atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums VOIP Phones & IP PBX VoIP & Cloud Phones, Hosted PBX, General IP Phones What's all this VoIP stuff anyway?

As a long time interconnect owner and someone who has been there and done that, I can’t for the life of me understand what this latest iteration is good for. I have yet to sell an IP system and probably never will. Why? Because my customers are better served with a traditional TDM solution. Now that may seem profound when all the manufacturers and press talk about is VoIP. But the dirty little secret is most of those same manufacturers make brand spanking new TDM systems that you never hear about. Why don’t they promote them alongside their VoIP systems? Because they have to recoup the costs of VoIP system development so they would MUCH prefer that you bought VoIP.

Believe it or not it can be a hard to convince a customer they will save money with TDM when the VoIP hype is all about saving money. So who is telling the truth? Let’s look at some facts.

If you are a frequent reader of these forums and you pay attention to the questions from people who maintain VoIP systems, somebody like me who is grounded in TDM is immediately struck by the complexity of the problems and solutions. Something that is simple with TDM like setting up a messaging system requires lines of code to be written with some VoIP systems. Then there is the hardware- separate PCs running the voice mail, rebooting, constant software upgrades. Is it a problem with the network or the system? If you think once you switch to VoIP you can forget about the infrequent visits from the guys with the white truck, you only traded us for the resident guys with the pocket protectors.

-Hal

Ding, Ding, Ding, The Winna! Give that man a stuffed monkey! One question about the software upgrades. Do they usually require patches or further upgrades to correct problems caused by upgrading? There is/was a phone system (that will remain unamed) that had a nasty habit that if you upgraded to get some new bell or whistle, you lost something you were already using. So, in reality, you had to upgrade at least three steps to get the new feature AND keep all the features you already hade, and have them all work compatibly. Is that where most brands of VOIP sit? Just curious, with any luck, I'll never have to know more about it than what the acronym means. John C.

I agree with a lot of what you have said for some smaller business's. Alot of so called Voip set ups are not even true voip, unbeknown to the customer, for example a lot of Avaya IP office set up's may be voip from the phone to the system, but their trunks are on a traditional PRI, so really they are not voip/voip.

with the pure voip setups we do ie with SIP IP talkpath's we explain to the customer that they really aren't going to see much if any cost savings.

But the positives for us & or the customer are,

Nice Corp looking Polycom or Cisco handsets that don't require any DESI's

The ability to move Ext's without having to get your punch tool out

The ability for the Tech & or Customer to admin the system via a web brouser.

The ability to port different area codes into your system, ie have a Florida Number call in to your NJ office.

Reporting and Stats without the need for a 3rd party software.

We make residual income from the customers IP trunks for the life of the customer.

The ability to "Burst" ie if the customer only pays for 10 trunks the 12th,13th and so on callers get connected not a busy.

As well as Voip being a great oportunity to take over the customers server & PC network, Now we are a true one stop shop for Cabling, Computing & Telecom.

Hal,
Well stated! :toast:

I've never heard of having to put a desi in a handset. That must be something new.

Seriously, I haven't seen one item on that list that can't be accommodated by current TDM/IP (the new version of hybrid) systems.

VOIP is mostly hype. Very few situations actually warrant the expense & headaches of a full blown VOIP system.

If the business has multiple personnel "on the go" away from the office, maybe, but really, how many businesses fit into that category.

As far as the ability to move extensions around "without a punch down tool" it's already available on Nortel's equipment & I imagine other brands as well. Even if the brand they are presently using does not have that capability, there's already the dreaded patch panel option, although not recommended.

If the business owners would only have a serious discussion with a TDM vendor prior to making their decission, they'd soon realize the hype is going to cost them big bucks for something of inferior quality.

Best word of advice that I could give is talk to the pros in the field of interest. Do you ask your plumber to do a tuneup on your car? I doubt it. Same thing applies to your phone system.

None of you have said anything I disagree with.

Often, when a customer realizes what a VOIP system will require of the network, they elect to go with a TDM system.

However, as much as I hate to say it, VOIP is not going to go away. Too many IT and managers are swallowing the hype. Recently, a school in the UP put out a bid invitation, and guess what kind of phones were specified...VOIP (kind of odd considering that schools in this state aren't exactly in a position to throw money around...)

At this point, we are trying out the ISBPX as a possible all-IP VOIP system to sell.

Alot of so called Voip set ups are not even true voip, unbeknown to the customer, for example a lot of Avaya IP office set up's may be voip from the phone to the system, but their trunks are on a traditional PRI, so really they are not voip/voip.

Most people are totally ignorant as to what VoIP really is. Because of media hype the only thing they equate it with is lower costs which is not usually true. They will spend twice the cost of a TDM system for a VoIP system thinking that a cost savings will offset the difference and then not see those savings materialize unless they are a large customer with multiple sites.

-Hal

Lot's of discussion here about VOIP vs this and that, but what about purely HOSTED iPBX? Where the only CPE are digital telephones, all admin is by the customer through a GUI "point-click-fill in da blanks", and the "installation" is more of a service resell to the customer. When are you guys going to get tired of rolling trucks, for crying out loud?

Right now the Voip industry reminds me of the Pharma companies pushing to hook millions of Americans onto a drug they don't really need & will eventually only have minimal positive affects if they decide to take it.

It seems to me the Voip industry is more about ideaology than technology.........

That said, in the future when say Verizon Business perfects sending a sales guy to a typical 30 seat small business that already has a VZ T1 or Fios and then signs them up for 30 Hosted extensions.

I.e; Verizon ships that office 30 polycom IP phones, the customer plug's them into his cat5 network, the phones come up automatically & if they need help they call an Indian who log's into their network and fault find's for them.

When this sceniaro becomes mainstream, I think us interconnect blokes may have to diversify?