An existing customer of Teltek’s emailed our service department asking the following question and I thought our blog readers would enjoy learning about this topic.
Question: “Your team installed the Avaya [IP Office] phone system in our MD office. We have an employee located in Canada and would like him to have an Avaya phone that would integrate to our MD system. If we send him an Avaya phone (same model as the ones used in MD), how would he be integrated into our system? i.e. ability to dial my extension in MD vs. composing the entire number”.
Cost and set up:
This can certainly be accomplished for you and is a relatively easy process! You would not be able to use the same 5410 phone that is currently being used in the Maryland office because they are digital phones. In order to use the IP-VPN functionality you would need to use a 4600, 5600 or 9600 series Avaya IP Phone. We would recommend that you purchase the 5610 (estimated cost $300.00) as it looks identical to the 5410 phones located in your Maryland office. These phones are affordable and easy to use. Additionally, you will need an Avaya VPN license (estimated cost $70.00), power supply and power lead (country specific) to power the phone (estimated cost for both $50.00). You did not initially purchase a Voice Compression Module (VCM) at the time of system installation so you will need to add this to the system (estimated cost $750.00 + installation). This module will be installed into your system in Maryland enabling the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) functionality to the Avaya system for the Canadian user and any additional, future users.
After the VCM module is installed and the firewall settings have been adjusted in Maryland, the new IP-VPN phone can be pre-programmed and shipped to your employee in Canada. The employee will connect the phone into their internet connection and power the phone on. Since your Avaya IP Office phone system in Maryland has a static IP address the VPN phone will automatically find the system and register to it within minutes. Once everything is working and the remote phone is talking to the phone system in Maryland, the employee in Canada will be able to use his new phone just as if he were sitting in your Maryland office. He will have the ability to transfer calls and intercom back and forth, access voicemail messages and even be included in incoming call groups (hunt groups). This employee’s call activity can even be tracked on most call accounting packages.
How it works:
When the remote employee makes an outbound call, his voice will travel over the internet into the Maryland office, be converted back to a traditional voice signal and sent out to the person they were calling through the Maryland office local phone service provider (Paetec in your case). Outbound Caller ID information reflecting the Maryland office will be displayed emulating that the remote user is actually sitting in that office. This can create 911 considerations, but that will be addressed in a future blog. When calls come into the employee, the caller will dial a local Maryland phone number and the call will originate in your Maryland office, then the call will be converted into a VoIP signal by the Avaya system, sent out over the internet to the remote user’s phone and converted back into a voice signal so he can talk back and forth. This process may sound complex, but the truth is, it really is not and it is actually a very common way of communicating today.
The fine print:
Sound too good to be true? It can be if you do not plan to utilize this new technology properly. VoIP is only as good as the network it is built upon and there are some key credentials you must account for prior to attempting an installation. You need to be aware that the remote phone will require approximately 100K of broadband bandwidth on both ends to function properly (i.e. both sites will require a cable, FIOS, T1 or DSL connection). LAN cards, some wireless and satellite internet will not work. Next, consider stability of both the originating and remote networks (i.e. what type of firewalls, switches, routers and cabling are in place? Is there adequate bandwidth? Are these connections susceptible to phone or internet outages?) In the scenario mentioned above, the network does not have a managed connection between both IP end-points and is using the raw internet. Due to the lack of managed communication and internet usage, users will be at the connections mercy and may experience minimal interruptions to service (call degradation, echo, need for an occasional reboot, etc.). Depending on our internet connection and voice compression ratio this can be managed to function at roughly 98 percent of the reliability of a standard digital phone on traditional phone service; however, it is important to set realistic expectations. Finally, the IP Phone requires a consistent power supply so we always recommend a Battery UPS to keep the phone operational especially if the remote user is in an area of known power problems.
To summarize:
For the initial investment of approximately $750 (+ labor) one can enable an Avaya IP Office phone system to support remote VPN phones. This will allow an organization to employ workers that are not in the geographical area of their office facilities and provide them with phone features like intercom, call transferability and incorporation in incoming call groups from anywhere in the world. The cost of these special VPN phones is roughly $420.00 each (price includes: phone, license, power supply and power lead) and several can be added to any new or existing IP Office within hours (depending upon system configuration).
If you have additional questions on how to establish Avaya VPN phones or to devise a telecommuting strategy for your office, please give us a call, we will be happy to assist you!
Teltek is a second generation telecommunications integrator and certified Avaya Business Partner and NEC Dealer. Our knowledgeable staff specializes in current Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), digital, hybrid and key telephone systems in the small to mid-sized market place. We distinguish ourselves by offering one-stop service and bundling a large variety of products and services such as: communications architecture and consulting, unified messaging, mobility solutions, voice and data cabling and local, long distance and internet brokerage services. Serving Maryland, Washington, DC, Virginia, Pennsylvania and other surrounding areas, trust Teltek to coordinate your next phone system repair, cabling project, system installation or office relocation.
Christy Miller, Executive Assistant
1.866.9.TELTEK
410.552.6580
236 East Main Street
Westminster, Maryland 21157