Comments on: Follow-Me Cruising: Implementing Bluetooth Proximity Detection with Asterisk and a TomTom GPS

By: Dave

Dave — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 19:03:23 +0000

I just got done looking at the ruhome2 script and I have a suggestion. Instead of creating tmp files, I suggest that you put them into /etc/bluetooth/ or /var/bluetooth. Also, instead of copying files of 0 or 1 byte lengths from /root/, you can use 'echo -n > file' and 'echo '' > file' to accomplish the same thing. The '-n' option overwrites the file without a LF on the line, effectively creating a zero length file every time and echo is normally part of the shell, so there's no extra jump to the file system. Once you do that, the only thing you need to change is the agi so that it looks in the new location.

By: John

John — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 03:53:28 +0000

Hi,

I’m trying to support a bluetooth phone as a trunk on trixbox. I’ve got the proximity working via the Nerd Vittels article (excellent, by the way).

I’ve looked at the instructions on
http://www.thetechguide.com/howto/asterisk/chanbluetooth.html
to generate chan_bluetooth.so for asterisk.

I see that this module is not included in Trixbox and recompiling asterisk is not an option on Trixbox, so how do I enable asterisk bluetooth support on Trixbox? I can load modules, but where can I get chan_bluetooth.so?

John

By: Marc

Marc — Sun, 30 Jul 2006 18:43:22 +0000

As john pointed out, recharging my headset makes it go to sleep and disappear… since I charge it at home, it’s pretty useless for this application (I have a VERY cheap cell plan, so I’d use my cell all the time… except that I only get signal in the very top room of the house, and then only if I sit very still!)

However, not all cell phones turn off their Bluetooth. I have a BlackBerry 7100, which sucks as a cellphone and I plan to replace it soon… but the BT stays on all the time, which makes it perfect for proximity.

So give your cellphone a shot – it may be better than you thought.

By: john

john — Wed, 18 Jan 2006 02:50:37 +0000

Great article. A couple of questions…
If the bluetooth headset is in use or being charged, hcitool does not find it. Thus the script updates as not present. Does anyone know how to get around this problem/issue? Or recommend a bluetooth headset that does not act in this way?
Thanks

By: Max

Max — Wed, 04 Jan 2006 21:55:10 +0000

This could probably be extended (modified) in the future to support the detection of of RFID tags (Just glue one in your watch strap).

Great article.

Max

[WM: Yep. All we need now is an inexpensive RFID reader, and it’s a done deal.]

By: jeremy

jeremy — Sat, 10 Dec 2005 21:29:38 +0000

Must be nice to run an asterisk blog and be able to afford an Escalade. [WM: Are you kidding? Nobody can afford an Escalade.]

By: jon

jon — Wed, 07 Dec 2005 14:14:05 +0000

I am trying to decide whether to use an x86 or PPC for asterisk. since I have no old or spare parts, i am having to build one or buy one. I was using vmware to try out asterisk. I see from some tutorials that you hint at using macs. Are you using osx or a ppc linux variant like YDL? If so, are there any disadvantages (besides the hardware support) to using the mac mini vs a mini-itx. I am using sip and iax exclusively. As such how does that affect the newer mac minis (to which the modem has no drivers), they recommend staying away from newer models. in m y case, does that makes sense? are people using the macs at the same time or are they headless machines in a closet? thanks... your articles have been great. [WM: Don't use a Mac for Asterisk. None of the hardware cards work in the Mac, and you're paying double for half the performance of an x86 PC. There's also a lengthy delay in getting the most recent Asterisk version on the Mac platform. And finally, many of the great Asterisk add-on's such as Asterisk@Home don't work on the Mac platform. Our hardware recommendations are listed in the Nerd Vittles index article.]

By: Sean

Sean — Wed, 07 Dec 2005 08:04:12 +0000

These articles are simply amazing, and I'm pretty sure without them I would have given up a long time ago. Do you plan on revisiting the SIPURA-3000 and other settings available using it? I purchased two and used the exact setup in your article and while they perform, there are times when echos show up. Perhaps an article on the best way to intergrate POTS into an asterisk server including hardware suggestions if the Sipura is as unreliable as it seems. [WM: I'm not sure the SPA-3000 is unreliable. It's just really quirky with minimal documentation. There is a pretty good FAQ on Sipura's web site, but that's about all. I'll scratch around some more for configuration tips when I have a few days to kill.]