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The Most Versatile VoIP Provider: FREE PORTING

Introducing Incredible PBX 2027 for LXC Linux Containers



We introduced Zorin OS in our recent review of the latest Acer Aspire 5 notebook PC. If you’ve never heard of Zorin, it’s probably the best desktop operating system available. While it is Linux-based, it can look like any desktop you’re already familiar with including Windows 11 and even a Mac if you spring for the $39 Pro version. It can be installed on as many PCs as you personally own, and Zorin Pro provides an incredible assortment of apps including the full LibreOffice suite, VirtualBox, music apps including Clementine, video streaming with VLC Media Player, Gnome’s Gmail, Firefox, and a number of free photo editing tools. In short, any app that will run under Ubuntu will run under Zorin. If you’re a diehard OpenVPN fan like us, it works swimmingly under Zorin and is a breeze to install.


After walking you through a Zorin install, we want to introduce you to a new Linux virtualization solution called LXC Linux Containers. It offers many of the same features you’d find in the OpenVZ cloud platform including shared kernel access and almost instantaneous startups. On the Zorin platform, it’s a one-minute setup procedure. We’ve even built Incredible PBX 2027 LXC images for both Debian 11 and Ubuntu 22.04 servers so you can bring up one or more full-featured unified communications platforms in a matter of minutes.

Preparing Zorin 16 Installation Media

Prepare a USB stick after downloading the Zorin 16 ISO of your choice. The easiest method is to download and install balenaEtcher on your desktop machine. It’s available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Insert your USB stick into your desktop computer and then run the balenaEtcher app. Choose your Zorin ISO after clicking Flash from File. Choose your USB stick from Select Target. Be sure you don’t accidentally choose your desktop’s main drive! Click the Flash button to begin. Once the ISO is transferred, gracefully eject your USB stick from your desktop machine.

Configuring Windows 11 for Dual-Boot

We won’t bore you with a tutorial on setting up Windows 11. It works much the same way on almost any modern computer. Once you get Windows 11 installed, the only change we need to make is to shrink the main Windows partition so that there is some room to install and use Zorin. For Lenovo and HP machines, don’t waste your time trying to get Zorin installed. It won’t. For other machines, from the Windows desktop, tap the Windows key and Search for “Create and format hard disk partitions”. Highlight your main Windows drive, usually called “OS (C:)”. Control-tap on the Touchpad or Right-Click your mouse in that partition and select “Shrink Volume”. Choose the amount of space to shrink the Windows partition and allocate to Zorin. We chose 250GB, but that’s your call. Reboot your machine for the changes to take effect. When the boot logo appears, press F2 repeatedly to enter the BIOS setup. Click on the Security tab and set a Supervisor Password. No other changes are necessary. If you can disable UEFI do so, but it’s not required. In the boot options, specify your USB drive as the primary boot source so we can install Zorin from a USB stick. Move to the Exit tab and choose Exit and Save Changes to initiate a reboot.

Installing Zorin 16 on a Desktop PC

Now we’re ready to install Zorin on your desktop machine. Insert the USB stick and turn on or reboot the computer. If the machine doesn’t boot Zorin from the USB stick, you may need to make the USB port your primary boot device in the BIOS settings. Choose the LIVE Session option to make sure Zorin will start on your machine. Also make sure you can configure WiFi in the Settings -> Network tab. If all goes well, click the Install Zorin link on the desktop to install Zorin onto your empty partition when prompted. Upon reboot, if UEFI is enabled, be sure to register Zorin in the UEFI whitelist when prompted. In some BIOS configurations, you may need to set NVME:ubuntu as Primary in the Boot setup’s Drive Priorities after installing Zorin. This was the case on our favorite MiniPC desktop, the MINISFORUM Venus Series NAB6 Mini PC (shown below). Now reboot and choose Zorin from the dual-boot menu.


One final tip. If you’ve activated OpenVPN on your Zorin 16 machine, all of the LXC Containers can connect to other OpenVPN servers without the need to install an OpenVPN client on each of the LXC Containers.

Setting Up LXC Containers on a Linux Desktop

1. After loading Zorin, drop down to the Terminal window from the desktop. If you haven’t previously configured the root user account, issue the following commands:

#Set up a very secure root password
sudo passwd root
# Login as root with your root password
su root

2. Install the LXC Linux Container components:

su root
apt install lxc lxc-templates lxctl
lxc-checkconfig

3. Download, install, and configure an IncrediblePBX2027-U LXC container (3GB):

su root
cd /
wget https://filedn.com/lBgbGypMOdDm8PWOoOiBR7j/IncrediblePBX2027-LinuxContainers/iPBX2027U.tar.gz
tar zxvf iPBX2027U.tar.gz
lxc-start -n IncrediblePBX2027-U
lxc-attach -n IncrediblePBX2027-U
/etc/profile.d/helloworld.sh
reboot
su root
cd ~
pbxstatus
./update-IncrediblePBX
passwd root
./admin-pw-change
./apache-pw-change
./timezone-setup

4. Download, install, and configure an IncrediblePBX2027-D LXC container (3GB):

su root
cd /
wget https://filedn.com/lBgbGypMOdDm8PWOoOiBR7j/IncrediblePBX2027-LinuxContainers/iPBX2027D.tar.gz
tar zxvf iPBX2027D.tar.gz
lxc-start -n IncrediblePBX2027-D
lxc-attach -n IncrediblePBX2027-D
/etc/profile.d/helloworld.sh
reboot
su root
cd ~
pbxstatus
./update-IncrediblePBX
passwd root
./admin-pw-change
./apache-pw-change
./timezone-setup

5. Every time you start or restart the container, be sure to issue these commands:

iptables-restart
fwconsole restart
/root/update-IncrediblePBX
pbxstatus

Mastering LXC Container Commands

Here’s a quick list of the main LXC Container commands together with examples:

Switch to root user to begin or add sudo prefix to every command!

1. List LXC Containers: lxc-ls
2. Start LXC Container: lxc-start -n IncrediblePBX2027-D
3. Information about LXC Container: lxc-info -n IncrediblePBX2027-D
4. Activate Console for LXC Container: lxc-attach -n IncrediblePBX2027-D
5. Duplicate/clone an LXC Container: lxc-copy OrigContainer -N NewContainer
6. Stop an LXC Container: halt | lxc-stop -n IncrediblePBX2027-U
7. Create Debian 11 image: lxc-create -t download -n DEBIAN11 — -d debian -r bullseye -a amd64
8. Delete/Destroy an LXC Container: lxc-destroy -n IncrediblePBX2027-D

Originally published: Monday, September 11, 2023



Need help with Asterisk? Visit the VoIP-info Forum.


 

Special Thanks to Our Generous Sponsors


FULL DISCLOSURE: ClearlyIP, Skyetel, Vitelity, DigitalOcean, Vultr, VoIP.ms, 3CX, Sangoma, TelecomsXchange and VitalPBX have provided financial support to Nerd Vittles and our open source projects through advertising, referral revenue, and/or merchandise. As an Amazon Associate and Best Buy Affiliate, we also earn from qualifying purchases. We’ve chosen these providers not the other way around. Our decisions are based upon their corporate reputation and the quality of their offerings and pricing. Our recommendations regarding technology are reached without regard to financial compensation except in situations in which comparable products at comparable pricing are available from multiple sources. In this limited case, we support our sponsors because our sponsors support us.

BOGO Bonaza: Enjoy state-of-the-art VoIP service with a $10 credit and half-price SIP service on up to $500 of Skyetel trunking with free number porting when you fund your Skyetel account. No limits on number of simultaneous calls. Quadruple data center redundancy. $25 monthly minimum spend required. Tutorial and sign up details are here.

The lynchpin of Incredible PBX 2020 and beyond is ClearlyIP components which bring management of FreePBX modules and SIP phone integration to a level never before available with any other Asterisk distribution. And now you can configure and reconfigure your new Incredible PBX phones from the convenience of the Incredible PBX GUI.

VitalPBX is perhaps the fastest-growing PBX offering based upon Asterisk with an installed presence in more than 100 countries worldwide. VitalPBX has generously provided a customized White Label version of Incredible PBX tailored for use with all Incredible PBX and VitalPBX custom applications. Follow this link for a free test drive!
 

Special Thanks to Vitelity. Vitelity is now Voyant Communications and has halted new registrations for the time being. Our special thanks to Vitelity for their unwavering financial support over many years and to the many Nerd Vittles readers who continue to enjoy the benefits of their service offerings. We will keep everyone posted on further developments.
 



Meet the $500 Multi-Purpose Powerhouse: The Acer Aspire 5



We review lots of hardware and numerous operating systems, but none come close to this steal from Amazon for under $500. The Acer Aspire 5 comes in many flavors at many price points. But, if loads of RAM (20GB) and a huge storage capacity (1TB NVMe SSD) top your list of must-haves, nothing we’ve found can touch this deal. The rest of its pedigree is equally impressive: a Ryzen 3 3350U 4-core processor (up to 3.5GHz), backlit keyboard, fingerprint reader for one-touch logins, Amazon Alexa, and Windows 11. As most of you know, our Amazon referral links provide funding to keep the lights on at Nerd Vittles, but none of our recommendations are based upon referral revenue. We eat our own dog food so these are products that we not only test but actually use.

The surprises don’t stop with this hardware discovery. Despite having read a number of articles decrying the lack of Linux support with Acer’s Aspire 5, we found quite the opposite. By setting up a dual-boot configuration, we were able to easily load our absolute favorite desktop Linux distribution, Zorin OS 16. Zorin comes in several flavors: a free offering, a School edition, and a $39 Pro version that can be installed on as many non-business computers as you own. For businesses, you can afford a license for each machine. For schools, there is no charge for the super-charged education edition. We opted for Zorin Pro whose desktop can emulate eight different desktop favorites including Ubuntu, Windows, and Mac. Here are our favorites:


Our project today is to walk you through setting up a dual-boot machine where you can elect to run Windows 11 or Zorin 16 when you startup your machine. Why have two operating systems? The primary reason is you get the best of both worlds. All of the traditional Windows 11 applications will run without a hiccup. And Zorin Pro provides an incredible assortment of apps including the full LibreOffice suite, VirtualBox, music apps including Clementine, video streaming with VLC Media Player, Gnome’s Gmail, Firefox, and a number of free photo editing tools. In short, all apps that will run under Ubuntu will run under Zorin. If you’re a diehard OpenVPN fan like us, it works swimmingly under both operating systems.

Configuring Acer Aspire 5 for Dual-Boot

We won’t bore you with a tutorial on setting up Windows 11 on the Acer Aspire 5. It works much the same way as it does on any other modern computer. Once you get Windows 11 installed, the only change we need to make is to shrink the main Windows partition so that there is some room to install and use Zorin. From the Windows desktop, tap the Windows key and Search for “Create and format hard disk partitions”. Highlight your main Windows drive, usually called “OS (C:)”. Control-tap on the Touchpad in that partition and select “Shrink Volume”. Choose the amount of space to shrink the Windows partition and allocate to Zorin. We chose 250GB, but that’s your call. Reboot your machine for the changes to take effect. When the boot logo appears, press F2 repeatedly to enter the BIOS setup. Click on the Security tab and set a Supervisor Password. No other changes are necessary. Move to the Exit tab and choose Exit and Save Changes to initiate a reboot.

Preparing Zorin 16 Installation Media

Prepare a USB stick after downloading the Zorin 16 ISO of your choice. The easiest method is to download and install balenaEtcher on your desktop machine. It’s available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Insert your USB stick into your desktop computer and then run the balenaEtcher app. Choose your Zorin ISO after clicking Flash from File. Choose your USB stick from Select Target. Be sure you don’t accidentally choose your desktop’s main drive! Click the Flash button to begin. Once the ISO is transferred, gracefully eject your USB stick from your desktop machine.

Installing Zorin 16 on Acer Aspire 5

Now we’re ready to install Zorin on your Aspire 5. Insert the USB stick and turn on or reboot the computer. The machine will boot Zorin from the USB stick. Choose the LIVE Session option to make sure Zorin will start. Also make sure you can configure WiFi in the Settings -> Network tab. If all goes well, click the Install Zorin link on the desktop to install Zorin onto your empty partition when prompted. Upon reboot, be sure to register Zorin in the UEFI whitelist when prompted.

Enabling VirtualBox in Zorin 16

UEFI machines are temperamental about which non-Windows apps can run. If you wish to enable VirtualBox, here are the steps. First, run the Terminal app and reinstall VirtualBox:

apt remove virtualbox-dkms
apt install virtualbox-dkms

You’ll be prompted to set up a password for your new VirtualBox UEFI key (8 characters). Then reboot and register the new key when prompted. Enter the password when prompted. Now run VirtualBox from the Applications menu, and you should be good to go.

Installing Incredible PBX 2027-U for VirtualBox

Once you have VirtualBox running successfully, you can install Incredible PBX 2027-U. Using the Firefox browser, download the IncrediblePBX2027-U.ova image from here. Double-click on the .ova image to install it into VirtualBox. Then click RUN to start up Incredible PBX.

Read more about Linux Containers.

Originally published: Monday, August 21, 2023



Need help with Asterisk? Visit the VoIP-info Forum.


 

Special Thanks to Our Generous Sponsors


FULL DISCLOSURE: ClearlyIP, Skyetel, Vitelity, DigitalOcean, Vultr, VoIP.ms, 3CX, Sangoma, TelecomsXchange and VitalPBX have provided financial support to Nerd Vittles and our open source projects through advertising, referral revenue, and/or merchandise. As an Amazon Associate and Best Buy Affiliate, we also earn from qualifying purchases. We’ve chosen these providers not the other way around. Our decisions are based upon their corporate reputation and the quality of their offerings and pricing. Our recommendations regarding technology are reached without regard to financial compensation except in situations in which comparable products at comparable pricing are available from multiple sources. In this limited case, we support our sponsors because our sponsors support us.

BOGO Bonaza: Enjoy state-of-the-art VoIP service with a $10 credit and half-price SIP service on up to $500 of Skyetel trunking with free number porting when you fund your Skyetel account. No limits on number of simultaneous calls. Quadruple data center redundancy. $25 monthly minimum spend required. Tutorial and sign up details are here.

The lynchpin of Incredible PBX 2020 and beyond is ClearlyIP components which bring management of FreePBX modules and SIP phone integration to a level never before available with any other Asterisk distribution. And now you can configure and reconfigure your new Incredible PBX phones from the convenience of the Incredible PBX GUI.

VitalPBX is perhaps the fastest-growing PBX offering based upon Asterisk with an installed presence in more than 100 countries worldwide. VitalPBX has generously provided a customized White Label version of Incredible PBX tailored for use with all Incredible PBX and VitalPBX custom applications. Follow this link for a free test drive!
 

Special Thanks to Vitelity. Vitelity is now Voyant Communications and has halted new registrations for the time being. Our special thanks to Vitelity for their unwavering financial support over many years and to the many Nerd Vittles readers who continue to enjoy the benefits of their service offerings. We will keep everyone posted on further developments.
 



The Ultimate LTE Modem Router: Introducing Cudy LT500D


It’s hard to get too excited when talking about routers, but the Cudy LT500D is something special. That’s because it’s not just a router. It’s also a 4G LTE modem. That means, when you snap in a SIM card from your favorite cellular provider, it becomes an always-available Internet connection regardless of where you happen to be. Yes, you can get too far out in the wilderness and lose connectivity. But the router requires an electric outlet to work so in virtually all environments with AT&T or T-Mobile access, you’re covered. Whether it’s camping out or a mountain cabin or a beach house, the LT500D is a winner. It provides instant WiFi connectivity to the Internet for your entire family. You also can send and receive SMS messages using the web interface. And there’s an awesome bonus. If you currently have Comcast or Spectrum service which regularly goes out to lunch, the Cudy LT500D is a perfect complement. Why? Because it can be configured as an automatic failover during outages.

After updating the firmware, we tested the router with SIM cards from BoostMobile and T-Mobile. Setup took less than a minute. Simply activate your SIM card in a cell phone, and then pop the card into the LT500D. It automatically configures the router to support your carrier of choice. After a reboot, you simply access the LT500D dashboard by using a browser to connect to 192.168.10.1. You can also configure an OpenVPN client connection on the router and provide VPN access to anyone that makes a WiFi connection to the router.


Choosing a cellphone plan for your router is perhaps the trickiest deployment component. Most providers don’t like devices that let multiple people share a SIM card. The best deal we could find was this current BoostMobile 5GB data plan which costs just $5 a month for the first three months. After that, you can search for another deal, or you can be clever and buy several SIM cards from BoostMobile and register down the road with a different email address. You might also consider MintMobile which sells an introductory unlimited data, 3-month plan for $15 a month. With unlimited plans, some have suggested that you may need to make your router look more like a cellphone to avoid service interruption. We don’t traffic in details for flying under the radar, but Google is your friend.



What we will share is how to configure your router as an OpenVPN client which then gives all of your WiFI users access to all of the OpenVPN clients in your virtual private network. First, create and download an OpenVPN configuration file (cudy.ovpn) from your OpenVPN server. Then, on the Cudy router, choose the General Settings menu and click on the VPN icon. Activate the Enable and Site-to-Site tabs. For the Default Rule, choose Allow All Devices. For the VPN Subnet, choose Remote Subnet. Click Edit Item and add an Allow Listed Only Rule for 10.8.0.0/255.255.255.0. Click Save. For the OpenVPN Config File, click Browse and select the cudy.ovpn file downloaded from your OpenVPN server. It will automatically fill in your OpenVPN server’s FQDN. Now click Save & Apply to bring your OpenVPN client on line. You can test things by logging in via WiFi from a PC and using a browser to access one of the 10.8.0 addresses on your virtual private network.


In conclusion, this is one of the best routers we have ever tested or used. The Advanced Settings Dashboard is in a league of its own. At $129, the Cudy LT500D is a steal. Using our referral link helps pay the bills at Nerd Vittles. Enjoy!

Originally published: Monday, June 19, 2023



Need help with Asterisk? Visit the VoIP-info Forum.


 

Special Thanks to Our Generous Sponsors


FULL DISCLOSURE: ClearlyIP, Skyetel, Vitelity, DigitalOcean, Vultr, VoIP.ms, 3CX, Sangoma, TelecomsXchange and VitalPBX have provided financial support to Nerd Vittles and our open source projects through advertising, referral revenue, and/or merchandise. As an Amazon Associate and Best Buy Affiliate, we also earn from qualifying purchases. We’ve chosen these providers not the other way around. Our decisions are based upon their corporate reputation and the quality of their offerings and pricing. Our recommendations regarding technology are reached without regard to financial compensation except in situations in which comparable products at comparable pricing are available from multiple sources. In this limited case, we support our sponsors because our sponsors support us.

BOGO Bonaza: Enjoy state-of-the-art VoIP service with a $10 credit and half-price SIP service on up to $500 of Skyetel trunking with free number porting when you fund your Skyetel account. No limits on number of simultaneous calls. Quadruple data center redundancy. $25 monthly minimum spend required. Tutorial and sign up details are here.

The lynchpin of Incredible PBX 2020 and beyond is ClearlyIP components which bring management of FreePBX modules and SIP phone integration to a level never before available with any other Asterisk distribution. And now you can configure and reconfigure your new Incredible PBX phones from the convenience of the Incredible PBX GUI.

VitalPBX is perhaps the fastest-growing PBX offering based upon Asterisk with an installed presence in more than 100 countries worldwide. VitalPBX has generously provided a customized White Label version of Incredible PBX tailored for use with all Incredible PBX and VitalPBX custom applications. Follow this link for a free test drive!
 

Special Thanks to Vitelity. Vitelity is now Voyant Communications and has halted new registrations for the time being. Our special thanks to Vitelity for their unwavering financial support over many years and to the many Nerd Vittles readers who continue to enjoy the benefits of their service offerings. We will keep everyone posted on further developments.
 



The Ambidextrous Laptop: A Perfect Fit for Asterisk and VoIP



Until we bought a 15-inch Windows laptop with 20 gigs of RAM and a 1 terabyte NVMe SSD for under $500, we never would have considered such a computer an ideal virtual machine platform. And, to our surprise, with Windows 11 and a 4-core Ryzen 3 processor, it not only ran VirtualBox flawlessly, but Microsoft’s Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSLg) also performed admirably.
 


And then we tried out the UTM virtual machine platform on one of Apple’s new MacBook Air machines with an M1 processor and 16 gigs of RAM. Wow! How the world has changed. The MacBook Air 1TB offering buys you triple the performance of the Ryzen machine. But it’s more than triple the cost. So our message for today is don’t underestimate the benefits of running Asterisk® in a virtual machine environment where flawless backups are only the click of a button away. And, yes, it can travel with you without missing a beat. Add a free softphone such as Zoiper 5, and you have an instant mobile office. Of course, if your primary use is commercial, you’ll need to pay for Zoiper 5 Pro. The $50 price tag won’t break the bank.

What’s our favorite platform? You can probably guess. But, to be honest, the Ryzen-based Windows 11 machine is a steal and performs more than adequately as a virtual machine platform. And, if you’re more comfortable in the Windows ecosystem, it’s a smart choice. LibreOffice is available at no cost on both the Windows and Mac platforms as is Zoiper. So, functionally, as a travel companion and as a robust virtual machine host, you can’t lose.

While we’re on the mobile computing topic, we would be remiss in not addressing the topic of security. If you travel and are away from the protections of your home or office firewall, we will restate the obvious. You still need firewall protection for your computer. This is especially true if you’re also using the machine to host a PBX capable of making worldwide VoIP calls. While Windows and Mac platforms as well as Incredible PBX® all offer software-based firewalls, we still consider a hardware-based firewall a prudent addition. It’s your phone bill.



So here’s our tip of the week for a gadget to slip into your travel bag. Never leave home without it! It’s the GL.iNet Mini Travel Wireless Pocket Router currently available on Amazon for $32. You can plug it into your PC or a USB power source and set up a private WiFi network in minutes whether you’re in a hotel or any other location with public WiFi access. For those that always rely upon virtual private networks for communications as we do, this little router has OpenVPN support built in.

Full Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, Nerd Vittles earns commissions from qualifying Amazon purchases to keep the Nerd Vittles lights burning brightly. And, as has always been the case, Nerd Vittles eats its own dog food. Simply stated, we always use and test products before recommending them to others.

Originally published: Monday, April 10, 2023



Need help with Asterisk? Visit the VoIP-info Forum.


 

Special Thanks to Our Generous Sponsors


FULL DISCLOSURE: ClearlyIP, Skyetel, Vitelity, DigitalOcean, Vultr, VoIP.ms, 3CX, Sangoma, TelecomsXchange and VitalPBX have provided financial support to Nerd Vittles and our open source projects through advertising, referral revenue, and/or merchandise. As an Amazon Associate and Best Buy Affiliate, we also earn from qualifying purchases. We’ve chosen these providers not the other way around. Our decisions are based upon their corporate reputation and the quality of their offerings and pricing. Our recommendations regarding technology are reached without regard to financial compensation except in situations in which comparable products at comparable pricing are available from multiple sources. In this limited case, we support our sponsors because our sponsors support us.

BOGO Bonaza: Enjoy state-of-the-art VoIP service with a $10 credit and half-price SIP service on up to $500 of Skyetel trunking with free number porting when you fund your Skyetel account. No limits on number of simultaneous calls. Quadruple data center redundancy. $25 monthly minimum spend required. Tutorial and sign up details are here.

The lynchpin of Incredible PBX 2020 and beyond is ClearlyIP components which bring management of FreePBX modules and SIP phone integration to a level never before available with any other Asterisk distribution. And now you can configure and reconfigure your new Incredible PBX phones from the convenience of the Incredible PBX GUI.

VitalPBX is perhaps the fastest-growing PBX offering based upon Asterisk with an installed presence in more than 100 countries worldwide. VitalPBX has generously provided a customized White Label version of Incredible PBX tailored for use with all Incredible PBX and VitalPBX custom applications. Follow this link for a free test drive!
 

Special Thanks to Vitelity. Vitelity is now Voyant Communications and has halted new registrations for the time being. Our special thanks to Vitelity for their unwavering financial support over many years and to the many Nerd Vittles readers who continue to enjoy the benefits of their service offerings. We will keep everyone posted on further developments.
 



Raspberry Pi Killer: The $99 Beelink T4 Pro



For those that are new to the VoIP community, we feel your pain. What was once an easily attainable and affordable hardware solution with the Raspberry Pi is now a knuckle drill due to supply chain issues. And we appreciate that not everyone is ready to make the leap to the Cloud even though $25 a year is difficult to pass up. So today we’ll share our recent discovery of a hardware platform for your home or office that’s about the size of a drink coaster with performance that is perfectly suited for Incredible PBX platforms with dozens of users.

Meet the $99 Beelink T4 Pro Mini PC featuring an Intel N3350 processor with 4 Gigs of RAM and 64 Gigs of eMMC storage. The Mini PC has dual HDMI 4K display ports as well as Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi, and Bluetooth support. Amazon delivers the device in days, not months. Converting it’s default Windows 10 setup into a powerful Ubuntu 22.04 platform is a walk in the park.

TIP: Using our Amazon referral links helps fund Nerd Vittles reviews.

While photos don’t do it justice, this shot of the Mini PC resting in my hand will give you a good idea of its dimensions. While a fan is its only moving part, I’ve never heard it. And the case has remained at room temperature throughout our testing. Installing Incredible PBX is a two-step process: (1) switching the machine to an Ubuntu 22.04 platform and (2) running the Incredible PBX 2027 Ubuntu installer. So let’s get started.


Creating an Ubuntu 22.04 USB Flash Drive

You’ll need a 2 Gig or larger USB flash drive on which to load the Ubuntu 22.04 Live Server ISO. You can download the ISO image from our SourceForge repo. If you’re unfamiliar with burning an ISO image to a USB flash drive, here’s a tutorial (one of many) that will walk you through the process on a Windows or Mac desktop. For Mac lovers, our personal favorite app is Balena Etcher. Once you have your USB drive ready to go, place it on the table until you adjust the BIOS settings below.

Adjusting the Mini PC BIOS Settings

Begin by plugging in a USB keyboard and HDMI monitor of your choice. Then power up the device using the included power adapter. Immediately hold down the ESC key to adjust the BIOS settings. In the Advanced tab, select S5 RTC Wake Settings and set Wake System to Dynamic Time. Press ESC. In Network Stack Configuration, set IPv4 PXE Support to Enabled. Press ESC. In CSM Configuration, set Boot Option Filter to UEFI and Legacy. Set Network to UEFI, Storage to UEFI, Video to Legacy, and Other PCI Devices to Legacy. Press ESC. In USB Configuration, set Legacy USB Support to Enabled. Press ESC. In the Boot tab, set Boot Option #1 to USB Device, Boot Option #2 to CD/DVD, and Boot Option #3 to Hard Disk. Press ESC. In the Save & Exit tab, choose Save Changes and Exit. Before pressing ENTER, insert your Ubuntu flash drive in the remaining USB port on the Mini PC.

Installing Ubuntu 22.04 on the Mini PC

Your Mini PC should now boot into the Ubuntu installer on your flash drive. Begin the install and select the option to install a Minimal Server Platform. Then you’ll need to create a temporary user as part of the install. During the Networking phase of the install, make sure to enable WiFi if your Mini PC is not connected with an Ethernet cable. Set your SSID and WiFi password at the prompts. Enable installation of SSH and no additional components. When the install finishes, reboot your Mini PC after removing the USB flash drive.

After reboot, login as the new user you created during the install and issue these commands:

# set root password
sudo passwd root
exit
# log back in as root
# delete temporary user
userdel -r temp-user-name
# decipher server IP address and write it down
ip a
apt install nano -y

While still logged in as root from the console, adjust the SSH configuration so that you can login from desktop machine via SSH. Open SSH config file: nano -w /etc/ssh/sshd_config

# change the following entries as shown here:
  PermitRootLogin yes
  PasswordAuthentication yes
# save the file and restart SSH
# Ctrl-X, Y, and press ENTER key
systemctl restart ssh

Finally, issue the following commands to avoid the 2-minute delay on bootup:

systemctl disable systemd-networkd-wait-online.service
systemctl mask systemd-networkd-wait-online.service
reboot

Installing SAMBA on Ubuntu 22.04

For SAMBA networking, follow this tutorial to get a SAMBA server installed on your machine.

Installing Incredible PBX 2027 for Ubuntu 22.04

It’s important to complete the Incredible PBX install from a desktop machine rather than from the console to assure that your desktop machine gets whitelisted in the Incredible PBX firewall. After the reboot, login from your desktop using SSH or Putty from the Terminal window:

ssh root@your-server-IP-address

Now you’re ready to begin the Incredible PBX install:

apt install wget tar nano -y
wget http://incrediblepbx.com/IncrediblePBX2027-U.sh
chmod +x IncrediblePBX2027-U.sh
./IncrediblePBX2027-U.sh


When the install completes, continue your Incredible PBX adventure by following the steps in our Incredible PBX 2027 for Ubuntu 22.04 tutorial.

Originally published: Monday, February 6, 2023



Need help with Asterisk? Visit the VoIP-info Forum.


 

Special Thanks to Our Generous Sponsors


FULL DISCLOSURE: ClearlyIP, Skyetel, Vitelity, DigitalOcean, Vultr, VoIP.ms, 3CX, Sangoma, TelecomsXchange and VitalPBX have provided financial support to Nerd Vittles and our open source projects through advertising, referral revenue, and/or merchandise. As an Amazon Associate and Best Buy Affiliate, we also earn from qualifying purchases. We’ve chosen these providers not the other way around. Our decisions are based upon their corporate reputation and the quality of their offerings and pricing. Our recommendations regarding technology are reached without regard to financial compensation except in situations in which comparable products at comparable pricing are available from multiple sources. In this limited case, we support our sponsors because our sponsors support us.

BOGO Bonaza: Enjoy state-of-the-art VoIP service with a $10 credit and half-price SIP service on up to $500 of Skyetel trunking with free number porting when you fund your Skyetel account. No limits on number of simultaneous calls. Quadruple data center redundancy. $25 monthly minimum spend required. Tutorial and sign up details are here.

The lynchpin of Incredible PBX 2020 and beyond is ClearlyIP components which bring management of FreePBX modules and SIP phone integration to a level never before available with any other Asterisk distribution. And now you can configure and reconfigure your new Incredible PBX phones from the convenience of the Incredible PBX GUI.

VitalPBX is perhaps the fastest-growing PBX offering based upon Asterisk with an installed presence in more than 100 countries worldwide. VitalPBX has generously provided a customized White Label version of Incredible PBX tailored for use with all Incredible PBX and VitalPBX custom applications. Follow this link for a free test drive!
 

Special Thanks to Vitelity. Vitelity is now Voyant Communications and has halted new registrations for the time being. Our special thanks to Vitelity for their unwavering financial support over many years and to the many Nerd Vittles readers who continue to enjoy the benefits of their service offerings. We will keep everyone posted on further developments.
 



The All-Purpose Device for Home or College-Bound Students



We won’t attempt to educate you on the feature set of Alexa devices other than to note that, in the words of Bob Dylan, "The Times They Are A-Changin’." What was once a device to provide a weather forecast, turn on your lights, lock your front door, and start your car can now function as a full-featured HD TV with an Echo Show 15 and one of your favorite streaming providers including Netflix, Sling, Hulu, and YouTube TV. And, if you didn’t know, Amazon Prime Day is upon us. While we had no insider information, we now can report the Echo Show 15 is discounted from its regular $249 price tag to $169.99. Of course, we would be remiss in not mentioning that Echo devices also can make free phone calls by simply saying, "Alexa, call 800-555-1212." Full Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, Nerd Vittles earns commissions from qualifying purchases to keep the Nerd Vittles lights burning brightly.

We know you’re wondering whether the streaming TV is really up to the task. Having watched sports and news with YouTube TV on our Echo Show 15, my answer is a resounding YES. Our device sits atop the refrigerator in the kitchen and serves up recipes and timers while also delivering the latest TV shows and sporting events. After all, who can live without "Bachelor in Paradise" while cooking? And the design of the Echo Show 15 gives you the option of positioning it on an optional stand or affixing it to a wall with included mounting hardware.

Loading Hulu or Netflix is simple. Just tell Alexa to open the desired application and login with your credentials. Running YouTube TV on Alexa devices takes a bit of tweaking. Begin with the command: "Alexa, open YouTube." Once YouTube loads, click on the Options icon at the upper left corner of the display. YOUR BOOKMARKS will appear including YouTube.com. Tap the pencil icon and edit the YouTube web address so it looks like this: https://tv.youtube.com. Save your change. Then tap the YouTube.com bookmark to load YouTube TV. Once you log in with your credentials, you will have total access to your YouTube TV channels and your DVR saved recordings. Once you’ve reconfigured the YouTube bookmark, future access to YouTube TV is a three-step process: (1) Alexa, open YouTube (2) Tap Options icon at the upper left corner of the display (3) Tap YouTube.com bookmark.

Finally, Amazon has just announced that Fire TV will be added to the Echo Show 15 user interface later this year. This will allow you to stream TV shows, live news feeds, movies, and sports content. CNET reports that "according to Amazon, the upgrade will provide an additional selection of video titles from Paramount Plus, Showtime, Disney Plus and other platforms. New and existing Echo Show 15 owners will be able to take advantage of the Fire TV update, which will be available as an opt-in feature."

Originally published: Monday, October 10, 2022



Need help with Asterisk? Visit the VoIP-info Forum.


 

Special Thanks to Our Generous Sponsors


FULL DISCLOSURE: ClearlyIP, Skyetel, Vitelity, DigitalOcean, Vultr, VoIP.ms, 3CX, Sangoma, TelecomsXchange and VitalPBX have provided financial support to Nerd Vittles and our open source projects through advertising, referral revenue, and/or merchandise. As an Amazon Associate and Best Buy Affiliate, we also earn from qualifying purchases. We’ve chosen these providers not the other way around. Our decisions are based upon their corporate reputation and the quality of their offerings and pricing. Our recommendations regarding technology are reached without regard to financial compensation except in situations in which comparable products at comparable pricing are available from multiple sources. In this limited case, we support our sponsors because our sponsors support us.

BOGO Bonaza: Enjoy state-of-the-art VoIP service with a $10 credit and half-price SIP service on up to $500 of Skyetel trunking with free number porting when you fund your Skyetel account. No limits on number of simultaneous calls. Quadruple data center redundancy. $25 monthly minimum spend required. Tutorial and sign up details are here.

The lynchpin of Incredible PBX 2020 and beyond is ClearlyIP components which bring management of FreePBX modules and SIP phone integration to a level never before available with any other Asterisk distribution. And now you can configure and reconfigure your new Incredible PBX phones from the convenience of the Incredible PBX GUI.

VitalPBX is perhaps the fastest-growing PBX offering based upon Asterisk with an installed presence in more than 100 countries worldwide. VitalPBX has generously provided a customized White Label version of Incredible PBX tailored for use with all Incredible PBX and VitalPBX custom applications. Follow this link for a free test drive!
 

Special Thanks to Vitelity. Vitelity is now Voyant Communications and has halted new registrations for the time being. Our special thanks to Vitelity for their unwavering financial support over many years and to the many Nerd Vittles readers who continue to enjoy the benefits of their service offerings. We will keep everyone posted on further developments.
 




 

$300 Chromebook Faceoff: ARM vs. x86? Which Is Better?



We’ve written about the Chromebook before, but today presents an interesting dilemma. Should you choose an ARM-based Chromebook for a bit better performance or an x86-based Chromebook for application flexibility? This becomes even more interesting when one recalls that Apple is poised to dump Intel processors and move exclusively to the ARM platform for all of its next generation machines. The short answer is it depends upon your use case. Cell phones and tablets traditionally have relied upon ARM processors while desktop computers are almost exclusively based upon either Intel or AMD processors. The Chromebooks fall somewhere in the middle because they can perform traditional web browsing and also run dedicated applications traditionally reserved for desktop computing platforms. So we decided to put two of the least expensive Chromebooks to the test. We managed to grab both the ARM64-based Chromebook (pictured above) and the AMD-based Chromebook (pictured below) for equivalent discounted prices of about $300. The HP Chromebook included a rechargeable pen, detachable keyboard and stand, 11″ touchscreen display, and power adapter while the Acer Chromebook included a mouse, backlit keyboard, convertible 14″ touchscreen display, case, and power adapter. Both weigh about 4 pounds with 8GB RAM and 64GB disk.


We decided to test these Chromebooks by determining how well each could perform as a sales demonstration unit for those in the VoIP business. Suffice it to say, there’s nothing quite like a LIVE showing for a potential customer demonstrating how their future Unified Communications platform would work. And the fact that you can pull this is off with what looks very much like a computer tablet is icing on the cake. Both Chromebooks passed the test with ease although we massaged the Incredible PBX installer a bit to accommodate the ARM64 platform. If you decide to try this out for yourself, we’ve documented the process on the VoIP-Info.org Forum.

Because the Acer Chromebook was AMD-based, the installation process for Incredible PBX was much easier simply because the traditional Incredible PBX installer for Debian 10 runs without a hitch. Begin by opening the Chrome browser to chrome://flags. Enable Chrome extensions. Set Upgrade Crostini to Bullseye to Disabled. Set Debian Version to Buster. And set Allow Resizing Crostini Disks to Enabled. Restart the Chromebook to continue. Then navigate to Settings -> Advanced -> Developers -> Linux Development Environment. Set the Disk Size to 15GB. Then Enable Linux Development Environment. Once your Chromebook is restarted, run Terminal app. PIN it to task bar with Alt-Click.

Issue the following commands to install Incredible PBX for Debian 10:

sudo passwd root
# set a very secure root password
su root
cd ~
apt update
apt upgrade
apt install cron nano -y
wget http://incrediblepbx.com/IncrediblePBX2021.sh
chmod +x IncrediblePBX2021.sh
nano -w /etc/profile

Edit /etc/profile to look like this at the top. Save the file and restart your Chromebook.



Log back into your Chromebook’s Terminal app as root, and issue the following commands:

su root
cd ~
apt update
./IncrediblePBX2021.sh

Here are the remaining steps to configure Incredible PBX:

  • chmod 775 /
  • touch /var/log/auth.log
  • chown asterisk:asterisk /var/log/asterisk/*
  • Add OpenVPN client credentials as /etc/incrediblepbx.ovpn
  • Add gTTS following steps at this link
  • Run /root/enable-gmail-smarthost-for-sendmail using your Gmail app password
  • Remove ssh-block file from /ssh
  • Uncomment port with a port number above 1000 in sshd_config
  • Restart SSH: systemctl restart sshd
  • Remove UCP daemon: fwconsole setting NODEJSENABLED 0
  • fwconsole ma upgradeall
  • fwconsole reload
  • Clear errors, if any, from reload (several times) by doing what the prompts say
  • Run /root/sig-fix twice

So there you have it. A desktop demo machine in a tablet form-factor. Not to come across as an x86 snob, but there still are things we like to do on the Intel and AMD platforms that you simply cannot pull off using an ARM-based computer, at least not yet. At the top of that list is running VirtualBox. Many have tried, but VirtualBox is not an emulator. It’s a virtualization platform which means it runs other x86 applications using the existing x86 platform on which it was installed. Oracle has shown little interest in porting it to ARM processors and, even if it did so, you would only be able to run other ARM applications. As you also probably noticed, unless you find a really good sale, ARM-based Chromebooks are about $100 more expensive than their x86 competitors. So our tip of the hat goes to Acer Chromebook this time around.

If you’d like to put your name in the hat for one of our Chromebook test units, post a meaningful comment to this article and include your email address which won’t be published. The comment must be posted before the last day of July, 2022. We’ll publish the winner when we randomly make a selection in August, 2022. The winner will also be notified by email using the address included with your comment. Here’s the not-so-fine print:

NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY IN ORDER TO WIN, AND YOU MAY ONLY SUBMIT A SINGLE COMMENT PER HOUSEHOLD. YOU MUST BE 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER ON THE DATE OF ENTRY, AND YOU MUST BE A LEGAL RESIDENT OF ONE OF THE 50 STATES OF THE UNITED STATES OR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. THE CONTEST IS SUBJECT TO ALL FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS. IF YOUR JURISDICTION BANS PARTICIPATION IN FREE CONTESTS, YOU ARE DISQUALIFIED AND MAY NOT ENTER THE CONTEST. BY PARTICIPATING IN THIS CONTEST, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE CONTEST RULES AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE DECISIONS OF NERD VITTLES, THE SPONSOR, WHICH ARE FINAL. THE WINNER MUST PROVE COMPLIANCE WITH THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS BEFORE THE PRIZE IS DISTRIBUTED, AND THE WINNER MUST PROVIDE A PHOTOCOPY OF A VALID U.S. DRIVER'S LICENSE OR OFFICIAL STATE PHOTO ID WITH YOUR ACTUAL MAILING ADDRESS. WINNER WILL BE DISQUALIFIED IF PROOF OF COMPLIANCE IS NOT RECEIVED WITHIN 10 DAYS OF EMAIL TRANSMISSION ANNOUNCING THE WINNER. IN SUCH CASE, AN ALTERNATE WINNER WILL BE RANDOMLY SELECTED UNDER THE SAME TERMS AND CONDITIONS. IF THE ALTERNATE WINNER IS SUBSEQUENTLY DISQUALIFIED, THE PRIZE WILL REMAIN UN-AWARDED. IN THE EVENT THE CONTEST IS IMPAIRED IN ANY WAY FOR ANY REASON AS DETERMINED BY THE SPONSOR IN ITS SOLE DISCRETION, THE SPONSOR MAY TERMINATE CONTEST WITHOUT AWARDING THE PRIZE. 

BY PARTICIPATING IN THE CONTEST, YOU AGREE TO RELEASE AND HOLD HARMLESS NERD VITTLES, WARD MUNDY & ASSOCIATES LLC, AND WARD MUNDY FROM ANY AND ALL CLAIMS AND CAUSES OF ACTION ARISING OUT OF PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTEST OR AWARD TO THE WINNER. ANY CLAIM MUST BE FILED INDIVIDUALLY WITH A WAIVER OF CLASS ACTION STATUS IN THE U.S. DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA. CLAIMANT FURTHER AGREES TO COVER ALL LEGAL AND COURT COSTS OF THE DEFENDANT IN ADDITION TO CLAIMANT'S OWN LEGAL EXPENSES. ALL QUESTIONS OF LAW SHALL BE RESOLVED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA. IN THE EVENT CLAIMANT PREVAILS AT TRIAL AND AS A CONDITION FOR ENTRY INTO THE CONTEST, PLAINTIFF AGREES TO ACCEPT NO MORE THAN $1 AS THE ACTUAL AND PUNITIVE DAMAGE AWARD.

Originally published: Monday, June 27, 2022



Need help with Asterisk? Visit the VoIP-info Forum.


 

Special Thanks to Our Generous Sponsors


FULL DISCLOSURE: ClearlyIP, Skyetel, Vitelity, DigitalOcean, Vultr, VoIP.ms, 3CX, Sangoma, TelecomsXchange and VitalPBX have provided financial support to Nerd Vittles and our open source projects through advertising, referral revenue, and/or merchandise. As an Amazon Associate and Best Buy Affiliate, we also earn from qualifying purchases. We’ve chosen these providers not the other way around. Our decisions are based upon their corporate reputation and the quality of their offerings and pricing. Our recommendations regarding technology are reached without regard to financial compensation except in situations in which comparable products at comparable pricing are available from multiple sources. In this limited case, we support our sponsors because our sponsors support us.

BOGO Bonaza: Enjoy state-of-the-art VoIP service with a $10 credit and half-price SIP service on up to $500 of Skyetel trunking with free number porting when you fund your Skyetel account. No limits on number of simultaneous calls. Quadruple data center redundancy. $25 monthly minimum spend required. Tutorial and sign up details are here.

The lynchpin of Incredible PBX 2020 and beyond is ClearlyIP components which bring management of FreePBX modules and SIP phone integration to a level never before available with any other Asterisk distribution. And now you can configure and reconfigure your new Incredible PBX phones from the convenience of the Incredible PBX GUI.

VitalPBX is perhaps the fastest-growing PBX offering based upon Asterisk with an installed presence in more than 100 countries worldwide. VitalPBX has generously provided a customized White Label version of Incredible PBX tailored for use with all Incredible PBX and VitalPBX custom applications. Follow this link for a free test drive!
 

Special Thanks to Vitelity. Vitelity is now Voyant Communications and has halted new registrations for the time being. Our special thanks to Vitelity for their unwavering financial support over many years and to the many Nerd Vittles readers who continue to enjoy the benefits of their service offerings. We will keep everyone posted on further developments.
 



An Electronics Home Makeover for the 21st Century


It was a sad day when we finally sold our Bozak Concert Grand speakers this year after enjoying them for over half a century. They were a graduation present from "Papa Gene" Newsom of Newsom’s Music Center when I graduated from law school in 1971. The sale got me thinking that I really needed to write about what has changed in home entertainment now that we’ve turned the page to another century. Back then, there was no Internet or Spotify, just bootleg 8-track tapes, an Apple record label, and great home audio made by McIntosh.

For those living in the present, let me tick off what we hope will save you a boatload of money in the coming years. We’ll cover Internet service providers as well as telephony, home audio and TV options, and home automation. Our plan here is to show you how to replace your $200-$500 a month Comcast, Spectrum, and cellular bills with setups that are more robust and considerably less expensive for the whole family.

Choosing a Cell Provider in 2021

With the advent of 46/LTE and 5G cellular service, the cell phone landscape in the U.S. has changed dramatically in the past two years. Unless you live in a remote location, 5G service now is available from all of the major U.S. carriers: T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T. This is where looking at the overall family picture can pay off royally. For example, T-Mobile bundles Netflix, Apple TV, and In-Flight WiFi plus discounted YouTube TV service with many of their plans, and there are substantial discounts compared with other carriers particularly if you’re on a family plan or are a military veteran or age 55+. If you wrote off T-Mobile years ago, it’s time to have another look. Their 5G coverage area now is second to none and pricing is typically 30-50% less than Verizon or AT&T. If you’re looking for the least costly all-you-can-eat cellular plan, then take a careful look at the Nerd Vittles special with Visible, which is the Verizon discount carrier. Unless you need great cell service during major sporting events inside the stadium, our $25 plan has no equal. Here’s a link to our article with the details.

Choosing an Internet Service Provider in 2021

If your cable TV and Internet bill is in the $150+ range and most are, we’ve got some exciting news for you. T-Mobile now has unlimited 5G Home Internet service for $50 a month. While it’s still a little difficult to obtain in all areas, check often. We’ve been searching for eight months in four cities and had signed up for email notice when it was available. We never got an email but, lo and behold, it popped up as available in Asheville NC when we checked last week. Once you have the T-Mobile router, it will work anywhere there’s a T-Mobile 4G/LTE or 5G tower. The results below were in Charleston, SC where the T-Mobile site shows it’s unavailable. Our one-week report card gives T-Mobile an A+ for ease of setup, web access performance, streaming media reliability, and VoIP telephony. There literally have been zero hiccups. You can review our play-by-play adventure on the VoIP-Info.org Forum.

To achieve similar performance from the service providers offering wired service, you’re looking at $100+ a month from Comcast or WOW and at least $50 a month from Spectrum. And, unfortunately, in most U.S. markets, there is zero competition between the major providers. You get Comcast or nothing in many cities and Spectrum or nothing in others.

Choosing a TV Provider in 2021

Even if you’re stuck with Comcast or Spectrum for the time being, there’s still a silver lining. Drop their TV service immediately. Our last (and final) Comcast bill included $55 for hardware rentals, $23.55 in TV broadcast fees, and $13.92 in taxes. That’s nearly $100/month just to get television delivered to your house! That’s before you sign up for a single channel. Here’s a better idea. Once you’ve invested $50 to $100 in your Internet service, sign up for YouTube TV and enjoy unlimited streaming with numerous simultaneous streams, unlimited DVR recordings, 85+ channels including your local TV channels, and almost every sporting event you can name for $65 a month with no additional fees or contracts. The picture quality with a smart TV looks exactly the same as watching cable television. CNET rated it the "best premium live TV streaming service." If you’ve taken our advice thus far, your total home entertainment bill is $50 for T-Mobile Home WiFi and $65 for YouTube TV and includes free Netflix at no additional charge.

Choosing a Music Provider in 2021

Now let’s suppose you still have a teenager in college. Rather than worry about your kids pirating music and movies, here’s a better idea. Sign them up for Spotify with unlimited music plus Showtime plus Hulu for $5 a month for four years! The good news is they’re rarely up when you are so you, too, can enjoy their Spotify, Showtime, and Hulu accounts while they’re sleeping. We’ve never been particularly big fans of Sirius/XM after they pulled their stunt of cancelling lifetime subscriptions. But that lawsuit got settled and they righted their wrong in a most generous way. You not only got your lifetime subscriptions back, but you also got free streaming. While you can’t take advantage of the lifetime subscription any longer, you still can snag the service for about $5 a month if you wait for a deal. That gets you hundreds of music channels for your car plus streaming to your favorite phone, PC, or Sonos device so it’s worth a careful look if you like music.

Home Automation Basics for 2021

If you haven’t dipped your toes into home automation, it’s finally time. An inexpensive Amazon Echo device will get you started. They range in price from under $50 to a couple hundred dollars. Our favorite is the Echo Show 8 for $99. This will bring Alexa into your home and in many of the newer automobiles as well. The next step is to purchase a few smart light bulbs so you can light up your house when the sun goes down and turn off the lights when you crawl into bed at 8:30. There are lots of lights to choose from. Our favorites are Sylvania’s WiFi Smart Lights which can bring every color of the rainbow to your lamps for under $10. For everyday use, you can pick your favorite shade of white, and for holidays, you can set them to orange for Halloween and red and green for Christmas. Now buy yourself a Nest WiFi thermostat and never worry about the proper setting again. It’s that smart. Then get yourself an August Door Lock, and you’ll never have to fumble for your house keys again. Finally, link Spotify with Alexa, and every song on the planet awaits your command. Get hip, dude!

TIP: Using our Amazon referral links helps keep the lights burning brightly at Nerd Vittles.

What About Telephony?

We saved the best for last. Hopefully, you don’t still have a Ma Bell telephone hanging on the wall in your kitchen. But, if you do, today’s your lucky day. You can dump Ma Bell and add a little gizmo called a Raspberry Pi to your home electronics collection. Then follow our tutorial and for about $100 and a monthly cost of a few dollars, you can enjoy home telephone service using your WiFi Internet connection forever. Welcome to the 21st century. Enjoy!

Originally published: Saturday, October 23, 2021



Need help with Asterisk? Visit the VoIP-info Forum.


 

Special Thanks to Our Generous Sponsors


FULL DISCLOSURE: ClearlyIP, Skyetel, Vitelity, DigitalOcean, Vultr, VoIP.ms, 3CX, Sangoma, TelecomsXchange and VitalPBX have provided financial support to Nerd Vittles and our open source projects through advertising, referral revenue, and/or merchandise. As an Amazon Associate and Best Buy Affiliate, we also earn from qualifying purchases. We’ve chosen these providers not the other way around. Our decisions are based upon their corporate reputation and the quality of their offerings and pricing. Our recommendations regarding technology are reached without regard to financial compensation except in situations in which comparable products at comparable pricing are available from multiple sources. In this limited case, we support our sponsors because our sponsors support us.

BOGO Bonaza: Enjoy state-of-the-art VoIP service with a $10 credit and half-price SIP service on up to $500 of Skyetel trunking with free number porting when you fund your Skyetel account. No limits on number of simultaneous calls. Quadruple data center redundancy. $25 monthly minimum spend required. Tutorial and sign up details are here.

The lynchpin of Incredible PBX 2020 and beyond is ClearlyIP components which bring management of FreePBX modules and SIP phone integration to a level never before available with any other Asterisk distribution. And now you can configure and reconfigure your new Incredible PBX phones from the convenience of the Incredible PBX GUI.

VitalPBX is perhaps the fastest-growing PBX offering based upon Asterisk with an installed presence in more than 100 countries worldwide. VitalPBX has generously provided a customized White Label version of Incredible PBX tailored for use with all Incredible PBX and VitalPBX custom applications. Follow this link for a free test drive!
 

Special Thanks to Vitelity. Vitelity is now Voyant Communications and has halted new registrations for the time being. Our special thanks to Vitelity for their unwavering financial support over many years and to the many Nerd Vittles readers who continue to enjoy the benefits of their service offerings. We will keep everyone posted on further developments.