When you evaluate the pros and cons of different phone systems, including the possibility of switching to Hosted VoIP, hardware is always a serious concern. What kind of devices will you need? How VoIP helps save more than 30% for businesses? Can you use your existing phones? and the list of questions is endless. We have listed a 3 point simple hardware setup guide for businesses wanted to switch to VoIP.
The good news is that Voice over Internet Protocol, or a cloud phone system, calls for very little hardware to get the job done, meaning less capital expenditure for you. With VoIP, the provider manages the hardware and software infrastructure, freeing you from equipment troubles and maintenance costs. You can even use your existing hardware, including mobile devices. Now, isn’t that super good news?!
The Three Essentials of VoIP Hardware
For many customers, you only need the big three to get your cloud phone system up and running:
- Business-Class Router
Many small businesses make do with consumer-class routers. On the high-end, these can support up to a dozen computers and come with a few ethernet ports to hard-wire computers or phones into the network. The next step up is a good router, which can handle more computers, as well as the additional traffic of combined voice and data streams. It’s the business-class routers that are necessary for quality voice service. For seeking information, companies are likely to
- IP Phones
These look like ordinary phones, but you plug them into the router or into your desktop computer instead of a phone jack. More companies are now looking to kick start the initiation in a way that will be able to broaden the set up.
- Internet Connection
A broadband connection with sufficient bandwidth is necessary to handle a Hosted VoIP service. If you’re wondering how much bandwidth that is, just figure that each call needs approximately 85 kbps of bandwidth that can synchronise well with the system. You can easily find out the speed of your current Internet connection, and here’s a chart to give you an idea of what speeds your organization might require:
However, there will are some situations where additional equipment might be required. Those are:
- Keeping your analog phones and now buy new phones.
That’s fine. In most cases, Hosted VoIP replaces your old analog system, but you can use your analog phones with a digital system. This will require an additional device, an Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA), which convert the analog signals into digital traffic. The only drawback is that an analog phone usually won’t give you access to the complete feature set Hosted VoIP providers usually offer.
- Will I be able to use my computer or mobile device instead of a VoIP phone?
Absolutely. This normally only requires that you download an application, called a softphone or a desktop client, which allows you to use your computer or mobile device as a phone.
- Do I need a specialized phone like a conference or a cordless phone?
Hosted VoIP service is compatible with many types of conference, cordless, and handsfree phones, as well as headsets. Most leading companies make compatible phones.
If you are looking to move to VoIP for your business, Savincom can help you with the hardware and set up. We work with leading VoIP providers like Vodafone One net, Gamma Horizon, 8x8, call switch by Telco switch. For orders and enquiries, please visit our website on www.savincom.co.uk or call us on 020 3544 7777.
