Administering my own VoIP setup - help needed!

[Keydogg]

Hi all,

Today we are getting new business broadband install, yey! We're going from our pitiful 2.5/0.3mb connection to 20/2mb, which is desperately needed.

I now want to explore the options of installing a VoIP system myself, I'm a quick learner with this kind of stuff so I'm hoping if I get pointed in the right direction I will be able to learn as I go.

My main query is this:

I am looking for the cheapest way to have 2 or 3 virtual lines, with a main switchboard so when people dial in they hear option 1, 2, 3, etc with optional voicemail. So far I've done a little reading up but advice is needed really as there are so many options!

I think the best option would would be to get something like Sipgate software installed on a server, then 3 x Cisco SPA300 phones as these seem good value. My question is then, can the Cisco phones just connect at any network point as long as they are on the same VLAN? That would be perfect as the phones need to be in different rooms.

Any help is appreciated! Cheers

 

[2Damnsly Andy]

chip might be the man for this.

 

[ThomasBrentnall]

Use a hosted voip solution

 

[Paprika123]

I'd use a hosted solution for 3 handsets.

 

[Chip-mk1]

@chip might be the man for this.

No mate despite being a bit of a nerd I have had very little to do with voip.

 

[blburied]

Hosted or 3CX. for 3 phones I'd be swaying to the Hosted Option though.

We use Digium Switchvox, 500+ phones globally(5 sites). I personally look after 4 sites which use them, the later variants are OK for Small/Medium Office, just a touch lacking in UK Support.

Our phones run on a completely segregated network. Don't have much to do with Vlans. Aslong as the phones can see the switch I cant see you running into any problems.

P.S. SIP, whilst the are some die-hard lovers of it. I'm yet to be convinced. If the Internet goes, your f**ked., and the quality isnt all that either.

 

[sbridgey]

Hated my VOIP module at uni, so good luck!

 

[Longy]

P.S. SIP, whilst the are some die-hard lovers of it. I'm yet to be convinced. If the Internet goes, your f**ked., and the quality isnt all that either.

Quality isn't if you can't manage QoS, decent internet connection and a secondary connection if you need resilience with a decent router and SIP is just as good as any ISDN with good savings.

I would go the hosted route, we install a lot of it daily and use Cisco Phones (7962 most popular) using Skinny protocol and never have issues. As the PBX is hosted on a datacentre, if your internet does go down, you can easily forward calls to mobiles, analogue phones or voice-mail or even take a IP phone home with you and just plug it into your router and it will work.

4 port PoE switch will make it a nice tidy install doesn't have to be anything fancy, wouldn't even bother with VLANS for just three phones just separate switch.

For each call I always allow for 100kbps in upload/download so 3 calls at once would be 300kbps (even though it won't be this, it just gives you plenty of headroom). If you can reserve this on your router even better. The Draytek routers 2830 are great at QoS, bandwidth monitoring and secondary WAN/3g ports for backup if needed.

 

[Keydogg]

Quality isn't if you can't manage QoS, decent internet connection and a secondary connection if you need resilience with a decent router and SIP is just as good as any ISDN with good savings.

I would go the hosted route, we install a lot of it daily and use Cisco Phones (7962 most popular) using Skinny protocol and never have issues. As the PBX is hosted on a datacentre, if your internet does go down, you can easily forward calls to mobiles, analogue phones or voice-mail or even take a IP phone home with you and just plug it into your router and it will work.

4 port PoE switch will make it a nice tidy install doesn't have to be anything fancy, wouldn't even bother with VLANS for just three phones just separate switch.

For each call I always allow for 100kbps in upload/download so 3 calls at once would be 300kbps (even though it won't be this, it just gives you plenty of headroom). If you can reserve this on your router even better. The Draytek routers 2830 are great at QoS, bandwidth monitoring and secondary WAN/3g ports for backup if needed.

Thanks everyone.

Longy that explains a lot, i didn't know they could be forwarded to mobiles if it went down, that's great. I can sort out the QoS on our D-Link Business Router so that won't be a problem. Having a switch with all the phones on won't really work as they are all in different rooms, so I'll just connect them to the network on a separate switch each.

Can anyone recommend a decent hosted solution that is good value then?

 

[Paprika123]

BT Business do hosted VOIP.

 

[Adam]

Our HUC solution is worth a look!

http://www.talktalkbusiness.co.uk/products-and-services/hosted/hosted-unified-comms/

 

[Keydogg]

Our HUC solution is worth a look!

http://www.talktalkbusiness.co.uk/products-and-services/hosted/hosted-unified-comms/

Looks good! What would we get for £7 a month? We just want a main switchboard thing (so that when people call they can press 1 for reception, 2 for office, 3 for course status), plus voice mail and diverting to mobiles broadband goes down.

 

[Adam]

TBH your best giving our sales team a call and going through your requirement.

You would also need an Inbound derive from us ie an auto attended which would give you the options, press 1, 2 etc.

We can offer this on NGN type numbers (08xx) or GeoFIX (01, 02)

 

[Keydogg]

Ok once we get the new broadband up and running I will do that, cheers!

 

[KDF]

Hosted, or roll your own FOC (just add trunks.. ) www.elastix.org

 

[Adam]

Was on my phone earlier.

Was meant to say inbound solution and auto attendant lol!

 

[cava83]

Hi.

Hosted.

Longy makes some brilliant points.

Some of the people I look after use http://www.voipfone.co.uk/ really good value, don't have many problems.

http://soho66.co.uk/ this is another company worth a look.

Otherwise, Elastix as stated, but that will be in house. Gamma Business Telecomms provide good SIP, I use them on various sites with around 50 people on each one, not big but probably have around 20 concurrent calls.

Let us know how you get on.

Thanks,

Gabi