sundance-communications.com/forum Forums TDM Business Telephone Systems Avaya - Lucent Telephones & Systems Basic Questions about Lengend

A little background:
I have just purcahsed a Legend R7 with CID/VM off ebay and would like to install it. It will replace 4 basic business lines one has DSL added.
We use the first 3 as incoming/outgoing. The fourth is fax and an additional outgoing voice when needed.

I have searched avaya, this forum, and the internet for the past 5 days trying to gather information that I need to install/configure this. I am familar with basic cabling and have run several drops for voice and data.

Questions:
#1 Just to verify from a previous post that I have read, for FULL functionality of the system I can run 4 pair with RJ-45 correct? (planning on using cat 5 only because I already have a half full box)

#2 Since the system will be very small considering the expandablity of this system, I am trying to determine the advantages of Key vs. hybrid/PBX. I looked at the options that you lose when you switch to Key, and I don't think I need them. The only questionable one is Queued Call Console Options, but I don't think this is something we need after reading about it. And as far as DID for the fax, in Key mode you can still assign an extension to an incoming line, correct?

This is what I have so far, please comment on or add to any of these to help me decide. Thanks.

Key:
Keep existing basic lines. (Which would keep the fax machine issue easy....I think.)

PBX:
Order trunks from CO. I think 3 combo and one DID is what I would need. I talked to BellSouth Complex Business Department, they said they could still add DSL to a trunk, but not recommended. Do yall agree?

One last question (for now)
#3 Are there any other advantages (cost, reliablity, etc) to trunks over lines?

This will get the ball rolling. Thanks in advance for your thoughts, and sorry for the long post.

#1 - Cat-5 is fine for your phone wiring.

#2 - Hybrid/PBX vs. Key mode depends on how you want to use the system. I would never use a QCC anyway, and you don't have enough lines to justify it.

You don't have to change the lines that you currently have, even if you run the Legend in PBX mode.

#3 - Trunks are lines, and lines are trunks. Unless you are talking about loop start vs. ground start, of special purpose trunks like DID or E&M.


#4 - (you didn't ask #4) - A Legend is a little diffulcult to program, especially for the first time. You may want to contact an installer in your local area. I'm not familiar with "CID/VM", you may have a problem finding support on that if it is not an Avaya product.

Good luck!!

Thanks so much for your reply.

Not to argue with you, but according to Bellsouth Business Department (which I know could definitely be wrong) said that to register a PBX system with them, you could not use the standard business lines that we have already (something like BS-1 lines) that you must change to trunks?? By the way, do you have to register a PBX system with the TelCo?

CID/VM - caller id through 800 GS/LS-ID and Voicemail through 007MLM 2 port both avaya products

Thanks

Legend will work fine with regular lines, I'm not exactly sure what the phone company is talking about. I have a legend at home and its hooked up to good old residential phone lines (loop start).

The equipment you have specified (for voicemail and CID) is fine. I definately agree that its best to have an installer config the system for you (there are a lot of different areas to admin). However, if you are adventurous and want to take a shot at it you can administer the system with a MLX 20L phone plugged into extension ports 1 or 2. Or, look into a program called "WinSPM", its free on avaya.com. Good luck!

are you using PBX mode? Maybe it is just their way of getting more money???

I am using key mode, the phone company has no way of knowing what mode you are running the pbx in (I tried running mine in PBX for a few weeks, its not convenient for a home so I switched back). Its just a matter of how the system works with lines and extensions internally. You are probably right, the telco is trying to rip you off.

In the old days when tariffs were more strictly adhered to, a PBX (or a phone system configured as a PBX) used trunks, a Key system (or telephone system configured as a key system)could use trunks or CO lines. Legend will work just swell with CO lines. There is no tariff police.

However, a DID trunk is a trunk - and the local telco may require that you also have two-way trunks (as opposed to CO lines)to get DID trunks. Unusual to have one DID trunk - do you realize that it will allow only one DID call at a time, regardless of the number of DID station numbers?
Mike

Oh, and no, as far as I know you do not have to register the PBX with the telco.

If you need help, just drop me an email (check my profile)

the DID would be only for the fax machine therefore I think my thinking is fine. (if I went with trunks 3 two-way 1 DID)

Right now, the first three lines roll-over on each other. The first line in the roll-over is the only advertized number. If I stay with the current phone lines, I guess the current setup will work.

This is my thinking for the fax...maybe it can work, maybe I have read wrong. If I plug the fax into a data port on a MLX phone, I can assign the fax line as the line for that extension to use. That way I do not have to buy a DID card for that one line. Is that correct?

If I understand you correctly, you could also just give the fax its own analog port on the system (analog cards are cheap on ebay), and set the port to ring only when a call comes in on the fax line. You don't have to buy a DID card, you can just use a regular phone line for the fax machine, just have the line only ring on the fax port. And yes, with an MFM plugged into an MLX phone you can use the data port for a fax machine.