VoIP & Gadget News – FREETALK Connect Review

FREETALK Connect might be an easy to install IP-PBX, but it doesn’t skimp on features, packing quite a punch in advanced features, including Skype for Asterisk & Skype Connect support, paging, conference bridges, PSTN failover, custom CallerIDs per user, find me/follow me, and more. I took a FREETALK Connect system for a test drive and was pretty impressed with how easy it was to setup and configure, but was also impressed with its tight integration with Skype.

First, I should mention that FREETALK Connect runs with Asterisk in its core. Currently running Asterisk v1.4, the box relies on a Web portal for all administrative (add users, configure auto-attendant, etc.) and user interaction (voicemail, call forward settings, etc.). You don’t get console access to the Linux kernel. I was told the reason is that they wanted a turn-key, easy-to-use system that couldn’t be messed up by an administrator hand editing Asterisk config files. FREETALK Connect has all the core Asterisk features accessible from the web interface, including support for Skype for Asterisk, so for most businesses having console access to the box isn’t a big deal.

Installation was a breeze. I connected the LAN port to to a test network with some new out-of-the-box IP phones connected to it as well. I also connected the WAN port to a network providing DHCP IP address assignment so the device could connect to the Internet. Next, I configured a PC to one of the ports on the LAN side which would be assigned IP address, gateway, and DNS settings by FREETALK’s built-in DHCP server, which also provides auto-provisioning of the IP phones. I powered on the FREETALK Connect and then went to http://freetalk.gui/ to bring up the FREETALK web interface.

A wizard guided me through setting up the system, including configuring Skype, analog trunks, and extensions.

The box sports 4 analog PSTN trunk (FXO) ports and a 5th FXS port for hooking up a phone for emergency dialing. It also has a LAN port, WAN port, 4 US ports, and an A/C jack for power

Simply plug each supported telephone into the company’s existing network, and the FREETALK Connect auto-detects and configures it. An on-screen wizard then guides the customer through a few business-related questions that helps configure the company’s communication system and immediately enables Skype calling from every supported desktop phone in the office.

The admin interface was very easy to navigate and sported a nice clean design with large colored icons for each important function. From the Home screen you can access the status, users, teams, phones, networking (LAN & WAN), and more, as seen here:

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Tags: asterisk, freetalk connect, ip-pbx, pbx, sip, Skype, voip
Related tags: freetalk connect, console access, skype asterisk, freetalk, connect, skype