Anyone have any experience with combined voice/data over IP business packages? (ver
Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2008 9:11 pm
Ok, gang, here's the deal. My shop has two offices. Office #2 has outgrown their space, and is moving to a new location. They think they're moving next week, but I think they are dreaming.
They are moving from one house which was somewhat converted for office use (Avaya centrex for the phones, 6 lines) and broadband with wired CAT5 via firewall and router etc.
The head of office #2 calls me first of the month to advise of the 12/15 moving date. As resident computer magician (and sysadmin for both branches), I ask him what is already in place at the new site. He assures me that it is Cat5 wired and phone lines are in. I figure that I'm going to have to buy a bigger switch, run a little Cat 5, and we're done, which was the case when we doubled the size of office 2 last year. Of course we were expanding into existing office space. We just had to knock out some walls and and make some cable conduit using plastic pipe through the double block walls.
I know the manager of office #2 thinks that phone and internet services magically appear, but I couldn't get down there to do a site inspection until today. I'm sure that my boss (big boss) had a heart attack when she saw the pics I sent her. Bottom line is that the new office site is a beautiful old old house with marvelous woodwork and fireplaces, but bereft of any significant tech infrastructure. The law firm that was in there before was apparently using some kind of integrated voice/data/IP package. There are a total of six cat5 lines coming in from a junction box on the outside of the building. These terminate in a clump in the kitchen. From there, approximately 8 lines radiate into the house. Some apparently go into the basement and then come up (I couldn't find any lights, and I wasn't going down there without a big flashlight and a 20 gauge - this is a late 1800s house) through floor. A couple of lines have been run to the second floor and and appear in surface conduit and a closet wall.
There is absolutely no evidence of any modern dedicated telephone wiring. The only dedicated phone line I could identify was in the entrance foyer and had a 1980s 4 pin jack. I did find a cable-tv drop at the front of the house. The electric lines coming into the house look very new, but I couldn't find the main panel (basement?). Since power companies are pretty pissy about running lines into old stuff, there's a good chance that the electric is ok. (famous last words).
My job was actually get the internet up and running for 10 stations. By using cable (which would mean switching services from DSL, no biggie) I can do that using the existing CAT5 and wireless. Internet is mission critical since the dwarves at HQ switched us from local timekeeping and case management to doing it on remote servers (the subject of a previous post).
The problem then is that there will be no phone service. They need probably five voice lines, centrex for 10 stations, and a dedicated fax line. I don't do phones. The lead secretary asked me if they would have phones by next friday, and I said of course, and Sprint was having a holiday special
on lots of different cell phones. I doubt they even checked with Avaya on the length of their current contract, etc. They have some leased equipment.
Obviously the manager of Office #2 has f@#%d up big time by assuming that he knew what he was looking at when he inspected the property. When he signed the lease he also required certain renovations by the owner. Unfortunately it appears that the major thrust of the renovation was the finishing-off of the of the third floor attic (accessed by your typical late 1800s teen-weeny staircase). Lots of drywall, electric sockets, etc. He told me this will be his office (but it would be better used IMHO to house non-professional employees). Bottom line is that the renovations under the lease do not address the tech infrastructure. Simply stated, there is no tech infrastructure.
Unfortunately, I'm going to be the one responsible for sorting this out. I see only 2 paths.
Path 1 is I set up the internet as requested (which can be done with only a modicum of appalachian engineering) and advise them they will have to contact Avaya and request that their phone service be transferred in toto. This will cost a boatload of money, with the reinstallation of the existing Centrex system, adding lines, and then wiring an 1800s house with plaster/lathe walls and oak everything else. When we expanded office #1 it took a senior avaya tech about 10-20 hours (@125/hr) to connect up the existing lines. Of course, the target date of having this done within a week is pure fantasy. Try 6-8 weeks minimum with the holidays.
Path 2 is to use some kind of combined voice/data over ip package. The providers here are Comcast Cable (impossible to get hold of for the simplest question) and the local telco Frontier, which should have been arrested years ago for impersonating a phone company. The more I think about this the more it becomes a true Cheech and Chong idea...fax lines using wireless internet...? Centrex over wireless? lol. Maybe we could use that Nigerian telcom satellite that only works once in a while for cheap. Send the signal from the second floor via satellite to the first floor.
Anyway, good readers I think I've answered the question while writing this. If anyone has ACTUAL EXPERIENCE with an integrated system that might fit into this 1800s house, I'd love to hear from you.
They are moving from one house which was somewhat converted for office use (Avaya centrex for the phones, 6 lines) and broadband with wired CAT5 via firewall and router etc.
The head of office #2 calls me first of the month to advise of the 12/15 moving date. As resident computer magician (and sysadmin for both branches), I ask him what is already in place at the new site. He assures me that it is Cat5 wired and phone lines are in. I figure that I'm going to have to buy a bigger switch, run a little Cat 5, and we're done, which was the case when we doubled the size of office 2 last year. Of course we were expanding into existing office space. We just had to knock out some walls and and make some cable conduit using plastic pipe through the double block walls.
I know the manager of office #2 thinks that phone and internet services magically appear, but I couldn't get down there to do a site inspection until today. I'm sure that my boss (big boss) had a heart attack when she saw the pics I sent her. Bottom line is that the new office site is a beautiful old old house with marvelous woodwork and fireplaces, but bereft of any significant tech infrastructure. The law firm that was in there before was apparently using some kind of integrated voice/data/IP package. There are a total of six cat5 lines coming in from a junction box on the outside of the building. These terminate in a clump in the kitchen. From there, approximately 8 lines radiate into the house. Some apparently go into the basement and then come up (I couldn't find any lights, and I wasn't going down there without a big flashlight and a 20 gauge - this is a late 1800s house) through floor. A couple of lines have been run to the second floor and and appear in surface conduit and a closet wall.
There is absolutely no evidence of any modern dedicated telephone wiring. The only dedicated phone line I could identify was in the entrance foyer and had a 1980s 4 pin jack. I did find a cable-tv drop at the front of the house. The electric lines coming into the house look very new, but I couldn't find the main panel (basement?). Since power companies are pretty pissy about running lines into old stuff, there's a good chance that the electric is ok. (famous last words).
My job was actually get the internet up and running for 10 stations. By using cable (which would mean switching services from DSL, no biggie) I can do that using the existing CAT5 and wireless. Internet is mission critical since the dwarves at HQ switched us from local timekeeping and case management to doing it on remote servers (the subject of a previous post).
The problem then is that there will be no phone service. They need probably five voice lines, centrex for 10 stations, and a dedicated fax line. I don't do phones. The lead secretary asked me if they would have phones by next friday, and I said of course, and Sprint was having a holiday special
on lots of different cell phones. I doubt they even checked with Avaya on the length of their current contract, etc. They have some leased equipment.Obviously the manager of Office #2 has f@#%d up big time by assuming that he knew what he was looking at when he inspected the property. When he signed the lease he also required certain renovations by the owner. Unfortunately it appears that the major thrust of the renovation was the finishing-off of the of the third floor attic (accessed by your typical late 1800s teen-weeny staircase). Lots of drywall, electric sockets, etc. He told me this will be his office (but it would be better used IMHO to house non-professional employees). Bottom line is that the renovations under the lease do not address the tech infrastructure. Simply stated, there is no tech infrastructure.
Unfortunately, I'm going to be the one responsible for sorting this out. I see only 2 paths.
Path 1 is I set up the internet as requested (which can be done with only a modicum of appalachian engineering) and advise them they will have to contact Avaya and request that their phone service be transferred in toto. This will cost a boatload of money, with the reinstallation of the existing Centrex system, adding lines, and then wiring an 1800s house with plaster/lathe walls and oak everything else. When we expanded office #1 it took a senior avaya tech about 10-20 hours (@125/hr) to connect up the existing lines. Of course, the target date of having this done within a week is pure fantasy. Try 6-8 weeks minimum with the holidays.
Path 2 is to use some kind of combined voice/data over ip package. The providers here are Comcast Cable (impossible to get hold of for the simplest question) and the local telco Frontier, which should have been arrested years ago for impersonating a phone company. The more I think about this the more it becomes a true Cheech and Chong idea...fax lines using wireless internet...? Centrex over wireless? lol. Maybe we could use that Nigerian telcom satellite that only works once in a while for cheap. Send the signal from the second floor via satellite to the first floor.
Anyway, good readers I think I've answered the question while writing this. If anyone has ACTUAL EXPERIENCE with an integrated system that might fit into this 1800s house, I'd love to hear from you.