Adding Outgoing Skype For SIP To FreePBX
Overview
Skype has allowed other PBX software to connect to Skype using the standard protocol SIP. This is a good start to opening up Skype’s network to what is used around the world however it still lacks some features which Skype For Asterisk does offer such as calling Skype users.
Cost
At the time of writing it costs £4.95 per channel so for 1 incomming and 1 outgoing it will add up to approximately £9.90 + buying the phone number itself for £3.95 per month. This all soon adds up to more than a traditional PSTN landline. Also you need to add Skype credit to the account which are for call time.
Outgoing Channel
For my testing purposes I had only bought one channel for out going calls. I have a landline so people would call that number and the outgoing channel can be used for calls going out to people at a cheaper rate. This means the costs per month is £4.95 + Skype credits.
Setup – Skype
Create a business account on Skype and log into Business Manager for Skype.
Create a new profile in Skype Connect giving it a meaningful name. Once created the important details to note are the SIP User, Password, Skype for SIP address and UDP Port.
Setup – FreePBX
Setting up Skype for outgoing calls in FreePBX is really simple.
Log into FreePBX admin and click on the Trunks menu > Add Trunk
Enter the following details:
General Settings:
-
Trunk Name:
Outbound Caller ID:
CID Options: Allow Any CID (but can be changed to personal preference)
Maximum Channels:
Outgoing Settings:
-
Trunk Name:
Peer Details:
username=1235456786
type=peer
secret=password
qualify=yes
nat=yes
insecure=invite
host=sip.skype.com
fromuser=1235456786
disallow=all
context=from-trunk
allow=ulaw&gsm&alaw
Change the above peer details:
username, fromuser=SIP User
secret=Password
host=Skype for SIP Address
Registration:
-
Register String:
e.g
13456725235:myPassword@sip.skype.com/13456725235
Save the changes.
Go to Outbound Routes and add a new route with the Skype trunk create above. The only thing to remember is that Skype must use international number dialing so an outbound route can be create to append the country code if necessary.
Configuring an Asterisk PBX with Skype for SIP
How to configure Skype for Asterisk as an outgoing trunk in FreePBX
