“NetPhone”-Reintegrating the net phone
V.Bharath Kumar Deepak Subramanian
Velammal Engineering College
“Velammal Nagar”, Ambattur-Red Hills Road,
Chennai - 600 066 Tamil Nadu
INDIA
Email: bharathkv@gmail.com;subudeepak@gmail.com
Abstract-This report describes the design
and the complete overview of the
NetPhone, which comprises a router, an
integral phone and an all time mobility
provision to the consumer using their
cellphone, in any part of the world, even
places without an internet connection. In
the present scenario, the net phone
provided by various VOIP vendors such as
‘Vonage’ provide their own routers to
which, the consumers connect their phone
and use the service. However the service is
restricted to their home or while traveling
they need to carry the router provided by
the VOIP vendor which in turn needs an
internet connection. In our NetPhone we
integrate a router to the phone and it will
also have forwarding capabilities to
another cellphone which you will be
carrying through the GSM or CDMA
network, thus enabling you access to the
world network through your local provider,
at local rates, even at locations which do
not have internet.
I. INTRODUCTION
This project aims at integrating the router
with the net phone along with GSM
capabilities for the net phone, which in turn
redirects the call to the cellphone which may
use GSM or CDMA network, when they are
away from home.
Project Overview:
The purpose of this project is to provide a
phone comprising an inbuilt router, capable
of giving access to the world network at
home, and also when away from home, at
local call rates.
Complexities currently faced:
The complexities found in the present day
are,
• The router provided by VOIP
services are separate which need to
be present always, to make a call,
and need to be carried everywhere,
at home or outside.
• Calls cannot be made or received
when away from home or places
without internet.
• VOIP carriers do not make use of
the vast network infrastructure
capabilities of the local GSM or
CDMA operators, which could
otherwise be exploited.
• Wi-Fi phones currenty available
face the problems of low battery
life.
• All this cripples the consumer from
getting connected to the world from
any place, even though such
network capabilities could be
established.
Eliminating the complexities:
The main objective of the NetPhone is to
eliminate the complexities present today.
• The NetPhone will have a router
integrated to the phone. Therefore
this phone can be used by any VOIP
carrier.
• Calls will be made or received at
home, away from home, with
internet or without internet (using
cellphone).
 • Using this NetPhone VoIP vendors
make use of the enormous network
infrastructure of the local carriers,
when the user is away from
hometown.
• Since the NetPhone is a wall
powered system, and GSM phones
have a much higher battery life, this
system would help in addressing the
problems of low battery life while
still being able to connect to VoIP.
• This makes the user to be connected
to the world from anywhere in the
world.
II. MAKING OF THE NETPHONE
Hardware:
Integrating a router and a phone:
The first step in making the NetPhone is
integrating the phone to a router. In present
day we connect the internet line from the
modem to a router. From the router a
connection is given to the router provided by
the VoIP vendor. Then the phone is
connected to the VoIP device. This involves
overlooking many devices and also very
complex.
In the NetPhone we will have a single
device to which the internet main line from
the modem is connected. This makes the
whole thing simpler, easier to overlook and
configure, rather than governing a whole set
of routers, VoIP device and a phone.
We will therefore to overcome the present
problems integrate a phone and a router. The
phone will have an internal router in it, to
which the main internet line will come from
the modem. The router will then redirect the
packets to the NetPhone’s internal voice
decoder network present in all phones,
which will convert the packets to voice
packets. The voice will then be heard by the
user. When the user communicates or replies
his voice is internally converted to data
packets and then it transferred to the router
which in turn forwards the packets to the
internet.
A separate console will be provided, through
which the router will be connected to the
computer. Any internal configurations made
to the phone and the internal router will be
done from the computer to the firmware of
the router.
VoIP card slot:
The NetPhone will have two slots. These
slots will be located in the back of the
NetPhone. One of them will be for the VoIP
card. This card will be having the
information of the VoIP vendor, and will not
be integrated part of the NetPhone, rather it
will be separate entity which will be inserted
into the NetPhone by the user whenever he
gets an authenticated connection with the
VoIP provider. This card will have the
phone number of the user, which will be
different for different VoIP vendors,
authorization constraints developed the
VoIP provider and details of the user
provided to VoIP vendor.
SIM card slot:
The other slot is for the SIM card. The SIM
card will be provided by any local network
vendor for the NetPhone. It can be the same
network vendor as in the user’s cellphone or
any other vendor who is located in the user’s
hometown. The SIM card will have all the
details which any other SIM card will have.
GSM activator:
The yet another feature in our project is the
GSM activator which enables the use of the
local GSM network to connect to the world.
However this feature is used only when the
user is not at home. Therefore a button is
provided in the exterior of the NetPhone to
enable and disable the activator. On
enabling the activator the NetPhone will
start forwarding any call to the number
which has been provided by the user to the
phone, using the firmware configuration
from the computer.
Software:
Operating system for the NetPhone:
The router will be having an Operating
System which will be done using Linux
which primarily specializes in network and
its components. The Operating System will
be based on the model of Linksys routers
and any changes done to the router will be
done in the firmware of the router.
Firmware:
The firmware will be where the user
configures the router and hence the internal
working of the phone. The router will have a
specific IP address which can be on DHCP
or can be done through static IP
configuration by the user. The user can
access the router by entering the IP address
of the router in his browser window. The
firmware will have four menu options,
namely,
IP configuration:
The user will be able to configure the IP
address of the router through the firmware
and there will be options for DHCP and
static addressing modes.
Authentication:
While using backward GSM routing, i.e.
making calls from GSM or CDMA
cellphone to the NetPhone, the user from his
cellphone calls the NetPhone’s SIM card
number (i.e. local number), on which the
NetPhone will ask the user to type the PIN
number, which will be given by the user to
the NetPhone through the firmware
configuration under the authentication menu
tab. The default PIN number will be 000.
The next authentication will be the caller id.
The user can give a list of local phone
numbers from which calls can be made to
the NetPhone using the local network for
making VoIP calls.
Only if both the pin number and the caller id
number match the NetPhone will
authenticate the call.
Phone number details:
This menu will have all the details of the
phone, the VoIP card, SIM card details and
any other specific details which need to
given to the user.
Forwarding phone number:
The user will use this menu to give the local
phone number to which the NetPhone has to
forward any call received using the local
network through the SIM card.
III. PHYSICAL VIEW OF THE
NETPHONE:
 Base / Cradle view

Power cable

VoIP GSM Power

To Eth1

Phone rest

To Eth0
i
Eth0 Eth1 LOGO

NetPhone view

Legend
Eth 0-> Direct from the
modem
Eth 1-> To the computer

Base/cradle View:
The NetPhone is simple, physically and to
use even though it has various functions.
The base of the NetPhone is connected to a
power cable, which powers the whole
system. It has five LEDs, which are VoIP,
GSM, power, eth 0 and eth 1.
The VoIP is lighten up when the user is at
home and uses the NetPhone directly to
communicate. GSM lightens up when the
user activates the GSM activator button in
the NetPhone, and he can make calls or will
receive calls through the NetPhone.
Eth 0 is the main internet line which comes
from the modem, the LED blinks whenever
there is a data transfer through eth 0. Eth 1
goes from the NetPhone to the computer,
and the LED lightens and blinks whenever
there is data transfer to the computer.
NetPhone view:
The NetPhone looks like a normal phone. It
has its keypad which assists for dialing and a
screen which shows the caller details. It has
left and right menu keys which are colored,
a phonebook key used to retrieve the phone
numbers.
In addition to these it has a scroll key which
helps the user to scroll the screen or see the
numbers one by one. The volume key is
used for tuning the volume.
IV.CONFIGURING THE NETPHONE:
The unique features of the NetPhone are, the
NetPhone has an integrated router in it, it
forwards any call or makes any call for the
user whenever he is not at home and thus
using both the internet and the local network
connections for getting the user connected to
the world at anytime and from anywhere.
Therefore the NetPhone should be carefully
configured for making synchronized calls,
which are also secure, that prevent others
from accessing the NetPhone.
The user can access the NetPhone through
the console port provided in the phone. He
can then type in the IP address of the router
in his web browser to access the firmware of
the router in the phone.
On entering the firmware of the router the
user if accessing the NetPhone’s router for
the first time needs to enter the details of
authentication and forwarding phone
number, to which he needs the calls to be
forwarded.
Under the authentication menu the user
needs to specify the unique pin which will
be known to him, and which needs to be
given when he needs to make calls through
the NetPhone using his cellphone while he is
away from home.
Then he needs to give the forwarding phone
number to which the NetPhone has to
forward the call received to the user’s
cellphone or any other contact number when
the user is away from home.
The other menus like IP configuration
(which will be enabled as DHCP by default),
can be configured by the user if he wishes
to.
V. Working on the NetPhone:
While at home:
The user will use the NetPhone similar to
any VoIP phone present when he is present
at his home. The user will dial the number to
which the call has to be made from the
NetPhone. Calls are received in the similar
fashion it is done on conventional phones.
Away from home:
The user has to enable the GSM activator to
make the NetPhone to forward any call on
receiving.
The real use of the NetPhone comes into
play when the user is away from home. On
receiving any call the NetPhone will forward
the received call to the phone number of
user specified by the user in the firmware.
The NetPhone will use the local network
infrastructure to forward the call to the user.
The SIM card details will be accessed by the
NetPhone for forwarding the received call.
When the user wants to make a call using
his local phone through the NetPhone he
will dial the number of the NetPhone, i.e.
the local number given to the NetPhone
using the SIM card provided by the local
vendor. On receiving a call from the user,
the NetPhone will ask the user to give the
special PIN number given by the user in the
firmware. On entering the required PIN, the
NetPhone will check the caller id number (if
applicable), then it will authenticate the user
to make VoIP calls. The user is then
requested by the NetPhone to dial the
required number with which the VoIP call is
to be established.
VI. LITERATURE SURVEY:
VoIP is a revolutionary technology that has
the potential to completely rework the
world's phone systems.
The interesting thing about VoIP is that
there is not just one way to place a call.
There are three different "flavors" of VoIP
service in common use today:
• ATA - The simplest and most
common way is through the use of a
device called an ATA (analog
telephone adaptor). The ATA allows
you to connect a standard phone to
your computer or your Internet
connection for use with VoIP. The
ATA is an analog-to-digital
converter. It takes the analog signal
from your traditional phone and
converts it into digital data for
transmission over the Internet.
Providers like Vonage and AT&T
CallVantage are bundling ATAs free
with their service. You simply crack
the ATA out of the box, plug the
cable from your phone that would
normally go in the wall socket into
the ATA, and you're ready to make
VoIP calls. Some ATAs may ship
with additional software that is
loaded onto the host computer to
configure it; but in any case, it is a
very straightforward setup.
• IP Phones - These specialized
phones look just like normal phones
with a handset, cradle and buttons.
But instead of having the standard
RJ-11 phone connectors, IP phones
have an RJ-45 Ethernet connector.
IP phones connect directly to your
router and have all the hardware and
software necessary right onboard to
handle the IP call. Wi-Fi phones
allow subscribing callers to make
VoIP calls from any Wi-Fi hot spot.
• Soft Phones - A softphone is
client software that loads the VoIP
service onto your desktop or laptop.
The Vonage softphone has an
interface on your screen that looks
like a traditional telephone. As long
as you have a headset/microphone,
you can place calls from your laptop
anywhere in the broadband-
connected world. There are several
companies offering free or very low-
cost software that you can use for
this type of VoIP. All you need is
the software, a microphone,
speakers, a sound card and an
Internet connection, preferably a fast
one like you would get through a
cable or DSL modem. Except for
your normal monthly ISP fee, there
is usually no charge for computer-to-
computer calls, no matter the
distance.
VoIP technology uses the Internet's packet-
switching capabilities to provide phone
service. VoIP has several advantages over
circuit switching. For example, packet
switching allows several telephone calls to
occupy the amount of space occupied by
only one in a circuit-switched network.
Using PSTN, that 10-minute phone call we
talked about earlier consumed 10 full
minutes of transmission time at a cost of 128
Kbps. With VoIP, that same call may have
occupied only 3.5 minutes of transmission
time at a cost of 64 Kbps, leaving another 64
Kbps free for that 3.5 minutes, plus an
additional 128 Kbps for the remaining 6.5
minutes. Based on this simple estimate,
another three or four calls could easily fit
into the space used by a single call under the
conventional system. And this example
doesn't even factor in the use of data
compression, which further reduces the size
of each call.

Voip Mobile or 'Mobile Voice over Internet

Protocol' is the application of voice over IP
technology to mobile handsets.

The term is : VoIP Mobile... VoIP Mobile

requires a mobile handset that supports, at
minimum, high speed IP communications.
Most commonly this is using Voice over
WiFi or VoWiFi, but the same protocols
(typically SIP or jabber) can be used over
any broadband IP-capable wireless network
connection such as the various 3G standards,
EVDO rev A (which is synchronously high
speed - both high speed up and down),
HSDPA or potentially WiMax.

VoIP Mobile will require a compromise service but is only available within the
between economy and mobility. For coverage area of the WiFi Access Point.
example, Voice over WiFi offers free High speed services from mobile operators
using EVDO rev A or HSPDA with
probably have better audio quality and
capabilities for metropolitan-wide coverage
including fast handoffs from mobile base
station to another, yet it will cost more than
the typical WiFi-based VoIP service.
system would help in addressing the
problems of low battery life while
still being able to connect to VoIP.
• The user is connected to the world
from anywhere in the world.

The challenge for the mobile operator

industry is to deliver the benefits and
innovations of IP without losing control of
the network service. Users like the Internet
to be free and high speed without extra
charges for visiting specific sites versus
other sites. Delivering mobile VoIP is a
service that challenges the most valuable
service in the telecommunications industry -
voice - and threatens (or promises,
depending on your views) the pace of
innovation in the global communications
industry.The greatest problem currently
faced is the low batter life due to the high
power consumption by WiFi access.

VII. CONCLUSION:
The project arrives at the following
conclusions:
The advantages of the project are compared
to the present technology,
• The integrated router helps the
phone to be used by any VoIP
vendor, and the vendors need not
provide their own routers.
• Calls can be made at home, away
from home, with internet or without
internet using cell phones or
landlines.
• Using NetPhone VoIP vendors
make use of the enormous network
infrastructure of the local carriers,
when the user is away from
hometown.
• Since the NetPhone is a wall
powered system, and GSM phones
have a much higher battery life, this
REFERENCES
1. Timothy Kelly, “VoIP for Dummies” ,
“Wiley Publishing, Inc”, chapters 4,6
and 8.
2. Siegmund Redl (Author), Matthias K.
Weber (Author), Malcolm Oliphant
(Author), “Artech House Publishers”
chapter 3 and 4.1
3. Rao, Herman C H; Lin, Yi-Bing; Cho,
Sheng-Lin, “iGSM: VoIP service for
mobile networks”, IEEE COMMUN
MAG. Vol. 38, no. 4, pp. 62-69. Apr.
2000
4. Qingguo Shen Performance of VoIP
over GPRS Advanced Information
Networking and Applications, 2003.
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Conference on: 27-29 March 2003
page(s):611-614.