This user guide is for anyone wanting to set up a virtual PBX using the services of OpenCRM. We cover the basics in enough detail to get you started, but there is plenty of help if you get stuck. Remeber you can sign up for a FREE VoIP trial at any time.

Firstly, the VoIP control panel on the web site has been carefully designed to lead you through the various processes without mishap, and secondly, you can always get online help by emailing us at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

VoIP: the basics

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is a way to make phone calls using the internet as the transmission method, rather than a landline. With OpenCRM solutions, you can make and receive calls from other VoIP users, mobile users, and people with ordinary landlines. The integration between PSTN (normal phonelines) and VoIP is complete, and undetectable to callers.

Just like a modem converts digital signals from the PC into analogue (voice) traffic for transmission over a phone line, a VoIP-enabled phone or VoIP adaptor converts your voice into digital packets (using the SIP protocol) for transmission over the internet. If you make a call to another VoIP phone, the opposite process occurs at the other end, and your voice emerges intact from the ether. If you make a call to a mobile or landline, OpenCRM gateway decodes the call and sends it on as an ordinary voice call to the PSTN.

The diagram shows in simple form how calls are routed. User A dials the number for user B. The VoIP adaptor logs onto the OpenCRM routing server, which looks up the destination and sets up the call. Thereafter, the voice traffic passes directly over the internet between A and B.

When A calls C, who has a conventional landline or mobile, the VoIP adaptor logs on as before. The routing server looks up the destination and finds it is a PSTN number. The call is routed via the Software Add-ons PSTN gateway into the PSTN network as a normal call. Thereafter, traffic passes directly via the gateway.

Why use it?

The most immediate reason is to cut your business telephony costs. All calls you make to other VoIP phones are free, and calls to other lines are competitively priced.

The second reason is to get a fully-featured PBX system for your business for a very modest rental cost. With every VoIP number, you get ten extensions on your virtual PBX, with all the facilities you would expect: voice menu, extensions for specific people, hunt groups, call forwarding, etc. All this is simply set up from an online control panel, which also gives you access to detailed call statistics and billing information.

The third advantage is that you can configure your system to give whatever impression you want to customers. For example, if you have associates or employees in other areas of the UK or even abroad, you can give them all extensions on the same number, or their own numbers with the same area code as your head office. No-one need know whether you have city centre offices or a virtual office!

Small to medium-sized businesses with several employees, and especially those with distributed offices and teleworkers, are likely to get the maximum benefit from our system, which has been carefully designed to provide all the features that you will need in a professional package.

You can assign one or more external numbers that people can dial; these can be mapped to a voice menu so they can chose an internal extension, or directly to an internal extension, hunt group, or diversion to another number. Calls that go unanswered can either be forwarded to another number, or a voicemail can be recorded.

What you need

There are three main elements to the service:

1. A VoIP-enabled telephone . This can be an all-in-one handset, or a normal handset plugged into an adaptor, or a softphone: a program that uses a microphone and headphones on your computer to emulate a real handset.

   Our preferred solution is the Sipura SPA 2000 adaptor, which allows you to connect one or two handsets, and has the advantage that you can connect other analogue devices like fax machines. It also has a number of useful inbuilt functions, including call waiting, caller ID, and call back if busy, or the Sipura 841 SIP Phone.

2. An internet connection. A leased line or ADSL/cable broadband is ideal; dial-up (ISDN or ordinary telephone line) or a satellite internet connection will likely cause a reduction in sound quality. A standard 256Kb ADSL connection can accommodate 2-3 simultaneous calls; if you expect to need more frequently, you may wish to upgrade to a higher-bandwidth package.
   
3. An account with a VoIP service provider : OpenCRM in this case. This gives you a VoIP external number: which is what other people dial to call you.

What it costs

We run a three month free trial for some services, but in general there is a £5.00 charge for setting up geographic (01, 02). With each number, you get one line, and ten internal extensions. The cost for each Centrex line depends on the functions required.

The Virtual Centrex service (which gives you the facility to make VoIP calls on your number and provides your virtual PBX) is included in the cost of theCentrex line rental.

Calls that you make are charged as follows:

• VoIP to VoIP calls are always free.
• VoIP to PSTN calls other than 0800 numbers are charged per minute, according to the tariff sheet ' VoIP Call Charges' - for example, 1.25p/minute for calls to geographic numbers in the UK, and 12p/minute to mobiles. Please see the web site for full terms and conditions.
• Calls that you forward or divert are charged according to where the redirect goes.

 

Unless you opt for a softphone, you will also need to buy a VoIP-enabled handset, or a VoIP adaptor. You also need a reasonably high-speed internet connection, for which the normal charges apply.

 

Note : The prices quoted here do not include VAT and may change from time to time. Please request a product quote or price list for current pricing.




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If you need to configure the XLite softphone from Xten please select this link.