sundance-communications.com/forum Forums TDM Business Telephone Systems Avaya - Lucent Telephones & Systems IPO and VPN issues

What kinds of issues are typical with connecting Avaya VoIP phones over VPN? I would expect latency issues since VPN has a lot of overhead but can I get specifics from you guys. At one point do you go SCN rather than remote phones?

The only way we do remote IP phones without SCN on IPO is to build a third party VPN. Works great!
With SCN, make sure you have a good pipe between sites.

That's what I've been asked to do. I will propose a Cisco As firewall since it has good QoS. But they will grow. At what point do you install another IPO and go SCN? Is it really just about what features they want or can peformance issues demand it?

For us, it is about survivability and trunks. With second IPO and SCN at 2nd location, an internet failure would allow them to continue to function with local trunks.
While a Cisco (or any other) firewall may have good QoS, once you hit the public internet, generally all bets are off.

Getting ready to do a multi-site location, and in this case, we will go with SCN because all sites have their own trunks for local calls and such. I don't think there is a magic number of when you go with one or the other. It probably boils down to what you need and what your cost is.

Already they want to go cheap. Seems they they thought they had everyting they needed. They don't. No EP licenses to start with. DSL at two locations and then there is the conversion to PRI from analog which they were unaware of. Why is it VoIP has become falsely synonymous with cheap? I get to be the heavy and give them the bad news.

Why is it VoIP has become falsely synonymous with cheap?

Because the manufacturers want to sell systems. We've been saying from day one that VoIP doesn't mean cheaper phone service but the manufacturers make customers believe otherwise. Then of course there is the quality issue.

-Hal

I had a customer just the other day say "Is this VoIP? Because I'm tired of paying for long distance"

I have a feeling I lost this client. Salesman sold them good stuff but not everything and now I get to play the heavy and look like I am the one overcharging. They'll find out when they hook 4 VPN phones up to a 1.5/384K DSL service.