[part 05] What hardware is required for a VoIP phone system?

We need phones, a PBX, and networking equipment. Let's go over some hardware we can use, and the hardware that I use in my own system.

A big myth I would like to shatter here is that a PBX has to be "expensive." Yes, setups that can deal with 10,000 users are "expensive", however, I assure you - the people telling you PBX servers are expensive are often people who themselves are selling you something that costs even more. :-)

For information on having us set up your phone system, check out our website: this is something we can do for you!

[Sparks]

I'm using a Raspberry Pi 3B+ running RasPBX, which is even less than your $80 Lenovo. There's a beta RasPBX for the Raspberry Pi 4B which will handle even heavier loads. I've got four DIDs on going to three phones, one of which is a ten line cordless. It can bog down if it's doing a complete system backup, but otherwise it's quite good - so backups are scheduled in the middle of the night. I anticipate the RasPBX on a Pi 4B will handle an even heavier load. More than enough for a SOHO with a handful of users and a system that doesn't have an exotic menu system attendant with redirect options - multiple DIDs resolves much of that - and the DID provider is dirt cheap. The best part is the exceptionally low power consumption which would show up on a home power bill - I've left a desktop PC running 24/7 and it shows. The one thing I'm not saddled with is heavy LAN use with the occasional streaming movie use - but not more than one going at a time. I agree regarding switches and have been using Netgear Prosafe 10/100/1000 unmanaged switches. They have been quite good and are less than the Cisco. A gigabit LAN is essential. The phones are Grandstream and I've had no problem with them. At their low prices, they're still the most expensive part of the system! At this point I'm integrating a FXS POTS line and another FXS cable provider line (which terminates in an FXS port with a gateway built into the cable modem) into the PBX. The AT&T POTS line will be the 911 local access - adding three more PSTN two-line phones onto the network (on a common 4-wire PSTN cable). Bottom line is it's possible to go with even less if the load isn't heavy. RasPBX has been incredibly reliable. Just about runs itself unless I start recording phone calls and must manage the recordings - even with a CRON job that will delete recordings after they're over 6 months old.

[xKhronusx]

In the spirit of affordability and keeping things more under your control I'd like to mention pfSense as an alternative for a Cisco managed switch. You can buy relatively inexpensive hardware and add Ethernet NICs as you go along.

[the-d-r]

Hey Louis, sorry but I have to correct you with two things. First: You don’t need a switch with QoS. The bottleneck isn’t the switch, where you have to prioritize the traffic. You are going to need a QoS Switch in a really big network with stacked switches, and so on. And in this setup you gonna buy managed switches, because some thousands of $$ doesn’t matter anymore. In a usual setup, (with running Backups) you just need a switch with a great backbone. But back to the Backups. The bottleneck in offsite backups is not the switch, it’s the Internet Connection. So your Router has to do QoS, not your Switch. The Switch just has to be able to keep the QoS Header in the Packet.

Second thing is, that Cisco is not Cisco. Real Cisco products runs the Cisco IOS operating system. The switch you showed in the video is made by Cisco S(mall)B(business). As you know, Linksys is a devision of Cisco. And Cisco SB is like Linksys in Product Quality. Even Cisco SB Products are good, but Cisco SB isn’t Cisco.

[KieranMahoney]

Hello Louis, I own a phone now thanks to you I know how to ring people now I’m working on a system in which I can leave the house with my Cisco ip phone but I’m having some trouble. any recommendations?

[TheErilaz]

There are cheap quad core fanless boxes on eBay that has more than enough CPU to run FreePBX just fine. They use around 10W or so..

[autobahnmon]

Hello Louis! Thank you for posting this VoiP phone video series. Is it possible to consolidate this series into a single / searchable playlist so viewers can seamlessly transition between videos? Right now viewers have to search for the next video without knowing the title or anything, we just hope that youtube's algorithm selects the next video as an option and presents it in the 'related to' section.

[snakejazz]

As far as QoS can't you adjust that in the router settings even if it was cheap? Why is it necessary to buy a more expensive switch?

[urbanphenomenon]

hi louis, thank you so much for this tutorial, i have set up a freebx server, i have 4 phone set up, i'm wondering, what sip trunk provider you would recommend, i am looking to make a lot of outbound calls in the US., Do know of any unlimited sip trunk providers? Thanks again.

[AndyD]

Do you still recommend the Cisco SPA525G as the phone to buy in late 2017? Also, is there a softphone that you recommend for testing the setup if you don't have a IP Phone yet? Thanks--the tutorials helped a lot!

[sohodon]

informative. A couple of flaws. There are use cases for QoS. You should always use managed switches in a business. Unmanged switches are really for home use or a one man operation. How else do you stop people from plugging in unwanted devices? You can also use a switch to manage traffic and bandwidth thresholds on ports. Old hp switches cab do this if find the right one.

[led-matrix-au]

Great video as always. have similar problem. I have Avaya ip Phones but not with Avaya pbx. Will this kind of setup work for Avaya phones . Please let me know. Thanks

[abdimohamed]

Louis thanks for the video. I have another question. Let's say you have cable at home. Do you call your ISP and have them turn your service in to bridge mode so you can have a better control?

[kenstarkey]

Has anyone tried using something like the AWOW mini computer with 2 LAN ports (Amazon, $200) for a phone system server? Comes with some sort of SSD built-in, but it looks like there is room for a 2.5" as well. I need to set up an office system with 8 phones and have a small space for a server... can't fit a full-size box. Any help would be much appreciated!

[nixonleonardo]

I did see your videos are very detail and interesting.I am new in this,   so I have a question.  I do have a Free PBX  already,   but I want to integrate a phone in but it is in  other location.  the question is.   ... do I have to get a server also in the new location or as long that I have internet connection it will work by connecting of adding the phone in my  Free PBX with a asterisk as a GUI.I appreciate your help.Thank you

[abdimohamed]

What ports in the switch do you suggest to connect the PBX server, the phone and your line cards(PRI or ISDN? Or any port will work?

[rogernevez]

What setup would you recommend for a very simple IVR (almost an Auto Attendant) for one single landline?
(caller interaction via keypad, pre-recorded messages, calls must be recorded, static menu, no call routing, ...)

[antidecepticon]

Hey I wonder if you have ever tried DD-Wrt? I use it at home and it seems to provide a decent QOS. I have Two Bridged routers, but have Set a Virtual LAN on the 4th port of the first router With a DCHP SERVER(2.2.2.1). The first router (1.2.3.1), with Wifi enabled for me and my Wife's PC's (One Net), The DD-WRT Virtual Lan manages the virtual LAN on the 4th Port. The Second Router(2.2.2.2) is just in bridge connection to The 4th port of my first router. This Router is sharing WiFi(guestnet) to guests and has a bunch of computers I use for torrenting n tests n projects. This way my critical pc's are inside the Their own LAN on the first router. and The others are stuck on the Virtual Lan. I use a the simple port QOS on my first router to keep priority for ports 1-3.and this is working nicely. There is no bridge to the first router sono one can see or connect across to the other network. thusly busy activity on the guest side and a noiseless quiet LAN that has priority over the other. you could do more QOS if you wanted...

[leebektesi]

hi. nice video. any new suggestions on hardware since this is 2 years old?

[priit]

also as a sidenote to your Linksys shaming, Cisco bought Linksys and it's branded now as Cisco aswell (Cisco Small Business 100, 200, 300 series = former Linksys). If you want "real" Cisco, then you must choose Catalyst, which is sadly crazy expensive :D

[larsongregory]

im an ignorant....why use a new harddrive as opposed to a wiped used one?