internal phone systems for stage

[J Pearce]

These days I can't see why you would do anything other than VoIP. Uses existing network cabling/wifi, offers the possibility of wifi phones that can travel with a person, and is pretty cheap to setup.

[nickb12345]

Look at 3CX. It's free if you don't need more than 2 simultaneous calls and for the features you get it isn't too sad for licenses going past 2 calls.

 

You can use the soft phone and have not need to buy anything other than either a SIP trunk line or a gateway to connect to your POTS/ ISDN lines. Of course you can use hardware phones too (I recommend the yealinks).

 

Runs on a windows box

 

Nick

[Owain]

Sorry to bring an old thread back up. I'm looking into phones for backstage, technical etc. Whilst this topic is useful, I cant help but feel that we may have access to newer technology now? Can anyone recommend what they use for their internal phone system?

Panasonic, still. The range has moved on slightly (so the systems recommended here are available second-hand reasonably priced)

 

 

 

 

These days I can't see why you would do anything other than VoIP. Uses existing network cabling/wifi, offers the possibility of wifi phones that can travel with a person, and is pretty cheap to setup.

- existing network cabling might not be available or suitable. Many VoIP phones have an ethernet pass-through socket but the speed on this can be less than full network speed

 

 

- VoIP phones require local power supplies or power over ethernet

 

- IP hubs and power injectors need power but are distributed around a larger site making providing UPS back-up more difficult

 

- ethernet limited to 100 metres or less, analogue phones will run over hundreds of metres or even miles using 1 pair.

 

- IP phones more expensive and less variety. This includes things like flashing silent or extra loud ringers, studio hybrids etc

 

- IP phones require more programming making it harder to support a variety of phone types

 

etc.

 

 

[nickb12345]

 

- VoIP phones require local power supplies or power over ethernet

- IP hubs and power injectors need power but are distributed around a larger site making providing UPS back-up more difficult

 

How is powering a PBX different to powering a POE switch?

 

 

- ethernet limited to 100 metres or less, analogue phones will run over hundreds of metres or even miles using 1 pair.

 

Fibre? Yes it costs more, but you can run more than just phones over it. For distances just over then why not put a switch in the middle? With POE+ you don't even need power to the repeating switch

 

 

- IP phones more expensive and less variety. This includes things like flashing silent or extra loud ringers, studio hybrids etc

 

http://www.tbu-ip.com/features.html

http://www.wheelock-products.com/ip-phone-strobe-for-voip-phone-systems.aspx

They are fast becoming more common. The Yealink's that I have here have a LED that flashes on a call (and if you remove the diffuser is quite bright) and can be put into silent mode.

 

 

- IP phones require more programming making it harder to support a variety of phone types

 

I tend to find its actually the other way round. I use a good mix of different handsets from different vendors depending on the requirements and they all work with the one PBX where as when I used to work with Digital Hybrid systems they tend to only work properly with their own brand of handsets. With the 3CX PBX you allow the handset to boot and 3CX to detect it, Right Click the New handset and select Create New Extension, give it a number and name and click ok. The handset reboots and then works. No 'programming' needed.

 

Don't get me wrong, I agree VoIP isn't the answer in every situation, but at the same time I don't think they are the best reasons to argue against it. In a new install where there is either no existing cabling or existing structured wiring then personally I can't see any reasons not to install VoIP - even if you use ISDN or POTS for your trunk circuits because of Internet connectivity restrictions. On the other hand if there is loads of 2 wire circuits already available but not Cat 5 then that could sway the jury.

 

Nick