Francois Labreque wrote:

>> Checking online, it seems I can get to 24 or 48 port switch with 


>>
> 
> What's the backplane switching speed?

Depends on the model. ;-)

>> 1. Since when does VoIP require PoE?
> 
> Because you can power your phone through the ethernet cable.  Unless you 
> want to have a separate power cord to connect the phone to the wall 
> outlet.  Today's ISDN or POTS phones get a 48v DC power feed down the 
> phone cable.  With VoIP, you either need to send juice on the ethernet 
> cable's unused pairs, or plug your phones in the wall.

Mmm. My current digital phone has a seperate power cable...

> PoE is also often used to power wireless antennas.

Wireless = massive security hole = to be avoided at any cost.

>> 2. For that matter, since when does VoIP require any special hardware 
>> of any kind?
> 
> Because sometimes people like to use actual phones, and actual phones 
> need electricity to work.
> Because you need special hardware to be able to convert your internal 
> VoIP traffic to interface with the outside world's phone systems.
> Because you need special hardware to be able to convert your fax 
> amchines, central alarm systems, key-card entry system, etc... that 
> still use analog modems to use your VoIP network.
> 
> VoIP is a lot more stuff than just installing Skype on your PC.

So why are we bothering to do all this stuff?

POTS may not be high-tech, but it *is* legally guaranteed to actually 
work properly...

>> 3. You want to use VoIP? Um, *why*?? Do you just enjoy extra 
>> complexity, or is this because VoIP sounds all shiny and new and sexy 
>> and we should get with it?
> 
> Because it cuts down on the amount of wiring than will go in the walls.
> Because it cuts down on the number of phone lines coming in and out of 
> the building.
> Because it can cut down on long distance calls.
> etc...
> 
> Yes, for the most part, migrating to VoIP in an existing office is still 
> a solution looking for a problem to fix, but in a new building, the 
> costs of going with VoIP today are often less than the costs of building 
> a separate telephony and data network.

But we *are* building two seperate networks. (And then ditching one in a 
few months.)

Seriously, there is nothing in that lot that looks like a win from where 
I'm sitting. Conceivably it's cheaper. But for that, you get mountains 
of unnecessary additional complexity. No thanks!

>> 4. So, let me get this straight. We're currently arranging a contract 
>> to spend tens of thousands of pounds to have our existing ISDN digital 
>> phone system moved to the new building, but "in the next year or two" 
>> you want to throw all that in the bin and move to VoIP? Are you 
>> mental?? You're telling us all this *now*?!?
> 
> Ok, so you'd prefer to have to scrap the current network hardware ON TOP 
> of replacing the phone system in a few years?

No - my point was, if you're going to use VoIP, why bother paying tens 
of thousands to set up a telephone system in the new building when it's 
about to become obsolete? (I suspect it's too late to change now; since 
nobody thought of telling me sooner...)

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