New to VOIP and 3CX - Looking for some basic info

[billd]

Greetings.
I'm new to VOIP - never worked with a VOIP system in the past. I'm considering using 3CX, running as a virtual machine in VMWare on our VMware servers, and I'm wondering about a few basics.

First off, is there any physical hardware (such as interface cards) required to set up a typical VOIP phone system? I know we'll need IP phones, and possibly a POE switch if we choose to power the phones over ethernet, but I'm wondering if anything else is required? I gather that the SIP trunking "connection" is just an issue of properly configuring 3CX to connect to my provider.

I'm going to start with a basic "trial" set up - I'll get a couple of IP phones, set up a 3CX VM, and get a SIP trunk ordered from my provider.
Any suggestions as to anything else I might need or that I'm missing?

Thanks!

Bill

 

[jmitch11]

It's pretty basic. We use voipinnovations so grab a trial account from them to go with your 3CX trial and let the fun begin

 

[Marari]

Greetings.
I'm new to VOIP - never worked with a VOIP system in the past. I'm considering using 3CX, running as a virtual machine in VMWare on our VMware servers, and I'm wondering about a few basics.

First off, is there any physical hardware (such as interface cards) required to set up a typical VOIP phone system? I know we'll need IP phones, and possibly a POE switch if we choose to power the phones over ethernet, but I'm wondering if anything else is required? I gather that the SIP trunking "connection" is just an issue of properly configuring 3CX to connect to my provider.

I'm going to start with a basic "trial" set up - I'll get a couple of IP phones, set up a 3CX VM, and get a SIP trunk ordered from my provider.
Any suggestions as to anything else I might need or that I'm missing?

Thanks!

Bill

Hi Bill.

Welcome to 3CX. It's an awesome software-based PBX that really lets you take control of things. It's easy to manage and easy to use.

I recommend starting with some light reading:

https://www.3cx.com/docs/manual/

And once you've gone through that, you'll be able to nail down your choke points and figure out what you need for your environment.

It's not difficult, but like anything new, there is a learning curve. The sooner you tackle that, the sooner you'll be proficient in setting your demo.

If you get stuck on a particular point, please ask (with as much detail as possible) and someone from the community will likely chime in and help.

If you're looking for someone to tell you how to do a complete installation, I might suggest checking your area for a 3CX Partner and asking them for (billable) help.

The manual should give you a reasonable starting point and there are more than enough docs (google search) on installing 3CX that you shouldn't have too many problems in an average environment.

Best of luck!