The question posed to me was : ” I have just discovered this new phone system software called the Asterisk, I have all analog phones and would like to know how I can connect these phones to the Asterisk. What are the building blocks? “Asterisk is a software application, that can be installed on a regular PC and it can work as your telephone switch by managing phone calls and providing business phone features.

You need to install freely available add-on cards, for phone lines and phone extensions.

You need to be well versed with computer hardware and operating systems like Linux etc., although there are some new flavours of the software to build Asterisk Based phone systems that can be setup by novices.

To setup an Asterisk Phone System, you need a PC, the Asterisk Phone Software, FXO cards for connecting your regular or land-line phone line / phone service, FXS cards to provide connections to your analog phones. You may choose to have VOIP Lines, if you want phone service from an IP Phone line provider. In that case don’t install the FXO card. These are the key components to build your own phone system. Good luck.

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In the past, you would need to have a completely different wiring setup for key telephone systems or pbx phone systems and computers on the network. Not any more.

Have your telephone wiring installed the same way as your computer wiring. Build two separate networks for telephone and computers, but have the same type of wire, terminations ( CAT5E ), plugs ( RJ 45), panels ( RackMount Panels ) etc.

Separate the connections at the panel end, and have different colored wall plugs i.e Blue for computers, and white for telephones. It is easy to install traditional pbx phone systems to a network wired for computers, than installing an IP PBX phone system on a traditional type telephone network, if you know what I mean.

Confused?? Ok. Let me explain more clearly.

If you are buying or using your current key / traditional phone system, and you plan to change the pbx system to a newer, more feature full pbx system soon enough, then I would recommend the telephone wiring to be done the same way as a computer network.

Reason being, your current pbx phone system would just require a simple customization at the junction / panel end to be able to connect to your “new type” telephone network.

And in the near future, you would have the choice to upgrade to anIP PBX or VOIP phone system without having to re-do your telephone wiring.

Yes you could install the VOIP/IP PBX on your computer network, but that would be putting all your eggs in one basket. And should be a worst case scenario.

It has been noted that most problems and frustrations with VOIP PBX Systems have been a result of poor integration with the computer network.

Why have your computers and business telephones on the same network and invite trouble, when you can plan ahead and wire your office in a smart way?

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“No. I dont want to try that.” - this is common reaction when I  come across the dial-by-name directory feature in business pbx systems.Most people hate it anyways, for a long list of reasons which I won’t bother listing. But one of the latest reasons to drop this feature, completely, is the popularity of smart phones.

Ever seen the keyboard layout of a smart phone? Try dialing in to a friend’s pbx / phone system and entering the four letters of your friend’s first or last name. Go on …. try it !! And you will know why.

A lot of new pbx system users like all the goodies that come with the installation of a brand spanking new pbx system and want to try out all the “cool” features. And for such eager-beavers, my advice is to stay away from the dial-by-name directory unless you want irate customers complaining about your lousy phone system and hurt your ego.

“So whats the alternative , wise guy?” - you may ask.

Here’s my suggestion.

Most phone systems have the ability to record multi-level auto-attendant greetings, so you may want to setup and announce an option, in your main welcome greeting, that allows callers to press 9 to reach a company directory.

You can record another sub greeting that lists out all names and extension numbers of the staff in the office. And this greeting should be played when callers press 9 Callers will then hear this sub greeting that they can dial and reach the person immediately.

If you cannot record multi-level greetings, then simply announce the extension directory at the end of your welcome greeting.

Like this… “Thank you for calling XYX company, if you know the extension number of the person you are trying to reach please enter it at any time…or stand by for our complete staff directory,..for xxx dial 221, for yyy dial 222…”

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The truth is that an IP PBX, by virtue of the technology that has created it, has the ability to instantly connect to various VOIP service providers who are able to give you dial tone or phone line via your existing broadband internet connection. No expensive upgrades required. Just connect your IP PBX phone system to the internet and setup your internet phone line or VOIP Line.

And depending on what deals your VOIP phone telephone line company has to offer, you can get free unlimited calling to some countries or absolutely free calling to any place in the world !!

Technical terms explained :
pbx - private branch eXchange
epabx - electronic private automated branch eXchange
ip - internet protocol
voip - voice over internet protocol

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In case you were wondering what this is all about. A vanity number is how your phone number spells ! It is made up of words or phrases your telephone number spells. For example… 1-800-GOT-JUNK , 1-877-GO-1AND1. Just recently, I memorized the contact details from a bill-board advertisement while driving.

I didn’t realize until I reached my office and started to dial out the 1-800 number which, of course was a vanity number and my Nokia e61i Smart Phone was plain useless in helping me dial out the number.

As smartphones are becoming increasingly popular, and with the cell phone penetration increasing by the day, it will be difficult to find a keypad that would enable you to remember and dial a vanity number off a roadside hoarding or advertisement. It is surprising, smart phone manufacturers have ignored the utility and convenience of dialing a vanity number.

But are they to be blamed? Dont we all want the Qwerty keyboard for thumbing away those quick emails? I think the iPhone can be a winner in this case, since it has separate virtual keypads for phone dialling and for texting.

Vanity numbers may not lose their popularity, but smart-phone manufacturers may need to come up with some sort of upgrade or an application which could allow users to enter the complete 1-800-2-CALL-ME string in the dial-pad and automatically decode the respective numbers to dial out the DTMF correctly.

It will be nteresting to see how this very widely used feature will adapt in due course of time.

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So you are moving offices, and for whatever reason, your phone company declares that you will not be able to keep the same phone numbers.What do you do now?

I recommend switching your phone lines or “porting” to service providers who are able to give you the same number at your new location.

If regular land-line service providers cannot do this, then look around for VOIP phone line providers. Don’t worry if you hate VOIP and refuse to buy cheap service and risk your business’ reputation.

You will have to do a bit of research to find the most suitable VOIP phone line provider who will be able to “port” your existing telephone numbers onto their service and the rest is easy.

Once the phone number has switched vendors or “ported”, just get this vendor to forward your line to the lines at your new location. ( The phone lines at the new location can be from your old telephone company or any new vendor.

It can be the same VOIP vendor too, if you want to save more money !) Advantages of going with this plan : Your regular telephone company would charge you way to much to forward your old lines to the new location, with the same result.

Results may differ based on telephone company and location. Please check with your telephone company and compare the costs, before making a decision.

There are chances that your existing telephone company may come back with a great deal in order to keep your account !

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ILECS or Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier Service or traditional phone line providers have had it good for a while now. We all know the ridiculous fees, charges, penalties etc etc.

The promotions to lure clients into 3 and 5 year contracts with “great deals”. With the increasing competition, they are feeling the heat now. And it hurts them to have customers cancel services and sign up with someone else offering better deals. Especially with VOIP Lines.

Can you imagine getting voicemail, call forwarding, conference, call waiting AND….Call Display at no addtional charges !!!

Most business customers who have signed in to a 3 or 5 year contract with their phone service providers, should bear in mind that there is an AUTO-RENEW clause in the contract, which means, the contract gets automatically renewed at the end of the current period, which means, that the contract is perpetual unless the customer calls in to cancel.

I am sure everybody knows what the penalties are to cancel a phone line contract midway. And try arguing with their customer service…good luck! Moral of the story: Keep a record and reminder on the expiry date and make it a point to call in 2 months ahead of time to cancel the renewal.

You will see fine print on your invoices just prior to the contract expiry date to casually “inform” you on the auto-renewal. I dont think they bother mailing out any additional notices. Why would they??

So if you have gone ahead and spent precious time and effort to switch over service, along with upgrading to a new state-of-the-art phone system. Then please check with your phone line provider on the status of your current contract.

And don’t be surprised.

Most businesses dont even care to keep track of the phone line contracts. Just keep paying those monthly bills. That’s all !

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To recap for my next bit on PBX systems….The Key Telephone System is best suited for small businesses, ranging between 3 - 8 Outside Lines or CO Lines,and 3 to 25 phone sets or extensions, or Internal Lines. Reason being, all the Line Buttons can be available on all the phone sets for easy access to any outside line to any internal extension.

A side thought…a lot of new business phone system users tend to refer to phone extensions as “phone lines”. This does lead to misunderstanding between the client and the interconnect company i.e people like us who provide office telecommunications service to you.

A desk phone in a PBX phone system environment, does not have Line Buttons or CO Buttons. It has one or more Intercom buttons.

The phone user is restricted to using just the one phone that is assigned to him/her.
It is not required to answer phones ringing for anybody else. It is not required to put calls on hold or transfer calls to anybody else.
Typically this is seen in bigger offices having more than 8 Lines and 25 phones/users, where you have a live operator who does handles general calls, and each employee working in that office is required to answer calls specifically directed to them. A call centre is also another good example where PBX systems are common.

I am sure you have come across a situation a call centre agent you have been talking to, does not have the ability to transfer calls to anybody else or sometimes even the ability to call you back in case of a dropped line.

But a phone users in a PBX phone system environment have the ability to answer multiple calls directed to their phone, by having more than one Intercom buttons on their desk phone. And they have to dial 9, generally, to make outgoing calls.

By dialling “9″, the phone user gets access to one of the idle outside lines or CO Lines, for dialling to the outside world.

PBX phone users, cannot put a call on hold and expect another phone user in the office to pick it up. They have to either transfer the call, if they know the extension number of the other party, or Park the call, which is an easy procedure, only of you have practiced a few times to actually get the good understanding of how it works!

This is the main reason why business phone users in a small business environment should avoid using PBX Systems if it is important for them to be able to “see” all their outside lines or CO Lines on all the phones.

The only reason you would buy a PBX Phone system for your office is when :

1. You dont care about having line presence on all the phones, and wont need to do much call transfer or call hold for another person in the office.
2. All you need is to dial out and get calls ringing to your phone.
3. You need a phone system for the auto-attendant and voice mail features
4. You need a phone system that you can manage by yourself, without having to call in a technician to make basic changes to your business phone system.

Most IP or VOIP phone systems are PBX type. Newer systems are able to provide buttons on IP Phones for short cuts to dial each extension in the office and get a indicator light if the phone extension is busy i.e another phone user is busy on a call.
But they cannot provide Line Presence Button for each outside line.

Of course, you can have more than one Intercom buttons on your phone, which gives you the ability of being able to take or make more than one call. ( But again, this is not the same as actual Line Presence Button.)

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You would be surprised to know how many different ways a phone company can set up your lines. And each solution has its own set of pros and cons.

Over-lines,hunt-groups, roll-over lines,pilot number, real number are the common terms here to be aware of.

Over-lines - There is one main number or pilot number which is the first line, and then there are over-lines or additional lines. Each line physically connected to your phone system to be able to provide you with multiple lines to dial out.

For example, if you need three lines coming into your office, then the request would be for one main number or pilot line and 2 over-lines or you can call it a one plus two over-line system.

If you need 4 lines coming in, then the request would be for 1 main or pilot line and 3 over-lines, i.e one plus three over-line system.

Each of the over-lines are separate phone lines, with the same phone number attached to them i.e your main or pilot phone number of your business.

The over-line system ensures that when your first line is busy, the next incoming call will ring on the next over-line, till all your lines are busy.

AND, more importantly, it will ensure that each of them will display your MAIN phone number as caller ID when you call out.

This is not the case with the hunt-group or multi-line system.

That’s all I have time for today. Hope to see you back.

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No prizes for this one.

It is the so called ITSPs, who ramped up their servers, enhanced their backbones, and renegotiated wholesale trunking to provide “quality business services” to their existing residential client base.

CLECs and ILECs charge a lot for business phone lines, and their feature bundles. In fact,  the price charge for just the feature bundle like CallerID, Voicemail , Call Forwarding, Call Waiting, etc. you could get a full featured VOIP business line.

That’s huge savings if you are comparing only dial tone to dial tone.

But if you compare voice quality on both the lines, you will be disappointed.

And that is the crux of the problem. VOIP providers are happily providing digital dial tones with all features and a phone number for a third of the cost. But they don’t own the circuit right down to the customer premise.

They digital dial tone is riding over a third party broadband internet service which is pretty much like selling a fully loaded brand new car without wheels and expect the client to use his own resources to drive it around town.

You see “others” driving around this fancy car. Some are driving fast, some are driving slow, some may have great resources some may not and that’s what you discover for yourself when you take this fancy fully loaded car home.

Most of us are disappointed because we do not have in-house wheels powerful enough, nor can we afford the type of wheels needed to run this car.

So what do we end up doing?  Every time we use this car, we end up blaming the car, not our wheels.

Haven’t you ever had this conversation with your caller, while talking on the VOIP Business line….

“Hey, are you on a cell phone? It seems to be a pretty bad network. I can hardly make out what you are saying. Maybe its a bad connection.”

And you say..”No its not a cellphone, I am trying this new VOIP line for business from XYZ, but it sucks. If XYZ cannot fix this for me, then I am cancelling this service.”

So who has to fix this service? The ITSP or VOIP Service provider. He sold you dial-tone with a number for a third the price, and that’s what you got !

Why does he have to fix your line quality? After all, you were told it needs broadband internet to work. And the quality will only depend on the broadband speed.

So now you see the light !

The roses aren’t red any more, the voilet’s don’t look blue either.

Everything looks black…because you know how much of a headache it is dealing with phone lines, phone companies, help desks and all.

Welcome to the world of IP Telephony!!

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