[dougmeredith]

I am just trying to understand if the IX66 will do what I am looking for.

I have a SIP phone system at home, using SER, a GrandStream, a Sipura SP
A-841, an SPA3000 and two SPA-2000s.

If I replace my existing LinkSys firewall with an IX66, will this completely solve the NAT problem for me? I will now be able to access Internet SIP services with ZERO changes?

If I enable port forwarding for UDP port 5060, will I now be able to place phones on the Internet and have them work with my phone system?

This seems too good to be true.

[PhoneBoy]

The IX66 is designed to solve this problem, yes. You don't even have to do Port Forwarding. For inbound calling to another SIP device, I'm not quite sure how it works without a SIP Switch unless you register those phones with an external service provider (e.g. Free World Dialup).

[kenlao]

I just bought an IX66. Does anyone know how to configure it with Broadvoice? I got my SPA-2000 registered with IX66.

Thanks,

Ken

[PhoneBoy]

I have mine working with BroadVoice, but I also have the SIP Switch functionality which allows the IX66 to register with BroadVoice. I then access BroadVoice based on my dial plan.

[dougmeredith]

Originally Posted by kenlao

I just bought an IX66. Does anyone know how to configure it with Broadvoice? I got my SPA-2000 registered with IX66.

I don't have an IX66, but my hope is that you would just have the SPA register directly with Broadvoice rather than with the IX66. The IX66, as a SIP ALG, should take care of the rest.

Am I wrong about this?

[mberlant]

Doug,

You have it right. Out of the box the IX66 will provide transparent NAT traversal support for SIP and RTP packets. This means that it will do the work of a proxy server or STUN facility, actually opening up your VoIP packets in each direction and replacing the header information with what the "other side" needs to interoperate.

In addition to this, the stock IX66 can act as a mini-PBX for up to five clients (and no services). If you want to connect more than 5 client stations or any services to the box you must buy either more client licenses or a SIP Switch module (which comes with 5 licenses), respectively.

I have not implemented either the local server function or the SIP switch function yet. In the week that I have had my IX66 I have spent my efforts trying to make it work smoothly with my Japanese ISP, whose implementation of PPPoE is different than the IX66 expects. On the positive side, though, I am able to hook up any client, STUN capable or not, Router capable or not, and have it communicate with the outside world. This gives me hope that when I get my Asterisk server working shortly it will be able to live behind my NAT router, something that not many NAT routers can claim to support. And, although the Asterisk is considerably more complicated to administer than Intertex's SIP Switch, it is considerably less expensive.

[TomChez]

How about this config:

An IX66 and SPA-841 at location "A", then 5 additional SPA-841s at 5 seperate locations ("B","C","D","E","F",) each using linksys routers and cable modems.

This configuration would be used as a distributed call center with a single incomming 800 number to the IX66. I would like the phones to ring line 2 at all 6 locations when a call comes in on the 800 number. The call may be answered by location "C".

A second call comes in while location "C" is still taking the first call. It rings on line 3 of all 6 phones - and is eventually picked up by location "F"

A third call comes in in the same manner while the other two calls are in progress. It rings on line 4 of all 6 phones and is picked up by location "A".

Line 1s (on all 6 phones) are used for outgoing calls to 6 seperate provider accounts.

Is this configuration possible with the IX66? If so, what should the purchase configuration be?

[PhoneBoy]

In theory, this should be doable. The question will be the number of licenses you will need. You will need a license for at least 6 users, which means buying, at minimum, a 10 user SIP Switch license. If you register the outgoing providers on the SPA-841 itself, then you won't need more. If you want the IX-66 to register them, then you will need another 6 users, which means a 15-user SIP Switch license.

One flaw in your reasoning, though: when someone has picked up Line 2 (say at location "C"), the only location that will have Line 2 in use is location "C". When the second call comes in, it will ring on Line 2 on all locations *except* for location C, where it will ring on Line 3.

[TomChez]

Thanks for the response. I'm learning. Here's a follow up question:

The SIP switch / license issue - would I need a license for each user station plus one for the service provider of the 800 number? That would make a total of 7. (i realize they're sold in groups of 5) And if i wanted to share a single additional outgoing provider - would that be 8 licenses?

Also, a station having line 2 in use already when the IX66 wants to fork a call: would this station need to register its line 3 (additional license?) to have the call ring line 3 or will the parallel fork (of the incomming 800 number) from the IX66 do a sequence forward to the line 3 as a license free client thing? I'm not sure but I don't think the SPA-841 can do this (busy forward) on its own with only 1 registration on the IX66.

Sorry, i'm kinda new at this and don't completly understand the switch license philosophy.

Thank You

[PhoneBoy]

You would configure Line 2, 3, and 4 on the SPA-841 to be associated with the "Extension" registered to the IX66, which only uses one registration.