atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums VOIP Phones & IP PBX VoIP & Cloud Phones, Hosted PBX, General IP Phones VoIP vs TDM

There is a post in General section about Why NOT to buy an IP system To be fair with the VoIP installers I have started this thread to list advantages of VoIP. As with the other thread Please try to keep your comments to the product and not bash the technical ability of those who work in either environment.

I am not sure if it is an inherent advantage, but nearly every manufacturer, major and not is moving into VoIP. Some are still coming out with digital systems or converged systems, but they are an afterthought from their VoIP operations and investment, or so it seems to me.

Steve

Not sure if I should post or not... I know that VoIP seems much easier to install and I make more margins but my VoIP offerings are very non traditional. Had a friend go to Siemens OpenScape training last week and I am afraid to ask if he passed the test. What gets me is we saw it coming in the late 90s and have tried our best to hold the line with 3rd & 4th generation of digital products. I had a vision for my network and it included VoIP and I promise if you were to ask your clients to make a vision, voip would be first in mind. I can offer more P2P & Hosted if anyone wants to keep this open.

I think there needs to be some distinction between the various "VOIP" systems. VOIP really isn't a system, but rather a type of signaling when it comes to talking about communications. If you compare a TDM system that uses digital signaling with a similar system using VOIP signaling, you won't find that much difference in day to day use. Having recently bid several TDM and VOIP systems to customers, what I can say is the TDM/Digital systems are less expensive to deploy and require less of a learning curve for the user. The VOIP systems on the otherhand are more expensive to deploy and require a bit more learning curve for the user, but offer the advantage of having more applications and great programming flexibility for setup. Myself, I see me still doing a lot of smaller digital systems for small business, but moving more towards a VOIP type system for larger businesses. I don't see moving away from PRI to SIP trunking either. Its not cost effective for businesses. HOSTED VOIP is a whole different animal, and I don't ever see me recommending to any of my customers to go that route.

Today a bank customer wanted a quote for budgetary purposes for a VoIP system for his whole bank....My question was why use VoIP sets throughout? He thought he had to pay for the "high dollar" VoIP sets everywhere like his neighbor bank did for a Crisco system....he was very pleased to here the real answer....only where they were needed.

So, fully VoIP or not? Go with an advanced TDM with VoIP capacity and get the best of both worlds..... :thumb:

I received a new product catalog from Viking Electronics and flipped through it looking to see any new products. Sure enough, they have 12 and 24 port "ring booster/shaper" units. Of course, they are rack-mounted with MSRP of about 25 Benjamins. Basically, per their own documentation, these devices are needed behind many VoIP 'systems' (with one of them being named) in order to support 'legacy' devices, such as single-line telephones, etc.

Shouldn't these 'systems' be able to ring a bell in a single-line telephone without having to purchase yet another 'server' to support what has been the industry-standard for over a century? Am I missing something?

IP is a great transmission medium, no doubt. The problem is that it is just that: A transmission medium. Once inside the four walls of an office, it offers no benefit whatsoever. If anything, it costs more money. I'm sure that in generations to come, this gap will narrow, but not until people learn what VoIP really is and what it can do.

That there is precisely the issue. Grasping VOIP is a transmission medium..nothing more. Unfortunately a very PICKY medium for voice. I have no problem selling VOIP and making more money, but it takes SO much more to make it stable and reliable that why bother for internal voice? The sheer ignorance of the term VOIP thrown around by so-called "IT-professionals" is staggering. It's IP so it must be EASY.....ya.

Reminds me of this little Indian guy we installed a system for..he CONSTANTLY was saying, "VOIP means I get FLEA calls!" "VOIP is FLEA!" Ugh...

I had not installed a phone system in over 15 years before I started my own business less than 12 months ago (I had been strictly a sales person). I waited 22 years to start my company and knowing what I know I was only going to support a product that was easy to install plus gave me a nice advantage in the 2-25 phone market. Anything larger I push IP Centrex and have for 3-4 years now... What I have come to believe in my constant screening process of products is P2P VoIP & RTP is going to provide an easier way to deploy and communicate via VoIP. My VoIP model is strictly server-less. I only keep a few phones, a router and a switch in stock. I can tell you I would not be on my own if I had to deal with what I have witnessed techs go through the last 20 years.

CNetworx,

you are talking about hosted VOIP right? Most of my customers would not see that as a cost effective solution.

Z-Man..Yes I do support Hosted but I was talking mostly about transport methods.. My “key-system product” is P2P and by not needing KSU it makes the install much easier. The advantages of my VoIP model is it is easier to install, easier to use, easier to make changes to, easier to upgrade software, easier to train on and it makes me money.

RTP is a new upgrade for Asterisk and my P2P phones can migrate to Asterisk so I was hoping to have a response with the mentioning. I have heard some of the hosted providers brag about it during my screening process but I am sure this was all a function of their EdgeMarc router.