VOIP Systems

tenrou · 07-23-2009, 11:42 AM

Hey,

I'm looking for some information on voip systems. Basically i know nothing about them outside of the networking VLAN and QOS requirements. Looking for a about 50-70 user (phones) and I'm open to most suggestions.

Any information people could point my way would be great. Rough pricing would be nice as well, I have no idea how much this would cost.

Thanks

binarysoul · 07-23-2009, 02:42 PM

You may start here. Not the only option, but a good one to explore.

Asterisk :: The Open Source PBX & Telephony Platform | About

tenrou · 07-23-2009, 02:50 PM

Thanks for the idea. We've explored Asterisk before but we're 2 to 1 against it. I'd rather go for something like the Avaya IP 500 where it's got a vendor backing to it. If I knew more about Voip I'd maybe consider Asterisk.

laidbackfreak · 07-23-2009, 03:21 PM

I was gonna suggest Asterisk too, but seeing as your looking at Avya, you may want to look at the Cisco UC500 if you want vendor support.

I wouldnt be too quick to rule Asterisk out tho, there are plenty of people who can\will support it.

binarysoul · 07-23-2009, 03:28 PM

I thought you could get support from Asterisk if you pay and I think it's through another company affiliated with Asterisk.

malcybood · 07-23-2009, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by binarysoul

I thought you could get support from Asterisk if you pay and I think it's through another company affiliated with Asterisk.

You can

Asterisk Support | Support Subscriptions, Open Source Support

/usr · 07-23-2009, 05:54 PM

No offense guys, but suggesting an open source platform such as Asterisk to someone who is completely unfamiliar with VoIP systems would be equivilent of suggesting Linux to someone who knows nothing about operating systems.

Perhaps they're good, fully functional platforms, but not necessarily a good intro to the technology and certainly not the best for learning on in a production environment.

We use the 3Com NBX V3001 platform and couldn't be more pleased with it. Check out an overview here.

3Com® NBX® V3001 Analog Platform (3CR10800A) - Features & Benefits

Your price is going to depend on lots of factors, such as the number of incoming analog or digital lines. What types of phones you want, etc.

Phones range from $100 (low end) to around $350 (high end, manager phones). The V3001 itself will support 4 analog lines without the need for an expansion chassis and would cost you around $2000.

Hope this helps.

networker050184 · 07-23-2009, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by /usr

No offense guys, but suggesting an open source platform such as Asterisk to someone who is completely unfamiliar with VoIP systems would be equivilent of suggesting Linux to someone who knows nothing about operating systems.

I'd usually agree with this, but Asterisk would be my exception to this rule. Asterisk is open source, yes, but they have plenty of product offerings and vendor support through Digium. I've worked with the Switchvox and Asterisk Appliance platforms and they are very good with great support.

I'd give my vote for Avaya or Cisco though. Big names with reputable support and a lot of knowledgeable people. I have seen some great support from Avaya. I was at one customers site who used the Avaya SIP server and they ran into a software bug. Avaya didn't just send them the fix, they had a technician on site in about two hours time to install the patch personally. That is what I call service! This was a large hospital and I'm sure they paid a pretty penny for this level of support though.

/usr · 07-23-2009, 06:42 PM

Quote:

I'd usually agree with this, but Asterisk would be my exception to this rule. Asterisk is open source, yes, but they have plenty of product offerings and vendor support through Digium.

My primary reason for suggesting a more reputable vendor is the fact that he has no experience with VoIP systems. Sure, Asterisk may be an amazing solution with fantastic support, but there's just no way to compare their support and available online information/documentation to a vendor such as Cisco. Hell, I have enough trouble finding documentation on these 3Com systems at times and they're a fairly large corporation.

darkerosxx · 07-23-2009, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by laidbackfreak

you may want to look at the Cisco UC500 if you want vendor support.

The UC520 supports a max of 52 users, to my knowledge.

buchatech · 07-23-2009, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tenrou

Hey,

I'm looking for some information on voip systems. Basically i know nothing about them outside of the networking VLAN and QOS requirements. Looking for a about 50-70 user (phones) and I'm open to most suggestions.

Any information people could point my way would be great. Rough pricing would be nice as well, I have no idea how much this would cost.

Thanks

Hi,

Take a look at 3CX. It runs on windows. You can get a free version to test/try it out. They do have a paid version that comes with support. Much easier to setup for someone with a Windows background. I have worked with Asterisk and it is not that hard if you have some Linux background. There are lots of 3rd party companies out there that will support it for you. I do however recommend 3CX. There site is: 3CX Website and I have posted a blog about setting it up here: Setup 3CX IP PBX/VOIP for Windows

I hope this helps.

laidbackfreak · 07-23-2009, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkerosxx

The UC520 supports a max of 52 users, to my knowledge.

out the box it's 50, but with the expansion module it's upto 64 ok so not quite 70 but close and possibly still an option. It does how ever limit growth.

Daniel333 · 07-23-2009, 08:59 PM

Fonality is a good oursourced Askterisk system. Support has been some of the best I have had from a company.

Otherwise, in house... I would go Cisco.

binarysoul · 07-24-2009, 07:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by /usr

No offense guys, but suggesting an open source platform such as Asterisk to someone who is completely unfamiliar with VoIP systems would be equivilent of suggesting Linux to someone who knows nothing about operating systems.

What if the company decided to use Asterisk? Could the admin say, "Well, I don't have any experience with open-source, so why not buy another product?" The answer wold be, "Learn it".

So not knowing a technology such as open source can't be an excuse not to use a product. Things such as lack of support, reputation; these are valid reasons.

/usr · 07-24-2009, 12:45 PM

If the company decided to use Asterisk, then the administrator wouldn't have a choice but to learn the product because upper management would be dictating what product they desired.

The OP was openly asking for suggestions based on the fact that he was not familiar with VoIP systems.

Two entirely different scenarios.

Peibol · 07-24-2009, 01:22 PM

I asked some people and some of them came with the solutions you provided before and also this VoIP Business Phone Systems, Unified Communications - AltiGen Communications so maybe you can check it out

Lizano · 07-24-2009, 10:00 PM

There are also hosted PBX solutions out there, where all you have to do is plug in the phones and you´re up...

/usr · 07-24-2009, 11:45 PM

I was just reading this thread. Might want to check it out if you're considering a hosted solution.

It's Been One of Those Weeks!

Lizano · 07-24-2009, 11:53 PM

LOL, well yeah, it depends on what you want, what you need, and who the provider is... Hosted solutions might work for some...definitely won´t work for others...

I have a hosted solution that has been working fine for 32 users...

tenrou · 08-08-2009, 03:32 PM

Thanks for all the responses guys. It looks like we're going to outsource this. Hosted looks to be erratic at best when you already use a lot of bandwidth and no-one is really in the position to devote th etime to learning it.