Cloud-based PBX initial setup - SBC?

[Edward Paine]

I am setting up a new PBX, never having working with 3CX before, and am struggling to find a good quick start guide to make sure I am doing things the recommended/easiest way.

I have installed a 3CX-hosted installation, which is remote from our office. Much of the documentation seems to be written assuming an in-premises installation.

I have set up a couple of Yealink (T21P E2) phones, although the only way I could get them working was to manually insert the provisioning link in their web interface. At item 8 of "Provisioning Phones using RPS (Direct SIP/Stun)", which I assume I need to use, it says "Connect the phone to the network within 14 days.". Which network does it mean?

I see various mentions of SBC - might installing this on one of our office computers make my life easier, particularly regarding provisioning? If so is the "Local IP address" the IP address of the computer on which SBC has been installed? Is there any reason not to choose our Windows server to install this on, or is another PC that is always on just as good a candidate?

Any tips and help much appreciated, and apologies if these newbie questions are already answered somewhere.

Ed

 

[YiannisH_3CX]

Hello @Edward Paine

I would recommend going through our academy material before proceeding further with the installation as it is a great source of information. https://www.3cx.com/3cxacademy/
Also the admin guide can help answer a few of your questions: https://www.3cx.com/docs/manual/

"Connect the phone to the network within 14 days.". Which network does it mean?

This means that after you create your extension in the management console you have 14 days to plug the phone in to a network with internet access. After that the RPS request will be cancelled.

I see various mentions of SBC - might installing this on one of our office computers make my life easier, particularly regarding provisioning? If so is the "Local IP address" the IP address of the computer on which SBC has been installed? Is there any reason not to choose our Windows server to install this on, or is another PC that is always on just as good a candidate?

If you are using supported phones and have a lot of them on the remote site then installing an SBC can make your life a lot easier. If you are referring to the SBC install wizard then the local IP address is the IP address of the machine that SBC is installed on.
Make sure that it it recommended that the SBC is installed on a machine that it is not running additional services. If you have a server to spare then you can install it there.

 

[eddv123]

Taking the points stated by YiannisH_3CX in mind I would also like to add that if you have no Linux experience you may struggle installing the versions for Linux and/or Raspberry Pi so the Windows SBC would be the way to go.

That being said there are some company's out there that provide Raspberry Pi versions of the SBC pre-configured to your 3CX System. The benefit of this is that you can purchase it in pretty much a PnP state: https://www.electronicfrontier.co.uk/raspberry-pi-for-3cx-sbc/

In my personal opinion I would always encourage using the SBC over STUN if you have a site where you are installing more that 1 device. The SBC provides benefits such as:

* Plug and Play provisioning of supported/preferred devices.
* All traffic run across the 3CX Tunnel (port 5090) - STUN uses multiple ports.
* Added Encryption and security.
* Traffic between remote end-points go device to device (no PBX delivers audio required).

Windows SBC supports upto 50 devices where the Raspberry Pi Supports 20.

 

[Edward Paine]

Thank you both for your advice. I have installed SBC for Windows on one of the office machines and no longer have to manually add the provisioning link. I watched the first 4 videos, 90% of which seemed irrelevant for someone setting up a cloud-hosted PBX, so my original comment about providing clearer documentation for those people - surely most of the new customers evaluating 3CX - still stands.

 

[eddv123]

The one thing that you need to consider, is that there are some factors in the setup/deployment of a 3CX cloud system that are out of 3CX's remit to support so may not be fully covered.

For example there maybe some local configuration on the Platform you require - this is down to the provider to supply guides, most of whom do (I use AWS and it is well supported).

I cannot think of much else which they have not covered on the website so would be interested to hear what your experience was as I may be able to point you in the right direction.

I certainly find 3CX one of the better supported PBX systems out there on the market today, and for the most part their support is FOC!