Serving the New Jersey, New York Metropolitan, and Easter Pennsylvania Areas
Our customers often ask us to explain the different systems we sale, install and service. Below is some information that might help you in deciding what system will work best for you.
VoIP
Voice over Internet Protocol (Voice over IP, VoIP) is a family of technologies, methodologies, communication protocols, and transmission techniques for the delivery of voice communication over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, such as the Internet.
PBX and Key Systems
A business telephone system is any of a range of a multi-line telephone systems typically used in business environments, encompassing systems ranging from small key systems to large scale private branches. A business telephone system differs from simply using a telephone with multiple lines in that the lines used are accessible from multiple telephones or stations in the system, and that such a system often provides additional features related to call handling. Business telephone systems are often broadly classified into “key systems,” “hybrid systems,” and “private branch exchanges.”
A key system was originally distinguished from a private branch exchange (PBX) in that it allowed the station user to see and control the calls directly, manually, using lighted line buttons, while a private branch exchange operated in a manner similar to the public telephone system, in that the calls were routed to the correct destination by being dialed directly. Technologically, private branch exchanges share lineage with central office telephone systems, and in larger or more complex systems, may rival a central office in capacity and features.
Key was a Bell System term of art for a manually operated switch, such as the line-buttons on the phones associated with such systems.
Key systems are primarily defined by their individual line selection buttons for each connected phone line, a feature shared with hybrid systems. New installations of true “key” systems have become less common, as hybrid systems and private branch exchanges of comparable size now have similar costs and greater functionality.
Auto Attendant
An automated attendant allows callers to be automatically transferred to an extension without the intervention of a live operator/receptionist. Many AAs will also offer a simple menu system (for sales, press 1, for service, press 2, etc.). An auto attendant may also allow a caller to reach a live operator by dialing a number, usually “0.”
SIP and SIP Trunking
The Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is a signaling protocol widely used for controlling communication sessions such as voice calls over internet protocol (IP). SIP trunking uses this protocol for connection to the PSTN for inbound and outbound calling.
PSTN
The public switched telephone network (PSTN) is the network of the world’s public circuit-switched telephone networks. It consists of telephone lines, fiber optic cables, microwave transmission links, cellular networks, communications satellites, and undersea telephone cables, all inter-connected by switching centers, thus allowing any telephone in the world to communicate with any other. Originally a network of fixed-line analog telephone systems, the PSTN is now almost entirely digital in its core and includes mobile as well as fixed telephones.
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