Hi everyone, I am looking at set

[TheTraveler]

Hi everyone,

I am looking at setting up a modem bank using an 800 number for my remote staff to dial into the network. The problem is I have no experience in telephony and can't seem to find any info anywhere. I was wondering if anyone has any experience in setting up a modem bank and what software/configuration to use and such? Or maybe a good site to refer me to? Thanks!

 

[skip555]

i would look into a vpn instead


get your peaple aol accounts and let them access the net via aol wherever they are then they can access your network via vpn.

 

[PeaveyPhones]

I'm watching the Cowboys Giants game and lookin at a set too.

Richard

 

[skip555]

richard

was it a set on one of the cowboys cheerleaders ?

 

[PeaveyPhones]

You got it. I'm from Dallas. Can't wait to move back to Texas, someday.
On a serious note, Traveler, need to know what kind of phone system you have.

Richard

 

[TheTraveler]

Sorry for the late reply, Christmas and all... btw, I'm a huge Cowboy fan!

We have a pretty standard Digital PBX phone system.

 

[jlshelton]

Don't waste your time. You have people to go in and reset modems, diagnose problems, etc? Your dialin users will expect top quality service. Let a pro (Earthlink, AOL, etc) manage the dialin lines. See if a local ISP will cut you a deal for VPN service using only local numbers.

The best dialup service uses special "modems" that attach directly to the digital PSTN network, and thus don't run through your PBX. You can get a few extra kb/sec this way. You probably don't want to be buying these a couple at a time.

Just a suggestion....

If you're really interested, look at US Robotics' site to get started; they explain about modems at

http://www.usr.com.

 

[bythespy]

Traveler,

You have several good sugestions here, but it all depends on what you want this solution to address.

I am going to make a few assumptions here:

A dial-in solution provides enough bandwidth for the applications you want to support.
The users are not local to the site where you want them to dial into.

I have a Cisco 3620 with a bank of 24 digital modems and a NM-1CT1-CSU. We have a T1 terminated in the 1CT1-CSU, with a local number for incomng calls. I can support 23 calls at one time. This design is simple, it works and it scales.

You run into difficulty, if you do not use a T1, or if you need more than 72 modems.

The VPN solution is also a great suggestion but it requires more equipment, and money. I am guessing money is a concern here?

I can be reached at michael@the-spiveys.com if you want to take this off line and talk specifically about your needs.

Michael Spivey, CCNP

Mspivey
CCNP