Advice on Replacing OPX 's with a T1

[TomMonger]

Hello,

I wrote a few weeks ago about 7 analog phones at our remote location (4-1/2 miles from our main location) being run through our Option 11 switch via OPX lines.

Our local dial-tone provider quoted me $500/month for a point-to-point T1 which will include channel bank installations. This should give me the capability to carry up to 23 phone extensions at the remote location.

According to someone at the telco, the remote channel bank will tap into the existing phone lines. Then, I should be able to move the current 7 TNs from the main building's OPX right over to the main channel bank. And everything should remain the same (as far as analog capabilities).

I was also told that if I got a "class card" or "class modem card", I should be able to buy full-featured, 2-line analog phones at the remote location so that I can set the phones to have an internal (non DID) roll-back number, caller ID, and message waiting light ... kind of like a "pseudo digital" system.

Is this all feasible? Or is the phone company BS'ing me. I don't want to commit to a T1 if I'm going to wind up spending a fortune for other equipment that I didn't realize I'd need.

Thank you for all the help!
-Tom in Scranton, PA

 

[jjmcc2]

Coast-Com makes a card (MSO/MXS) that goes in their channel banks that allows you to have a true digital set (2616 I know for sure). These cards will provide you with two set per card. Just a thought.

 

[acewarlock]

I used Telco Systems Channel Banks to provide M2616's at remote locations over T1's.
You could all use any Nortel Digital phone that works on your PBX.

 

[janaya]

I doubt very seriously that your telco will provide the channel bank equipment to pull the phones. This is usually CPE equipment that is purchased by you. Their channel bank equipment might be what they are referring to, when they talk about bringing the T1 services into your building. Telco is good, I used that once to get 2000 series phones up and working. Check the clocking on the channel bank when you do this, or it could be a nightmare.

Cheaper, a lot cheaper would be to use a Carrier Remote Module. Works in the IPE shelf and you can add digital or analog cards at the remote end. The cards (both remote and local), the cabinet, and cables should cost no more than $4000, and then the price of the digital cards, which are dirt cheap now, analog cards a little more expensive, but digital should run no more than $150.00 each and maybe $400.00 for an analog card. I also used this and it works like a charm.

Remember, there is a lot of surplus equipment on the market today and you should shop around. I get crazy pricing these days.

JOhn

 

[salo0920]

You might want to look at the MCK product line of digital extenders. You buy a gateway and a remote and they hook up to the station ports directly. THe connection between the 2 units can be a point to point t1 (or fractional T1) or an IP based connection, even through the Internet. THis will work very well if you use the same Internet service provider at both locations (your traffic will never go beyond your ISP and best of all, this method is FREE. No monthly charges other than your ISP bills.

 

[TomMonger]

Thank you all for the advice. Unfortunately, a mini-carrier remote is out of the question. Quotes for a couple of systems ranged from $8,000 to $12,000. Way out of our league.

Well, I had a private consultant (the dude who installed our Symposium Call Center) come in and he said that the channel bank that the telco is installing on the remote end will be fine (and yes, they are including the channel bank free!). He said that, on the remote end, all that needs to be done is the phone lines are removed from the OPX lines and reconnected to the channel bank.

On the main end, all that needs to be done is to disconnect the OPX lines and replace them with the lines coming out of our channel bank (we already have two "smart T1's" for out inbound/outbound DID's)... which would connect to the 110 terminal to proper TN's on the analog card.

Also, he says that if I want caller ID, then I'd need to get a "class card" in our switch, which somehow allows the analog card that currently supplies the phones at the remote end, to have caller ID on those analog phones.


I'm hoping this all works!

-Tom