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VoIP Phone Systems
Voiplink offers several IP based phone systems to cover a variety of needs. From home office users to enterprise call centers, Voiplink has a solution to fit your requirements and your budget. VoIP phone systems offer a many benefits over traditional analog phone systems such as telecommuting, unified communication, increased mobility and reduced toll fees. To read our complete IP Phone Sytem Buying Guide browse to the bottom of this page.
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IP Phone System Buying Guide
There are a number of different IP PBX systems available all with different configurations and designed to fit into different situations. This guide will you decide which system is best for your particular business environment.
Small Business Systems
Systems designed for small businesses are typically aimed at companies with 50 extensions or less and are designed with features that make it easy to switch from an existing phone system that uses analog phone lines for connectivity. Since all of these are IP PBX systems they do allow for SIP trunks for connectivity as well as having some means either standard or as optional add-ons.
Grandstream
At the low end of the spectrum are the Grandstream systems that are designed for businesses with 30 users or less. The upside of the Grandstream systems is the build in FXO ports for connecting to existing analog phone lines (POTS).
Aastra
The Aastra Aastralink Pro system is also aimed at the small business market and is aimed at the small business that has an existing key system and wants to retain that type of functionality. With 6 FXO (POTS lines) and 2 FXS ports (analog phones or FAX machines) the Aastralink system is designed as a direct replacement for an existing analog system.
D-Link
D-Link's offering is based on the Microsoft Response Point system which offers a very easy to use system. While the system itself may be extremely easy to install and use, its higher price can be a disadvantage since no FXO or FXS ports come as standard equipment.
Small to Medium Businesses
At the next level up are systems designed for up to 100 to 150 users. These systems have more features and support a variety of phone devices and telephony connections.
Digium
Digium's Asterisk appliance is a small form factor device that comes in a variety of configurations to fit the needs of businesses with up to 100 extensions. Based on Asterisk While the form factor is nice an small, the downside is the lack of expandability should you outgrow the system.
3CX
The only Wndows-based system in the lineup is the 3CX system. 3CX offers an easy-to-use system that doesn't require any Linux knowledge. 3CX has an easy-to-use web interface to configure the system and supports a wide variety of hardware. There is also a free version of the software that you can try out to see if you like it and then upgrade to a full featured version.
trixbox
trixbox is one of the most feature packed of the software solutions available combining the strengths of an Asterisk-based system wrapped in an easy-to-use web interface. trixbox comes in two flavors, trixbox Pro which is a commercial package with enterprise grade features and trixbox CE (community edition) which is a completely open-source solution. trixbox systems are available on the trixbox Appliance and can easily handle upwards of 200 extensions.
Summary
Choosing a phone system for your business should be thought through carefully and you should not make sure that the system has the specific features that you are looking but also that it will scale up to the size your company may get over the next few years. If you will be managing the system yourself, you should also take some time to look at the user interface to make sure it is going to be easy enough to use.
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