Belkin WiFi Skype Phone runs Linux !

This was an incidental discovery for me today, while helping troubleshoot the phone with my parents. I had bought this Belkin WiFi Skype phone for my parents last month to use VoIP and save on telco cost for our long distance communication.

I was browsing through Belkin support pages after my father called an asked for my help to have the phone boot up. The phone was refusing to boot since yesterday he told me. I had to re-check with manuals to figure if there is a hard reset possible.

Hard re-set was not thought for this device, so I made up my mind to guide my father to flash the device. Just then I noticed "GPL" downloads for this phone.

Later before blogging I found an article on LinuxDevices from Dec 2006, so this is nothing new but some news I missed. I read many device reviews before my purchase decisions but I came across nothing that hinted me it runs Linux, even though I was curious to know what it runs.

I have not yet even touched or seen this device for real so far, but this is a good device and just works, off-course it needs reset after few days, but has already brought huge savings and freedom to talk and stay in touch with my family.

Anyhow I am glad that phone booted up fine later , the main electric charger seems to have got spoiled and the fact this runs Linux and the GPL code recently surfaced, it looks in future there might be Gtalk, Gizmo builds available for this phone and we can then be free to move from Skype to any other service.

I am planning to build up my own Asterisk VoIP service for my family, relatives & friends. I won't do it for free but I will accept seasonal gifts for the same :-)

Links for this post:
Belkin WiFi Phone
http://www.belkin.com/skype/howitworks/

Linux Devices Article on Belkin WiFI
http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS3218543419.html

GPL Downloads
http://www.belkin.com/support/article/?lid=en&pid=F1PP000GN-SK&aid=9123&scid=253

Also: While downloading the firmware app I did bothered myself to leave a comment to Belkin support to dare providing Linux based flasher tools, why make an OS independent device Windows dependent ?

I am proud that since I have isolated Skype from my parents computing usage to this phone, since then my parents don't use Windows and uses Fedora Linux on all their computers. Except one computer, for financial accounting but my father hopes to be able to explore GnuCash that seems to fit for his business that he is slowly reducing for he is already in his retirement age.