UKVoIPTalk.com

Hi All,

Besides keep adding ATAs with 2 Voip ports until covering everyone
needed, what's the inteligent solution for this "problem", in a way
that each of the employees with Voip access has it's own Voip
extension number?

Thanks,
Jose

In article <47e31243.51959140@news20.forteinc.com>,
Jose <go.spam@somewhere.else> wrote:[color=blue]
>Hi All,
>
>Besides keep adding ATAs with 2 Voip ports until covering everyone
>needed, what's the inteligent solution for this "problem", in a way
>that each of the employees with Voip access has it's own Voip
>extension number?[/color]

If they're all in the office, how about a VoIP capable PBX? Connect all
the ATAs to the PBX, then have the PBX connect to either your existing
legacy PSTN connections, or SIP/IAX trunks to an ITSP (eg. the one you
currently use?)

Even if you have a few remote workers, they could still connect into
your office PBX - make sure you have a good business quality ISP though!

And you don't need ATAs... You could give people dedicated SIP
deskphones (or soft phones) if required - I guess it depends on the
existing intrastructure - if you already have a lot of analogue phones
cabled in, then ATAs might be the better idea... But there are 8-port
ATAs avalable too...

You can build your own PBX (eg. an asterisk based system, or trixbox),
but there are many pre-built systems which will do what you need it to do.

Gordon

On Fri, 21 Mar 2008 01:45:26 +0000, Jose wrote:
[color=blue]
> Besides keep adding ATAs with 2 Voip ports until covering everyone
> needed, what's the inteligent solution for this "problem", in a way that
> each of the employees with Voip access has it's own Voip extension
> number?[/color]

Depends how intelligent you're feeling.

A) Some kind of hosted centrex system, where you pay a fee per month per
extension, and you register every extension with a central server on the
internet

B) SIP-capable PBX on site. This will involve a bit more work and
expertise on your part, but [depending on how many extensions are
involved] could lower costs and increase reliability.

If you've got a spare PC, you could test out scenario B with PBX In A
Flash [pbxinaflash.net], as it will likely work with the ATAs you already
have.

--
<http://ale.cx/> (AIM:troffasky) (UnSoEsNpEaTm@ale.cx)
09:53:18 up 25 days, 17:45, 2 users, load average: 0.05, 0.59, 1.00
Convergence, n: The act of using separate DSL circuits for voice and data

"Jose" <go.spam@somewhere.else> wrote in message
news:47e31243.51959140@news20.forteinc.com
: Hi All,
:
: Besides keep adding ATAs with 2 Voip ports until covering
: everyone needed, what's the inteligent solution for this
: "problem", in a way that each of the employees with Voip
: access has it's own Voip extension number?
:
: Thanks,
: Jose

You might try a Centrex system such as Gradwell - see
[url]www.gradwell.com/voip[/url]

Peter Gradwell the MD of that company posts here occasionally and is
always very helpful answering queries.


Ivor
(no connection but I am a satisfied customer..!)

On Fri, 21 Mar 2008 10:00:28 +0000 (UTC), Gordon Henderson
<gordon+usenet@drogon.net> wrote:

[color=blue]
>If they're all in the office, how about a VoIP capable PBX? Connect all
>the ATAs to the PBX, then have the PBX connect to either your existing
>legacy PSTN connections, or SIP/IAX trunks to an ITSP (eg. the one you
>currently use?)[/color]

Hi Gordon,

A Voip capable PBX seems a good idea, although I'm not sure if it
would fit all requirements - I might have forgot to mention some:

a) the ability for employees of the same company in diferent offices,
calling each other for free, ringing exstension xxx in order to speak
to Mr. Smith, etc
Would a PBX allow this? Or only if the PBX had its own extension
connected to the Voip provider? (Does such device exist, or am I day
dreaming?)

b) the ability of employess to both receive and make PSTN calls
(suppose the company has already PSTN numbers, which their clients
already know, or they have a local cost number, which should allow
clients to speak to at least some of the employees; besides, some
information, and paid tech support support numbers, can only be
dialled out through a PSTN line)

[color=blue]
>And you don't need ATAs... You could give people dedicated SIP
>deskphones (or soft phones) if required - I guess it depends on the
>existing intrastructure - if you already have a lot of analogue phones
>cabled in, then ATAs might be the better idea... But there are 8-port
>ATAs avalable too...[/color]

I'm assuming there already loads of sophisticated analogue phones -
it's not for me, it's for a friend.

8 port ATAs - of which I found only the SPA 8000 - was big news to me.
If not applied in this scenario, I'm sure I'll find a use for it :-)


An SPA3102 with multipled ports, would be ideal.
[color=blue]
>You can build your own PBX (eg. an asterisk based system, or trixbox),
>but there are many pre-built systems which will do what you need it to do.[/color]

I think I'll go with the prebuilt, after I've found it ;-)

Thank a lot Gordon!

Best,
Jose

On 21 Mar 2008 10:03:09 GMT, alexd <troffasky@hotmail.com> wrote:
[color=blue]
>A) Some kind of hosted centrex system, where you pay a fee per month per
>extension, and you register every extension with a central server on the
>internet[/color]

I've already considered that, but I trying to avoid multiplying the
number of ATAs in the office

[color=blue]
>B) SIP-capable PBX on site. This will involve a bit more work and
>expertise on your part, but [depending on how many extensions are
>involved] could lower costs and increase reliability.[/color]

Can you name one? I've already googled it, but it all seems rather
strange, at this stage

[color=blue]
>If you've got a spare PC, you could test out scenario B with PBX In A
>Flash [pbxinaflash.net], as it will likely work with the ATAs you already
>have.[/color]

I'll investigate.

Thanks a lot!
Jose

After serious thinking Jose wrote :[color=blue]
> On 21 Mar 2008 10:03:09 GMT, alexd <troffasky@hotmail.com> wrote:
>[color=green]
>> A) Some kind of hosted centrex system, where you pay a fee per month per
>> extension, and you register every extension with a central server on the
>> internet[/color]
>
> I've already considered that, but I trying to avoid multiplying the
> number of ATAs in the office
>
>[color=green]
>> B) SIP-capable PBX on site. This will involve a bit more work and
>> expertise on your part, but [depending on how many extensions are
>> involved] could lower costs and increase reliability.[/color]
>
> Can you name one? I've already googled it, but it all seems rather
> strange, at this stage[/color]

Commercial:

<http://www.drogon.net/dsx/features.html>

<http://www.provu.co.uk/protalk_pbx.html>

Homebrew:

<http://pbxinaflash.net/downloads/>
[color=blue]
>
>[color=green]
>> If you've got a spare PC, you could test out scenario B with PBX In A
>> Flash [pbxinaflash.net], as it will likely work with the ATAs you already
>> have.[/color]
>
> I'll investigate.
>
> Thanks a lot!
> Jose[/color]

In article <47e66f5c.2752375@news20.forteinc.com>,
Jose <go.spam@somewhere.else> wrote:[color=blue]
>On Fri, 21 Mar 2008 10:00:28 +0000 (UTC), Gordon Henderson
><gordon+usenet@drogon.net> wrote:
>
>[color=green]
>>If they're all in the office, how about a VoIP capable PBX? Connect all
>>the ATAs to the PBX, then have the PBX connect to either your existing
>>legacy PSTN connections, or SIP/IAX trunks to an ITSP (eg. the one you
>>currently use?)[/color]
>
>Hi Gordon,
>
>A Voip capable PBX seems a good idea, although I'm not sure if it
>would fit all requirements - I might have forgot to mention some:
>
>a) the ability for employees of the same company in diferent offices,
>calling each other for free, ringing exstension xxx in order to speak
>to Mr. Smith, etc
>Would a PBX allow this? Or only if the PBX had its own extension
>connected to the Voip provider? (Does such device exist, or am I day
>dreaming?)[/color]

Sure.

Disclaimer: I make & sell such a device...

Essentially, any VoIP capable PBX ought to work - where you'll have issues
is configuring your broadband connection to allow remote conections
into the PBX. It's not hard though, and very well defined. You will
need a genuine static IP address on your broadband connection and I
would strongly suggest a good business quality ISP too.

If there are a largish number of staff in each office, it might be
advantageous for each office to have it's own PBX - it's a matter of
what you need though - The PBXs can trunk calls to each other via a
slightly more efficient link that individual phones can, and the PBXs will
also allow each local office to use their exsiting PSTN infrastructure,
if required.

The limiting factor is your broadband bandwidth. For each concurrent
call, you need approx. 80Kb/sec each way, so a standard ADSL line with
400Kb/sec outgoing can handle 4 concurrent calls, a good business quality
line with 800Kb/sec outgoing speed can handle 8 or 9. With compression
it can be many more, but I do recomend getting a good quality ISP if
you plan to use VoIP. (And a good router that can handle QoS)

I generally suggest an in-house PBX for more than about 4-6 members of
staff in one location. (But my PBXs have many more facilities than my
virtual PBX offering, but there are other virtual operators who may be
more feature rich than me)

I can't stress the need for a good ISP enough. Most people here are
residential VoIP users and as such, mostly use redisential ISP offerings,
and they work well for them, but a business relying on VoIP really does
need to spend a few quid more on a good ISP. I've seen more issues with
people trying to save a few quid on a cheap ISP for their business than
just about anything else when installing VoIP.
[color=blue]
>b) the ability of employess to both receive and make PSTN calls
>(suppose the company has already PSTN numbers, which their clients
>already know, or they have a local cost number, which should allow
>clients to speak to at least some of the employees; besides, some
>information, and paid tech support support numbers, can only be
>dialled out through a PSTN line)[/color]

Indeed - You fit a PSTN card into the PBX. Analogue, ISDN2 or ISDN30
as needs require. PSTN on one side, VoIP on the other. The PBX bridges
the two. Allows VoIP to VoIP calls for all the internal extensions
(Some of which may be physically elsewhere, and not in the office),
and any extension can then make/take calls via the office PSTN line(s).
(or via a VoIP 'trunk' to an existing provider)

In some cases it may be posible to port numbers into a VoIP platform -
email me for more details.
[color=blue][color=green]
>>And you don't need ATAs... You could give people dedicated SIP
>>deskphones (or soft phones) if required - I guess it depends on the
>>existing intrastructure - if you already have a lot of analogue phones
>>cabled in, then ATAs might be the better idea... But there are 8-port
>>ATAs avalable too...[/color]
>
>I'm assuming there already loads of sophisticated analogue phones -
>it's not for me, it's for a friend.[/color]

Dedicated VoIP phones tend to be easier to use for doing things like
transfering, etc. but do watch out for any existing analogue phones -
they may be analogue, but are they part of an existing proprietary PBX
system? If you can plug one into a standard home BT socket and it works,
then you won't have a problem.
[color=blue]
>8 port ATAs - of which I found only the SPA 8000 - was big news to me.
>If not applied in this scenario, I'm sure I'll find a use for it :-)
>
>An SPA3102 with multipled ports, would be ideal.
>[color=green]
>>You can build your own PBX (eg. an asterisk based system, or trixbox),
>>but there are many pre-built systems which will do what you need it to do.[/color]
>
>I think I'll go with the prebuilt, after I've found it ;-)[/color]

Someone else has posted a link to my units - I'll leave you to find it,
or drop me an email :)

Cheers,

Gordon

On 21 Mar 2008 10:03:09 GMT, alexd <troffasky@hotmail.com> wrote:
[color=blue]
>B) SIP-capable PBX on site. This will involve a bit more work and
>expertise on your part, but [depending on how many extensions are
>involved] could lower costs and increase reliability.
>
>If you've got a spare PC, you could test out scenario B with PBX In A
>Flash [pbxinaflash.net], as it will likely work with the ATAs you already
>have.[/color]

These 2 alternatives seem to depend on one kind of sofware or another,
either open source running on the IP PBX, or running in a PC (which I
find even worse...)

I tend to trust *firmware* a lot more than software, and I don't mind
that the firmware is proprietary - I find there's a resonable choice
of proprietary, SIP complaiant, devides to chose from, so no problem
of monopolies here.

I'm inclined into ATAs, and real or vitual PBXs (or both), depending
on the specific final requirements.

In the ATA department, I've liked a Grandstream 8 FXS +1 or 2 FXO
ports, and a huge 24 FXS ports ATA.

The "normal" PBX department is revealing a lot more dificult to find
information about - the manufacturers I've found some information
about seem afraid to show the specs of their equipament, and the rest
only show on retailers with the "let's meet and discuss your needs"
aproach :-P

Regards,
Jose

Jose wrote :[color=blue]
> The "normal" PBX department is revealing a lot more dificult to find
> information about - the manufacturers I've found some information
> about seem afraid to show the specs of their equipament, and the rest
> only show on retailers with the "let's meet and discuss your needs"
> aproach :-P[/color]

The NEC XN120 would be a "traditional" VoIP capable PBX. I have a
pricelist somewhere....