Yes, you CAN use your existing Meridian phones. There is a product called a Handset Gateway that converts traditional digital PBX telephones (Norstar, Meridian, Definity, NEC, etc) into SIP signaling so the existing phones and wiring can work with *. It's a heck of a lot cheaper than buying new IP phones (plus the LAN upgrade to power them), and you still get all the features of the digital phones (speakerphone, message waiting indicator, feature buttons, etc). Also, it makes the conversion a lot simpler because users don't have to learn how o use a new phone and you don't have to go around to all the desks and swap the phones. Handset Gateways are available from Mitel, 3Com, Lucent (Lucent, not Avaya), and Citel Technologies. I think only the Lucent and Citel ones work with * though. Check it out and save yourself a bunch-o-headache.
-----Original Message----- From: Joe Dennick [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, April 18, 2005 9:24 PM To: 'Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion' Subject: RE: [Asterisk-Users] Want to use Asterisk instead of existingMeridianNorstar system ... need some help You can use the same six lines for both inbound and outbound calling just like you do now. The 'roll-over' will start on line 1 and move up. You'll have to configure your outbound calls to start on line 6 and move down. If you ever get to the point where all six are consumed, you'll want to expand. You probably can NOT use the existing Meridian phones because they are digital phone sets, not standard analog ones. You can purchase 5 TDM400P cards (assuming you have 5 available PCI slots in your Asterisk Server), and configure two with FXO ports (making 8 total) for the POTS lines and the other three with FXS ports (making 12 total) to connect to regular analog phone lines. The 4-port FXO board costs $337 each, and the 4-port FXS board costs $305 each. Or, you can just buy two of the 4-port FXO boards for the external lines and then purchase either SIP phones or SIP Converters like the Sipura that will connect to regular analog phones. To make it a little easier to swallow, there are plenty of places that are willing to purchase your used Meridian equipment. Personally, I'd opt for the SIP phones because they offer a lot more functionality (like Conferencing and Transferring), and the will use existing LAN Cabling. Another thing to consider is that if you ever need more than six POTS lines, it'll probably be cheaper and more convenient to move to a T-1 (or partial T-1). Good Luck! -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Imran Sent: Monday, April 18, 2005 11:09 PM To: asterisk-users@lists.digium.com Cc: asterisk-dev@lists.digium.com Subject: [Asterisk-Users] Want to use Asterisk instead of existing MeridianNorstar system ... need some help Hello: I want to replace our Meridian system (6 incoming lines) with * for obvious reasons such as Voip but I am not sure how to go about this. I have 6 incoming lines with a rollover so that only one main number is published. I understand that I will need 6 FXO ports coming into Asterisk but I am not sure how to handle connections going out of * (the connections that my existing phones will use) ... how many FXS ports will I need???? Can I use my existing Meridian phones (6 line ones) Do I need 1 FXS port for each extensions in the offices (there are currently 12 meridian phones) How should the extension jacks in the offices be wired ... I guess this will depend on the answer to # 2 above. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Best regards Imran -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.9.16 - Release Date: 4/18/2005 -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.9.16 - Release Date: 4/18/2005 _______________________________________________ Asterisk-Users mailing list Asterisk-Users@lists.digium.com http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit: http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users
