atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums VOIP Phones & IP PBX Cisco Telephones and Systems CISCO IP PHONES

Using G.711 codec (uncompressed audio) sounds as good or better than ISDN assuming that you have the bandwidth to support it. Still don't like Cisco becuse of the windows platform. Once I see a lynix based CM, I may change my mind..

IMHO.

Windows=BAD
UNIX=GOOD

We use 711 for incoming/outgoing and 729 for one of our locations, the rest 711. Like I said we have fiber to most locations so plenty of bandwidth.
Knock on wood, we have been lucky with the Windows platform, but I agree with you there. I just keep my fingers crossed that the stability stays up.

Agree with you Coral Tech on side by side comparison. Unfortunatly everyone accepts lower levels of quality/service etc. these days. The kids growing up now have nothing to compare to, all they know is crappy service so it is the norm.....

Have to disagree with you annacat,
Maybe with cell phones people will deal with some static, dropped calls etc.
But when on a large business system it is unacceptable, anytime, anywhere, at least in my eyes.
If your getting echo, static, etc., as a technician your going to hear about it. As I've said, I had one complaint of echo when this system was first installed, however I could not track it down nor reproduce the problem. Other than that I have had no other problems or complaints.
It all goes back to whether you have the bandwidth and if your QOS is properly configured.
If not, it won't work. Just like traditional PBX's you must have certain things to make it work, plain and simple. But it does work.
I also think Voip has made huge leaps just in the last 5 years as far as quality and dependability.
To each their own and personally I'd rather have something different, as the Cisco system is a little weak in features, but it was not my decision unfortunately.

dw, on the VOIP installs we have done there is not really problems with choppy/static/dropped calls/echo, etc. But I can still tell a difference between a TDM call and VOIP call in a side by side comparison. This is with IP phones and systems on their own network in a demo setup from manufacturers trying to get us to sell their stuff, It just may be me from doing this for a long time, but I notice a difference. I can notice if you voice call (IP phone to IP phone) and come over the speaker and are within earshot of it, you notice it sounds a little off as opposed to a TDM phone calling a TDM phone. I am not knocking IP phones or CISCO in any way, they have come a long way. (I think they are now number one comm system provider, ahead of avaya/nortel,etc.) They will get the features, they have the resources to get it right eventually. Also just an observation in saying that in the last 5-6 years everyone is used to rebooting pc's, cell phones cutting off, T-1's going down, virus, etc., so even if VOIP calls aren't perfect sounding, it's OK. It has been fun trying to pinpoint problems with customers IP systems when the parties they are calling and being called from have VOIP systems with issues... I will stop rambling on now..

So crappy voice quality should be chalked up as "that's just the way it is"? We are used to rebooting? Viruses, T-1's going down? I strongly disagree. Any failure in today's business environment is not acceptable. Any technology that relies upon this "understanding" isn't technology at all. The telephone industry has strived for almost a century and a half to perfect voice quality and efficient transmission costs. Now all of a sudden, some jokers come along with a new technology that "isn't quite as good, but it's the newest thing" and we are supposed to accept it?

IP telephony is now on it's third go-around, and thanks to the development of affordable high-speed connections to the Internet via cable or DSL, VoIP may be finally starting to work. It has been a long time and it has a VERY long way to go.

What if GM came out with a car that only had to be pulled over and restarted every once in a while?

What if McDonald's came out with a burger that wasn't quite so good, but the next time you bought it, it might be better?

What if Sears started selling products that looked the same, and promised to be the same, but they weren't?

Come on...IP telephony is helping to bridge a few gaps. I benefit from it myself and it saves me four hours of commuting by working from home one day a week. Still, there is no way in hell that it's nearly as reliable and efficient as the existing 35+ year-old (tried and true TDM) technology. The analog standard lasted from 1876 to 1976 and it worked just fine (it still does in about 80% of the general public's connection to the PSTN). TDM has fit the bill since then where appropriate.

Computers work fine over the Internet and that's perhaps one of our generation's greatest accomplishments, but let's face it. There is a right way and a wrong way to do just about anything. Trying to squeeze ten pounds into a five pound bag is, well, you know the rest......

I guess I could go for another shameless plug here...but I won't.

You are certainly welcome to come by my shop and listen to our voip phones (not Cisco) and TDM phones side by side.

I guess that was kind of half a plug... hmmm an ug maybe. :rofl:

Well said EV. Not quite ready for prime time IMHO. I'll start to sell it when it works right directly out of the box with no BS. And I hope that happens real soon, it will be a great product some day.
Mark

What "new technology" equipment works perfectly right of the box?
How many versions of software has comdial put on their DX80 or FX's DXP, etc. that aren't VOIP?
No equipment will be perfect unless it is put to the real world test. Cisco, GM, GE, Time Warner, etc. expect that, end users know this.
No different than when a new car style comes out, it always has issues the first year. Everything improves over time. how many years went by b4 TDM was ready for "prime time"? I realize it has been around forever and works, but accept that fact that things can be even better is hard for some to accept.

Crappy quality is something Americans have come to accept apparently. Everything from a T-shirt to Phones is made cheaply. Be hard pressed to find a desk that was made from real wood. The only metal on a car anymore is the frame, the rest is plastic.
Its not just VOIP, open your eyes, its everything.

As far as McDonalds burgers, they have never been good haha

Mark,
I gotta be the devil's advocate here. If everything worked right...first time out of the box...none of us would have a job!
Comdial has never had an out of the box failure?????