1. IP-phone survivability in the event that the xDSL or IP route fails or when the ITSP itself suffers an outage
2. Multiple analogue device connectivity (ATA)
3. Failover to PSTN and Emergency Call (999/112 etc) routing
In fact a single Vega gateway can be deployed to provide functionality for all of these three scenarios!
Read on for details of each of these:
1. IP-phone Survivability
A hosted telephony service (IP-Centrex ) is a most compelling and cost effective option for start-ups and existing businesses alike, as it eliminates the need to purchase and manage a PBX. The ITSP provides the customer with access to its feature-rich central PBX/SoftSwitch offering full control of advanced services such as call recording, voice mail and “find me anywhere”, home working features.
However it is widely observed that the weakest link in the solution is realised when the customer’s IP Broadband connectivity becomes faulty meaning that the route to the ITSP's SoftSwitch is not available. This results in a total communications failure nightmare for the customer. When the IP-phones within the organisation are unable to register to the off-site SoftSwitch all functionality is lost. Callers trying to reach the company cannot get through. Just as worrying though, employees cannot make external calls outside the business and worse still internal desk-to-desk calls around the organisation cannot be placed. The business is at a standstill. Compounding on this is the compromise of the health and safety of the employees also who often have to rely on their own personal mobile phones for the duration of the outage.
It is for this reason therefore that the hosted solution is often rejected in favour of a more traditional on-site IP-PBX solution.
VegaStream has foreseen this potential barrier to sale & consequently has engineered its software with the launch of its new integrated ENP (Enhanced Network Proxy) which provides a unique and water-tight solution to overcome these problems:
Enhanced Network Proxy (ENP) (software option)
How does it work? The IP-phones register via the Vega which in turn caches the registrations and forwards them to the ITSP. When disaster strikes in the network the Vega loses its “heartbeat” with the ITSP and so it immediately becomes the vital element in the network ensuring that the IP-phones continue to operate, processing registrations and calls both internally but externally also via back-up PSTN connectivity. In addition those all-important incoming calls to the organisation can be routed by the ITSP to the back-up PSTN and via the Vega to IP-phones until normal service is resumed. In addition, and even during normal service, the ENP can route specific calls including 999/112 calls always to the PSTN as opposed to the ITSP thereby providing all important geographical location information to the emergency services and thereby overcoming this potential area of concern. Vega is able to support up to 120 IP-phones.
ENP may be configured to operate in a number of ways including:
> Standalone proxy
> IP device survivability
> IP device call routing
> Emergency call routing
> SIP to SIP call routing
All Vega gateways feature ENP
2. High Density ATA
Multiple analogue device connectivity (phone, DECT cordless, fax, external loud bells) for UA endpoints operating with either a local SoftSwitch / IP-PBX deployed on the customer’s own network, or an off-site SoftSwitch / IP-Centrex application hosted by an ITSP.
Why wouldn't I just deploy IP Phones?The deployment of FXS phones & devices may be in conjunction with, or instead of IP phones, & indeed there are many areas where it is more practical to deploy a high density FXS gateway:
> Serves as an ideal legacy PBX replacement or where there is an absence of data/network cabling. The Vega simply replaces the telephone system’s central control unit & is connected to the existing telephone wiring & analogue phones
> Where there is a requirement for a large quantity of handsets & IP phones are inappropriate to deploy (public reception areas, business centres, tenement buildings, hotels, schools, nursing homes…)
> For long distance phone deployment (up to 8 kilometres line length)> Only a single LAN connection is required for the Vega thereby saving on costly switch/hub equipment & rack space requirements if multiple IP phones were otherwise deployed
> There is a single management interface and IP address on each Vega FXS gateway for all users connected, as opposed to having to separately manage lots of individual IP phones
How does it differ from an IP phone?
As far as the ITSP or IP-PBX is concerned there is no difference. Each FXS endpoint will behave in just the same way that an IP phone does; it will independently register with the SoftSwitch and will have its own telephone number, user account and password.
How do the connected phones work?
Vega gateways support telephony features which enable the FXS device to interoperate with the SoftSwitch and to use the advanced features which it provides:
> *Support of hook flash / TBR - for call hold & transfer - the R button on the phone!
> *CLIP to FXS telephone display - the user can observe who is calling before answering
> *MWI lamp indication or stuttered dial tone - for new voice mail message notification
> *Call waiting - the user can decide whether to hold, toggle or disconnect the existing call and answer the arriving call
> Three party conference
> Executive interrupt
> Call forward – unconditional, busy, no answer
> Do Not Disturb
> Hunt groups – linear up, round robin, random
> Call barring
> Hotline - a pre-determined number is called upon lifting the handset (visitor or door phone automatically calls the operator)
> Post fax voice call - after sending a fax the user can talk to the remote caller thereby saving money by not having to make a new call
> Distinctive ringing for called numbers (eg, sales, accounts) so that the user can answer the call appropriately
> Support of fax T.38 protocol. Also the ability to connect modem, PDQ etc
The Vega enables the advanced features of the SoftSwitch (call recording, voice mail etc) to be accessed just as an IP phone would do.
From the customer’s viewpoint it is arguable therefore that there is no discernable loss of features over an IP phone *provided that the analogue telephone is capable of supporting the above.
FXS/FXO porduct range:
Vega 5000
> 24 FXS + 2 FXO
> 48 FXS + 2 FXO
3. Lifeline PSTN Backup
All Vega variants equipped with FXS ports are also fitted with two FXO ports. When powered the Vega can route calls (999/112/911, local calls etc) to or from these two FXO ports. Under power failure conditions the two FXO ports provide a hard-wired bypass to the first two FXS ports allowing PSTN calls to be made even under this failure condition. Also in the event that the call cannot be routed via SIP to the IP-PBX/ITSP, it can be re-presented to the FXO thereby providing the customer with a back-up, resilient call routing during the outage.
> 24 FXS + 2 FXO
> 48 FXS + 2 FXO
3. Lifeline PSTN Backup
All Vega variants equipped with FXS ports are also fitted with two FXO ports. When powered the Vega can route calls (999/112/911, local calls etc) to or from these two FXO ports. Under power failure conditions the two FXO ports provide a hard-wired bypass to the first two FXS ports allowing PSTN calls to be made even under this failure condition. Also in the event that the call cannot be routed via SIP to the IP-PBX/ITSP, it can be re-presented to the FXO thereby providing the customer with a back-up, resilient call routing during the outage.
click picture to enlarge
Single day Fast Track training
VegaStream offers a not-for-profit single day training course after which delegates will be fluent with installing Vega Gateways for these solutions. Click here to learn more about this course.
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