Telephony VIS or touchtone detection controls?

[dgk]

I need to write a fairly simple Voice Information System that answers
the phone, plays messages, and detects touchtones. Maybe sends a fax.
Is there anything built into .Net to handle this stuff or a (cheap!)
third party control? This is for a very non-profit 12 step group that
really doesn't have much money.

 

[Dick Grier]

Hi,

No. This requires HARDWARE. Some voice modems (not all, by a measure),
could handle the hardware requirements -- most modems preinstalled on PCs do
not have this capability.

If you use a compatible modem, you could then use TAPI to do what you want.
However, .NET has no built-in TAPI support. So, you would either have to
P/Invoke the TAPI functions needed, or use a third-part TAPI component.
There are several third-party components, but cheap isn't free -- and
developing your own solution, using the underlying APIs would cost even more
(as often is the case).

Dick

--
Richard Grier (Microsoft Visual Basic MVP)

See www.hardandsoftware.net for contact information.

Author of Visual Basic Programmer's Guide to Serial Communications, 3rd
Edition ISBN 1-890422-27-4 (391 pages) published February 2002.

 

[dgk]

Hi,

No. This requires HARDWARE. Some voice modems (not all, by a measure),
could handle the hardware requirements -- most modems preinstalled on PCs do
not have this capability.

If you use a compatible modem, you could then use TAPI to do what you want.
However, .NET has no built-in TAPI support. So, you would either have to
P/Invoke the TAPI functions needed, or use a third-part TAPI component.
There are several third-party components, but cheap isn't free -- and
developing your own solution, using the underlying APIs would cost even more
(as often is the case).

Dick

Well the $1200 I got quoted from one vendor was too much. $49 I can
swing. I suppose I could write it in VB6 but I would rather use .Net
just for the practice.

What is the functional difference between a dialogic card and a voice
modem? I don't really need major functionality for this, just to
answer the phone and detect keypresses. And send a flash to put the
caller on hold, dial out, and connect the two if necessary.

It's only going to be for one line.

Any pointers appreciated.

 

[Patrick Ireland]

I have done that with a dialogic board, but
as Dick says "Cheap isn't free"

 

[Chris Dunaway]

What is the functional difference between a dialogic card and a voice
modem? I don't really need major functionality for this, just to

A modem's principal function is to transmit data over a phone line. A
Dialogic telephony boards is designed to interface with the telephone
network and process voice. There are modems that can have some rudimentary
voice capabilities, but for call transfers, etc, a Dialogic board (or
similar) is needed, especially if you need to be able to handle more than
one caller at a time. Most modems are single line only. A ProLine/2V
board from Intel/Dialogic is a two line board and runs about $285. A
D4/PCI board from Intel/Dialogic is about $420. Both of these boards can
do what you want and more. They can be found at
http://www.alliancesystems.com or maybe even cheaper on e-bay.

In order to code to those boards, you'll either need to use the Dialogic
SDK's (C++) or use a 3rd party control. We have used one from
http://www.nctsoft.com which works fairly well and is easy to use.

However, Windows XP supports the TAPI 3 interfaces. You can set a
reference in VB to the TAPI library and get access to its interfaces. With
that you can drive a voice modem.

HTH

 

[Dick Grier]

Hi,
Well the $1200 I got quoted from one vendor was too much. $49 I can
swing. I suppose I could write it in VB6 but I would rather use .Net
just for the practice.

What is the functional difference between a dialogic card and a voice
modem? I don't really need major functionality for this, just to
answer the phone and detect keypresses. And send a flash to put the
caller on hold, dial out, and connect the two if necessary.
<<

This doesn't have anything to do with language (VB6 vs. VB .NET), the
requirements are the same. TAPI still is the answer, and neither have
built-in TAPI support.

You can take a look at www.exceletel.com (TeleTools) or
www.allen-martin-inc.com (Allen Martin TAPI controls) for the ones that I
provide in my book, in demo versions.

MultiTech modems are the ones that I'd suggest. These are more in the $100
range, not $50.

Dick

--
Richard Grier (Microsoft Visual Basic MVP)

See www.hardandsoftware.net for contact information.

Author of Visual Basic Programmer's Guide to Serial Communications, 3rd
Edition ISBN 1-890422-27-4 (391 pages) published February 2002.

 

[Ray Cassick \(home\)]

The only problem(s) that I have with using modems for telephony apps are:

1) Modems have to use the Unimodem TSP and this carriers all kinds of bad
baggage along with it (No connect supervision, half duplex voice, etc..)

2) Apps have a tendency to grow so starting out with one modem (or event
2) might not cut it down the road.

 

[dgk]

Hi,

Well the $1200 I got quoted from one vendor was too much. $49 I can
swing. I suppose I could write it in VB6 but I would rather use .Net
just for the practice.

What is the functional difference between a dialogic card and a voice
modem? I don't really need major functionality for this, just to
answer the phone and detect keypresses. And send a flash to put the
caller on hold, dial out, and connect the two if necessary.
<<

This doesn't have anything to do with language (VB6 vs. VB .NET), the
requirements are the same. TAPI still is the answer, and neither have
built-in TAPI support.

You can take a look at www.exceletel.com (TeleTools) or
www.allen-martin-inc.com (Allen Martin TAPI controls) for the ones that I
provide in my book, in demo versions.

MultiTech modems are the ones that I'd suggest. These are more in the $100
range, not $50.

Dick

Thanks to you and Chris for your help. I am looking at the tools. We
have MultiTech modems at work so I'm familiar with them but will
likely need a Dialogic anyway. Well, let's try em out.

 

[Tom Shelton]

Thanks to you and Chris for your help. I am looking at the tools. We
have MultiTech modems at work so I'm familiar with them but will
likely need a Dialogic anyway. Well, let's try em out.

Since this is a small project, you might consider the Dialogic
D/41JCT-LS... It's fairly full featured 4 line board. Certianly
capable of handling the project I see described. Also, for tools, you
might want to try Intel's CTADE (used to be Parity). It's a free
download to get started. Though, the actual runtime license is fairly
expensive - about $100 bucks a line... And it uses a dongle for the
license (GRRRR!) - still it is a pretty goot tool.