About
Name: Matthew "Mr_VoIP" Main
Age: 40
Location: Southern United Kingdom
Likes: Badminton, Ice Hockey and BBQ food
Dislikes: Celery
Most comfortable with: FreeSWITCH
Wants to learn: Kamailio
Linked-In
I have been working professionally in IT since 2015, but I’ve always been a tinkerer at heart. I built my first PC at 13 and enjoyed pushing its limits—often breaking Windows 98 SE in the process. As technology advanced, I explored DVD ripping and SVCD, always eager to experiment and learn.
After leaving school, I applied for numerous IT jobs but always fell just short, often making it to the final two candidates. After many attempts, I decided to pivot and built a successful career in the automotive industry, specializing in vehicle preparation, including valeting, detailing, window tinting, and wrapping.
However, my passion for technology never faded. I continued experimenting whenever possible, and when the Raspberry Pi was first released, I was eager to learn how to run basic services on it. My big break in IT finally came in early 2015, thanks to a friend I played badminton with. She noticed my enthusiasm for tech, mentioned it to her husband, and a few weeks later, I landed my first IT job.
It was during this time that I first encountered VoIP. My first task was to connect a Gigaset N300 to a PBX called Mirta, a multi-tenant system built on Asterisk. It took me an entire day, but I eventually succeeded—I managed to register the device and make calls.
Fast forward 10 years, and here I am today. I’ve gained extensive hands-on experience with both Asterisk and FreeSWITCH. Most of my exposure to FreeSWITCH has come through FusionPBX, an open-source PBX created by Mark J Crane.
I created this page to give back to the community. Finding quality, hands-on training for VoIP has always been a challenge—most knowledge comes from books and scattered YouTube videos. While these resources are valuable, they can also lead to frustration, especially when you need specific answers. My goal is to share my knowledge, help others navigate this field, and, in the process, continue learning more about this fascinating topic.