VoIP Equipment

To take full advantage of the all the benefits that VoIP has to offer, it is necessary to evaluate different options for VoIP equipment. Some basic items to consider are listed as follows:

1. How many new IP phones do you need and what will the upfront cost be?
2. Are Ethernet ports available in every office?
3. Do you need to upgrade any network switches to support IP phones & VoIP?

The good news is that your VoIP provider will be able to answer those questions for you. The bad news is that you need to research and confirm that the equipment that is being recommended is right for your business, and to also research VoIP equipment pricing.

Step 1: Decide if you need New IP Phones

If you are considering changing your phone service provider and your business is already using a hosted VoIP solution or on-premise VoIP phone system, then there is a good chance that you do not need to purchase new phones. It is critical that you confirm phone compatibility with the service provider that you are considering switching to or it could be a costly mistake.

If your business is switching to hosted VoIP or an on-premise IP enabled phone system, then you will need to either purchase or rent IP phones that support the call control protocols used by the phone service provider.

Step 2: Identify Key Phone Features that you need.

Even the most basic IP phones have a good number of features so a business can save a lot of money by selecting the best phone for its needs. Some popular IP phones are listed as follows but for extensive information on makes and models please visit our IP phone section.

Manufacturer	Model #	Price*	Lines	Connection Protocols
Cisco	SPA502G	$	1	SIP
Yealink	T22	$	3	SIP, SIP 1.0, SIP 2.0
Polycom	IP335	$$	2	SIP 2.0, Lync
Cisco	SPA504G	$$	4	SIP, SIP 2.0
Yealink	T28	$$	6	SIP, SIP 1.0, SIP 2.0
Polycom	IP550	$$$	4	SIP, SIP 2.0
Cisco	SPA525G	$$$	5	SIP, SIP 2.0, SPCP
Polycom	IP650	$$$$	6	SIP, SIP 2.0

* $ = lower cost to $$$$ = Highest cost

The number of lines that a phone has tends to push the price up. Connection protocols are important as if your current or new VoIP provider does not support one of these protocols, then the phone will not function. Other features that can affect the price are:

• Color Backlit or Touch Screen
• Support for Peripheral ports such Bluetooth or USB
• Headset or Handset interface ports
• Supported CODECS (compression/decompression for bandwidth requirements)
• Available Connection Protocols - not all phones support SIP and some can only be used in conjunction with on-premise solutions that support proprietary protocols such as Cisco's SCCP.
• Gigabit support - most phones support up to 100Mbps Ethernet.
• Supported Provisioning Methods - For example if phone only supports TFTP then you will need to be able to access a TFTP server to make it operational and make software updates available
• Power over Ethernet (POE) - if your office does not have POE enabled switches then you are going to have to buy a power supply for every single IP phone that you purchase.
• New or refurbished? If you can live with refurbished phones then you can save a lot of money over the cost of brand new phones. New phones typically come with a one year warranty so check the warranty if you are thinking of purchasing refurbished phones.

In summary, all of the technical items are generally taken care of by any VoIP provider.

Step 3: Identify other VoIP equipment requirements.

Some other items of equipment that you may need to consider purchasing along with your VoIP solution are listed as follows:

Equipment	Price*	Reason to Purchase
Phone Headsets	< $50	Although IP phones have excellent speakerphones, the majority of employees will likely prefer to use a headset to keep conversations private and respect their neighbors
Phone Power Supplies	< $50	Required if no power over Ethernet is available
Power over Ethernet Switches	Varies	Preferred method of powering IP phones and avoids the extra cost of power supplies. Pricing depends on port count and software features. Quality of service (QoS) feature support should be evaluated to ensure voice packets are properly prioritized over data in the IP packet. QoS helps avoid choppy or dropped calls.
Router Additions/Upgrades	Varies	New or upgraded routers may be required to ensure redundancy, throughput and packet prioritization.
Analog Telephony Adaptors (ATA)	$50 to $100	If you decide to skip the IP phone solution entirely, but still want to take advantage of the cost savings that VoIP can provide, purchase an ATA for every existing Analog phone.
Ethernet Cabling	N/A	Purchasing and installing Cat5e Ethernet cable can be expensive depending on the size of the installation. Most offices will already have this cabling installed but it is definitely worth checking to avoid a costly surprise.
Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)	Varies	Network equipment should already be connected to a UPS to avoid issues during power outages. If no UPS currently exists, then it is recommended that a UPS is installed along with the VoIP service to ensure that phones keep working during a power outage.

* Average price range. Prices subject to change.

If you are seeking an on-premise VoIP phone system, then it is likely that you will need to perform a very thorough evaluation of your existing network.

Step 3: The Bottom Line - Is VoIP worth it?

Although additional equipment is often required to be purchased when upgrading to a VoIP solution, the overall benefits of VoIP typically far outweigh this cost. Businesses should evaluate the annual cost savings that a VoIP solution can offer while considering any up front equipment expenses. In most cases the overall cost savings and productivity increases that VoIP provides will easily justify any potential equipment upgrades.

In summary, VoIP is definitely worth it and most businesses have either already changed their phone systems to a VoIP solution, or are looking to do so in the near future.

 

 

Author: Tony Campbell

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