Analog lines vs IP phones

[Neiby]

I'm trying to figure out why adding a single analog phone or trunk to a Shoretel voice switch reduces the number of supportable IP phones by five. This makes no sense to me since the voiceswitch shouldn't be doing much for IP phones except call control, which is pretty light.

Are you seriously telling me that if you have a 40/8, for example, and you're terminating six analog trunks and two analog phones, that the switch has no processing power left to do call control for a few phones?

I really like Shoretel's system, in general, but this just seems like a way to get you to buy more of their switches when you shouldn't really need them.

What do you think?

Thanks,
John

[cburgy]

I'm trying to figure out why adding a single analog phone or trunk to a Shoretel voice switch reduces the number of supportable IP phones by five. This makes no sense to me since the voiceswitch shouldn't be doing much for IP phones except call control, which is pretty light.

Are you seriously telling me that if you have a 40/8, for example, and you're terminating six analog trunks and two analog phones, that the switch has no processing power left to do call control for a few phones?

I really like Shoretel's system, in general, but this just seems like a way to get you to buy more of their switches when you shouldn't really need them.

What do you think?

Thanks,
John

It has to do with the DSP resources on the switch. IP is easier for the DSP to process then analog. Having a lot of analog devices is not cost effective but they are looking at possibly addressing this in the future with a lower cost analog switch. Keep in mind you could also use an ATA and convert the analog to IP via SIP.

[tnshurtm]

LOL, we brought this up to our salesmen and they said we were looking at the glass as half empty.......

It is actually an 8 port switch (VERY EXPENSIVE 8 port switch) but if you use IP phones, you can expand to 40 phones. Half FULL!!!!!

Even if you you SIP, you are using minimum 5 ports, because in order to use SIP, you have to designate a block of 5 ports as SIP. You can then use 5 SIP phones on those ports, but no analog or standard IP phones.

I would be really interested in a 3rd party or even a Shoretel ATA that takes place closer to the phone... i.e. make the coversion somewhere on the network. That is the way Cisco does it.

[francismcphail]

Linksys PAP2?

Hi, I realise this is quite old but. if you allocate the SIP thus removing 5 ports you can still use those 5 ports if however only via SIP.

Thus could you not use something like this (http://tinyurl.com/28se3k) Linksys PAP2. Yes an additional cost but it would allow a SIP connection to the Shoretel, and should allow calls to be made and received.

Francis.

LOL, we brought this up to our salesmen and they said we were looking at the glass as half empty.......

It is actually an 8 port switch (VERY EXPENSIVE 8 port switch) but if you use IP phones, you can expand to 40 phones. Half FULL!!!!!

Even if you you SIP, you are using minimum 5 ports, because in order to use SIP, you have to designate a block of 5 ports as SIP. You can then use 5 SIP phones on those ports, but no analog or standard IP phones.

I would be really interested in a 3rd party or even a Shoretel ATA that takes place closer to the phone... i.e. make the coversion somewhere on the network. That is the way Cisco does it.