2 telephone lines onto voip network

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Tricksdrummer

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#40751 2-Sep-2009 21:05

Hi all,
Im looking at setting up a voip installation with 2 telephone lines that come in off the street,
I want to be able to "plug" those 2 lines into "something" that will allow me to get some "voip phones" and plug those phones into the LAN.
There would be about 4 or 5 phones in the installation and each phone would be able to access each line or only a specific line depending on the extention number on the phone, also toll bars on certain phones (or the ability to get around toll bars on certain phones). I dont mind if the pc doesn't plug into the phone.

Basically what happens at the moment is there is a very old telecom pabx that is most likely gonna die any day now, 2 lines come in off the street to the pabx and theres about 4 phones currently connected to that pabx (and a fax).
To make things a little more complicated, theres a wireless bridge network to a building 100m away and i would like to put a phone in that building to save on telephone line costs there. (i already got the bridge network sorted)

If you could please let me know what hardware (and software if required) to get this setup, nothing too flash, cheaper is better, but want something that works :)

Thanks heaps in advance for any help received :)

sbiddle

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#252741 2-Sep-2009 21:10

If you want multiple extensions you're going to need a PBX.

First thing you have to decide is what you're going to use. There are a large number of options and you also have to factor is that "cheap" "reliable" and "quality" can't all be used in the same sentence.

coffeebaron

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#252746 2-Sep-2009 21:14

Why not drop the PSTN lines and go with VoIP all the way?

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old3eyes

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#252822 3-Sep-2009 08:19

coffeebaron: Why not drop the PSTN lines and go with VoIP all the way?

If he wants any sort of modem access usually forget it. Sky box, monitored alarms..

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Tricksdrummer

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#252895 3-Sep-2009 12:27

Oh ok, lets try a reliable option and also a cheap option and compare the 2, would rather keep to the 2 incoming lines :)

sbiddle

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#252903 3-Sep-2009 12:58

Tricksdrummer: Oh ok, lets try a reliable option and also a cheap option and compare the 2, would rather keep to the 2 incoming lines :)

If you want extensions you need to get a PBX. As I explained above you need to decide for yourself what hardware option you want.

You could opt for an Epygi Quadro, a PC running Asterisk or trixbox, a PC running 3CX, an Atcom IP04 Asterisk appliance or any of the other PBX options out there.

To interface the PSTN lines you'll either need a FXO card to handle the PSTN lines or some external adapters such as SPA3102's. The Epygi Quadro's have built in FXO ports for incoming PSTN lines. The Atcom IP04 also has built in FXO modules.

At a very rough estimate you could have a good reliable system for ~$3k if you choose cheap IP phones for the 5 extensions. If you want to go down the Asterisk/trixbox path and install it on dirt cheap 2nd hand hardware and skip the IP phones then those costs could be reduced slightly. Buy better hardware you'll probably be looking closer to $4k

You need to decide what you want. There are different PBX options that have pros and cons. You also need to decide whether you want IP phones or stick with analogue phones.

hads

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#252906 3-Sep-2009 13:13

If you used an IP02 with one module instead of the IP04, and snom 300 phones for example, you'd come in at under $1900.

If you wanted to go all analog then the IP08 with 2 FXO and 6 FXS will set you back under $1300.

That's probably the cheapest you're going to get for decent hardware.

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dadevil

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#254316 9-Sep-2009 12:21

Why not take the whole thing VoIP?

Just do a simple number port of the two telecom numbers (I'm assuming you want to keep the numbers?) and take the whole thing to IP.

Companies like TNZ Group do this all the time. I use them at the moment for my business where I have three people in the office all with their own extensions then an EEEPC that I use to call/answer calls when I'm in meetings or overseas etc.

That way you can have all the extensions you would ever need... You can either use IP Phones straight off the LAN or use any PC with a headset (wired or wireless) to connect the numbers.

If you wanted to get serious I believe TNZ can supply a PBX with their own software loaded that allows you to pick and choose at will who is allowed which extensions and where each number can ring. I.e. one number can ring for extension 1, number two will ring extension 2, 3 and 4, while the boss might want both numbers to ring his extension 10 and the software will display which number the call is relating to.
This is probably going to suit you best but TNZ will probably charge a bit for it. No harm in asking though right?

sbiddle

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#254352 9-Sep-2009 14:24

dadevil: Why not take the whole thing VoIP?

Just do a simple number port of the two telecom numbers (I'm assuming you want to keep the numbers?) and take the whole thing to IP.

Moving from PSTN to a SIP based VoIP provider isn't a one case fits all solution. If you believe it is then you've got a lot to learn about VoIP.

Depending on the number of lines you need, hardware costs, requirements for redundancy and the cost of an internet connection to support this may cost more than keeping PSTN lines. In many cases it can - but in many cases sticking with ISDN (or even a regular PSTN line) and integrating this into a VoIP PBX is a solution many people are still choosing.

kadillak

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#254376 9-Sep-2009 15:52

sbiddle:
Moving from PSTN to a SIP based VoIP provider isn't a one case fits all solution. If you believe it is then you've got a lot to learn about VoIP.

Depending on the number of lines you need, hardware costs, requirements for redundancy and the cost of an internet connection to support this may cost more than keeping PSTN lines. In many cases it can - but in many cases sticking with ISDN (or even a regular PSTN line) and integrating this into a VoIP PBX is a solution many people are still choosing.

Granted that you are entirely correct - the OP states that he has an existing PSDN PABX that is effectively on its last legs... In which case you can either foot the bill of a new PABX (usually costing well over $1000 + monthly outgoings - possibly up to $60/month rental for each line?) or look to a more effective solution, like a VOIP option. A VOIP solution would mean no major costs other than the actual VOIP phones (which can be quite pricey but it sounds like the OP already has them).

My solution from TNZ was a simple number port of my existing 0800 number and changing the backing number to one of their voip/sip numbers. I already had an internet connection (as all of us do on the forum!) and it took them a day or so to set the whole thing up. I'm currently paying around $25/month including calls and an email-to-fax line! They backend the whole thing and all I need to do is point my PC/IP-Phone (running X-Lite) at their domain (sip.tnz.co.nz) and save the username and password and I'm away. Redundancy is N/A as all I need is any PC with an internet connection - anywhere...

Of course the case may be different for the OP but I'm just offering my experiences converting to VOIP.

tonyhughes

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#254385 9-Sep-2009 16:00

Get a perm Quadro or similar. Would be one of the easiest options.

Asterisk would suit you brilliantly from a functionality perspective, but you need reliable hardware, Linux and Asterisk knowledge, and decent FXO hardware is not cheap (the cheaper you go, the more initial AND ongoing mucking around you will likely do on an exponential scale).

sbiddle

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#254392 9-Sep-2009 16:14

kadillak:

Granted that you are entirely correct - the OP states that he has an existing PSDN PABX that is effectively on its last legs... In which case you can either foot the bill of a new PABX (usually costing well over $1000 + monthly outgoings - possibly up to $60/month rental for each line?) or look to a more effective solution, like a VOIP option. A VOIP solution would mean no major costs other than the actual VOIP phones (which can be quite pricey but it sounds like the OP already has them).

My solution from TNZ was a simple number port of my existing 0800 number and changing the backing number to one of their voip/sip numbers. I already had an internet connection (as all of us do on the forum!) and it took them a day or so to set the whole thing up. I'm currently paying around $25/month including calls and an email-to-fax line! They backend the whole thing and all I need to do is point my PC/IP-Phone (running X-Lite) at their domain (sip.tnz.co.nz) and save the username and password and I'm away. Redundancy is N/A as all I need is any PC with an internet connection - anywhere...

Of course the case may be different for the OP but I'm just offering my experiences converting to VOIP.

There is a big difference between "having an internet connection" and having an internet connection capable of supporting reliable VoIP. If you try and run several VoIP lines over a residential ADSL connection with a poor quality ADSL modem with no QoS then you're asking for trouble.

There are also significant pros and cons of moving to a managed PBX solution rather than having a PBX inhouse. If you're moving to a hosted PBX solution then the internet connection and quality of your hardware becomes even more important, particularly if you're running multiple extensions and require handling of a number of simultaneous calls.

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kadillak

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#254397 9-Sep-2009 16:22

sbiddle:

There is a big difference between "having an internet connection" and having an internet connection capable of supporting reliable VoIP. If you try and run several VoIP lines over a residential ADSL connection with a poor quality ADSL modem with no QoS then you're asking for trouble.

There are also significant pros and cons of moving to a managed PBX solution rather than having a PBX inhouse. If you're moving to a hosted PBX solution then the internet connection and quality of your hardware becomes even more important, particularly if you're running multiple extensions and require handling of a number of simultaneous calls.

Very true and a detail I hadn't thought of. Although calls sound beautiful straight off an XT dongle I wouldn't think of trying a VOIP solution with a dialup connection. Its fair to say that for most SMEs in NZ a decent ADSL2 connection would be perfectly fine. If you can run skype alongside browsing the web (among other things) then VOIP shouldn't be a problem. If you're a large enterprise with more than 20 extentions you shouldn't be on a crappy line anyway!

Tricksdrummer

25 posts

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#255074 11-Sep-2009 18:49

Thanks heaps for all your help :) i'd have to have a sit down when i get a moment and read through all this and come to a decision... :)