Question Re: Internet speed

Randolph

Hello,

We are very interested in this software for our business, but before we try to find the right modem we have questions for the forum.

Our questions are:

1. Does this IVM Answering Attendant require high speed internet?

2. Is a Satellite connection fast enough? We are not able to use VoIP or Virtual Private Networks. Our speed is about 78 kbps.

Thanks in advance :rolleyes:

pythonpoole

If you are not using VoIP, an Internet connection is not required although IVM is set to periodically check with a preset STUN server every once in a while (this can be disabled). Also you may need an Internet connection to activate the software (no speed requirements).

For VoIP you don't need much bandwidth/speed if you choose the low bandwidth option it only requires about 15 kbps, however satellite connections have a big latency (delay) that can approach 2 seconds for VoIP. This makes it somewhat unsuitable (or at least no better than other satellite phones/video uplinks).

Randolph

Okay!

So, since VoIP doesn't do well with the Satellite connection, we will need to voice modem, right?

Next questions:

1. What modem do you recommend that will work with Windows XP, is fairly inexpensive, but will do the job?

2. Where would we be able to find it?

pythonpoole

You will need either a Voice Modem OR a telephony board.

Voice Modem: Relatively cheap (about $35 USD). Acceptable audio quality, although not the best. Great for home installations, test set-ups & home-offices. Not highly recommended for large businesses. Perfect for set-ups where you want IVM to answer the call (either with an IVR or Voice Mail after a certain number of rings) without doing much else.

Telephony Card: Quite expensive ($200 USD and up). Very high audio quality. Typically supports more than one line (voice modem usually only does 1). Great for business or home-office set-ups.

Can be used in conjunction with NCH's free Carousel software to convert the lines to VoIP. You can then set-up your own internal VoIP network and have several extensions which can call each-other or make outbound calls. You can also have complete control over call routing so that for example when someone phones in you could set it to ring extension x for 4 seconds and then ring extension x, y and z for 15 seconds (just as an example). There is an endless limit of possibilities if you choose to set-up a VoIP network, if you have any other questions please do ask. You do not need a good Internet connection for an internal VoIP system, just a standard LAN.

1) Here is a page on NCH's website with very detailed information on Voice Modems including a compatibility list for IVM

You can also buy Telephony Cards direct from NCH here.

2) Not sure where you're located, but here are some places to try:

USA: Best Buy, Circuit City, Radio Shack

CANADA: TigerDirect, Future Shop/Best Buy, The Source

AUSTRALIA: MSY Technology, Dick Smith's Electronics