VOIP for business

[NoddY]

Could anyone comment on the reliablity of VOIP as a business line?

I like the idea of issuing different numbers to different people - e.g. 020 XXXX XXX1 is for pimps 020 XXXX XXX2 is for accountant etc.. allowing me to control calls, voicemail, re-route to mobile etc..

However, I'm concerned about cut-outs and calls that are not terminated properly by the VOIP provider. And is QoS really such a major issue with >1Mbit downstream 254kbit upstream? Or do I need to set up traffic shaping on the gateway?


Thanks!

[Lucifer Box]

In my opinion, not really good enough quality if you're looking to project a serious business image. Even using corporate network speeds, there are drop outs, period of poor quality, noticeable lag, etc.

[bfg]

You will need at least to upgrade to business broadband for the use you require, the contention ratio on domestic is usually 50:1 and that is what kills your call quality, you only need a couple of people to be surfing 'media rich' sites and your line quality goes out the window, remember QoS can only be applied on those part of the network you have control over. IIRC Tiscali offers QoS for VOIP.

[NoddY]

You will need at least to upgrade to business broadband for the use you require, the contention ratio on domestic is usually 50:1 and that is what kills your call quality, you only need a couple of people to be surfing 'media rich' sites and your line quality goes out the window, remember QoS can only be applied on those part of the network you have control over. IIRC Tiscali offers QoS for VOIP.

Thanks, I'm on cable so the ratio is good anyway!

I've been giving it a test these last few days - and I'd say quality has been quite good (at worst similar to a mobile) - in fact, if anyone queries it I'll just say 'I rerouted to my mobile' even if it isn't!

[mcquiggd]

I worked for a consultancy part owned by MS and Skype and MSN Messenger with encryption using SIMP Lite were used extensively for internal communication... worked pretty well, especially the Messenger side of things.

People were scattered throughout America, Europe and Asia Pacific.