebody is using their brain here. You plug a standard telephone into the back of this router. This has potential.
-JG

SIPphone - Call worldwide over your broadband Internet connection with any phone

“The DVG-1402S Broadband Phone Service VoIP Router enables standard phones to be used for voice calls over the Internet. … Connect up to two regular phones to the DVG-1402S, and with an appropriate Internet phone service plan, you are ready to make VoIP calls.“

The hidden cost of implementing VoIP

Are you planning a voice over IP implementation? You’ve probably got your bandwidth and switch needs figured out, but have you considered the costs of rewiring the network closets and dealing with heat output from Power over Ethernet switches? These costs can add thousands, even hundreds of thousands, to the total bill. Joining us to discuss some of the hidden cost of Voice over IP is Gary Audin, president of Delphi Inc.

DSL For Telecommunication Carriers

DSL deployments are growing rapidly worldwide. Even the early lead gained by cable providers is being challenged. Yet, DSL broadband service cannot be delivered to everyone who wishes to subscribe. In some areas, as many as 50% of the subscribers do not qualify for ADSL services.

Terayon

The Terayon BW 3500 carrier class cable modem termination system (CMTS) product represents the industry’s most advanced solution for offering previously unattainable revenue generating services. DOCSIS 2.0-qualified, PacketCable 1.0-qualified and built for 99.999% reliability, the BW 3500 is built for the revenue generating services of today and tomorrow.

VoIP Tech White Paper

Convergence of voice and data is becoming a reality, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is taking center stage.
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Delivering TDM over IP: Weighing the Options

This is a different twist on the TDM vs Voice over IP battle.
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