VoIP is now the preferred method to connect business phones together seamlessly using your existing computer network. It does not need separate wiring for phone sets at each desk, therefore in a new installation less wiring and expense is incurred.
Voice over IP (VoIP) has been around for over 10 years, and has become much more relialble in the last few years. Installation companies and IT departments are learning what must be done to their network ahead of time before properly implementing a VoIP solution.
Voice over IP has many advantages over premise based digital phone systems.
VoIP uses your existing Ethernet LAN and WAN network to communicate to a main phone processor called the PBX, and to the outside world via a variety of phone line types – some you may already have and some that may be new to you. You can have conversations with any VoIP phone on your network, regardless of geographical location, or anyone in the world, using a wider variety of phone line service choices than before, some which are only available with a VoIP capable system.
Unless your business is small, you will need to modify the backbone of your network to properly accomadate a VoIP phone system. This encompasses a few key areas such as:
VoIP Phones need to be powered. This can be accomplished using an external transformer pluggeed into the AC power receptacle under the desk. While in a small environment, this may not be a problem. But in a larger environment, outlets may not be available, power supplies may be lost and additional wires plugged into the phone does not promote a clean look. There is another way.
Power over Ethernet (PoE) utilizes an unused pair of wires in any Ethernet cable, which is also extended in your behind the wall wiring and patch panel in the equiptment room. You are already set up end to end for this capability. This way, both the phone’s power and network connection are included in one cable going to the desktop. You can use your existing Ethernet cable. All you need is a PoE Ethernet switch. IP Office Techs uses PoE switches from Netgear and can help you choose a model based on your needs. A switch is the rack mounted applianace that all your network cables are plugged into in the equiptment room or closet.
QoS refers to programming within an Ethernet switch that allows for the pioritization of certain types of network traffic. In most cases the traffic that needs preferential treatment is the VoIP phones data. If the data flow to the phone is interrupted by someone transferring a large file across the network in your office, then choppy voice or a dropped call may occur. This is one of the biggest complaints in a VoIP system that has not been properly implemented.
To allow the phone’s VoIP data to always have priority, your network switch needs to have QoS capability and someone (such as your network or IT person) needs to program this into the switch for the ports that phones are connected to. Some switches can globally recognize voice traffic, and prioritize it automatically, but this still needs to be set up within the switch.
IP Office Techs uses switches that have both features of PoE and QoS installed on the network. You need to have all switches replaced in order to realize clean and stable phone calls – even small satellite switches that may be in a remote part of a warehouse, for example.
VLANS provide an advanced method of separating your voice network from your data network, this preventnig data traffic to inpede on the call quality of your VoIP phone calls. An upgrade to your Ethernet switches may be needed to implement VLANS. They are used in larger networks and are often used in conjuction with QoS practices.
It is possible to have a voice and data VLAN set up in a single cable run to a desk or cubicle, thus providing a phone and computer connection in one network outlet. In this scenario the cable from the network plugs into the phone and an extra jack on the phone is connected to the user’s PC or laptop.
Before and after a VoIP implementation, your internal IT staff, external network service company, or IP Office Techs, should perform a network VoIP readiness assessment. This will involve:
A VoIP System is best used with VoIP-based SIP Trunks or a Digital Phone Line such as a PRI. If used with older traditional indiviudual phone lines (called POTS line), the kind that has been serving homes and businesses, echo and other voice degradation may occur. There are interfaces that tie into such lines that have echo cancellation features (called FXO Gateways), but that is not always guaranteed.
Always have a telecom expert pre-test your lines with a portable VoIP system to see how well the old interconnects with the new. If there are issues, we can guide you on how to re-negotiate your contract so that your phone line provider can change the way your phone line service is delivered to your building. This will allow it to interface seamlessly with your new VoIP phone system.
A VoIP system may be installed and working properly at the time of installation, but as time goes on and new people and network devices are added to the system, issues can crop up. Printers, PC’s, Scanners and more can all act up and cause issues with the system. Someone may add a new Ethernet switch or reconfigure how cabling interconnects the switches – all this can impact the intent of the design work done when the VoIP system was originally installed – to provide reliable and interruption free phone service.
By installing QoS and PoE capable switches as recommended above, another key functionality is available to your IT person or chosen network vendor – the “managed QoS swicth”. This allows a technician to log into a switch and view which devices on the network are acting up – throwing streams of un-needed data into the mix and effecting your phone systems reliability. He/she can then use special software, called a network “sniffer”, to analyze the traffic coming and going from that device by connecting to a port on the swicth called a “mirror” or “network probe” port, then coming up with a remedial plan to stop the offensive traffic, and restoring reliable communications.
By using a defined group of best practices, a company can take advantage of the many modern features of a VoIP phone system – and keep issues under control, both at installation time and into the future. IP Office Techs provides this ongoing support as a value added service to our sales and installation teams.