bridge in 3cx

[giorgiobusoni]

Hi all,
I use 3cx system for my home (to be exact, my parent's home). I have an home server that we use for storage, email, multimedia server and some small website, so I decided to install 3cx and to migrate the PSTN lines to VOIP. This is currently working quite well. The only problem I got is that sometimes (usually in the morning, when the server has an high workload) some calls die after 30 seconds.

Anyway, the thing I wanted to ask is another: now i moved to my own new house, in another city. Here, as i need an high computation power, i have bought another new server that i can use to do calculation by controlling it with my laptop. I tought to install 3cx also on that server to handle calls, but here comes the problem: i saw that bridge functionality is available only in paud version .
So i have some questions:
1)would i need to get both paid versions, or only one need to be paid? as i use it not for business, i really can't afford buying both paid versions....
2)in case first answer is yes, how to solve the problem? actually, i'm using only one server, located at the home of my parents, the two networks are joined by site-to-site vpn. I can phone to my parents for free, by calling a ringing group from the extensions in my new home, and the can do the same. The can also all anyone by using VOIP providers. but I haven't tried to call a physical number, as a call of this kind would require twice the bandwidth a normal call: one for the link newhome-old home, and one for the link old home-voip provider. That's not good I suppose: if my parents would like to make another call at the same time, it would be like having 3 simultaneous call: would the ADSL connection support it? remember I live in italy, I have 1Mbps upload that is the maximum possible available here. would it be enought?
3)maybe i could install a 3cx server on my new server, and not link it with the other server. calls between me and my partents would still be free if I register another acount with the same VOIP provider (call from and to the same provider are free). But in this case, another problem would arise: i use, as physical phones, my iphone and my android phone, with the corresponding applications. Now, as I live 50% in my new home and 50% in my parent's home, would I have, in case i install a new server, to switch everytime from the account of the new server to the account of the old server? that would be very annoying...
I tought I could make the same extension, username, pass on both servers, so that the same settings on the phones wuld be good for both servers, but they would have different IP so it woudn't work...

 

[SY]

1)would i need to get both paid versions, or only one need to be paid? as i use it not for business, i really can't afford buying both paid versions....

Someone buys cars for business, another one - for home use.
Never heard about options where car (which works!) can be gotten for free...

 

[leejor]

The ADSL bandwidth should suffice as, even with the best quality CODEC, you are looking at approximately 64 kbs, and that can be lowered by using a different CODEC.
Why set up two servers? Just set up one, at one location, and use extensions in the other locations. Your extension could be the Android App.

 

[giorgiobusoni]

1)would i need to get both paid versions, or only one need to be paid? as i use it not for business, i really can't afford buying both paid versions....

Someone buys cars for business, another one - for home use.
Never heard about options where car (which works!) can be gotten for free...

well 3CX has a free version, so the example does not apply. never heard of cars that have a version with less features given for free, and another version with more features given for sale

So bandwidth shouldn't be a problem? I'll try to make some calls while monitoring bandwidth usage...

 

[SY]

well 3CX has a free version, so the example does not apply. never heard of cars that have a version with less features given for free, and another version with more features given for sale

Free version is for free "test-drive".

So bandwidth shouldn't be a problem? I'll try to make some calls while monitoring bandwidth usage...

6 audio streams will "eat" ~50% of your 1MBit link in case if the "fat" CODEC will be used (PCMU/PCMA/G722). So, 3 sim calls from your location through remote server to Voip provider should work good all the time.
In commercial versions you can use G729 codec with your provider. It will lower bandwidth of audio stream sent to your Voip provider and save upstream bandwidth.

 

[giorgiobusoni]

ok, interesting.
In case i get the full version and enable bridge, i can enable also better codec to save bandwidth right?
And how will external calls and extensions be managed?
Extensions will be common to both servers, or each server will have his own extensions and i will have to put some prefix to call the extensions of the other server?
And what about external calls? Will I need 2 different VOIP account for the servers? And in case one server is already using the maximum simultaneous calls, will i be able to phone by using the other one? To say it in another way, if I hav 2 mini (4 calls) bridged, maximum calls is 4 or 4+4=8? And in the second case (8), can all theese calls be 5 from a location and 3 from the other, or are maximum 4 per location?

 

[leejor]

In case i get the full version and enable bridge, i can enable also better codec to save bandwidth right?

Correct

Extensions will be common to both servers, or each server will have his own extensions and i will have to put some prefix to call the extensions of the other server?

If you want to have two PBX's, one at each location, then each would have it's own extensions. Each would also have it's own trunk(s) to make local "outside" calls. You would create outbound rules to route calls over the bridge to the other PBX, this would probably involve a prefix, depending on how you choose to set it up.

And what about external calls? Will I need 2 different VOIP account for the servers?

That would be the only reason, that I could see, to run two PBX's, if you want each to have links to a provider. If all the VoIP trunks could be off one PBX, then the second location would only require extensions running off the first PBX. It would not require a second PBX.

And in case one server is already using the maximum simultaneous calls, will i be able to phone by using the other one?

Lets put it this way, if you are at location A, and it has reached the maximum simultaneous calls, then you cannot us the bridge to call (or call through the other PBX at location B). If you had an extension registered to PBX B, then you could.

if I hav 2 mini (4 calls) bridged, maximum calls is 4 or 4+4=8?

Maximum is four at each location, a call between locations counts as one call at each location. A call is one between an extension and extension, extension to outside line or extension to bridged trunk. You could only have four bridged trunk calls up.

or are maximum 4 per location?

Yes

Unless there is a specific reason to run a second PBX, at one location, I would choose the location where you want the outside trunks to be located. take into consideration, bandwidth, power stability, and what type of trunks you want to use. If you are only going to use VoIP, then it probably doesn't matter as much, if you plan on using a PSTN gateway, then outside calls will originate in the town (location) of the PBX. You can run the 3CX proxy server at the second location if you plan on running a number of extensions. If it is just one or two, then just have extensions, registered to the PBX in the other location. If there are four people that will use the PBX, then a four call licence will suffice. You could all be on outside calls at the same time, if you had enough VoIP trunks to support that.

 

[giorgiobusoni]

thanks a lot, very exaustive.