Topic: Best setup for small office

[Franco]

This is a small office I'm planning on having SME for file sharing and SAIL for a few Voip trunks (max. 2).
Right now they an ISDN trunk trunk going into a Digital PBX.
What is the best way for me to connect them:

1- ISDN > SAIL with a TE205P > PBX > Internal Phones

2- ISDN > PBX > SAIL with a TDM400 and Internal Phones

In the first setup Sail can route all the calls, in the second setup the PBX still does the routing but it has new trunks set to go out via the SAIL box (voip).
Am I being clear?

Your thoughts please!

Thanks,

[SARK devs]

Hey Stuntshell!

Hope you are well.

I'm assuming that they want to keep their existing PBX?  Ordinarily, I would attempt to get them to bin it and just shove SARK on the T1.  Asterisk is brilliant with T1/E1 circuits.  The latest Digium cards with Octasic EC are simply awesome.  I have never heard better sound quality, even on big, full-house Definity and Ericson gear   

However, having said that..

We have two SARK/Trad PBX hybrids running in production; one is with a Mitel switch and the other is with an Avaya Index.  In the case of the Mitel, the SARK box is upstream and connected to the Mitel over an E/1 (could just as easily be T1).   For the Index, the SARK is downstream being fed by a pair of ISDN2e cards (4 channels).  Both set-ups work pretty well but they did take a fair bit of setup and some trial and error to get them to running smoothly. 

I personally would not install any analogue gear (TDM400/800  etc etc) if I could avoid it because it's always finicky and even at best, does not give great sound quality, at least, not when compared to digital set-ups.

So, given the choice, I guess I would go upstream of the PBX.  You can then "T" in between the PBX and the PSTN with your TE205 (SAIL will autosense whether the jumpers are set to T1 or E1 and set the trunks up automatically).  We may have to do a litlle fix for you to handle a third Zap Group (G3), and you'll probably need a few custom apps, but nothing too drastic.  Finally, if your customer has the budget, use a 207 (with the Octasic EC).  We use 'em all the time and we love 'em.




Kind Regards

S



   

[Franco]

Hi Selintra,
Won't I save money by keeping the PBX and the regular phones already in place?
They have 25 extensions now, otherwise I will have to buy 25 IP Phones correct?

Thanks,

[SARK devs]

Hi Stuntshell,

Yes, you are correct but the calculation is not totally straightforward...

• They will need to continue paying maintenance on the legacy switch.  Calculated over 3 to 5 years, this can work out to be quite a lot of money.
• You only need to use a single span T1 card.  The new TE121/122 units from Digium are a lot cheaper than the TE205/207 twin span items. 
• Provided the legacy switch is a good, "known" make and not too old, it will usually have a reasonable second-hand value.  Here in the UK, there are lots of companies who buy and sell second user telephony gear.  As an example, good condition Avaya and Mitel handsets can be sold to a reseller for around $40 each.

 
BY the time you add all this up, the transition to new SIP  phones doesn't look too bad.  You will also have a much easier time during the install because you won't have to fiddle about with the Asterisk-to-PBX link.  This can take a while in our experience and it always runs the risk of pissing the customer off.  Instead, you can take your time and run the new switch up in parallel right up to the point where you swing the T1 across.  If, for any reason, it doesn't work first time, you can always swing the T1 back to the old switch while you figure out what you did wrong.  Minimum disruption to the customer and a much easier time for everyone.

Just our fifty cents,  but we'd have a chat with the customer and see what he/she thinks about all this. 


Kind Regards

S

   

[ntblade]

Hi,
I have a very similar question.  I have a client who is about to start a new venture.  They plan to trade at one site for 2-3 years before moving or expanding the business to 2 or 3 sites.  At the moment they have no telecoms at all.  I wish to install SME with SAIL in server / gateway mode connecting to ISDN2e.  They only need one or two incoming numbers at the moment,  So, would this setup make sense?...

ISND2e<-->SME/SAIL<--->SIP Phones.

Would a single Passive ISDN card suffice or do I have to go with something else?  Budget is important at the moment!

Thanks
Noz.

[SARK devs]

Hi NT

Your setup is very sensible and it works very well (we've done tons of these).  ISDN2E is by far the best way to run a small business.  You can expand later with more circuits on the same number(s) just by adding another card and buying another tail from BT.  The sound quality is excellent and you get all of the ISDN features like multiple numbers and so on if you want them. Numbers are logical on ISDN2E - you get a base number with the circuit but you can also buy DDI's in packs of 10 for £100,  plus a few quid rental a month.

Single passive HFC BRI cards are difficult to source in the UK so we import our own in bulk from Germany.  If you need one then give us a call or drop a line to admin@selintra.com. 

Best

S



 

[ntblade]

Thanks for the reply, Selintra.
If you are importing from Germany, are you talking about AVM Hardware?

N

[SARK devs]

ER... No.

The fritz stuff doesn't work with Bristuff, which is what we use.

Best

S