asterisk users - Dec 2004 - Small PBX to VoIP transition questions

This is for a small business (restaurant and catering).  We want to move
from POTS
to VoIP to save on the phone bill.  Currently we use four lines for
voice + one fax going into a Lucent Partner system PBX.

Right now I'm considering two alternatives, both powered by * and a
SIP/IAX wholesaler (any recommendations on that for someone who can do
LNP on DIDs in Boston, MA, USA area are gladly accepted).

Alternative One)
Use a Digium card in the * box to drive the PSTN lines going into the
Lucent system.  This is the simplest and cheapest alternative, as it
leaves all the current phone equipment in place.  From what I've read
I think it shouldn't be a problem to get incoming calls on the VoIP to
hunt through the FXS interfaces.

Alternative Two)
All VoIP: buy new phones (probably Cisco or Polycom IP phones), a PoE
switch and some ATAs.  My hesitations in this area (aside from the
cost) are mimicking the functionality of the partner system.  Because
this is a restaurant environment, there are only three phones that
will be used as "Office" phones -- the rest are floor phones.  In the
partner system these are the cheapest phones offered: 4 button, no
display.  On these floor phones, the four buttons are just used as
line buttons.  Incoming calls always ring all phones.  A manager can
answer a call on the floor, put it on hold and return to the office.
Incoming calls for employees are put on hold and the page feature is
used to let them know (i.e. "Bob, call for you on line three").  It
wouldn't really work to transfer the call to a specific extension,
since the workers move around and need to be able to pickup an
arbitrary line from anywhere there is a phone.  All the lower end IP
phones I look at say they have two "lines" ... I'd really like to
use
cheap(er) phones on the floor: they get abused and gross and don't
need to do much (except be four line phones) -- and need to be
replaced more frequently than "normal".  I'd like to hear
other's
ideas on how to implement this system or if others have implemented
VoIP with "floor" phones in a restaurant, warehouse, etc...

Finally)
Would I be foolish to try to send / receive fax over VoIP by plugging
the fax server into ATAs and using a zero compression codec? We send
about 150 faxes daily and receive a couple as well...having to keep
more than one analog line around for FAX would defeat the cost saving
motivation behind all this anyway (we can theoretically use up to
three of our five lines for FAX at a time).  Internet Fax is so
overpriced its absurd (unless someone knows of a company doing it for
around $0.02 a page, which is how much the phone call costs to send a
one page fax).

Thanks for making it through my long post...I'd by happy to get any
answers about any part of what I mentioned above!

~Adam

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On 21 Dec, 2004, at 13:54, asterisk-users@adamlewis.com wrote:
> This is for a small business (restaurant and catering). ?We want to 
> move from POTS
>  to VoIP to save on the phone bill. ?Currently we use four lines for
>  voice + one fax going into a Lucent Partner system PBX.
>
>  Right now I'm considering two alternatives, both powered by * and a
>  SIP/IAX wholesaler (any recommendations on that for someone who can do
>  LNP on DIDs in Boston, MA, USA area are gladly accepted).
Are you expecting to save on usage charges or on line costs? Are most 
of your calls incoming or outgoing?
>
>  Alternative One)
>  Use a Digium card in the * box to drive the PSTN lines going into the
>  Lucent system. ?This is the simplest and cheapest alternative, as it
>  leaves all the current phone equipment in place. ?From what I've read
>  I think it shouldn't be a problem to get incoming calls on the VoIP to
>  hunt through the FXS interfaces.
>
If you want to maintain the feel of a Partner (placing calls on hold 
and picking up in other places, etc.) this is the only way to go. 
Asterisk does not support this functionality, and based on discussions 
on here, probably will not do so anytime soon.

>  Alternative Two)
>  All VoIP: buy new phones (probably Cisco or Polycom IP phones), a PoE
>  switch and some ATAs. ?My hesitations in this area (aside from the
>  cost) are mimicking the functionality of the partner system. ?Because
>  this is a restaurant environment, there are only three phones that
>  will be used as "Office" phones -- the rest are floor phones.
?In the
>  partner system these are the cheapest phones offered: 4 button, no
>  display. ?On these floor phones, the four buttons are just used as
>  line buttons. ?Incoming calls always ring all phones. ?A manager can
>  answer a call on the floor, put it on hold and return to the office.
This just cannot be done with Asterisk. Instead, you would need to use 
call park and pick up and retrain all your staff. It also means that 
friends clues (like a blinking light showing a call on hold) go away.
>  Incoming calls for employees are put on hold and the page feature is
>  used to let them know (i.e. "Bob, call for you on line three").
?It
>  wouldn't really work to transfer the call to a specific extension,
>  since the workers move around and need to be able to pickup an
>  arbitrary line from anywhere there is a phone. ?All the lower end IP
>  phones I look at say they have two "lines" ... I'd really
like to use
>  cheap(er) phones on the floor: they get abused and gross and don't
>  need to do much (except be four line phones) -- and need to be
> replaced more frequently than "normal". ?I'd like to hear
other's
>  ideas on how to implement this system or if others have implemented
>  VoIP with "floor" phones in a restaurant, warehouse, etc...
>
>  Finally)
>  Would I be foolish to try to send / receive fax over VoIP by plugging
>  the fax server into ATAs and using a zero compression codec? We send
>  about 150 faxes daily and receive a couple as well...having to keep
>  more than one analog line around for FAX would defeat the cost saving
>  motivation behind all this anyway (we can theoretically use up to
>  three of our five lines for FAX at a time). ?Internet Fax is so
>  overpriced its absurd (unless someone knows of a company doing it for
>  around $0.02 a page, which is how much the phone call costs to send a
>  one page fax).
Do you have 3 fax machines? If not, a single analog fax line will solve 
your problem. It just would not be shared with anything, so there would 
be no contention issue.

>
>  Thanks for making it through my long post...I'd by happy to get any
>  answers about any part of what I mentioned above!
>
> ~Adam
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