freepbx: Supported devices
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I was looking at supported devices for freepbx, and trying to see if it would support our current devices - Shortel / Mitel phones.
I found this wiki on supported devices, but didn't see the Shortel / Mitel line listed.One of the up coming projects is to re-organize the PBX, and pair down / re-do extensions and DIDs...
I don't know what our expense is right now, but I could see migrating away from Mitel to freepbx saving several thousand a year - in just 'licenses'.
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While I understand the ask to want to save on the devices, the devices are likely the cheapest line item to address when making changes to your PBX environment.
Unless you're a call center where everyone needs a phone you're likely able to pare down the number of phones you actually need.
Even in the worst case, new phones aren't so expensive that replacing everything is often unimaginable. This often happens when companies switch from Shortel to RingCentral etc.
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@dustinb3403 said in freepbx: Supported devices:
While I understand the ask to want to save on the devices, the devices are likely the cheapest line item to address when making changes to your PBX environment.
Unless you're a call center where everyone needs a phone you're likely able to pare down the number of phones you actually need.
Even in the worst case, new phones aren't so expensive that replacing everything is often unimaginable. This often happens when companies switch from Shortel to RingCentral etc.
I don't completely disagree - However this is a non-profit and an expense is an expense. We serve the public - in health care. A 'fast scan' of the AD to PBX has us at 250-324 users.. But we are in the mist of a clean up.. we likely are looking at 300 and under phones... And we do have a (small ) call center.
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@gjacobse said in freepbx: Supported devices:
I was looking at supported devices for freepbx, and trying to see if it would support our current devices - Shortel / Mitel phones.
I found this wiki on supported devices, but didn't see the Shortel / Mitel line listed.One of the up coming projects is to re-organize the PBX, and pair down / re-do extensions and DIDs...
I don't know what our expense is right now, but I could see migrating away from Mitel to freepbx saving several thousand a year - in just 'licenses'.
Licenses?
Unless you’re buying new stuff all the time, the only ongoing expense I’m aware of for Mitel is yearly maintenance/ upgrades. -
@dustinb3403 said in freepbx: Supported devices:
While I understand the ask to want to save on the devices, the devices are likely the cheapest line item to address when making changes to your PBX environment.
Absolutely backwards. The desk phones are the largest expense for any company beyond a tiny mom and pop.
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@gjacobse said in freepbx: Supported devices:
However this is a non-profit and an expense is an expense.
A business is a business. Good non-profits understand this and invest wisely instead of miserly.
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@gjacobse said in freepbx: Supported devices:
but didn't see the Shortel / Mitel line listed.
Because you are looking at a list of phones that work with the Phone Apps commercial module.
If the phone supports standard SIP protocols, it will work with Asterisk, and thus with FreePBX.
If, on the other hand, you are wanting to have support within the FreePBX commercial Endpoint Manager, that is a different question.
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@jaredbusch said in freepbx: Supported devices:
@dustinb3403 said in freepbx: Supported devices:
While I understand the ask to want to save on the devices, the devices are likely the cheapest line item to address when making changes to your PBX environment.
Absolutely backwards. The desk phones are the largest expense for any company beyond a tiny mom and pop.
Exactly.
We had Mitel for 20+ years until recently.
I did several cost analysis compared to moving to another solution, and until we needed the ability to work from home, the cost of new phones just never made sense.But once we had this new need, all bets were off, the move to new phones and soft phones was WAY cheaper than the licensing needed for Mitel to work from home.
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@jaredbusch said in freepbx: Supported devices:
@gjacobse said in freepbx: Supported devices:
but didn't see the Shortel / Mitel line listed.
Because you are looking at a list of phones that work with the Phone Apps commercial module.
If the phone supports standard SIP protocols, it will work with Asterisk, and thus with FreePBX.
If, on the other hand, you are wanting to have support within the FreePBX commercial Endpoint Manager, that is a different question.
Makes sense... SIP is SIP..
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I tried getting my older SIP capable Mitel phones added to FreePBX, it was a huge PITA, and I couldn’t program any buttons.
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@jaredbusch said in freepbx: Supported devices:
@gjacobse said in freepbx: Supported devices:
However this is a non-profit and an expense is an expense.
A business is a business. Good non-profits understand this and invest wisely instead of miserly.
Don't disagree - and thus far - I am seeing this as a good NPO. The IT Director isn't against the correct expenses...
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@jaredbusch said in freepbx: Supported devices:
@dustinb3403 said in freepbx: Supported devices:
While I understand the ask to want to save on the devices, the devices are likely the cheapest line item to address when making changes to your PBX environment.
Absolutely backwards. The desk phones are the largest expense for any company beyond a tiny mom and pop.
Only when looking at solutions like FreePBX is it the most expensive part, Phone Service providers strip all of the hardware cost out and you don't have the expense of "hardware" (it's really all just bundled in).
I get what you're saying though, because it would be a large lift to have to purchase new phones that aren't tied to a specific platform.
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@dustinb3403 said in freepbx: Supported devices:
Phone Service providers strip all of the hardware cost out
No they don't. You said it yourself.
@dustinb3403 said in freepbx: Supported devices:
it's really all just bundled in
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@jaredbusch said in freepbx: Supported devices:
@dustinb3403 said in freepbx: Supported devices:
Phone Service providers strip all of the hardware cost out
No they don't. You said it yourself.
@dustinb3403 said in freepbx: Supported devices:
it's really all just bundled in
In the no hardware purchase required, it's included way.
FFS on your literal horse today.. . .
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@dustinb3403 said in freepbx: Supported devices:
@jaredbusch said in freepbx: Supported devices:
@dustinb3403 said in freepbx: Supported devices:
Phone Service providers strip all of the hardware cost out
No they don't. You said it yourself.
@dustinb3403 said in freepbx: Supported devices:
it's really all just bundled in
In the no hardware purchase required, it's included way.
FFS on your literal horse today.. . .
So instead of failing on way, you want to fail another by not taking into account the cost of the service when you're looking at the devices.. Yeah, can't follow ya down that rabbit hole.
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@dashrender said in freepbx: Supported devices:
@dustinb3403 said in freepbx: Supported devices:
@jaredbusch said in freepbx: Supported devices:
@dustinb3403 said in freepbx: Supported devices:
Phone Service providers strip all of the hardware cost out
No they don't. You said it yourself.
@dustinb3403 said in freepbx: Supported devices:
it's really all just bundled in
In the no hardware purchase required, it's included way.
FFS on your literal horse today.. . .
So instead of failing on way, you want to fail another by not taking into account the cost of the service when you're looking at the devices.. Yeah, can't follow ya down that rabbit hole.
No, what?
Who ever said anything about the service? We were discussing FreePBX vs Other hosted phone systems.
And how FreePBX can be hosted internally at a minimal cost, compared to systems like RingCentral and the al la cart approach which has all of the costs of everything buried.
You SIP provider offers a service, that is a calculable know cost. What isn't something to know is what you're actually paying to lease phones from companies like RingCentral as they bury that cost into the monthly.
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@dustinb3403 said in freepbx: Supported devices:
@dashrender said in freepbx: Supported devices:
@dustinb3403 said in freepbx: Supported devices:
@jaredbusch said in freepbx: Supported devices:
@dustinb3403 said in freepbx: Supported devices:
Phone Service providers strip all of the hardware cost out
No they don't. You said it yourself.
@dustinb3403 said in freepbx: Supported devices:
it's really all just bundled in
In the no hardware purchase required, it's included way.
FFS on your literal horse today.. . .
So instead of failing on way, you want to fail another by not taking into account the cost of the service when you're looking at the devices.. Yeah, can't follow ya down that rabbit hole.
No, what?
Who ever said anything about the service? We were discussing FreePBX vs Other hosted phone systems.
And how FreePBX can be hosted internally at a minimal cost, compared to systems like RingCentral and the al la cart approach which has all of the costs of everything buried.
You SIP provider offers a service, that is a calculable know cost. What isn't something to know is what you're actually paying to lease phones from companies like RingCentral as they bury that cost into the monthly.
You can't look at something like RC without considering ALL of the costs because of exactly the reasons you mentioned (bundled in everything)... so you have to look at the whole picture, you can no longer break them out into the PBX and phones vs another PBX and phones (think FreePBX vs Mitel) - instead you have to look at the whole system holistically.
So again - Exactly - you're making JB's argument for him.
IF you are even considering RC - then you need to look at the cost of RC versus the whole cost of something else - FreePBX + Hosting it+ Telco service + phones, etc.
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@gjacobse said in freepbx: Supported devices:
Shortel / Mitel phones.
Ask the other way. FreePBX is a SIP system. Are Shortel / Mitel SIP phones?
If so, they work. If not, they don't.
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@dashrender said in freepbx: Supported devices:
@dustinb3403 said in freepbx: Supported devices:
@dashrender said in freepbx: Supported devices:
@dustinb3403 said in freepbx: Supported devices:
@jaredbusch said in freepbx: Supported devices:
@dustinb3403 said in freepbx: Supported devices:
Phone Service providers strip all of the hardware cost out
No they don't. You said it yourself.
@dustinb3403 said in freepbx: Supported devices:
it's really all just bundled in
In the no hardware purchase required, it's included way.
FFS on your literal horse today.. . .
So instead of failing on way, you want to fail another by not taking into account the cost of the service when you're looking at the devices.. Yeah, can't follow ya down that rabbit hole.
No, what?
Who ever said anything about the service? We were discussing FreePBX vs Other hosted phone systems.
And how FreePBX can be hosted internally at a minimal cost, compared to systems like RingCentral and the al la cart approach which has all of the costs of everything buried.
You SIP provider offers a service, that is a calculable know cost. What isn't something to know is what you're actually paying to lease phones from companies like RingCentral as they bury that cost into the monthly.
You can't look at something like RC without considering ALL of the costs because of exactly the reasons you mentioned (bundled in everything)... so you have to look at the whole picture, you can no longer break them out into the PBX and phones vs another PBX and phones (think FreePBX vs Mitel) - instead you have to look at the whole system holistically.
Except you can't look at Mitel holistically because you can't pick and choose what underlying service providers you want.
You can pick what features you want and a call route etc, but you can't pick a Shortel etc to carry your lines.
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@dustinb3403 said in freepbx: Supported devices:
@jaredbusch said in freepbx: Supported devices:
@dustinb3403 said in freepbx: Supported devices:
Phone Service providers strip all of the hardware cost out
No they don't. You said it yourself.
@dustinb3403 said in freepbx: Supported devices:
it's really all just bundled in
In the no hardware purchase required, it's included way.
FFS on your literal horse today.. . .
Never do that, you always end up paying 3-400% the cost of just buying the phones.
