The ATA: The Essential VoIP Device

Ah, its my last blog for the month, and its Feb.29 a leap day!...a once every four years date! (coz it's a leap year!) Read about some interesting Leap Year figures,facts and fiction

Speaking of leaping....

ATS1100: VoIP Gateway/Router

ATA boy!: I was going to continue "harping" on how "wonderful" and easy our current T2Free softphone is to use. However, allow me to "leap-frog" a little bit on some of iCall products and introduce you to another basic but essential VoIP gadget: the ATA (analog telephone adapter), which like the USB Softphone allows users to set-up SIP configurations, thereby allowing them to make VoIP calls to either PSTN lines, Mobile phones or other VoIP users. The main difference between an ATA and Softphone however is that an ATA does NOT require a computer (or computer knowledge for that matter) while a softphone does. All one needs, are of course, the basics:

1. a landline telephone (POTS unit, to turn into a VoIP phone),




2. an RJ-11 wire/cable (to connect the telephone to the ATA unit),




3. a power supply outlet (to plug in the ATA's power adaptor),




4. and of course, broadband/high-speed or any DSL internet access.

FXO/FXS:Depending on the model, an ATA usually has an FXS, and FXO ports (the one pictured above, the ATS1100 has both). To get a more detailed explanation of these, just click the links. To simplify it, an FXS provides the VoIP line while the FXO is for the regular PSTN line (in the above model, the ATS1100, it can switch one to the other, such that a VoIP and PSTN lines can be used simultaneously to make and receive calls)

I'll try to give a more detailed explanation on how ATAs work next blog...

Softphone Functions: The Devil is in the Details

It's Friday once more and as I ponder what to write...well, actually, I already knew what I wanted to write for this week (which is continued in the paragraph below). However, I am very much "tempted" to put in my two-cents in the previous year's ZTE-NBN brouhaha started by JDVIII. and the current J-Lo expose continually rocking....well, not really the entire country but just the political and social structures (mostly limited to, at least in my view, the middle-to-upper class) in MetroManila. I'm sorry, but even with the participation of the religious, academe, business and student sectors, I do not really see these collaborating "corruption issues" against our government doing anything concrete or making any significant changes. Sure, there would be noisy rallies calling for renewals and much mud-slinging in the Senate "in aid of legislation" marathon sessions (but its really the pot calling the kettle black) I mean, government people got "commissions" and/or projects were "overpriced"....so? What's new?? Sure, its "horrible" and immoral and illegal...but its not "unthinkable"...and (horror of horrors!)...also, somewhat, not "unacceptable"...Yup, you heard me write (pun intended)..its "not unacceptable"...that's why when I think of oft-quoted innuendo "moderate their greed"...it doesnt really strike me as "shocking" really (or anymore). I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm no fence-sitter, I was among the first ones to join the very first night of EDSA II rally but only because I believed there was a very critical piece of evidence was suppressed that directly linked and proved that a wrong-doing was done by the sitting president at that time. See...this time, I don't see any evidence(s) presented or "smoking gun" as they say...only hearsay and a "crying man"....I just don't think its enough....yet. It's just too early to get "angry". Besides, after all the sordid details come out...what do we really want out of it?? Or more importantly, what do we get out of it? Probably nothing. Or, worse, we might get what we wish for... Nobody (as the past two EDSA-type revolts have shown) is really held accountable and "suffers" the punishment anyways...so what's the use??!? Speaking of "uses", below are the basic T2Free Softphone functions:

The PHONEBOOK, this allows users to store "often called" telephone numbers, whether landline, mobile or VoIP for easier and more convenient, one-click dialing. The other, more significant feature of adding VoIP numbers to the Phonebook is that it allows users of the softphone to "see" online presence of other T2Free VoIP users: greyed out means, offline, green means - online (w/SIP) means the user is using an ATA (analog telephone adaptor) which will be discussed in succeeding series. This type of feature is mostly often available in VoIM (Voice over Instant Messaging)

Sometimes, VoIP users would also want to check on their usages and verify the telephone numbers they have called (Call Out), those that had successfully called and connected to the softphone (Call In) and of course, calls which connected but was not answered (Missed Call). In this instance the T2Free Softphone's Call Data Records (CDR) could provide the necessary information to "review" the calls such as: Local IP, Remote IP, Date&Time of Call, the Length of the Call etc. which can be used to cross-check online CDR or just trouble-shoot any issues regarding calls both outgoing and incoming to the softphone. Or simply, check on calls that were missed. (To get a better image click the link above or the picture on the right)


One of the more "useful" features of a USB based Softphone is Call Forwarding or the "Call Transfer" feature when the usb is disconnected, or for some reason or another the Softphone goes offline (internet connection problems perhaps...) With this feature, a T2Free VoIP user simply registers his or her mobile phone or landline phone number (in this dialing pattern: 002 + country code + area code + landline/mobile number) for it to be "contacted" if and when the T2Free Softphone is unavailable or offline. However, this feature only works when the T2Free Softphone account has enough "load credits" to effect a call forward to another number. Reloading of "load credits" can be done through this link: T2Free iCall Reloading.