Phone systems recommendations

[WithoutMotive]

As I have nothing to do with our current phone system, I've become involved in looking into a replacement/upgrade (as you do). Our current system is just shy of 15 years old. It's old, full to capacity, and is kept cool with the aid of an office fan directed at it as it's housed in a cupboard.

From the options we've looked at so far, it seems sensible to go down the IP route, although an upgrade to our current system has also been suggested. This will allow a hybrid solution without the need to remove our current cabling and expanding using an add-on IP solution.

 

Can anyone recommend any suppliers, manufacturers, or solutions that have worked for them?

 

Much appreciated.

[6Foot2]

We asked Grapevine to help us replace our aged phone system with our current VOIP solution.

 

They supplied modular NEC desktop phones, typically looking like this:

 

http://www.global4.co.uk/uploads/nec-sv8100-telephone-system.jpg

 

Link: Grapevine Communications - Solutions for a Growing Business

[localzuk]

We've been running an Asterisk based IP system now for about 7-8 years. We went the "do it outselves" route, but you can buy them pre-created too. You can get them from a variety of companies:

 

Digium Switchvox Appliance - VoIPon Solutions

Sangoma FreePBX Appliances - VoIPon Solutions

Elastix IP PBX Appliance - VoIPon Solutions

 

Another option, the one I'm looking at now for our MAT, is 3cx. Its a Windows piece of software, and does the same thing pretty much. 3CX - Software Based VoIP IP PBX / PABX for Windows

 

All of these can then be paired with SIP handsets. Something like the Snom 320 would be my choice now.

 

Note: I have no links with voipon, I just like their site as it gives a great "guide" to how much this stuff costs!

Edited March 21, 2016 by localzuk

[FN-GM]

We use FreePBX distro (asterisk with a web interface) with Yealink handsets. Works really well and is cheap compared to commercial options. You can also use the IP phones with existing computers like the below so you don't have to have additional datapoints installed.

 

[Blue_Cookeh]

Avaya IP Office worked out very inexpensive for us and does everything we need it to. Auto attendant, voicemail to e-mail etc etc. We have something like x8 Avaya 1616 IP deskphones (with pass through for PCs on another VLAN), a red analog emergency phone for powerfail, and an Avaya 802.11g WiFi phone.

 

We went for this solution since a) if I leave a company can easily support it, b) it's very much set and forget, not yet another server to support c) gave us easy flexibility when it came to POTS, ISDN lines, and even SIP later on.

 

We bought from a place called ExteraDirect and did the install ourselves.

Edited March 21, 2016 by Blue_Cookeh

[TechMonkey]

We are in the middle of this process.

 

We are looking at NEC, Avaya, Skype for Business(Lync), Shoretel and 3CX

 

Wildly differing prices, wildly differing requirements.

So far we have found 1 Avaya quote expensive and one cheap with heavy discounts. Our worry is future expansion will be expensive as licenses seem expensive

Skype is complicated, licensing is complicated and relies on MS wanting to stay in the Phone business. Would be brilliant with all the bits included but I'm concerned it will be too much to manage in a small department.

NEC is mid priced and the sales bumpf we have seen looks good. Looking at IRL in a couple of weeks

3CX looks a fantastic package, not expensive and future costs are minimal, if any at all. Only niggle is running it on a Windows server.

Shoretel looks fantastic but again future expansion I can see being expensive.

@DaveP Would be grateful for your opinion on the NEC kit. Is it the 3C system?

[cpjitservices]

3CX with Yealink phones.

 

Easy to install, Easy to setup and reliable.

 

We run 3Cx on a variety of Hardware platforms from machines ranging from Windows 7 to Server 2012.

 

Stable on every piece of hardware we have put it on. varying from 10 users to 100+

Edited March 21, 2016 by cpjitservices

[mrbios]

In this exact same scenario right now, an ancient panasonic PBX with all analogue and digital phones. Never had anything to do with it beyond changing a name on the system that the digital phones see prior to this.

 

Really like the sound of some of the DIY systems. I'd love to rip out the entirety of our analogue and digital phones and just use VOIP everything.

[DalekSec]

We got quite lucky and brought a ton of old VOIP Samsung OfficeServ SMT-i3105 second hand after the Olympics, as they had so many left over or not being used!

[6Foot2]

...@DaveP Would be grateful for your opinion on the NEC kit. Is it the 3C system?

 

Re: 3C phone system: Ours could be but I haven't looked at the backend in so long I couldn't be sure.

 

Re: NEC phones: To supply some more detail than in my original reply we actually have a mix if the following:

 

 

A colleague seriously wanted us to get the wrist messenger but the functionality was limited for our purposes.

 

In our office, we have G266 IP Cordless DECT. I now think I should have gone for the Bluetooth Handset as I find the DECT buttons etc too small for my hands and sausage fingers. Apart from that, I don't think we have had a failure yet, nor a DOA.

 

Overall: Happy.

 

[Chris_]

We have an NEC SV8100 IP based phone system, still using ISDN30 at the minute. Really please with it so far. It's a solid system that just works.

[Meldrew]

+1 for 3cx. Switching to it paid itself back in 18 months here (including buying 100 new phones), plus new extensions can be done in house rather than a whacking great call out fee from an engineer. The system is really easy to use too.

 

Meldrew

[dhicks]

From the options we've looked at so far, it seems sensible to go down the IP route, although an upgrade to our current system has also been suggested

 

As with what seems to be most of the posts above, we installed our own PBX and some IP-based handsets. In our case an iQ PBX and Yealink handsets. The PBX is okay, nothing fancy, you could build your own Asterisk / FreePBX / 3CX hardware. We had quotes of around £30,000 from various suppliers for a hybrid system that would re-use some of our old phone system's wiring, but in the end just chucking the whole lot out and buying the PBX and 60-odd new Yealink handsets was under £10,000. We did a (separtly budgeted) network upgrade at the same time, so we have nice new PoE-capable switches for powering the handsets and two ethernet points in every room, but even if you only have one network point per room and have to find a mains socket to plug the phone handsets in you should be fine. Do just bear in mind that the handsets tend to be 100 mbps pass-through links rather than gigabit - you either have to pay a bit more for gigabit-capable handsets or accept 100 mbps speeds to desktops that use pass-through connections from your phones.

[MatthewL]

I'd seriously look at Avaya, I've deployed 100's of handsets on various systems and used the client on the desktops too.

[WithoutMotive]

In this exact same scenario right now, an ancient panasonic PBX with all analogue and digital phones. Never had anything to do with it beyond changing a name on the system that the digital phones see prior to this.

 

Really like the sound of some of the DIY systems. I'd love to rip out the entirety of our analogue and digital phones and just use VOIP everything.

 

Good to hear someone else in the same boat.

[mrbios]

Good to hear someone else in the same boat.

 

A whole new set of acronyms and words i've never heard of before to learn! It's well timed though, our leased line contract ends in July/August, our phone maintenance contract ends in June, and our ISDN lines are on a rolling monthly contract or something like that. So everything is ready to replace in one go.

 

We're thinking of ripping our old system out and replacing it towards the end of the year, once we know how much budget we have left by that point. Looking through replacement phones at the moment... i think to replace 65 phones is going to cost roughly £3k (by replacing the current analogues with equally bog standard voip phones) then it all seems to depend on whether we go for a "ready to go" system or fully DIY it with freePBX.

 

Am i right in thinking that if we're using SIP trunks + entirely VOIP phones then there's no additional hardware required, just a PBX as a VM will do? (assuming switches setup etc)

[theo_logical]

I hope this is a big boat, permission to come aboard?

 

We have a similar phone system on it's last legs and being quoted silly money to replace it with VOIP or analogue.

 

My attention was grabbed by this company Voipfone - Award Winning Telephone Services For Business it looks great, but I was put off when they were unable to refer me to any other schools or similar using their services.

 

Look and see what they have to say about SIP trunks, talk about controversial.

 

Free Unlimited SIP Trunks

 

Free Unlimited SIP TrunksSIP trunks are totally imaginary products dreamt up by the telecommunication industry as a way of charging you and providing nothing – they are simply the way you connect your telephones to a VoIP provider using your broadband connection so that you can make calls.

 

Because you have already paid for this connection with your broadband fee there is no reason at all why you should pay again for it. So, with Voipfone, you don't.

[mowgli82]

Not sure if this applies to anyone viewing/commenting on this thread but LGFL won't support SIP trunks on any 3rd party system. They will only support SIP's if you get your solution through them.

[localzuk]

Am i right in thinking that if we're using SIP trunks + entirely VOIP phones then there's no additional hardware required, just a PBX as a VM will do? (assuming switches setup etc)

 

Yup. Its just software. Well, and possibly PoE switches to power the phones if you don't want power cords.

 

Not sure if this applies to anyone viewing/commenting on this thread but LGFL won't support SIP trunks on any 3rd party system. They will only support SIP's if you get your solution through them.

 

This will likely be the case with most ISPs. With SIP trunks, it often comes down to having a dedicated ADSL line put in to host the SIP trunks. I've not, as yet, found any supplier that will support random SIP trunks across their general broadband service.

Edited March 22, 2016 by localzuk

[PotNoodleTech]

Good thread. Particularly interested in looking at the free PBX

[dhicks]

With SIP trunks, it often comes down to having a dedicated ADSL line put in to host the SIP trunks. I've not, as yet, found any supplier that will support random SIP trunks across their general broadband service.

 

I was under the impression that a SIP "trunk" was simply a server sat somewhere, hooked up to a bunch of phone lines, waiting for connections from SIP clients. Do ISPs activly stop users connecting to SIP servers in some way, or does "not supported" just mean we can't complain at the ISP if bandwidth / latency to a particular SIP providor proves poor?

[localzuk]

I was under the impression that a SIP "trunk" was simply a server sat somewhere, hooked up to a bunch of phone lines, waiting for connections from SIP clients. Do ISPs activly stop users connecting to SIP servers in some way, or does "not supported" just mean we can't complain at the ISP if bandwidth / latency to a particular SIP providor proves poor?

 

Its usually all about the QoS aspect they won't support. So, you can't guarantee that your calls will work properly/reliably. Some RBC's do actively block SIP too.

[mrbios]

Yup. Its just software. Well, and possibly PoE switches to power the phones if you don't want power cords.

 

Awesome, thank you!

 

Anyone who's gone through a similar procedure able to PM me some idea of costs you had? I'm not too worried about the costs of phones, it's more the system costs I'm interested in at the moment. Those of you using FreePBX, was it exactly as it says on the tin or where there any hidden costs to getting yourself setup? Those of you using 3CX, what did it cost? Trying to do this as cheap as i can (within my skill set...willing to put the effort into learn something new though)

[ITGURU]

We still use ISDN lines into the control unit but have voip phones running over the network VLAN - Siemens Openscape (now Unify)

All been running fine for about 5 years now.

 

phones can be POE or with adapter, and also have loopthough network ports for printers/PCs.

[mrbios]

phones can be POE or with adapter, and also have loopthough network ports for printers/PCs.

 

Quick question: Do the phones need to go on to their own QoS enabled vlan for voip? and if so, how does this work in terms of the passthrough and having the phone and PC on a separate vlan?