FreePBX
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@brandon220 said in FreePBX:
Don't cringe - I also have to have a gateway device to utilize an FXO/FXS to tie the new "PBX" into the building intercom. This is not my choice but is a requirement of the vendor. I tried to convince them to use the phones as an intercom but the other parts were bid as part of a construction job. I have NO control over the other components. I just have to make everything work.
This is normal. Buy the Snom PA-1.
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@JaredBusch
The intercom is already spec'd and has the amplifier, interface, etc. I just have to provide them the FXO. -
@brandon220 said in FreePBX:
As for the phones - I have heard Yealink is good kit but a vendor gave us a quote on the Sangoma phones that were very competitive. Nothing has been purchased yet but will be soon.
You are not mentioning models. This is not like a state secret. If you want advice, you need to give details.
Regarding the Yealink series, I just rechecked a few sites for pricing. Yealink just switched from the T4XG to the T4XS series and it looks like costs are up a bit compared to how it was on the T4XG series.
The new features are nice to see, but the price change means the Sangoma phones are now in line with the Yealink Phones.
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I don't see any mention of internet bandwidth at the site or if this will be PRI / analog. I only saw mention of the gateway to allow use of the intercom. Internet bandwidth is something you need to consider when using a hosted PBX (on Vultr, for example) since in that scenario both internal and external calls would take internet bandwidth. If you had the FreePBX instance on site and brought your own SIP trunks, you're only spending internet bandwidth for inbound / outbound calls (not internal extension calls). With G711u, you can estimate 100Kbps per concurrent call on the high side. It isn't a ton of bandwidth if everyone is on the phone at the same time with 25 phones, but if you were trying to run all this on DSL or a T1 (which I hope not), you may not like the results.
Be sure to keep QoS in mind on the upload side for voice traffic as well.
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@NetworkNerd said in FreePBX:
I don't see any mention of internet bandwidth at the site or if this will be PRI / analog. I only saw mention of the gateway to allow use of the intercom. Internet bandwidth is something you need to consider when using a hosted PBX (on Vultr, for example) since in that scenario both internal and external calls would take internet bandwidth. If you had the FreePBX instance on site and brought your own SIP trunks, you're only spending internet bandwidth for inbound / outbound calls (not internal extension calls). With G711u, you can estimate 100Kbps per concurrent call on the high side. It isn't a ton of bandwidth if everyone is on the phone at the same time with 25 phones, but if you were trying to run all this on DSL or a T1 (which I hope not), you may not like the results.
Be sure to keep QoS in mind on the upload side for voice traffic as well.
In some cases that is true, but there are lots of times that hosted phones use less bandwidth not more. Like home users, remote users, mobile users, voice mail and so forth.
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You also have more bandwidth control on hosted. With your SIP trunk you normally are stuck with G.711. But when you go to hosted you can change the codec for extensions. So you can cut a ton of bandwidth in that way if you need to.
It's really just the one case of extension to extension single PBX calls that you save bandwidth the one way, but loads of ways to save with hosted.
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@JaredBusch
I'm definitely not keeping back info on purpose. As for the models and quantity:
S300 x 2
S400 x 21
S500 x 4The 300s will be for the MDF and a meeting room. The 400s will be in classrooms for the teachers. The 500s will be for staff/admin.
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@NetworkNerd The internet bandwidth is 100/100 from AT&T. Everything was analog but I plan to port everything to a SIP provider with the exception of the single fax line. Because I have to have the gateway as well, I can use the fax line as a failover should the internet go down and they need to make an E911 call. I know everyone has cell phones but it's also a CYA thing.
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Again, I have no issue with running FreePBX as a VM or on a cloud provider such as Vultr. I am meeting the powers-that-be on Wednesday to discuss a pair of host servers to replace their aging physical servers. The pbx VM would be no problem.
I've had the software running about 2 months as a VM in Hyper-V 2016 with zero issues. I've kept it up to date and monitored it. It has 1 vCPU and 4G RAM.
Back to the subject of letting a communications company do the install/setup.... Aside from myself, the only other local company will happily sell them an Avaya system. That's exactly what I'm trying to avoid.
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@brandon220 said in FreePBX:
Back to the subject of letting a communications company do the install/setup.... Aside from myself, the only other local company will happily sell them an Avaya system. That's exactly what I'm trying to avoid.
But you never use someone because they are local. That no one local is any good is of zero consequence. You want the right skills, not local skills. This is IT, local isn't just irrelevant but unless you are in NYC or London you almost want to avoid local because no one in a small market has the skills you want.
http://www.smbitjournal.com/2015/08/avoiding-local-service-providers/
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@brandon220 said in FreePBX:
Back to the subject of letting a communications company do the install/setup.... Aside from myself, the only other local company will happily sell them an Avaya system. That's exactly what I'm trying to avoid.
@JaredBusch and @Minion-Queen individually setup and support phone systems. This could even be done remotely, no need for onsite staff besides your self to connect the phones.
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@DustinB3403 said in FreePBX:
@brandon220 said in FreePBX:
Back to the subject of letting a communications company do the install/setup.... Aside from myself, the only other local company will happily sell them an Avaya system. That's exactly what I'm trying to avoid.
@JaredBusch and @Minion-Queen individually setup and support phone systems. This could even be done remotely, no need for onsite staff besides your self to connect the phones.
And if it's cloud hosted in something like Vultr, then it's remote support almost exclusively, all the more reason why location of the support person/company doesn't matter in this case.
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@brandon220 said in FreePBX:
Back to the subject of letting a communications company do the install/setup.... Aside from myself, the only other local company will happily sell them an Avaya system. That's exactly what I'm trying to avoid.
So setup, is simply plugging in phones unless you need network drops ran.
So that has to be decided based on physicla needs. If you just need to plug in phones, then you pre-configure them and send them out with the extensions labeled on the box.
If wiring, then yeah, you need someone hired.
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@JaredBusch said in FreePBX:
@brandon220 said in FreePBX:
Back to the subject of letting a communications company do the install/setup.... Aside from myself, the only other local company will happily sell them an Avaya system. That's exactly what I'm trying to avoid.
So setup, is simply plugging in phones unless you need network drops ran.
So that has to be decided based on physicla needs. If you just need to plug in phones, then you pre-configure them and send them out with the extensions labeled on the box.
If wiring, then yeah, you need someone hired.
I.e. JB can order the phones be sent to him, he will config them and mail them to you. Or he can train you how to configure the phones, you order them, and you config/install them.
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@Dashrender said in FreePBX:
@JaredBusch said in FreePBX:
@brandon220 said in FreePBX:
Back to the subject of letting a communications company do the install/setup.... Aside from myself, the only other local company will happily sell them an Avaya system. That's exactly what I'm trying to avoid.
So setup, is simply plugging in phones unless you need network drops ran.
So that has to be decided based on physicla needs. If you just need to plug in phones, then you pre-configure them and send them out with the extensions labeled on the box.
If wiring, then yeah, you need someone hired.
I.e. JB can order the phones be sent to him, he will config them and mail them to you. Or he can train you how to configure the phones, you order them, and you config/install them.
Super busy morning, sorry.
More or less, yes. But one of the benefits of the sangoma that I have not tested yet is their zero touch provisioning. You simply deliver the phones and power them on.
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@brandon220 Do you need the FXO and the card? I have a bunch of those laying around after we switched a few phones from Analog to full digital.
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@WLS-ITGuy I planned on using a gateway versus the card/cards. I may still pick up a couple for my lab. I'll keep you in mind. The prices on them are all over the place.
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Gateways are definitely better than cards. They give you flexibility.
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I would go Yealink. FreePBX is on top right now but in a couple years there may be other strong options. Sangoma phones are locking you in to a vendor.
I would say the equivalent Yealink featured phone is half the price of a Sangoma phone. Yealink MSRP can be deceiving.
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I would go Yealink. FreePBX is on top right now but in a couple years there may be other strong options. Sangoma phones are locking you in to a vendor.
This is a huge thing. FreePBX is on top right now because everything else is gone. I mean it IS a good product, but it also has no competition right now.
Issabel and Xivo are up and coming competition, but neither are ready for prime time yet.
I would say the equivalent Yealink featured phone is half the price of a Sangoma phone. Yealink MSRP can be deceiving.
Right, if you are only buying Yealink from Amazon, you are not getting the best pricing.
