Frequently Asked Questions

VoIP stands for “Voice Over Internet Protocol” and differs from traditional phone systems in that the phone calls are routed across computer networks rather than needing dedicated wires for each telephone. VoIP can be used for either the outside lines or the internal telephone handsets – or both. The main advantages of VoIP center around cost savings and flexibility in deployment.

VoIP can be very reliable if installed correctly! Atcom usually recommends a segregated voice network (VLAN) with it’s own connectivity back to the cloud for ultimate reliability and voice quality.

Some VoIP provider advertisements give the impression you can just take a VoIP phone and plug it into any internet without problems, but this is often not the case. However, Atcom has helped many clients with poor VoIP quality replace their equipment with the correct gear and drastically improve the results.

If you decide to go with an on-premise telephone system you will need the PBX (phone server) and telephone handsets. You may also need POE switches for VoIP phones. If you decide to go with a hosted phone system you will need telephone handsets (sometimes included for free) and POE switches. We would be happy to provide additional details to assist with your decision!

Often a new AtcomCloud system can be installed same day!

With traditional phone systems, ordering phone lines can be the most time consuming part and takes up to 1 month in some cases. Next, the telephone equipment needs to be ordered about 2 weeks before going live. Finally, a day or two is usually spent installing and preparing the new equipment before going live. The cut over from the old system to the new one can happen instantaneously if we are switching from analog to VoIP lines.

Telephone System Manuals & Downloads