Is an IP system right for me?

In a nutshell, an IP phone system will enable you to integrate multiple phone system locations together and enable those systems to work as if they were all located in the same building. Depending on the brand of IP system, you can transfer customers between locations, access lines from other locations, access a central voicemail from any of the locations, or access system features between locations - all of which travels via a high speed broadband connection. Basically all locations are independent of each except when you use shared functions.

There is a myth that an IP system is not reliable. The fact is, an IP system is just as reliable, if not MORE reliable, than a conventional digital phone system. The MOST commonly reported problem with an IP system has to do with Quality Of Service (QoS). The fact is, if you do not have the proper amount of bandwidth at the phone system location and at the locations where off site IP phones are installed, then you will experience poor voice quality. The rule of thumb is simple. Maintain proper bandwidth for the amount of equipment is use and you will be extremely happy with the features and functions of an IP system. Period.

Confused? Got questions? Call us! Hotphones.com gives free tech support by Factory Trained Panasonic, Samsung, NEC, Mitel, Vertical, Avaya, Xblue and Microsoft Response Point Technicians. Our extensive technical stall has over 100 years of combined technical knowledge in the industry. We also have technicians trained in all the latest VoiP (Voice Over IP) Phone Systems as well. Our technicians are Microsoft Certified (MCITP) IT Professionals and can help you determine the best analog, digital or IP system for your specific application.

Some IP Systems require the licensing of optional equipment and software. Larger, more advanced IP Systems like the Samsung OfficeServ, the NEC DSX, and the Vertical SBX IP320 have advanced IP features and functions over other IP systems that may require the purchase of separate licenses and/or equipment in order to activate that particular product or feature. An example of this would be adding an off-site IP telephone in a different city or state connected to the main system that might require an optional site license. Not all IP systems require this. License costs and optional features vary from IP system to IP system, so please research them thoroughly. Smaller and medium size systems that DO NOT require licensing fees are the Microsoft Response Point and the Inter-Tel 3000. The systems that require software and the ones that do not are constantly changing, so please check with us for the latest changes.

IP Phone Systems have features and optional equipment that are EXTREMLY advanced - unlike most features found on conventional analog, digital, or hybrid phone systems. IP Phone Systems are NOT harder to install than regular conventional systems, but they may require additional expertise when it comes to programming and configuring them. Besides the basic telephony knowledge required for phone systems, a complete understanding of LANs, WANs and Data Networking is also required for proper programming and configuring - this is specially true when configuring IP off-site phones and operations. The provided system manuals will fully explain this in technical terms, but depending on your knowledge on IP addressing, you may also require help from your local Network Administrator since the provided manuals will assume you already have a basic knowledge of computer networking fundamentals. An IP phone system will become PART of your computer network system (LAN). If you already understand your LAN's operations, you should have no trouble integrating the phone system to it. The rule of thumb here is that if you can configure a computer network system using IP addresses, MAC addresses, routers and switches, etc, then you should be able to set up an IP phone system with off site IP telephones as well. Most IP Systems tend to cost more than a conventional analog or digital phone system due to the more advanced features they contain. If you DO NOT have multiple offices that require integration or require off site locations for telecommuters, then most likely a regular analog or digital phone system will meet all your business needs and requirements - at least for now. If you think you may need these options in the future, purchase a system that can later be easily converted into an IP system.

Are there disadvantages to an IP phone system?

• On the average, an IP phone system will cost you more. If you don't have multiple business locations that need to be networked together, a conventional analog, digital or hybrid phone system may be a better choice for you.
• Most IP Phone System require CAT5/6 wiring. Some do not, and use regular 4 conductor wiring. Cat 5/6 wiring is the same wiring used for your computer network system (LAN). This may be advantages when adding a phone where a PC is already located because you can use the same wiring for both the IP phone and PC. If you don't have a networked PC at that location, then you will need to run a new Cat5/6 wire to that location for the IP phone.

Need more help? ask us or download the free dummies manuals below provided by Avaya (also apply to all other IP phone systems):

Download SIP for Dummies by Peter Gregory

 

Internet Telephony (VoIP) Service Partners

Are you future ready? Even if you don't need an IP telephone system yet, Hotphones.com still recommends going with an IP system in order to be future ready. Most IP systems actually come out of the box as a conventional digital telephone system. Not much different than what's been on the marker for years now. You would install, program, and use it just like any other telephone system. Once you are ready to add IP, you simply add the optional IP module to the system and connect your IP phones in the off site locations. Having an system that can later convert to an IP system keeps your initial costs down. Even if you don't think you will ever need an IP system later, things change as technology evolves. Don't cut yourself short. Be future ready.

Time-Division Multiplexing (TDM) Are you still using *TDM? TDM is used in traditional digital phone systems. TDM could very well be reaching its expiry date, and the timeline for support for TDM is shrinking. It's inevitable. TDM is being quickly displaced with VoIP and IP Telephony. Don't let anybody fool you. Just like the internet was inevitable, so will IP Telephony. Join now, your competitors already have.

SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) Trunking enables our internet telephony voip solutions, like Vertical's SBX IP 320, Samsung's OfficeServ, NEC's DSX, the Mitel 3000 and many others to make and receive phone calls without requiring costly voice circuits (conventional analog or PSTN media gateways). The result is a dramatic reduction in the cost of everyday business communications and the elimination of the capital and support costs associated with hardware media gateways.

Internet Telephony Service Providers (ITSPs) allow companies to make phone calls over the Internet using VoIP (Voice over IP) technology. Telephones.com works with many different ITSPs that are proven to work with our IP phone systems. We conduct extensive interoperability testing with ITSPs to ensure that our customers get nothing but the best service.

Hotphones.com is pleased to certify the following growing list of Internet telephony service providers who offer SIP trunking services that interoperate with our VoIP small business phone systems. Hotphone.com's SIP Certification means that you can take full advantage of the economic benefits and user-friendliness of SIP with the assurance of excellent connectivity, quality of service and a much lower cost over conventional telephone lines. The connectivity and quality of service provided by these service providers support the telephone functionality of out VoIP small business phone systems.

Not sure which SIP provider to go with? Improvements are constantly being made, so check with the service provider or call us for the latest compatibility information for the particular IP system you purchased from Hotphones.com.

Quantumvoice
http://www.quantumvoice.com/

Choosing a VoIP provider can be a gamble in today’s highly competitive marketplace, but it doesn't have to be! Quantumvoice has the knowledge and infrastructure necessary to deliver service today, and the longevity to be there in the (often “sobering”) morning. From SIP-based trunking to voice optimized broadband access, our services can easily meet the needs of the home or office, yet quickly scale to satisfy the demands of the most ambitious enterprise; all without being bogged by useless features that only look sexy on a marketing glossy.

Simple Signal
http://www.simplesignal.com/

SimpleSIP, from Simple Signal, allows you to converge all your voice and data between your office and the PSTN.

SimpleSIP trunks simplify network management and optimize network expenditures. With SimpleSIP trunking, there are no limitations to the number of internal or partner communication connections. In other words, whether you are a small or large enterprise you can purchase SIP trunks for the number of concurrent calls your business supports, rather than buying each individual employee their own line.

SimpleSIP provides you with a seamless integration of traditional circuit-switched interfaces and emerging IP-switched interfaces. This simple approach to integration enables your business to easily convert from traditional circuit-switched telephony legacy systems to next-generation IP systems.

From a bottom-line standpoint, the value of SimpleSIP trunking is obvious. The most tangible benefit is lower Total Cost of Ownership savings, plus increased operational efficiencies that result from advanced IP calling features. Specifically, SIP trunking reduces the monthly recurring cost of separate PSTN and data circuits to the premise and to distant on-net users, suppliers and call center agents. With SimpleSIP, the number of TDM-T1 and PRI interfaces is reduced, as hundreds of VoIP calls can be processed with the same hardware footprint as a single T1 interface. In addition, SimpleSIP adds significant savings on long distance rates and local toll charges. SimpleSIP also brings a seamless connection between our backbone network and the SIP gateway.

BandTel
http://www.bandtel.com/

BandTel's VoIP telephony solutions are designed to deliver instant connection, superior call quality, enhanced features and continuation of service. BandTel provides a select suite of services not offered by any other VoIP.

Our web-based call analysis portal is designed to give enterprise users access to real-time, in-depth reporting. Customers can easily create Call Detail Reports to analyze their telecommunications budget. It also allows them to access invoices, accounting history, calls by number/region/destination, and call completion ratios, so they can measure the effectiveness of the BandTel network. Resellers can also use TotalView to access their customers' call history and paid invoices; this provides them with an online compensation/revenue management system.

Cbeyond
http://www.cbeyond.net/

Cbeyond, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBEY) is a leading IP-based managed services provider that delivers integrated packages of communications and IT services to more than 29,000 small businesses in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles and San Diego. Cbeyond offers more than 20 productivity-enhancing applications including local and long-distance voice, broadband Internet, mobile, BlackBerry(R), broadband laptop access, email, web hosting, fax-to-email, data backup, file-sharing and virtual private networking. Cbeyond manages these services over a private, 100-percent Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) facilities-based network. Cbeyond deployed its first SIP Trunking customer in January 2005 and led the defining of the SIPconnect industry specification via the SIP Forum.

CommPartners
http://www.commpartners.us/corp/index.php

Think of us as the moving agents for IP technology. We help growing businesses make the move to the burgeoning present and prosperous future that is IP-based communications. Utilizing a nationwide, high performance IP network and an extensive CLEC (Competitive Local Exchange Carrier) footprint throughout the Continental US and Hawaii, CommPartners provides a robust menu of high quality VoIP and enhanced IP applications to the critically important and largely underserved small- to medium-sized business marketplace through a network of strategic partners and resellers. In addition, we also leverage our network facilities and nationwide coverage to provide carrier services to a growing list of domestic and International carriers which enables us to offer attractive pricing for all of our services.

IP1
http://www.ip1network.com/

IP1Network Corp. (“IP1”) is an integrated communications provider (ICP), rapidly deploying a converged IP environment by uniting the voice and data worlds into applications services. Strategic partnerships with partners and agents provide an unprecedented opportunity for IP1 to implement innovative technologies, including VoIP, SIP trunks, PinLess solutions and Long Distance services, both domestically and internationally.

We offer a highly redundant and diverse network infrastructure, real time provisioning and real-time monitoring support systems and a fully integrated and customizable IP billing solution that offers our partners full end-user control, management and billing functions.

Our customer driven IP communications services offers reduced costs solutions with unparalleled network reliability and leading edge IP communications products. IP1 is headquartered in Coral Gables Florida, with offices in: Colombia, Chile, Peru, Panama, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Mexico. Please allow us to assist you with your IP communications goals and vision by visiting us at http://www.ip1network.com/