Using 3CX in a SOHO environment with Free license. Can these requirements be met with the free option?

[manikata]

Hi all,

I’m setting up a small phone system for a parish in Malta and would really appreciate some advice from those familiar with 3CX or similar setups.

Current situation:

• We have a GO residential analogue landline (Malta)
• Planning to use a Grandstream HT813 (FXO) to bring the line into a PBX
• Intend to run 3CX on a Hyper-V VM
• Internet connection has a dynamic public IP, with a CNAME resolving to it
• No desk phones planned — all users will use Android mobiles

Use case:

• Simple IVR (press 1 for Mass times, 2 for priest, 3 for secretary, etc.)
• Call routing to mobiles
• Voicemail if not answered

Questions:

1. Has anyone successfully used 3CX with an analogue line via HT813? Is this stable or problematic?
2. Which features are actually available in the free version (IVR, voicemail, mobile apps)? I’m seeing mixed information.
3. Do I need an SBC if everyone is on mobile apps?
4. Is a dynamic IP with CNAME fine, or will I run into issues?
5. Any concerns running this on Hyper-V? Also, is there any real advantage to using a physical NIC vs virtual NIC for voice?
6. Has anyone integrated WhatsApp chat (from a website) with 3CX? What does that require in practice?
7. Given this setup, would you recommend sticking with 3CX, or going with something like FreePBX instead?

Any input, especially from people in Europe or Malta, would be very helpful.

Thanks!

 

[SteveITS]

Here are some answers:

SMB and the new 4SC Free are different: https://www.3cx.com/ordering/pricing/features/

The SBC is for desk phones. Not necessary for app/web.

Use a 3CX FQDN and it will update as your IP changes. Pro has a 10 minute TTL, not sure about Free. A 3CX FQDN will handle the secure certificate too.

All servers we host are virtual; not on Hyper-V to be honest but we use that in house for other servers. see https://www.3cx.com/docs/recommended-hardware-specifications-for-3cx/.

 

[manikata]

Thanks for the clarification — this helps a lot.

Just to confirm I’ve understood correctly:

• The SBC is only required for desk phones, so in our case (Android mobile apps only) it is not needed.
• Using a 3CX FQDN should handle dynamic IP changes automatically, including certificate management. The TTL differences between Free and Pro are noted — I assume this mainly affects reconnection delay after an IP change.
• Our deployment would therefore rely fully on the 3CX mobile apps + IVR, with no on-site SIP phones.

For context, this is a very small parish setup (GO residential line in Malta), with extremely low traffic (around 3 calls per day, 1 concurrent call max), so we are trying to keep the infrastructure as simple and stable as possible.

On the hardware side, thanks for the link — I’ll align the VM sizing accordingly. Just to confirm, Hyper-V should not be an issue even if not your primary tested platform, as long as it meets the specs?

Also, if I may ask one final clarification: given this low call volume and mobile-only usage, would you still consider an FXO gateway setup (e.g. HT813 / GXW4104) viable in practice, or is the general recommendation now to avoid analogue entirely and move towards SIP trunking instead?

Appreciate your guidance.

 

[SteveITS]

Hyper-V is fine.

Re SIP, I would see what is available in your country. Some charge per minute instead of a flat monthly fee. It would probably be easier especially if you found a supported SIP provider.
https://www.3cx.com/partners/sip-trunks/malta/

 

[manikata]

The FXO would surely turn out to be cheaper in the long run - if it is safe to use.

 

[KyriacosS_3CX]

The FXO would surely turn out to be cheaper in the long run - if it is safe to use.

Depends, if your phone line termination is charged separately from your internet connection, you would get rid of that fee by going to SIP, then a SIP provider with good call prices and low or zero monthly fee will surely be the cheaper option.

 

[manikata]

No its part of the internet package. It's one package am afraid So FXO is cheaper for me - no need to pay another SIP provider.