A small office PBX is basically a telephone switch that is used by businesses that is at their business location. PBX is an abbreviation that stands for Private Branch Exchange. The traditional PBX technology is gradually being weaned out for a new technology known as IP-PBX, which is based on our VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) technology. Soon, a lot of businesses will be switching their small office PBX that uses TDM technology to the new IP-PBX that uses our VOIP technology.
The new IP-PBX (PBX using VOIP) offers more advanced applications and an easier to use platform for administration users. With the new IP-PBX the LAN (Local Area Network) is used as the stage to connect IP telephones through a collective packet network to its existing call manager. This helps to combine several technologies into one, streamlining the data applications and voice network. However, it also puts some demand on the packet prioritization parts of the Local Area Network infrastructure, which makes sure that the user will experience superior audio quality.
IP-PBX will be easier to use because it is set up more like a personal computer, which will make it easier for all users. This technology offers great mobility along with wireless LAN, and gives users incorporated messaging services. It even costs less than the traditional small office PBX so small business offices can save money while creating a better PBX system.
How Does a Small Office PBX Work?
Explaining how it works isn’t that easy, but think of it as a computer system, just like any other technology. All technologies work through an often unseen system of codes and messages. With PBX and IP telephone is connected to a local area connection with a hub or switch port. That IP phone sends messages to the call manager and introduces itself by allowing the call manager to save the phone’s IP address that it uses to connect to the call manager, as well as the IP address it uses to receive messages from the call manager. All of this information is then saved within the call manager. When you dial a phone number on the phone, the call manager translates that number into its own language: an IP address. The call manager uses that IP address to create an IP packet that creates a particular ring tone. When the other person (at another phone hooked up to the system) answers the phone, the call manager allows the two people to speak to each other. That is when the call manager’s job is done, and drops itself off. Only when a speaker presses another button on the phone does the call manager come back into play to control and streamline the technology. This can happen when you hang up or use any of the features on your phone. When you dial a number that is not within the PBX network the call manager works to route that call to another gateway such as analog and puts the call through with the IP addressing technology.
While PBX is the most popular technology used in small business offices, IP-PBX will shortly be the new technology used by most small business offices.