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Looking for information on Routers for VoIP.
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3 Answers
What kind of VoIP system are you installing? Hosted PBX or in-house system?
We use a hosted PBX system from Aptela with SIP phones from Polycom set up in multiple home-based offices using residential cable internet access. In that setup, we definitely get better performance with routers that have QOS capabilities. But otherwise, we're finding that SOHO type routers available in office supply stores work pretty well. We've used Linksys and Netgear.
The hosted VoIP provider blames every issue we we have with call quality on our routers. But I think that's a stock answer, because problems generally seem to clear up after a call to tech support, even though we have not made changes to our routers. Call quality has gotten progressively better as they've invested more in their infrastructure.
(This is not an endorsement for Aptela. I have not compared them to other vendors for quite some time. So if you're searching for a hosted PBX system, please research them carefully. In my experience, adoption of these systems can be pretty painful in the beginning.)
I deployed Edgemark QOS routers about two years ago and that solved the problems I had been having with call quality
It depends on your current configuration or needs. We have been successful using Edgemarc as well as Mediatirx and Adtran. The answer really comes down to the end-user configuration. Pretty much any router will work with VoIP provided you have the premise based phone system, service interface with some form of Network Interface Device (NID), or ATA before it hits the router. These pieces of equipment will make the transition to SIP from an existing Analog Key-system or Hybrid or Digital PBX, thus allowing the call to be routed over the Internet. Most Routers will pass this through no problem.
Where things get sticky is when you need to balance the usage on the Internet circuit between Voice traffic and "Data/Internet" traffic. If you do not balance or "groom" the usage on the circuit, it is possible that a large download or upload from a data user can override or cut off a voice conversation. Controlling this issue falls under the term QoS or Quality of Service. Most newer routers are being built today to offer at least some control over voice and data packets.
Some NID's and ATA's have the ability to do some grooming or "QoS tagging", where voice traffic is identified to the device and given priority over data packets, such as the Mediatrix 4108, but do not function as routers so you would still need to have a router between the NID or ATA and your Internet connection. Others, such as the Edgmarc 4508E have QoS functionality while at the same time, they act as your router. Therefore you can use just one device instead of two. The two devices I mentioned here are specifically designed to support an 8-line or less user so, back to my original statement, "it depends on your current configuration or needs".
My recommendation is to go to the experts. We use NetXUSA as our provider for most devices and they have a full staff of technicians that will do a pre-purchase review with you to go over the application to ensure you are optimizing your purchase and getting exactly what you need. Edgemarc is excellent at doing this with you as well.
Good luck.
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