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Joined: Apr 2021
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Good afternoon everyone!

I have just recently signed up due to a general lack of knowledge of the system we have at our motel, and the general hard-sell tactics that have led me to distrust many of the servicers and installers local to me, so I am hoping that perhaps I can get some perspective and advice.

Our system is a Mitel SX-200 MX (not sure of how to tell specific revision or generation) with 2 ASU-II switches and what looks like a total of 3 ONS-class cards (#50005731). The last time anyone did any kind of preventive maintenance on it was about 3...... management companies ago, and the new owner actually wants to take care of things so I’ve been tasked with getting the most out of it. Recently we had a major storm that knocked out our ability to call out, and the local telco guy says we have a trunk card that needs to be replaced. I am familiar with IP PBX platforms from Cisco, but this is a little older than my head can wrap around, and that has inspired me to reach out to the pros.

TL;DR - Old PBX, probably a bad trunk card, but 4 main questions:

  • How does a trunk card fail that lets incoming calls route correctly, but not allow outgoing calls?
  • What is currently the best software to connect to the PBX. I have gotten mixed messages on that, or possibly have a bad maintenance port. I have tried a straight through RS232, and a Null-Modem cable. Cannot get a connection, or any sign it is working. Using the ICP, the revoked certificates won't let me in with anything but internet explorer, and there it won't detect my Java install to do anything. I am a BSD guy if there is a smart solution for that.
  • If it really is as simple as a bad trunk card, what is the easiest way to identify which card it is (once I can get logged into the controller) and can it be replaced with an identical part and require no reconfiguration?
  • I've read this controller can use IP trunks, are there any special considerations to know about when arranging a SIP provider that might not be a big deal with current systems? We REALLY want to distance ourselves from the POTS telco here.



Sorry for bombarding you with so many things at once, but this thing has been stumping me for a couple weeks now, and my lack of knowledge has driven me up a wall where everyone just tries to sell us a new system for $5k-$17.6k. I appreciate any words of wisdom that can be imparted. Thanks in advance and have a great day!

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Sounds like your in way over your head
You need a certified/authorized Mitel dealer
I just googled your area. There are any number of then near you. I'm sure they can help resolve your problem.

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I have contacted a few, and seem to be getting pushed in the direction of maximum spend. My main goal for asking these questions is to know enough so that I can't get jargoned into doing anything excessive for the case at hand.

I suppose the most important answer I am hoping to figure out before I go deeper into it is: Is the SX-200 platform still relevant enough that I should be putting effort into doing a repair versus spending 10-20x on a brand new system. The only thing the owner wants to change beyond just getting outbound calls working again is switching our 7 trunk lines from POTS to IP based, which leads me to think we really don't need to be spending the kind of money for a whole new system when the hospitality industry is... not in the best shape and forecasts are less than sparkly.

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That's not an old system. Mitel is very reliable but also complex. Getting a tech there is your priority at the moment. How are you operating if you can't make an outbound call? Especially in the case of a guest emergency! Get it repaired and now you have someone you can rely on for the SIP trunk setup. I recommend a SIP fxo gateway to supply analog trunks to your Mitel. That way it's just a swap of dial tones and you aren't investing in SIP trunk licenses or reprogramming the Mitel.

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I'm going to put up a disclaimer right away- You're not going to like my reply very much.

What you're attempting to do is a good deal beyond the scope of end-user maintenance on this system. Like it or not, most business telephones systems were not designed to be plug and play, and took a trained and experienced technician to maintain them.

Save yourself and your boss a lot of grief and ask around concerning your local service companies and pick one to help you out. In this instance, you don't need a hero, you need a professional.

Sorry this post is so late. I clicked on it from the 'Last 5 Posts' window and not the actual forum...

Last edited by JBean3329; 04/09/21 07:58 AM.

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For the OP In the Hospitality industry, you can do a couple of things, but first, REPAIR the PBX. I'd be looking for a second opinion, because, if indeed you are getting calls in, but not out, it might be something silly like PROGRAMMING something simple like loop start vs. ground start. Then you can get half-a-loaf by converting your trunks to SIP. An 8 or 16 port gateway in front of the Mitel trunks with Sip service will pay for itself in reduced trunk charges in a mater of months. The last one I did the payback was less than 6 months for the hardware and monthly difference in rates.

Carl

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