HELLO & WELCOME

[petertmooney]

Hi guys,

I'm new here, and landed here after trying to search google and such for information, so please excuse me if I am posting in the wrong place or about the wrong items.

I have a small bed and breakfast, which I had been using a pabx called a BT Micro in. It is also known as a Mitel Micro PBX 1000 I believe.

Anyway, recently we got lightening damage which destroyed the powersupply off it and left us with no phone system, and I thought its a good time to perhaps look at changing the system.

We require 5 cordles phones, and at present also have one wired phone at reception.
I'm struggling to figure out the best system to do this. We have a Pstn line. I like the look of many of the VOIP phones.

Does anybody know of a cheap system, that we could get, the would have one phone for front desk, corded and able to use the standard line. But also a voip line. and could allow other corded extensions access to the pstn line?

[WelshPaul]

Hi Peter,

Sorry to hear about your PBX! Rather than use your own PBX, it would be easier to use a hosted VoIP PBX (I recommend Voipfone). From what you have written above, it sounds like you require just the two extensions. Voipfone charge 99p per extension, per month (no contracts, no minimum terms). So you're looking at a monthly cost of £1.98 +VAT to replace your broken BT PBX/current VoIP provider.

However, before I offer you some advice on hardware, I need to know a little more about your PSTN line.

• Do you have just the one PSTN?
• Does it supply your internet?

The reason I ask, it would be better to port the PSTN number over to Voipfone. This would increase your monthly charge from £1.98p/m to £3.98p/m but allows you more control over your number and lifts several restrictions imposed by a traditional PSTN line. It also plays a part in what hardware is needed. Obviously you need an internet connection to use VoIP and if you have just the one PSTN line and it's supplying you with an internet connection too, porting over to Voipfone would leave you without any internet. NOT GOOD!

If you don't want to port your PSTN number over, for a one off £5 fee, Voipfone can apply your PSTN phone number to your VoIP accounts caller ID. That way, whenever you call out over VoIP, people see your PSTN phone number on their caller display, they will never know that you're actually calling from a VoIP phone and not your PSTN line. Clever stuff hey?

[petertmooney]

Hi Paul,

Thank you for getting back to me. We have just one line, carrying broadband also. So, it wouldn't be possible to move it. :/
Also, on the pstn line, I have free unlimited calls to landlines and several hundred free mins to mobiles and international.

What I need is, rooms to be able to call front of house to order food etc, if needed, granted an outside line etc.
Or if a call comes in for a guest through pstn line, I need to be able to transfer it to their room.
We also need it so that when the pstn line rings, we can have it ring certain extensions after hours etc.
We currently also record external calls for business purposes.
Essentially, like a small hotel tbh.
I dont mind using the standard dect phones that are already in the rooms at present if possible, but I'd love to be able to use phones like the two on ebay below at front of house etc...
Any suggestions? Theres bound to be a way, no?
I'm an absolute noob to all this tbh. Any advice greatly appreciated.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cisco-7945-CP ... 0005.m1851

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Grandstream-G ... 0005.m1851

[petertmooney]

Anybody?

[CJT-80]

petertmooney,

I am sure Paul will be able to help you in due course.

[WelshPaul]

Hi Paul,

Thank you for getting back to me. We have just one line, carrying broadband also. So, it wouldn't be possible to move it. :/
Also, on the pstn line, I have free unlimited calls to landlines and several hundred free mins to mobiles and international.

What I need is, rooms to be able to call front of house to order food etc, if needed, granted an outside line etc.
Or if a call comes in for a guest through pstn line, I need to be able to transfer it to their room.
We also need it so that when the pstn line rings, we can have it ring certain extensions after hours etc.
We currently also record external calls for business purposes.
Essentially, like a small hotel tbh.
I dont mind using the standard dect phones that are already in the rooms at present if possible, but I'd love to be able to use phones like the two on ebay below at front of house etc...
Any suggestions? Theres bound to be a way, no?
I'm an absolute noob to all this tbh. Any advice greatly appreciated.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cisco-7945-CP ... 0005.m1851

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Grandstream-G ... 0005.m1851

Thanks @CJT-80, sorry for the delay in replying to your previous post (quoted above) @petertmooney, I have had a busy few days...

If you can't or won't port your number away, it complicates things slightly and requires additional hardware/software. Also, be aware that traditional PSTN lines can only handle one call (in or out) at any one time. So, if someone was to call in on your PSTN line, hold a conversation with you, or the call is transferred to any of the rooms, you won’t be able to make or receive any other calls via your PSTN line until the first call has finished. By porting your PSTN number over to a VoIP platform, it removes the above restriction. There is a work around regarding the one outgoing call restriction that your PSTN will impose on your phone system, look for a VoIP provider who offers unlimited landline, mobile and international calls and have them clone your caller ID. That way, there is no need to use your PSTN line for outgoing calls, only incoming.

FYI, internal calls (e.g. room to room or room to front of house) are unaffected by the above because internal calls won’t need or use the PSTN line.

Phones:
Do not purchase the first phone you linked to! The Cisco 79xx series are not native SIP based VoIP phones. If you want to go with the Cisco brand, purchase one of the Cisco SPA models, such as the Cisco SPA502G. The Grandstream phone you linked to is a native SIP based VoIP phone and will work just fine.

Software:
Again, If you insist on using your current PSTN landline, your going to need a local PBX. I recommend using FREEPBX (it's free).

Additional Hardware:
You're going to need a PC, VPS or raspberry PI to run FREEPBX, and a FXO Adapter such as the OBi110. Unfortunately the OBi110 is no longer available on Amazon (End Of Life) but you might pick one up on eBay. Failing that, Obihai have just launched the OBi212 (It's the replacement for the OBi110) although not yet available here in the UK.

Finally, one other thing to consider if you only have the one internet connection, uploading or downloading large files when on a call can cause issues, so make sure that you have a decent router, and that QOS is configured. Even better, get a dedicated internet connection for your PBX.

[petertmooney]

Thank you so much Paul. Apologies for being a pest. It's all rather new to me.

So, Download, install, and setup freepbx...
add and setup OBi212 with voipfone?
Then add sip handsets and .
Very rarely a gust gets an incoming call, and very rarely a guest makes an outgoing call. It is required by tourist board to have phones in rooms to keep our rating of 5 star :/
More hassle than its worth.
Above all, I need to ensure that the business/pstn line is functional.

[petertmooney]

I have ordered OBI110 as it was all I could seem to get.
I am struggling to find handsets though.
Any hardware recommendations?

[WelshPaul]

So, Download, install, and setup freepbx...

Yes.

add and setup OBi212 with voipfone?

No, you connect the Obi212 (or OBi110) to your PSTN line and your router/local network using an ethernet cable and RJ11 to BT cable. You then need to configure both FreePBX and the OBi212 to "talk" to each other.

Then add sip handsets

Yes, easily done. Simply create an extension within FreePBX and enter the extensions username and password along with the IP address of your FreePBX server into the VoIP telephones web based GUI, the phone is good to go.

Very rarely a gust gets an incoming call, and very rarely a guest makes an outgoing call. It is required by tourist board to have phones in rooms to keep our rating of 5 star :/
More hassle than its worth.

Fair enough, no need to register with any VoIP provider then. All you need is FreePBX, OBi212, PSTN line and a VoIP phone for each location.

Above all, I need to ensure that the business/pstn line is functional.

It will be functional but like I said, when on a PSTN call, no other inbound or outbound calls will be allowed.

Would these handsets work?
If not could anybody please suggest some hardware?

FreePBX
I recommend installing FreePBX on a Raspberry PI 3 (I have one in use here at home), it's the size of a pack of cards so it can be hidden out of sight. You can literally have a server setup and running in minutes if you know what you're doing! Total cost, £55 - £65 all in!

It looks like this:

Raspberry PI 3
raspberri_pi.jpg (32.22 KiB) Viewed 377 times

FXO Adapter
The OBi212 isn't available on Amazon UK just yet, it was only released on the 1st September. When it is made available for sale here in the UK, it's likely going to cost somewhere around the £60 mark.

Phones
A single line phone would be all that's required in each room, maybe one of these? Current price on Amazon UK £31.93ea (new with free p&p). For front of house, a phone that supports multiple lines will be required. Such as the one you linked to in your previous post here. I wouldn't choose this one myself! Something like this or this will do. I guess it depends on what your budget is and if you like the look of it.

To configure the OBi212, FreePBX and phones, enter the IP address of each device into a web browser and log in just like you do when setting up a router.

[petertmooney]

Paul you've been amazing, and I really do appreciate the help. I will make it up to you.
In the rooms, Ideally the phones would be wireless. therein lies my issue in finding handsets. There are no sockets in rooms for phones. current setup is all dect.

[petertmooney]

Rasp. Pi. Ordered ;)

[WelshPaul]

Paul you've been amazing, and I really do appreciate the help. I will make it up to you.
In the rooms, Ideally the phones would be wireless. therein lies my issue in finding handsets. There are no sockets in rooms for phones. current setup is all dect.

Ok, that changes things a little. Wireless VoIP phones do exist but cost more.

1. How many rooms require a phone and do they all have good wireless coverage?
2. Will the phone that is located at the front of house also need to be wireless too?

FYI, the OBi110 is a good choice, I'm surprised you found one for sale! If you choose to go down the Raspberri PI route, make sure that you purchase the Raspberri Pi 3. This is what I ordered and use at home:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01 ... UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01 ... UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01 ... UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01 ... UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00 ... UTF8&psc=1

Answer the two questions above and I shall get back to you with some links to suitable WiFi enabled VoIP phones...

[petertmooney]

5 wireless in total. (4 minimum as 1 can be word of essential)
Front of house can be wired.

[petertmooney]

That’s the rasp I ordered

[WelshPaul]

I think your best option is the Cisco SPA525G or SPA525G2 (same phone, same features). Both have wireless built in, are extremely reliable and easy to use! A used SPA525G2 can usually be found on eBay for around the £50 mark. A quick search returned these. Try and find six, use the same throughout your business. They don't usually come with a power supply, these are sold separately. A word of warning - Make sure that any phones you buy are unlocked!!!

If you want to go for something a little more flashy (such as the Grandstream you linked to above), place a bid on these.

When you have a spare ten minutes, have a read of this thread. Some information in there that I think you will find useful.