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C*NET Publicity

Started by Fabius, February 05, 2015, 10:51:30 AM

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Owain

Perhaps if C*Net came higher than tenth result in google when searching for c*net would help...

unbeldi

#16
Well, who would search for C*Net anyways, it being such a high profile name already.
But it comes up on the first page in my searches, nevertheless.

Greg G.

#17


Quote from: Fabius on February 05, 2015, 11:47:51 PM


I bought an ATA from Shane Young. The price ($40 total) included him programming the unit for me and shipping. All I had to do was connect it to my router and I was in service. The nice thing about the unit I bought was it provided two lines. One line goes into my PBX which has classic rotary phones as extensions and the other line has a rotary Princess on it. Pretty much plug and play. The grandkids get a kick out of making calls on the rotary phone. My 18 year old granddaughter actually asked me how did you make a call on the 302.

I'm going to back-track a bit about the not being a telecom enthusiast.  Since I started collecting vintage phones in Feb 2009, I've learned a great deal about what Ma Bell was and why we have a hobby because of it.  I've read "The Rape of Ma Bell" and am just starting on "The Break Up of AT&T", so I'm at least a Telecom History enthusiast.

I'm still hesitant on getting plugged into C*NET.  I need to know if the phone plugged into C*NET is a dedicated phone, i.e. will it only receive calls coming through C*NET, or will all my incoming calls be lumped into it?  If the latter, I don't see much use for it.  I'm also hesitant about buying another piece of hardware if there is a way to get the router I have to work for it.  I don't have much patience for computer configurations, which is why it's sat here the last couple of years.  I would be willing to have a local help me in person, pay would be food and beverage of their choice.

P.S. Fabius, what is with your "quote" function?  Are you using the Quote link in the upper right of the post when you reply to posts?
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

unbeldi

There is nothing to be afraid when contemplating C*Net.  It's has nothing to do with the PSTN. It is purely a toy delivered over your existing high-speed Internet service. You plug a server or just an ATA into another port of your Internet router.
The only purpose of it is to talk to other collectors on the network or to explore the old switching systems members have set up.  There are Strowger switches, Crossbars, and probably some small ESS systems, in addition to the 555 boards, cordless boards, magneto systems, and what not people have hanging off their nodes.

However some of those system are also connected to the PSTN, either for direct dial into C*Net or for getting out, but the latter is usually not well publicized for obvious reasons.

Greg G.

Quote from: unbeldi on February 07, 2015, 07:06:19 PM
There is nothing to be afraid when contemplating C*Net.  It's has nothing to do with the PSTN. It is purely a toy delivered over your existing high-speed Internet service. You plug a server or just an ATA into another port of your Internet router.
...


So in other words, I can plug into C*NET using the ATA I have, (LynkSys Broadband router model RTP 300 with 2 phone ports, unlocked) and it would only receive calls coming from C*NET, correct?  Only thing I really don't want to attempt is the computer configurations, hence my "Help Wanted" post.
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

unbeldi

#20
Quote from: Brinybay on February 07, 2015, 08:44:19 PM
Quote from: unbeldi on February 07, 2015, 07:06:19 PM
There is nothing to be afraid when contemplating C*Net.  It's has nothing to do with the PSTN. It is purely a toy delivered over your existing high-speed Internet service. You plug a server or just an ATA into another port of your Internet router.
...


So in other words, I can plug into C*NET using the ATA I have, (LynkSys Broadband router model RTP 300 with 2 phone ports, unlocked) and it would only receive calls coming from C*NET, correct?  Only thing I really don't want to attempt is the computer configurations, hence my "Help Wanted" post.

In essence that is correct, unless that RTP300 is used with another service already.  Vonage used those for a while, but you are saying that it is unlocked.

You have to get in touch with someone who provides service for individual user for a single number or a few. I don't know if it is ok, to refer you to someone, but Shane Young seems to provide this to many.  You won't have to do any computer configuration, except figure out how to access the web page in your RTP300 to enter configuration parameters.

Just grabbing a page from a Google search for RTP-300 setup:  http://setuprouter.com/router/linksys/rtp300/login.htm
I don't know if this helps, but I am sure there are many pages like this on the WWW.

Babybearjs

Interesting thread..... C*net is really just a toy... used by people who need to keep in touch with each other concerning telephones... and the switching...  its just another Com Line.... private intercom.... on a big scale.... so it doesn't need to be worried about.... once all you guys pass away, the system will be dismantled and scrapped.... it looks like cell service has taken over in that area....
John

G-Man

Quote from: Babybearjs on July 29, 2015, 02:18:29 PM
Interesting thread..... C*net is really just a toy... used by people who need to keep in touch with each other concerning telephones... and the switching...  its just another Com Line.... private intercom.... on a big scale.... so it doesn't need to be worried about.... once all you guys pass away, the system will be dismantled and scrapped.... it looks like cell service has taken over in that area....

Though I was taken aback by your cynical and bitter comments, it is an interesting perspective. However, it also indicates that you really are not familiar with the driving concept behind C*NET.

It was created to both showcase and demonstrate automatic switching equipment. Since then it has morphed to include key systems, manual switchboards and even single-line sets.

Its use has absolutely nothing to do with "people who need to keep in touch with each other concerning telephones." Many still use the conventional and cellular PSTN or email as a primary means to communicate.

As far as your dismissing C*NET as just a giant COM LINE, please take another look at the effort of all the planning and implementation that was necessary to get it up and running. A number of individuals worked long and hard, spending money out of their own pockets with no reimbursement to make it a reality.

Is it just a "toy?" Not anymore than the vintage equipment that you, myself and the rest of those on this forum use daily to make calls over the PSTN.

Will this equipment be dismantled as these switcher's die? Some of it will be just as assuredly as your collection (or mine) will be once our heirs feel the need to cleanout all of our "junk." Hopefully most of it will find new homes with newer upcoming collectors who will appreciate it.

andy1702

#23
I use C*Net all the time. There aren't many days I don't make at least one call over it. I use the speaking clocks all the time, listen to hiostoric recordings that people have put up on various numbers and even use it to call other people. There is a C*Net number set up on my cell phone which enables me to call home for free no matter where I am in the world. I also use it to test newly restored phones. The only disappointing thing about it is that others don't use it more.

I now have a server set up here as two local (UK) exchanges, Clowne & Staveley. The beauty of it is that it's not truely geographical though. Eg anyone anywhere in the world can have a Clowne number for their old phone, which will then be able to locally dial any other Clowne number, weather they are in reality local or not. So if you happen to have an old 706 phone somewhere in the US that you know originally was used here in Clowne, I can probably give you back the original number for it so it would be back on the C*Net using the same number it used on the PSTN 50 years ago!

Here in the UK we go to some lengths to make using our old phones as authentic an experience as possible. It's a much more complex numbering plan than in the US, but that is because our PSTN has always been quite complex.

If anyone here wants to know more about C*Net, either the technical side of setting it up or the historic numbering then I'm always happy to have a chat. My C*Net number internationally is (+44) 246 81 200 or if you're calling from a UK C*Net phone it's 0246 81 200. Calling any time before about midnight UK time is fine.

Andy.
Call me on C*net 0246 81 290 from the UK
or (+44) 246 81 290 from the rest of the world.

For telephone videos search Andys Shed on Youtube.

dsk

C*NET and Ian Jolly has the great honor of getting me aware of the possibilities of using my phones. Thank You!!!
This has slowly grown to be some pabx,s among them a British Panasonic KXT61610.  It is no out of use, because I got a 100 % electromagnetical PAX, and I got it working.  That is not all, I have got help, and built a trunk unit for connection to IP telephony.

The European part of C*NET is fare more strict to keep the historical numbering plans than what is used in USA. From a historical point this is preferable, but it is also more complex and rigid.

I do not make a lot calls, but the services mentioned by Andy are Great!

dsk

Victor Laszlo

#25
It *IS* a big com line, just like the PSTN, AutoVoN and other systems. But it is much more, in the sense that it is a parallel universe telephone company "because we can."  It was explained to be "just like ham radio without the ham and without the radio."  In the beginning, only certain well-to-do collectors of telephone exchanges could afford to lease pairs from the LEC to interconnect their systems. Then the computer savvy guys figured out that the web could be used to provide (relatively) free networking among the PBX's, thus avoiding the expense of copper to and from each collector. The folks who developed the system would be kind of put off by some of the less than complimentary comments that have been written here.

markosjal

As a life-long telephone collector , and a user of VoIP and a former creator and owner of a VoIP service , I would like to add the following 2 cents to this thread.

C*Net can serve MANY purposes without damage to other users.

It is HIGHLY unlikely that the FCC or other regulatory agency will make any emergency dialing requirement as long as C*Net does not offer PSTN calling , PERIOD. This means that C*Net itself must provide the gateways to the PSTN, not simply use C*Net as a tunnel to another service. It is simply not within their authority to do so and if attempting to do so would have widespread implications for things like even my dorbell which rings a private VoIP line to my Cell phone as well as a Tesla Bakelite intercom phone. on the wall in the house.

Nothing C*Net offers even implies 911 service is required.

I would however suggest that anyone that does not live alone, and in USA or Canadam have 911 service of some kind on every phone that can dial anything. Some neighbor or Grandchild may not understand that you are on a "closed" network in an emergency.  This is far different from a government mandate.

Anyone who feels the need to have 911 service can do so anyway, as long as they have some integration with PSTN calling. Go to GV911.com and pay a buck a month, then change your ATA dialing plan . This is documented on that site for Obi devices but that same dialplan example works for Linksys/Sipura/Cisco ATAs and a similar dialplan substitution will work on the Grandstream Handytonen 502 as well as many others. GV911 can also work with asterisk and can probably (I am guessing) be used with any old analog switch as it dials a PSTN Number. If you have an ATA with an FXO port, or any kind of cellular gateway,  you can also use this to dial 911 in an emergency. If there is no PSTN calling there is no requirement for 911.

C*Net should have no fear to promote publicly. Until I became aware of this forum a short time ago, I had no idea what C*Net was. When I first did read about C*net it was lumped in with VoIP services which I took it to be like MagicJack. Did I mention I am a life long telephone collector since 7 yeares old and now in my 50s? Did I also mention that I have been involved in VoIP practically since its inception? If something so relevant to me was virtually unknown to me then how is C*Net going to bring in the folks that could benefit from it? If DNS or whatever domain names are the issue, then lets get it moved or modified so that it can be promoted . I should have known about C*Net when it was created. Granted I am not a member of TCI or those groups, as I saw little benefit. 

If C*Net is concerned about people signing up siply to have a registry proxy then ask them questions about their old phones.  As I undestand it C*Net does not really offer a registry proxy anyway. That is all done by people connecting their asterisk to C*net.

I would like to create an asterisk server for C*Net and I must admit the information available seems somewhat thin, and I am an experienced asterisk user. . I would also like to be able to offer as an enhancement to said service, integration with Google Voice and perring via SIPBroker, not to mention e911, not as a requirement however as an option for those who need it by law when having access to PSTN dialing. I would not want USA/Canada E911 forced on me, as I live in Mexico and completrely understand. Even MagicJack allows you to decline e911 sevice by saying " I Live outside of the USA". However, if I lived in USA or Canada, I would make sure any phone had 911 service , somehow, some way.

Does anyone here believe that C*Net is so unique as a "closed" VoIP service? It is not.  It is unique in that it is for collectors. Many like myself have never collected switch hardware and we may have no interest in doing so, but we would like to use C*Net to better communicate with each other or our families. After all why not use what we collect to do that?


Mark
Phat Phantom's phreaking phone phettish

unbeldi

#27
@markosjal:
I think you're missing the point of C-Net entirely.  It was never intended, nor is it now, or even perceived, or planned to be a VoIP service. It indeed uses VoIP, but it is not a 'service' to provide personal telephony communications.  From the beginning it was simply a means to interconnect historic switching machines so that the collectors of them had a network to connect to in order to interoperate with other systems. Look at it as a provider of trunks via the Internet.  Of course, that opened the door to others who didn't care so much about collecting and restoring switching gear, but found it cool to play with them by calling and listening to the clicking sounds of the old telephone networks. Of course a lot of person-to-person telephoning is going on too.

All that C-Net provides centrally as a project is an ENUM server for the numbering plan that was agreed upon by the initial organizers.
That is all that C-Net is.
If you want to participate in that numbering plan than you need to signup for a number allocation. That enables other users to call your system.  You don't need to do that in order to just call other systems, you can configure your Asterisk system with the ENUM resolver and be done with it, many members publish their numbers on the web site.
Signing up is a simple process that appears sufficiently described on the web site. It's not something that is promoted and designed for novices, sure. But the lack of promotion is not because there is a perceived fear of rattling administrations, it is because there appears no interest by any of the 'members' to create any kind of VoIP calling service.

The first time I heard about C-Net was when one of the organizers asked on the Asterisk Users' or Developers' listserv whether Asterisk is suitable for that goal and how to get started... along those lines. That was probably about a dozen years ago. I had been involved with Asterisk for perhaps a couple years at the time.  It wasn't until several years later when I rediscovered the C-Net group when I found out about TCI.  I found it very easy to sign up and get a number allocation for my own Asterisk systems.  The online documentation is somewhat sparse, and some of it actually outdated, some of it rather archaic, but it works for those willing to spend a little time with it. If you understand ENUM, it should be a snap to get started.

If you have interest in providing a VoIP telephony service, that's up to you.  You can then link it with C-Net.  However, just for kicks, this has already been done too, it is just not promoted.  Some C-Net member provide a similar facility on their personal Asterisk system.


PS:  I would suggest you start by signing up for the CNet mailing list and voice your concerns, if any, or suggestions there.

andy1702

Mark,

I think your post was pretty much spot on there. C*net isn't publicised at all. And the fact it shares it's name with a tech website doesn't help when searching for it either!

Like you, I'm a phone collector. I don't have huge racks of equipment because I don't have the space for anything like that. I just use C*net to talk to fellow collectors and enthusiasts while using the old phones I have dotted around the house. Originally I didn't have my own asterisk based server, I just used an ATA box to connect to connect me to Ian Jolly's system here in the UK. However I wanted to give a little something back and help C*net to grow, so I got an asterisk server (running Astlinux on a slightly midified HP thin client) which allowed me to open my own 'exchange' and provide some lines with interesting vintage recordings that people can dial into.

I think of C*net not as a network of computer servers but more like an old telephone company that just happens to have computerized exchanges, with different individuals owning and maintaining each exchange.

For me the beauty of C*net is it's unique ability to preserve parts of our history. here in the UK our phone numbers have evilved a lot over the years, with changed dialling codes and extra digits inserted into numbers. However with C*net I can use a 1970s phone to call family and friends on exactly the same numbers I called them on in 1975!!!! All they need is an ATA connected to my 'exchange' server or the free Zoiper app on their mobile phone.

I'd like to see C*net expand because I'd like to see more people use it. We preserve all this old equipment but what's the point if it never clatters, clicks, whirrs and rings into life. There's no fun in looking at a beautifully restorred Strowger rack that isn't doing anything and it's nice when the vintage phones around the house actually ring. That's why my c*net contact details are on the bottom of every post I make on this forum.

My one criticism of C*net is that e-mail list. I absolutely hate e-mail lists in general. They clog up my e-mail and the info on them gets lost within a few hours with no easy way of going back to access it. Maybe a C*net board on this forum would be a better option?

Andy.
Call me on C*net 0246 81 290 from the UK
or (+44) 246 81 290 from the rest of the world.

For telephone videos search Andys Shed on Youtube.

markosjal

#29
Quote from: unbeldi on December 25, 2016, 01:24:30 PM
@markosjal:
I think you're missing the point of C-Net entirely.  It was never intended, nor is it now, or even perceived, or planned to be a VoIP service. It indeed uses VoIP, but it is not a 'service' to provide personal telephony communications.  From the beginning it was simply a means to interconnect historic switching machines so that the collectors of them had a network to connect to in order to interoperate with other systems. Look at it as a provider of trunks via the Internet.  Of course, that opened the door to others who didn't care so much about collecting and restoring switching gear, but found it cool to play with them by calling and listening to the clicking sounds of the old telephone networks. Of course a lot of person-to-person telephoning is going on too.

All that C-Net provides centrally as a project is an ENUM server for the numbering plan that was agreed upon by the initial organizers.
That is all that C-Net is.
If you want to participate in that numbering plan than you need to signup for a number allocation. That enables other users to call your system.  You don't need to do that in order to just call other systems, you can configure your Asterisk system with the ENUM resolver and be done with it, many members publish their numbers on the web site.
Signing up is a simple process that appears sufficiently described on the web site. It's not something that is promoted and designed for novices, sure. But the lack of promotion is not because there is a perceived fear of rattling administrations, it is because there appears no interest by any of the 'members' to create any kind of VoIP calling service.

The first time I heard about C-Net was when one of the organizers asked on the Asterisk Users' or Developers' listserv whether Asterisk is suitable for that goal and how to get started... along those lines. That was probably about a dozen years ago. I had been involved with Asterisk for perhaps a couple years at the time.  It wasn't until several years later when I rediscovered the C-Net group when I found out about TCI.  I found it very easy to sign up and get a number allocation for my own Asterisk systems.  The online documentation is somewhat sparse, and some of it actually outdated, some of it rather archaic, but it works for those willing to spend a little time with it. If you understand ENUM, it should be a snap to get started.

If you have interest in providing a VoIP telephony service, that's up to you.  You can then link it with C-Net.  However, just for kicks, this has already been done too, it is just not promoted.  Some C-Net member provide a similar facility on their personal Asterisk system.


PS:  I would suggest you start by signing up for the CNet mailing list and voice your concerns, if any, or suggestions there.

I am not missing ANY point. I see your use is different than what I would envision but it can be many different things to different people. I have been a life long telephone collector since my childhood. I never worked for a telco I was an early adopter of VoIP and made a business out of it quickly. I understand VoIP and ALL things it is capable of being.

When you say "VoIP service" you make it sound so commercial. That is not really my intention , as I am just trying to contribute. I actually am currently in Mexico and there is currently no Mexico node whatsoever. I have been in touch with some collectors here in Mexico.  they would like to know what it is all about too . There is not a lick of information in Spanish from what I have seen, and little in English.

Now on the subject of SIP Peering like sipbroker , my former VoIP business was a pioneer in that we offered that kind of peering long before others did and all sipbroker codes were intergrated into our dial plan. They were all free calls and why not? I mean if your mother is on callcentric (or any one of hundeds of services that peer via sipbroker)  wouldnt it be nice to actually use that old phone to talk to mom? And it is free no matter how long the distance. "SIP its the Next Best thing to being there". It does not mean you will be targeted for SPAM calls . I am available via peering I get lots of spam on the PSTN and none on peering . I see someone on C*net has already blocked out the SIP (747) prefix which should naturally allow sipbroker dialing. That 747 prefix is the most natural way to implement it given the lack of "*" in the rotary phone world.in your own words you say , "....had a network to connect to in order to interoperate with other systems...." that sounds a lot like peering to me.

By the way ENUM in the true sense represents a VoIP destination for a PSTN number. ie; +1234567890 = sip:12345678900@myhomesipserver.com

on a further note you can not have a service like c*net and have no or too little documentation. It all must come together . If for instance I exclude the use of CODECS that you and your users support then my  people can not call your people .
Phat Phantom's phreaking phone phettish