Anyone know anything about PBX systems?

If I rememeber correctly h3x knows a bit about this, but if anyone else knows feel free to add input.

In my small office, I previously did things the cheap way, just ordered 3 separate lines from verizon, and input directly from telephone jack to line-in port on my 4-line at&t phones. Anyways, so now we need a bit of a fancier system(well a system, since there was none before), essentially for now the main feature that is necessary is a message that callers hear when they are placed on hold.

What would be the cheapest way of doing things (hopefully using as much of our existing stuff as possible)?
Altenatively, assuming I was able to start over fresh, what would be the most efficient way to go?

thanx for any info (if you couldn't tell I know almost nothing about phones, and my google search did not produce much easy reading material).

http//www.asterisk.org/

http//www.asterisk.org/

http//www.asterisk.org/

More features than you can shake a stick at.

Music from MP3's during call waiting. Done.

Have 'virtual' phone extension anywhere in the world. Done.

Build it yourself or buy a premade box.

[quoteeb34bba632]
Features listed
li ADSI On-Screen Menu System
li Alarm Receiver
li Append Message
li Authentication
li Automated Attendant
li Blacklists
li Blind Transfer
li Call Detail Records
li Call Forward on Busy
li Call Forward on No Answer
li Call Forward Variable
li Call Monitoring
li Call Parking
li Call Queuing
li Call Recording
li Call Retrieval
li Call Routing (DID & ANI)
li Call Snooping
li Call Transfer
li Call Waiting
li Caller ID
li Caller ID Blocking
li Caller ID on Call Waiting
li Calling Cards
li Conference Bridging
li Database Store / Retrieve
li Database Integration
li Dial by Name
li Direct Inward System Access
li Distinctive Ring
li Distributed Universal Number Discovery (DUNDi™)
li Do Not Disturb
li E911
li ENUM
li Fax Transmit and Receive (3rd Party OSS Package)
li Flexible Extension Logic
li Interactive Directory Listing
li Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
li Local and Remote Call Agents
li Macros
li Music On Hold
li Music On Transfer
o Flexible Mp3-based System
o Random or Linear Play
o Volume Control
li Predictive Dialer
li Privacy
li Open Settlement Protocol (OSP)
li Overhead Paging
li Protocol Conversion
li Remote Call Pickup
li Remote Office Support
li Roaming Extensions
li Route by Caller ID
li SMS Messaging
li Spell / Say
li Streaming Media Access
li Supervised Transfer
li Talk Detection
li Text-to-Speech (via Festival)
li Three-way Calling
li Time and Date
li Transcoding
li Trunking
li VoIP Gateways
li Voicemail
o Visual Indicator for Message Waiting
o Stutter Dialtone for Message Waiting
o Voicemail to email
o Voicemail Groups
o Web Voicemail Interface
li Zapateller
[/quoteeb34bba632]

Ok, I'd definitely need a premade box, but how installable is this to someone who knows something, or can anyone just figure it out?

I sent you a direct link to a panasonic PBX, maxes out with 8 incoming lines, 24 extensions...you will need some other cards for the unit to do what you want like additional callerID (first three are in the can), additional lines/extensions over the first initial 3x8 (3 in 8 extensions) and a voice mail processing system if you want a greeter and voice mail boxes etc.

The whole system is plug and play and the programming is done through a basic windows GUI.

PM me if you have more questions.

Or go with Asterisk..but I think theres alot more overhead with Asterisk, but its a guess, ive never installed one.

I'm hurt. Why didn't you come to me first for all your telephone needs? (

lol j/k.. if you decide to build one up yourself.. let me know, and i'll walk you through it.

If it were up to me I'd build it myself, but I am not always around, and don't have the time to fix things as they come up which is why I am looking for a regular pbx. Does anyone know if it is possible to keep my existing phones with a pbx, or do I need to buy new ones?

The panasonic link I pm'd you comes with three phones (they need to use the hybrid phones)

[quote10ae39f1d8="freedesktoppc"]If it were up to me I'd build it myself, but I am not always around, and don't have the time to fix things as they come up which is why I am looking for a regular pbx. Does anyone know if it is possible to keep my existing phones with a pbx, or do I need to buy new ones?[/quote10ae39f1d8]

There ya go.. (hook up 4 telephones to 1 card)

http//www.voiplink.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=Digium-TDM04B&click=7[]http//www.voiplink.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=Digium-TDM04B&click=7

It may seem expensive, but this is a Corporate-grade card.. The best in the industry.

http//www.voiplink.com/photos/Digium-TDM04B-3.jpg[" alt=""/img10ae39f1d8]