On Wed, 2003-11-05 at 15:03, Steve Murphy wrote: > Everyone-- > > Here's a cost analysis, rather crude and inspecific, of using Asterisk > to implement a phone system. I'm really quite naive and new to all this, > so I'd appreciate any corrections, tips, pointers, etc, from those in > the community, who have far greater experience, knowledge, skill, etc. > than I. Am I forgetting something important? Am I way off in my > estimates? > > > The Minimum Cost of setting up an Asterisk Phone system: > > Fundamental Building Blocks: > > 1. No more phones serviced than one computer can handle. > 2. Computer = self-built or whatever, approx. $500 > 3. OS = Linux. $0 > 4. Phones. > Cheap Touch-tone phones: $30 each (Estimate at what I can get > at Walmart, quantity one purchases. No digital readout, no > programmable features.
I originally picked up this AT&T 957 phone at Office Max for $30. Currently the links from froogle show many people offering it for around $30, and one for $20. (http://tinyurl.com/twyi) Speaker phone, CallerID, callerid memory, and directory dialing. > Voip Phones $250 estimated per-phone average cost. Realize that > costs can vary widely here! > 5. Channel Banks. Looking at what's available on Ebay, I estimate you > should be able to pick up a fully loaded, 24-channel FXS/FXO bank for > $650 average. Low = $200 High = $4500. I have no way of telling > which channel banks are compatible with asterisk. Assume that they > are. > 6. Digium cards: FXO card = about $100. FXS card = $125. > 4 port FXS=$300. Prices approx. See their web site > for exact prices. > quad span T1 (96 lines total) $1500 > Single span T1 (24 lines) $500 > 7. Wiring. Cost of Wiring is not calculated. Assume that the premises > is wired, with patch panels, closets, etc., already in place. > 8. UPS, power supplies, etc: Not specifically included in the estimates. > > 9. Used equipment can be cheaper, but: if you need a lot, you may not > necessarily be able to wait around for everything you need to show up on > ebay. And what you get may not be what you wanted, etc. > > > Scenarios: > 2x8 system: > Computer: $500 > 2 FXO : $200 > 2 4-FXS : $600 > 8 phones: $240 > -------------- > Total: : $1540 cost/phone = $192.25 This option may not work in one PC as you have more than 2 Zapata cards. You will find it difficult to make the cards sit on their own IRQ, then you will deal with 4 x 1000 interupts a second on the machine. Not to mention you will be at the end of your potential expansion in a single machine. You would find it almost the same price to switch to a T100P and a channel bank with FXO and FXS ports. This would alleviate headaches of IRQs, and future expansion is probably just a matter of plugging in more phones. > 96 line system ( FXS/FXO mix 88/8) > Computer : $ 500 > QspanT1 : $1500 > 4 ChanBks: $2600 > 88 phones: $2640 > ---------------- > Total: : $7240 cost/phone = $82.27 > > 192 line system (FXS/FXO mix 176/16) > Computer : $ 500 > 2 QspT1 : $3000 > 8 ChanBks: $5200 > 176phones: $5280 > ---------------- > Total: : $13980 cost/phone = $79.43 I have a small problem with the above 2 examples in that they assume you can get by with 11 users to a phone line. I think this is not normally possible unless you are dealing as a telco serving residential lines that don't have dialup internet users. I also don't feel that a $500 computer can sustain 8 T1s of traffic today. Maybe in a year the prices will have fallen enough so that a $500 PC is adequate. I suspect the examples above should be stated more likely as a 96 line system (FXS/FXO mix 72/T1 or PRI 3 users per line) Computer : $ 500 QspanT1 : $1500 3 ChanBks : $1950 72 Phones : $2160 ----------------- Total: : $6110 costs/phone = $ 84.86 192 line system (FXS/FXO mix 168/T1 or PRI ~7 users per line) Computer : $1000 Needs more power 2 QspT1 : $3000 7 ChanBks : $4550 168 phones: $5040 ----------------- Total: :$13590 costs/phone = $80.89 These also have the potential to save money month after month by having subscribed to a T1 or PRI link and having more phone lines available for the employees. > Voip 24 x 192 Phones, using gnophone on existing comps & network: > Computer : $ 500 > 1spanT1 : $ 500 > 1 ChanBnk: $ 650 > 192 gnoph: $ 0 > ---------------- > Total: : $1650 cost/phone = $10.18 > > Voip 24 x 192 phones, using Voip Phones: > Computer : $ 500 > 1spanT1 : $ 500 > 1 ChanBnk: $ 650 > 192 gnoph: $48000 > switch/hubs: $ ? > ---------------- > Total: : $49650+ cost/phone = $258.59+ These also have problems. At the point you put 24 lines in a system, you really should be getting T1 or PRI service. When you do that you remove the channel bank from each of those examples above. 24x192 gnophones drops to a total of $1000, and cost/phone of $5.20 24x192 hardphones drops to $49000 with a cost/phone at $255.20 As has been mentioned you could get some other models of phones that go for less than $250 each. Not to mention at the 192 mark there will be some nice price point drops. > Cheap $30 phones are an option, but you will not get: > Intercom capability So far this isn't an option with any of the asterisk systems unless you use an overhead/loudspeaker solution. > Message waiting capability > CallerID type stuff. Both of these are possible, Note features listed above regarding the ATT 957. > Gnophones may or may not provide intercom, I haven't gotten that far as > to find out. I think the closest it supports would be an autoanswer. > VOIP phones are expensive, but MAY provide intercom, and other fancy > feature, if Asterisk will allow them. It's not clear yet to me that > Asterisk will allow intercom. Looks like you might get message waiting. So far it isn't a question of whether or not asterisk will let you, but if the VoIP protocol supports this function. So far I think we have determined that it isn't supported but in th SCCP protocol. Maybe this should be looked at for IAX2 inclusion and for when someone implements a full on IAX2 hardphone. I'm betting it wouldn't be too hard to embed the IAXIE(sp?) into a phone like the ATT 957 and have a relay trip the speaker phone button when you wanted intercom. -- Steven Critchfield <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> _______________________________________________ Asterisk-Users mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users
