Random Question - Why a limit to conferenced lines? 1

[jasonmerchants]

Trying to find a quick answer as to why there is a limit to the amount of calls you can conference together on the PBX... this seems to be a hard limit for most phones systems, with six joined lines being the maximum. Is there a reason for that exact number? A legacy limitation, perhaps?

Jason
Network Engineer, Cisco & Nortel

 

[Reusser]

2 reasons
1 - a legacy limitation as each party requited a physical port on a conf card
2 - DB loss - still an issue with virtual conf ports

 

[jasonmerchants]

Thank you - thats exactly what I needed to know!

Jason
Network Engineer, Cisco & Nortel

 

[StanleySteamer]

Although the books would have you think that six is a "hard" limit my experience is that you can add many more. I have tested calls with up to 20 internal participants and again with 10 external parties on PRI trunks. There was no noticeable db loss.
I think the legacy issue was with analog trunks where you would definitely have serious degradation as you added more conferees.
Of course you would eventually reach a limit of 30 conference channels and possibly also interfere with other calls being transferred or conferenced on the same network shelf.
I can't comment on "virtual" conf ports.