VoIP over the Internet

[martin]

Have anybody used VoIP over the internet to link 2 or more branch offices?

We´re using Pingtel telephone and we want to migrate all to Cisco IP phones. I would appreciate some comments.

Regards

Albert Martin Sinopoli

[travis-dennis_2]

I am in the middle of a similar rollout. Cisco IP phones coming into main office over the INternet through VPN. The Official Cisco line is that it is not recommended since you are going in over the Internet with no way to set QoS. What kind of connection will the users have at the branch offices?

[martin]

Hi there!

Thanks for your reply. The Internet connection at the HQ is using an HDLC with 512Kb, and for the branch offices we´re planning to use Verizon ADSL 768Kb with permanent ips, Cisco 3620+WIC-1ADSL.

I´ve been researching for a while and i´ve found good hardware telephones that support our idea, www.pingtel.com is one of them, but i´d like to keep on using Cisco gear. I know we cant get or set QoS but communication prices from Argentina to MA are being prohibitive.

Regards,

[travis-dennis_2]

It can and is being done. The things you have to be aware of are lack of QoS, dropped packets, jitter and delay are going to happen from time to time and make sure your users are aware of the problem and the cost reduction in advance. I think Cisco gear is the way to go on this, not because this is a Cisco forum but because of the research I have done in advance. How many total users will be at each site calling to the other site and on average how many concurrent connections from site to site? Depending on those numbers you have a few different directions you can go to implement.

[martin]

Thanks again Travis,

At the HQ 5/6 people need to talk to MA branch, probably 2/3 concurrent sessions. Can you give me some advice on what to use?. I hace Cisco Callmanager running at the HQ (Buenos Aires) with Cisco 79xx IP Phones. I will probably use same gear at MA (USA) office.

Thanks in advance,

Martin

[travis-dennis_2]

Will any of these users need to do conference calls?

[martin]

Good question, if i say no i´m sure they will come to me later to ask for conferences, Sure we will need that.

THX

Martin

[travis-dennis_2]

OK. Personally I would do a VG200 at the central site with the IP Phones at the branch office. More questions: Is this bandwidth the only pipe between the offices? Is it going to be used for data as well as the IP Telephony? Are the offices going to be or are connected via VPN? If not, how? Are you going to run CallManager? I know I seem to have a lot of questions for you but when I was researching this a new issue popped up every time I turned around. Just trying to save you some of the headaches I went through.

[martin]

Thanks again, Yes it is going to be connected only with the internent connection i described before. Both data and voice are going to be transfer, i dont think we´ll need a vpn because we´re transfering files via FTPs, if VPN is needed no prob at all to set it up. We´re running Callmanager currently at the HQ and it´s planned to be used at MA branch.

Again, thank you very much for everything...

Martin

[asapun]

One thing that your should be aware of, is that the Call Manager uses the Skinny protocolt to comunicate with IP phones. You have to make sure that Pingtel phones are skinny capable as well.

[martin]

Thanks. We´re using 2 pintel phones just to test the quality of voice over the internet, now we´re moving yo Cisco. Regarding those phones using Skinny, I just dont know

Martin

[travis-dennis_2]

VPN is not required. I only asked to get a better understanding of what you need to do. You would do VPN only if you are concerned about someone listening to you calls. Is the connetion that exists not point-to-point? What hardware is already on place at the branch offices or are you going buy new gear? Having CallManager at each branch will make this alot easier.

[martin]

Ok, it´s not point to point, we´re using a permanet connection using HDLC encapsulation at the HQ (512Kb)Cisco 3620 +WIC-2T, and Verizon ADSL at MA office with a Cisco 2610 +WIC-1ADSL (768 Download-384Upload) and is working fine.

We are planning to use Callmanager at MA.

Thanks,

Martin