DESIGN QUESTIONS: Remote Handsets, VPN, DID, Inbound Rules, Ring Groups

[HFH-Digerati]

Hello, I am setting up a remote office for a 3cx customer and have a couple of design questions. My plan is to add remote handsets for the users in the remote location, add a DID on the PBX, and create an Inbound Rule for the DID to point to the a Ring Group of the remote location. Separate from the phone system, there will be a site-to-site VPN link between the two locations.

1. Should I add the handsets at the remote location to use the VPN tunnel or would it be better to have them not depend on the VPN tunnel and to go across the Internet?

2. The plan is to add a DID to the existing SIP trunk at the main location and then create a Ring Group with the remote extensions in it and an Inbound Rule such that when the DID for the remote location rings, the call will ring at the remote extensions in the Ring Group. Will all of that work? Or does the DID need to be on a separate SIP trunk?

Anything else I need to consider here?

TIA

 

[VoIPTools]

1. Should I add the handsets at the remote location to use the VPN tunnel or would it be better to have them not depend on the VPN tunnel and to go across the Internet?

My assumption is that the VPN connection is as stable as your internet connection back to the PBX. I would go through the VPN, and the added benefit is the phones will provision much the same as a local phone.

For remote locations where there are multiple phones, the SBC does offer a couple of advantages. The SBC reduces some of the load on your internet connection by consolidating packets, and by keeping extension to extension calls at the same remote location local rather than streaming through the PBX (unless you are recording the call). But the SBC is another device to manage and another potential point of failure.

2. The plan is to add a DID to the existing SIP trunk at the main location and then create a Ring Group with the remote extensions in it and an Inbound Rule such that when the DID for the remote location rings, the call will ring at the remote extensions in the Ring Group. Will all of that work? Or does the DID need to be on a separate SIP trunk?

You don't need to do anything special for the remote phones, it will work the same whether the phones are local or remote.

 

[HFH-Digerati]

I appreciate your insight! Thank you.