We run a couple of businesses with one of them being pretty phone intensive. We have 5 employees now and are looking to upgrade our telephone system.<p>Current setup:
- Panasonic 2-line cordless phone (3 handsets plus base station)
- Comcast Digital Voice<p>Needs for new setup:
- Must support 4-lines plus.
- Should be easy to install, hopefully wireless (I dont want to run a bunch of RJ11 or even 45 anywhere in the space, less wires the better)
- Standard PBX functions: Hold music, extensions, call forwarding, conference calling
- Preferably something expandable - We need 4 lines now, but it would be great to be able to build the same system out to 6 or 8+ lines.<p>I've been considering setting up a Asterisk PBX on an old netbook and then buying a few CISCO IP phones, connect them to a wireless router and then have a couple of cordless IP phones for roaming around the site. I think to do this though Ill need to get a new VOIP provider (I dont think Comcast will let me do this). This solution also seems pretty overkill and technically challenging. An easier solution would be very welcomed.<p>Ideally we'd spend around $1000 on the hardware, and under $200 per month for 4 phone lines. Thanks!
I've been working in the telephony industry for nearing 2 years now. I'm currently the lead developer at a communications company.<p>I'd recommend installing Elastix (<a href="http://www.elastix.org/" rel="nofollow">http://www.elastix.org/</a>) on any old p4 computer you can find. Elastix is an Asterisk-distribution (fully open source) which uses a customized version of FreePBX (a pretty awesome web interface for configuring / managing Asterisk).<p>It's extremely easy to use, and integrates with different CRM systems, supports faxing, and basically anything else you want. They also have 24/7 tech support available by phone (which is good), if you get stuck.<p>For phone lines, I'd recommend getting a SIP account with flowroute (<a href="http://flowroute.com/" rel="nofollow">http://flowroute.com/</a>). They're a stable, cheap, and reliable SIP provider that has:<p>1. An awesome web portal.
2. Is easy to sign up with.
3. Is cheap.
4. Won't let you down.<p>You can't really beat them for US phone service.<p>If you want help setting anything up, I can even help out online (or over the phone) for free. I've set them up for friends, family, and some local businesses, and it has been a huge success every time.<p>Check out my profile for contact information if you have questions or anything, I'd be happy to answer them.
Finally a post I can respond to on HN.<p>1. If you want decent wireless phones I think your budget might be a bit low, check out the Snom M3 <a href="http://www.voipsupply.com/sh-m3dect-basic" rel="nofollow">http://www.voipsupply.com/sh-m3dect-basic</a>, or the Aastra 57iCT <a href="http://www.voipsupply.com/aastra-6757i-ct" rel="nofollow">http://www.voipsupply.com/aastra-6757i-ct</a>. (Cisco's phones are not worth the money)<p>2. SIP trunks/hosted PBX will save you some money but you need a good connection
3. You need QoS if you only have 1 internet connection. If you are doing a lot of calls at once you might want to get your another connection <a href="http://www.bandcalc.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.bandcalc.com/</a><p>4. If you go with a SIP trunk might as well use hosted PBX onebox, ringcentral, toktumi are ones that I have heard of
5. If you need high reliability stay on analog lines and get a server with FXS, I have used Xorcom. Cost is around $1100.<p>6. Do you need fax? Some hosted services come with faxtoemail and emailtofax.
There are a bunch of hosted VOIP/PBX options available. Is this an option for you?<p>You could have a bunch of ATA's plugged into a switch with cordless phones plugged into each.<p>Alternatively, you can get 802.11 native phones, but that may be expensive. For example <a href="http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/voicesw/ps6788/phones/ps379/ps5056/product_data_sheet09186a00801739bb.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/voicesw/ps6788/ph...</a> -- I'm sure there are some cheaper non-cisco options.
There are so many options now.<p>You could install Asterisk/FreeSwitch/FreePBX internally and purchase a SIP trunk with unlimited minutes from a provider like Aretta (<a href="https://www.aretta.com" rel="nofollow">https://www.aretta.com</a>). I personally don't have any experience with them.<p>Or, you could pay to have the provider host your PBX, which will probably save you a ton of work, but will (of course) cost more.<p><a href="http://www.phonebooth.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.phonebooth.com</a> is another option.
We use OnSIP, <a href="http://www.onsip.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.onsip.com/</a> I HIGHLY recommend them. Call quality is great, support is competent, and the pricing structure is usage based, not a flat rate. I don't work for them, and I am not an affiliate, but I have been a customer for 3-4 years.
I spoke with a guy a vocalocity (that I think someone on HN referred them to me), and they seem like a pretty good fit (unlimited us/canada, good web PBX, reasonably priced hardware). Does anyone have any experience working with them?
I worked at Rockwell Collins where they had VoIP and Cisco IP phones. They didn't save money, and they provided no useful features.<p>Give em headsets....