INTERNET REQUIREMENTS

[jose carlos de andrade]

Hello guys,

I'm new here and new working with 3CX.

My company is a IT solution provider, and we need to make a document that shows internet requirements to use 3CX as a voip solution.

We are from Brazil, and Internet still being a problem. In this document we should have for example:
Which latency is acceptable to make a phone call.
How many bandwith we need.
How stable should be our internet.

Or something else you guys could think about the relation of quality and internet requirements.

Thanks in advanced!

 

[eddv123]

HI Jose,

Whenever I have been asked to calculate bandwidth requirements for a system on deployment I always use this as a guideline: https://www.3cx.com/blog/docs/bandwidth-utilised-for-voip/

If you have control of the network also you might want to utilize QoS techniques on all routers and switches also, this will help prioritize VoIP traffic and ensure that calls always receive the bandwidth they require.

Be cautious of what codec you use also and whether you are using encryption as well.

 

[YiannisH_3CX]

Hello @jose carlos de andrade

In addition to what @eddv123 you may also find the following guide useful: https://www.3cx.com/blog/docs/network-configurations-supported-3cx-phone-system/

 

[jose carlos de andrade]

Hey guys! Thanks for answering so fast! Those articles are really important and it will improve my document.
But, I'm not sure if you understand what was my question (because english isn't my first language, so i'm not sure if i could be understood).

I need to understand which internet parameters are acceptable to have a good experience with 3cx.
For example:
Do I need QOS?
Do I need latency below 100 ms to my server?

What exactly I need when the matter is internet connection to guarantee that i will have a good experience with 3cx?

 

[eddv123]

The QoS question is not directed towards 3CX but all VoIP as a whole.

In my experience however most 3CX resellers rarely deploy these techniques on their network for one very simple reason... the size of the deployment.

3CX is still mostly geared towards the SMB sector and obviously the larger the install the higher the requirement to use QoS, this doesn't mean I still don't recommend using it however - why take the risk.

 

[jose carlos de andrade]

I understand!

how about the other questions?

 

[Marari]

The longer the latency, the more noticeable the delay between what you say and when it's heard.

Ideally, you want to have as low a latency as possible. Most ISPs here (Canada) have a latency of 2-10ms for cable/dsl. Every hop the traffic takes adds to that equation.

The best answer to your question is through trial. Setup a 3CX trial key. Setup the bare minimum with a VOIP provider - for testing, some (like Ixica in Canada) will even set you up with a short-term free trial. Then test. Test. Test. Test.

If you're happy with the service, then move forward.

 

[eddv123]

Additionally if you really wanted to go full blown with your configuration you could split off your voice and data networks into VLAN's and prioritise the voice VLAN traffic.

This is something 3CX can help with and has settings for and guides for:
https://www.3cx.com/sip-phones/vlan-configuration/
https://www.3cx.com/community/threads/yealink-phones-vlan-802-1p.40804/

Also if you are using Yealinks (which most 3CX installers do) there is some useful information in this guide here: http://support.yealink.com/attachmentDownload/download?path=upload/attachment/2017-2-4/3/68b6183a-7d0f-4d5a-ba24-483c655d7c70/VLAN+Feature+on+Yealink+IP+Phones_V80.60.pdf

However as advised it would be best to test on a flat network (no QoS, VLAN's etc) see how it handles and then take it from there based on the results.

 

[eddv123]

One also very important point about Voice VLAN's with 3CX regards the 3CX soft client for desktop (Windows/Mac).

Be aware if ever using VLAN's you must incorporate some routing logic on your networking equipment between voice and data VLAN's if you wish to use the phones and soft-clients in CTI mode (CTI only supported in preferred phone models): https://www.3cx.com/sip-phones/