Does anyone know of any options for what phones can be attached to Skype on SuSE Linux. Is it still next to impossible?

I would really prefer to have some sort of dual (landline+Skype) / portable option.

I have looked at the dualphone under Windows and it looks good.

Has anyone written or come across any drivers for any reasonable product?

I thought that I would ask before I give up and buy a headset.......


Thanks,


Hayden

The USB Dualphone don't have a Linux driver.
There are USB audio devices that works with Skype on Linux.

Check this out from my system log (I just plugged it in first time today, ZERO configuration other than selecting dsp3 - note that linux had no problem with the three sound devices). I would strongly suspect that most or all of the usb phones (not bridges) will similarly work - linux is very good with hid devices. I am using 2.6.16 kernel so I am not sure of older kenels. NOTE especially that linux loads a profile for Voip phones! so I believe most will work if they are standards compliant in hardware.

LOG:
usb 2-8: new full speed USB device using ohci_hcd and address 7
usb 2-8: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice
input: PDT VoIPvoice USB Phone as /class/input/input5
input: USB HID v1.00 Device [PDT VoIPvoice USB Phone] on usb-0000:00:02.0-8


The device is a bridge (you plug in a POTS phone line, POTS telephone. USB port and you are all set). It is very small and will travel easily, but I plan to get myself a 80211 skype phone for that. It also switches calls between the POTS line and the Skype one so you can use existing phones if you want. I used a new phone, however, so I did not plug in the POTS line, only the wire to my wireless POTS phone. So I now have great, cheap, clear Voip from skype on a wireless panasonic 5ghz handset going through linux!!!

THE BAD - you have to dial and hang up from the skype app on your computer - although linux has no problem seeing it as a HID Voip phone, skype software unfortunately looks only at the /dev/dsp3 and does not read from usb port to pick up the (standard) signals operate the phone controls. This may not be hard to fix, all someone has to do is map the keypresses from the phone and then write a short interface handler to skype, depending on whether skype's api is good enough (and open?) it should really be very easy to fix, something like using xmodmap

To avoid interacting with the actual pc, as you say programs exist that do speed dials and answering. eg. SkypeMate.

Here is a howto i found to create a multi handset skype network at home.

http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/8592

The only Linux compatible phone is the Yamamoto USB Phone and EasyBlue Adaptor box, unfortunately this is only working with Fedora Core 3 though. It uses the SkypeMate software-I have been in touch with the manufacturers and they don't plan any further Linux drivers.

I am hoping Ipevo may develop a Linux driver as they now have a fully compatible driver for the Mac. Again it looks like Linux support for both Skype and USB Phones seems to have been left on the sidelines.

Headsets are the only options for other distros at the moment.

Hi!

I'm trying to get the AU600 Phone USB bridge work with Linux, does anyone know a similar device that is already supported I wonder how I should implement the ringing part now (what userspace interface I should provide)..

http://alsa.opensrc.org/au600

[quote=flurdy]To avoid interacting with the actual pc, as you say programs exist that do speed dials and answering. eg. SkypeMate.
[/quote]
To avoid having any problems in the near future, just buy a SIP-compatible router or wireless phone. Choose any of the VoIP providers using SIP (that is almost any except Skype).

At least, if you really need a phone for it now, buy one that supports both Skype and SIP - you will avoid problems in case of switching to a standard protocol...

You might consider buying a chatcord (www.chatcord.com). It's cheap, under $30, and doesn't require any software drivers. It connects your landline phone to a usb port, so you can make skype calls with your regular phone. You still have to dial using the skype interface on your computer, but once the connection is made, you just talk with your regular phone. I've been using it with debian sid for several months, and it works great.

Anyone still interested in a linux driver for that AU600 device?

I'm already able to use that device with for example xmms as playback device (after 40 seconds it adds a buzz at the moment but I'm sure that will get fixed too soon)