Separate broadband for voice network question

[commplete]

We are going to provision a second broadband connection just for voice. All other data will go through our existing broadband connection.

I am intending to install a separate network card in the 3CX server and connect this card (and nothing else, no switched, no phones, no PCs etc etc) to the second broadband router. The 3CX server will still have access to the phones via the Lan switch with it's first network card, where the phones, pcs etc are attached.

Would this work, or am I better just having one network card in the 3CX and connecting both routers to the switch (with DHCP turned off on the second router and on a different subnet), then manually setting the phones and 3CX server with IP addresses of the second router subnet ?

Or any other suggestions .

Thanks

 

[tigernet]

To me this sounds feasable. Using a 2nd NIC would be less complicated, but not sure that 3CX will function correctly.

http://www.3cx.com/forums/multi-homed-server-1846.html

Hope this helps.
Tim

 

[ktikoft]

Why don't you just buy a Net gear dual Port Firewall/Router like the FVX538 or similar

These have the ability to direct traffic across the two external Interfaces based on routing rules and ports etc.

You then only have one IP address. This has the added advantage of giving you a failback Broadband link for all traffic both ways in the case of the failure of connectivity to one provider.

 

[commplete]

Thanks for the replies.

Tigernet, I tried the system with a second network card and it worked, but we had a number of (possibly unrelated) call quality issues so I put the 3cx and phones on a different subnet along with it's router. Still have the call quality issues, but thats for another thread !

We thought about a dual wan router, infact we bought a Vigor 2820 which has fall over / load balancing. I just thought it might be easier to separate the two. I'll have a good look at the netgear - thanks for the suggestion Ktikoft.