Last night I was reading through the API documentation for Asterisk, the free telephone service platform, and I believe there is a new plugin on the horizon for integrating with that system. Many (!!) years ago I set up an IBM XT computer with a Monochrome (green) display whose sole purpose was to open up a terminal, issue the AT+CID=1 command to a Hayes modem in one of it's many ISA slots and listen for the Caller ID data coming in off the phone line. Even then, it was perhaps overkill, but it was a rather convenient way to log incoming call history. Much later, early versions of Venturii had a Maestro module that provided similar logging of the call data, but also provided the ability to
do things with this information by sending it to Decider. Thus we had a light that would flash whenever family called so we knew without having to get up if we should rush to answer the phone.
Now, having moved away from a land line and having a pure VOIP solution, my caller ID system still technically works, but I've had it in mind since the switch-over to integrate at an IP level to Asterisk itself. As it turns out, their AMI protocol (Asterisk Management Interface) appears to be just the ticket, allowing events to be reported through the connection and even calls to be originated and directed through this API. As with all things, it is only a matter of time now.
