Getting confused (keeping track of SIPs/DIDs)

Getting started with the SIP Sorcery
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eachna
Posts: 11
Joined: Thu Dec 10, 2009 12:32 pm

Getting confused (keeping track of SIPs/DIDs)

Post by eachna » Fri Dec 10, 2010 4:27 pm

This isn't a dialplan question as such.

I'm trying to keep three people in touch over SIP and POTS/Cellular service. All three have Google Voice numbers. So, obviously, that's going to be the main point of contact for each. Two have Android phones (SIPGate is the primary SIP client, with iffy codec support) and one has a Nokia Maemo linux phone (EXCELLENT SIP client/codec support). One is outside the US and so _has_ to use SIP (GV does not forward to foreign numbers). One of the three can use (un-metered) cellular minutes.

I've also registered everyone for multiple SIP accounts (some with DIDs). There's 1 Future Nine SIP account (with ported & parked DID), 1 GiZMO account, 2 SIPGate accounts, an IPKall (tied to VOXALOT SIP) account, 2 IPComms accounts. Those are just the accounts with DIDs. Then there's some additional accounts that are "just" sip accounts with no corresponding DID.

I've experimented with different "simple" dial plans and got them working (so I can call a single google voice number and have it cycle through different DIDs). I'm just not sure what to do now and how to organize things.

To identify, we have "Mr. Dad", "Mrs. Mom" and "Son" :).

Mr. Dad is overseas with an android phone. He has wifi only at home, but takes at least half of family calls at work on work line (lenient employer). This means Mrs Mom pays local number charges via Google Voice for those calls. In addition, Mr. Dad seems to have systematic issues with SIP at home on wifi. Mr. Dad is not very computer literate, so it may be user error, or he may have a laggy DSL connection. Mr Dad never calls Mrs Mom, does occasionally call Son.

Mrs. Mom is in the US with the nokia linux phone. Google Voice is in her "MyFavs" plan from Tmobile (unmetered minutes) + unlimited internet bundle. She has wifi at home and at work, and makes half her calls when @ work and the other half when "on the road". 3G is good, but wifi is not available when driving. Mrs Mom calls Mr Dad and Son.

Son is in the US with an android phone. He is always on wifi with a very steady cable modem connection. He has no Sim in his phone. Son is an anti-social troll ( ;) ) and only accept calls from family, never calls them. He does call _friends_ using Google Voice (presently over the web) so if he had working SIP he'd probably use it to be social with peers.

Who gets what? Does Mrs. Mom even need a SIP number if she can call out on GV and be called back on Tmobile for free? What about Mr. Dad and his problematic connection? Would any of these free numbers be more likely to provide steady service over the others? What about Son? He has the best internet connection but the ONLY way to call him is SIP and therefore he also needs something very steady and reliable.

Should Mr. Dad and Son have backup DIDs+SIP accounts for redundancy (dialing in or out via Google Voice)?

I'm confident I can set up the dialing plans once I know what folks need, it's getting to that stage that's confusing me.

Aaron
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Joined: Thu Jul 12, 2007 12:13 am

Re: Getting confused (keeping track of SIPs/DIDs)

Post by Aaron » Sun Dec 12, 2010 10:12 pm

- Dad could have a Google Voice number that forwards to his mobile number or the Google Voice app (I think there is one now) on his Android phone,

- Mum could have a Google Voice number that forwards to her mobile number. For outgoing calls it would also be ideal if she could call out through Google Voice to take advantage of the free calls. I doubt there's an app on the Nokia that will support that natively so you could create a sipsorcery account for her with a dialplan that forwarded any call from her SIP account straight out via Google Voice. Or you could get Mum and Dad to swap phones, since Dad doesn't make many if any outgoing calls, and Mum could use the Google Voice app on the Android without needing to go through sipsorcery,

- Son could set up a sipsorcery account and connect to it with the SIP client of choice. He would then be able to make SIP calls to whomever he wished. To receive calls from Mum he could put a speed dial into her Nokia SIP client that dials sip:son@sipsorcery.com. To receive calls from the PSTN he could get a DID from any supplier or get a Google Voice account.

If I was you I'd start with the simplest possible step and work from there. Trying to work out how to use a variety of different SIP provider accounts, DIDs is the wrong way to think about it. Instead work out the communication steps you want to set up and then do them one by one.

jschwalbe
Posts: 28
Joined: Sun Jul 11, 2010 9:31 pm

Re: Getting confused (keeping track of SIPs/DIDs)

Post by jschwalbe » Mon Dec 13, 2010 2:48 am

This reminds me of one of those puzzles you do on a long airplane trip, but have to give up on after 30 minutes because you've filled in the grid but it still doesn't make sense. "Let's see.. Mr. Dad never dials out, and he is sitting next to the person wearing a green shirt; but the person in green has never been to the UK.. so Mr. Dad therefore has to be wearing the red trousers with a frilly tutu. Do I win something?" :mrgreen:

eachna
Posts: 11
Joined: Thu Dec 10, 2009 12:32 pm

Re: Getting confused (keeping track of SIPs/DIDs)

Post by eachna » Wed Jan 12, 2011 6:52 am

Aaron, thanks for the serious answer and jschwalbe, HEHEHEHEHE :).

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