The future enterprise telephony system is purely SIP based, and it runs virtualized on a computer. But how does that system connect to an ISDN public network? And does the good old fax machine still work? Questions like these are reasons for the persistent skepticism regarding SIP telephony. With reliable and proven SmartNode external gateways, telephony system vendors have an answer that easily outperforms internal PCI cards. This is part one of a series about enterprise telephony systems and how SmartNodes enhance them.

We have chosen three vendors and will tell you how the SmartNodes complement their systems: 3CX, Aastra and LocaPhone (Asterisk based). We will present you one at a time in the next VoIP newsletters. In this issue, you will learn how to set up the SmartNode and 3CX solution...

3CX Phone System for Windows is a software-based IP PBX that replaces traditional proprietary hardware PBX / PABX. 3CX’s IP PBX has been developed specifically for Microsoft Windows and is based on the SIP standard – making it easier to manage and allowing you to use any SIP phone (software or hardware). An unlimited number of extensions are supported; simultaneous calls go up to 256.

By protecting investments in ISDN equipment, SmartNode mitigates the risk of transitioning to VoIP. Meanwhile, SmartNode transparently handles all the protocol and signaling complexity of ISDN so 3CX can focus on SIP. That’s why 3CX recommends SmartNode to connect the phone system to the PSTN.

SmartNodes are also widely used to connect to analog PSTN lines or to integrate fax machines and other existing equipment. To make things easy for the end user and system integrator, the 3CX software contains an integrated SmartNode configuration file generator. With a few mouse clicks, it generates a full SmartNode configuration file, ready to use and fully interoperable with the system.

Want to try VoIP out? Do it risk-free! Keep your existing PBX as long as you want. A SmartNode gateway allows you to share the PSTN access line between a 3CX installation and your existing PBX - you can even distribute incoming calls based on the calling or called number between the two systems. Download the free edition of 3CX, find out which SmartNode is right for you and get started!

Learn how to set it up! Look at the following three video tutorials on the 3CX VoIP blog:

• Using VoIP gatweays with 3CX
• How to configure a VoIP gateway with 3CX
• Advanced gateway configuration for SmartNode with 3CX

• Here’s a guide to choose the right SmartNode model for your 3CX phone system
• Visit the 3CX Website
• Download the free edition of 3CX