3CX Windows-Based VoIP Phone System Review

October 3, 2012 by Christina Smith

In the 3 years since VoIP Supply started representing and selling 3CX VoIP Phone system we have seen an amazing increase year over year and quarter over quarter in interest from businesses worldwide of all shapes and sizes. Perhaps there is something to this growing trend… maybe a Windows-based IP phone system is the right choice for you… Let’s review the Why’s and Why Not’s of running a 3CX phone system.

Why 3CX?

Software-Based

Unlike many of the other VoIP systems that are on the market, 3CX is a software solution. When you buy 3CX you will not receive any deliverable hardware, only a license keycode. This is a big PLUS because it allows 3CX My Phone Window you to load the software on any hardware device you choose, as long as it is running .Net v4 or higher. That pretty much means you will need a PC or server running Windows XP Pro SP3, Windows 7 (Pro or Ultimate), Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2. Small businesses can run this program on a desktop PC or even a laptop, whereas larger enterprises should run it on a server or server farm. You will need approximately 200MB of free HD space for the 3CX phone system. Additional space will be needed for voicemail boxes and prompts, depending on how many mailboxes you will be hosting.

Windows XP Pro SP3, Windows 7(Pro or Ultimate), Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows

Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2

Standard Features and More

3CX is not a watered down version of Microsoft Lync. It offers all the same features that you would expect from any VoIP PBX including the usual caller id, call forwarding, do not disturb, 3-way calling, call transfer, central phonebook, voicemail, music on hold, call logging, call reporting, and Message Waiting Indication (MWI). 3CX also incorporates leading Unified Communication (UC) features such as presence, BLF, voicemail and fax to email, and video calling. 3CX software includes the 3CX MyPhone web-based utility to manage voice and incorporate email and instant messaging. Similar to the “Switchboard” from Switchvox, the 3CX MyPhone opens on your PC or Mac window and will give users visual access to other colleagues (onsite and remote), transfer calls, launch calls, monitor call queue status, view call history, manage phonebooks, manage voicemails, and instant message other colleagues. 3CX MyPhone can be incorporated with Microsoft Outlook and other popular CRM features* to integrate your communication strategy. Launch calls from your Outlook address book or from emails. Identify incoming calls while 3CX matches up the originating number with the contact in your CRM system. 3CX allows you to unify your communication strategy – hence UC.

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AT&T Introduces Syn248 Hybrid VoIP System for Small Businesses

October 1, 2012 by Christina Smith

AT&T and Vtech, the makers of the Synapse VoIP Phone system, have partnered to bring the benefits of a VoIP PBX to very small businesses with no IT staff. The new Syn248 phone system by AT&T allows you to use your existing phone lines to connect to a VoIP PBX for your office. Using the AT&T Syn248 phone system, small businesses or SOHO’s can enjoy an auto-attendant, day and night menu options, and a dial by name directory in a low cost, all inclusive package.

The Syn248 consists of 2 pieces of equipment: A Syn248 Gateway and the Syn248 Desk phone. Connect the Syn248 PSTN gateway to your PSTN lines. A single Syn248 gateway can connect up to 4 PSTN lines, use 2 gateways for up to 8 lines. The Syn248 gateway holds your auto attendant and supports day/night menu options, custom on-hold message recording, and a dial-by-name directory. The gateway has a small form factor for desktop or rackmount storage. It also has a single FXS port so in the event of a power outage, you can still use an analog phone to connect to the PSTN.

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Patton Smartnode High Port Count FXO Gateways

by Christina Smith

The Patton Smartnode 4300 series gateway and Smartnode 4400 series gateway-router have been useful to the VoIP world for many years as a high port count FXS gateway, or IP Channel Bank. Now, with the addition of 8 new models, the SN4300 and SN4400 offer FXO connectivity as well.

The Patton Smartnode 4300 series is a VoIP Gateway offering 12, 16, 24, or 32 FXS or FXO ports. Similar to the SN4300, the 4400 is an enhanced package including a router. The Smartnode 4400 offers complete access routing with 2 10/100 Ethernet ports, NAT, Firewall, PPPoE, DHCP, DynDNS, multiple VLANs & VPN with IPsec.

High port count FXO gateways allow for some key features in SMEs. First, they allow for PSTN connectivity for local calls. Using SIP trunks is great, but if a high volume of your calls are local, why not use the PSTN? Two and 4 port FXO gateways are readily available, but larger businesses may need more, and stacking gateways is no fun. If the SME has multiple locations in different geographic regions, adding high port count FXO gateways at each location and linking them via the Internet allows the business to take advantage of low cost local PSTN calling in each remote region.

In large organizations who rely on SIP trunking for their voice communications, the Smartnode 4400 and 4300 can provide PSTN fallback in the event of an Internet outage. The SN4300 is a fantastic addition to the server closet for call centers where voice connectivity is the absolute heart of the business and downtime cannot be tolerated.

The Smartnode 4300 and 4400 is also a great appliance for businesses who want to move to VoIP in a gradual series of steps and not all in one weekend. You can start by implementing a VoIP PBX and using an FXS gateway to give your users the ability to continue to use their analog phones. Or you can connect your IP PBX to the PSTN so you can learn how to best use the features in your VoIP PBX while still relying on the trustworthy service of your PSTN for access.

High port count FXO gateways allow for some key features in SMEs. First, they allow for PSTN connectivity for local calls. Using SIP trunks is great, but if a high volume of your calls are local, why not use the PSTN? Two and 4 port FXO gateways are readily available, but larger businesses may need more, and stacking gateways is no fun. If the SME has multiple locations in different geographic regions, adding high port count FXO gateways at each location and linking them via the Internet allows the business to take advantage of low cost local PSTN calling in each remote region.

In large organizations who rely on SIP trunking for their voice communications, the Smartnode 4400 and 4300 VoIP gateways can provide PSTN fallback in the event of an Internet outage. The SN4300 is a fantastic addition to the server closet for call centers where voice connectivity is the absolute heart of the business and downtime cannot be tolerated.

The 4300 and 4400 Patton Gateways are also great appliances for businesses who want to move to VoIP in a gradual series of steps and not all in one weekend. A gradual migration to VoIP is achieved by implementing a VoIP PBX and using an FXS gateway to give your users the ability to continue to use their analog phones. Or you can connect your IP PBX to the PSTN so you can learn how to best use the features in your VoIP PBX while still relying on the trustworthy service of your PSTN for access.

3CX and Patton Solve your Communication Problems – Part 2

September 17, 2012 by Christina Smith

Last week, in Part 1 of this series, I posted about how great the 3CX phone system is and how feature rich it is. In addition to all the features that 3CX is known for, you can also add on modules to help solve your specific problems such as the 3CX Call Center and 3CX Hotel Module.

3CX Call Center Additional Features:

Advanced Real Time stats involved queues such as monitor live queue status and review number of callers in queue

3CX Call Center menu
Advanced Agent statistics such as time logged in and out of queue, number of calls answered/unanswered, average wait time
Call back feature – allows customers to hang up and retain their position in queue. Agent will call customer back when they are available (this is cool!)
Additional queue strategies- round robin, longest waiting, least talk time, fewest answered, random, prioritized
SLA Alerts
Listen in, Listen in and whisper, barge in

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3CX and Patton Solve your Communication Problems – Part 1

September 10, 2012 by Christina Smith

3CX Windows-based phone system is quickly becoming one of the most popular IP PBX solutions available today. And why not? You don’t have to buy new hardware, you can run 3CX on just about any Windows machine. 3CX is easily scalable, you buy the license to cover your maximum number of concurrent calls with no recurring licenses to purchase (although upgrade insurance is recommended).
3CX phone system includes all the standard features you have come to expect from an IP PBX… call switching, routing, queing, presence, call waiting, caller ID, transfer, hold, 3 way calling, softphone ability and a fax server. 3CX is managed via a web console, making extension management a point-and-click event. Most importantly, when using 3CX, you can use any standard SIP IP phone so that you are not tied to one brand or very few models. 3CX works seamlessly with Cisco, Polycom, Yealink, Aastra, snom, Panasonic and many more.
So with this ‘Eagle-eye’ view of the 3CX phone system, I am sure you want to rush out and buy it! But of course there is so much more to installing a new phone system such as connectivity – how are you going to get dial tone to your phones? Also, what are you going to do about all those older analog phones you just bought not that long ago? Even though 3CX is much less expensive than some of the alternatives like Avaya, Shoretel, or NEC, ripping out an old phone system and installing all new phones is not cheap. To solve these problems, 3CX has partnered with Patton to provide your solution for connectivity.
3CX Windows-based phone system is quickly becoming one of the most popular IP PBX solutions available today. And why not? You don’t have to buy new hardware, you can run 3CX on just about any Windows machine. 3CX is easily scalable, you buy the license to cover your maximum number of concurrent calls with no recurring licenses to purchase (although upgrade insurance is recommended).

3CX phone system includes all the standard features you have come to expect from an IP PBX… call switching, routing, queing, presence, call waiting, caller ID, transfer, hold, 3 way calling, softphone ability and a fax server. 3CX is managed via a web console, making extension management a point-and-click event. Most importantly, when using 3CX, you can use any standard SIP IP phone so that you are not tied to one brand or very few models. 3CX works seamlessly with Cisco, Polycom, Yealink, Aastra, snom, Panasonic and many more.

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First Look: RCA IP110 and IP120

September 6, 2012 by Tom Costelloe

For those of us who live strictly in the VoIP phone world RCA may not be a familiar name when it comes to product lines. Take a step back from the VoIP corner of the world and you see they are the largest manufacturer in the multi-line and DECT analog phone market. Within their family of analog phones they have a selection of innovative phones from multi line desktop phones to phones that are paired with a DECT handset and headset.

The two newest releases, RCA IP110 and RCA IP120, take a step out of the analog world and firmly into the VoIP phone world.

What Is It?

RCA IP110 RCA IP120

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What Types of Multimedia VoIP Phones Are Available?

August 31, 2012 by Garrett Smith

Someone who’s beginning to shop for a new multimedia VoIP phone might have a lot of questions about exactly what these models are and what they offer. Actually, there’s a lot of difference between the various types of multimedia VoIP phones that can be found on today’s market. Understanding the differences can help one choose the hardware and telephony setups that most benefit their business or home use.

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VoIP Supply Shows How to Stop the Mid-Year Sales Slump

August 30, 2012 by Nathan Miloszewski

It’s summertime and, as you know, the livin’ is easy. But maybe folks are taking it a little too easy, in the eyes of some small businesses.

Or, maybe it’s just a mid-year sales slump?

5 Ways to Add Excitement, Revenue, and New Customers

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Switchvox Pricing and Bundling to Change

August 29, 2012 by Christina Smith

Starting September 1st, Digium will be changing the way Switchvox is sold.

In the past when you have been quoted for a new Switchvox UC system, your quote included a Switchvox appliance, complete UC package, and licensing for 10 users at the Silver level.

Beginning September 1st, the appliance and the UC package will no longer be bundled with 10 users and phone feature packs.

Why the Change?

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New at VoIP Supply: Elastix Appliances

August 28, 2012 by Garrett Smith

Elastix Appliances Are Coming Soon!

No more worrying about building servers, loading operating systems, Elastix or installing PSTN connectivity cards!

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3CX Windows-Based VoIP Phone System Review

Why 3CX?

AT&T Introduces Syn248 Hybrid VoIP System for Small Businesses

Patton Smartnode High Port Count FXO Gateways

3CX and Patton Solve your Communication Problems – Part 2

3CX and Patton Solve your Communication Problems – Part 1

First Look: RCA IP110 and IP120

What Is It?

What Types of Multimedia VoIP Phones Are Available?

VoIP Supply Shows How to Stop the Mid-Year Sales Slump

5 Ways to Add Excitement, Revenue, and New Customers

Switchvox Pricing and Bundling to Change

Why the Change?

New at VoIP Supply: Elastix Appliances

Elastix Appliances Are Coming Soon!

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