Need some help - Anyone?

[andykeen]

Hi All.

Ok - so I own an I.T. company and I want to put in to our offices an auto-attendant (PC Based) system.

We have 2 incomming phone lines - and a powerful spare PC'.

I would like to know what hardware I need - i.e. some sort of voice modem? - phones etc - (We have a PC for the software and a network for routing) - but I am getting no-where trying to find out what hardware i need for the PC.

I only want 2 extensions - ideally on one analogue line only.

Can anyone please point me in the right direction.

Thank you and Regards
Andy Keen

 

[mfm]

For two extensions you need the bare minimum. 1 gig ram, 3.2 GHZ etc. All this information can be found on our manual.

http: //www.3cx.com/manual/3CXPhoneSystemManual9.pdf NO LONGER AVAILABLE. NEW LINK: http://www.3cx.com/docs/manual/

 

[andykeen]

Thank you for the information.

More specifically I am struggling to find out what piece of hardware (i.e the Voice Modem etc) that I should use.

The actual spec of the PC is fine - no issue there - but the modem spec is not clear to me.

Does this guide (that you have recommended) give me that information?

Thank you
Regards
Andy

 

[mfm]

Hi,

Modem ? you mean PSTN device, that are various that support.

http://www.3cx.com/voip-gateways/

Since you only need one line you can go for the smaller Devices, having 1 or 2 ports linke the linksys. It depends on your budget besides your requirements. If you want one built in then sangoma is also a good choice.

Once you do decide on a pstn device go ahead and download the free version of 3cx, and see how you run with that.

 

[andykeen]

Thank you -

OK understand that is a PSTN device I need.

I have been on the page you have linked too before and its not clear how I purchase (or find out the cost) the PSTN device.

And... there are so many.

How do I find the price and where to purchase the PSTN board?
Also - I am in the UK - so presume I can locate those devices over here?

Thank you and Regards
Andy

 

[mfm]

Hi Andy,

As 3cx we do not sell PSTN devices, if you wait till the morning a reseller who does will contact you on the forums. There are plenty of them. Alternatively you can contact your sales regional manager for 3cx and he will guide you to a reseller.

 

[andykeen]

Thank you mfm.

I am beginning to get it now - have found quite a few boards I can buy and use - thank you for your help.

Just out of interest - I have found a board - Sangoma A200-S FXS Module (2 Ports)
Am I right in thinking that I connect one of these ports to the analogue phone line and the software does the rest?

If so - Are the remaining ports going to the IP phones etc.

FYI - the board can be found here: http://www.voipon.co.uk/sangoma-a200s-fxs-module-2-ports-p-396.html

Thanks again.
Regards
Andy.

 

[leejor]

Make sure that the device you choose is compatible with 3CX, especially a PC board, many are Linux based.

If you are just going to using one PSTN line (FXO port) and two analogue sets (FXS ports) then you can go with a few different devices. The Linksys SPA3102 provides one FXS and one FXO. Grandstream also makes a similar device as do others. You would then require one more device with an additional FXS port. There are a number to choose from that have a single port and some with two ports (or more). Grandstream has a single line the HT286 which is about the least expensive one you'll find, there is the Patton M-ATA at close to twice the price. Two port models include the Linksys PAP2T , SPA2102 and the Grandstream HT502. Prices can vary, so once you've settled on which device(s) you want, do thorough on line search.

 

[mfm]

Hi,

If I had to recommend a board I would go for the patton 4112, you have 2 lines on it, just in case you ever need a second one, and patton are still delivering firmware updates for it. Not to mention its dead simple to set up with 3cx ( 3cx generates all the config for you and you simply upload it) and get it running.