With the increasing competition in business, it is important to pay heed to costs and take a step forward to save money. This is an important priority for building a successful business.
Communicating with prospects, customers, business partners, and employees in a professional manner brings success to business. A professional business telephone system should allow your customers to contact the correct department or person in your company with ease. For this purpose, telephone system is a key tool without which communication is next to impossible. As a result, a major costs incurred is your business phone system. Replacing the traditional PSTN telephone system with IP business telephones can really boost up your business communication. IP business phones offer various advantages and facilities that too at a lower cost compared to using PSTN lines. IP business telephones are ideal for small business.
Choosing A Service Provider
Usually a small business obtains VoIP service by selecting a provider such as Vonage, Packet8, or Lingo and sign up for a plan. A setup fee is to be paid and, in return, the service provider sends the hardware which is to be plugged in and start the phone system. It might also happen that after selecting a plan, a different provider is found out to offer cheap plans or more features compared to the existing one. Under such circumstances the box bought from current VoIP provider is of no use at all as it is locked. The entire system needs to be replaced and this also results in spending more money.
Now the question arises whether the VoIP box purchased can be installed by an individual or not. The answer is – yes – if the individual is technically savvy. An individual having good technical knowledge over the communication system can take a different way with more flexibility. One just needs to follow some simple steps and come out with a VoIP setup with ease.
Getting An Unlocked VoIP Box
Generic VoIP boxes are available from some vendors such as Linksys which are not locked. The Linksys PAP2T – NA is an Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA) based on SIP which can be configured and made to work with any VoIP provider. The ATA boxes supplied are to be plugged into a router and the phones connected to the ports. This way, one can continue using the same device even if the service provider is changed.
Configuring The Unlocked Device
Configuring the device is essential to start using the device. Software such as Configuration Wizard by Voxilla can be used. A SIP user name and password is required from the VoIP service provider and you should also be aware of your IP address. Voxilla has the option of setting up other VoIP devices in addition to Linksys PAP2T–NA. Site registration is required which is free, but you need to agree to basic rules in order to use the wizard. One issue is that Voxilla does not list all VoIP service providers. If the particular VoIP is not listed than it may not support that provider’s configuration easily. Entering a dial plan is to be configured and is the most difficult part of the configuration. Although a generic dial plan is included in Voxilla wizard that works with most VoIP providers, a bit of tweaking is required. Once the wizard is completed in the browser, configuration information can be directly uploaded onto the device.
Extending Usability
Usability can be extended on ATA by plugging a cordless base station which will support multiple handsets. This will enable using of VoIP line anywhere within the range of the base station. Even if you install a two line system with both PSTN and VoIP in it, VoIP or PSTN can be accessed from any handset with just a touch of button. This is useful if you want to call someone who does not have a VoIP number. While calling such people, PSTN lines can be used.
Another option is to go for AT&T EP5632 which is specifically aimed for SOHO markets. The speciality is that it supports Bluetooth connection.
By following the above tips, setting up of VoIP is easy and can be made to work with the VoIP provider’s network. It is basically a do-it-yourself process for people with sound skills in technology and networking. It is fun to configure your own device and get more control over the system. Try it sometime or give us a call and we will do it for you.
VoIP For Serious Businesses
For business that are serious about their business phones systems, we are there to suggest and a configure a world class VoIP system for you. We offer Toshiba’s IPedge, VIPedge, and Strata CIX systems, as well as their innumerable phones, and IP mobility. Give us a call today.
About One Call Communications
One Call Communications is a leading provider of phone systems in North Carolina. We serve thousands of clients across Greenville, Rocky Mt., Goldsboro, Smithfield, & Wilson. We sell, install, and service business telephone equipment, voicemail and, voice and data network cabling. We install and service premium quality products from Toshiba Telecom. We serve both commercial and industrial clients.
Call us today for your networking and communication requirements.
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