Another Voice Over IP Alternative

By Gerry Morris

Several columns ago I wrote about voice over IP (VOIP) phone systems as an alternative to traditional Ma Bell type hard wired phones. VOIP systems convert the analogue sound to digital information that is then transmitted over the Internet and again converted to analogue sound on the other end. The advantage of VOIP systems over traditional systems is lower monthly cost for the same features and minimal capital investment. The downside has been historically been inferior sound quality and consistency. We all know that the Internet has good days and slow days. Sound quality for a VOIP system depends on consistent Internet speed. From my conversations with my colleagues that have made the jump to VOIP I’ve learned that the quality has improved dramatically to the point where it is seldom an issue.

In the past year I faced having to make the choice between buying out my office mate’s share of our Panasonic phone and voicemail system or starting over from scratch. As it turned out my office mate moved to an office where it would have been impractical to install our phone system so I kept it. Before I decided to keep my existing system, however, I looked into VOIP.

At the time the best recommendation I received was for a product from Packet 8. Their system amounts to an offsite virtual PBX. You purchase the VOIP phones from them that connect directly to your Ethernet network. The system uses whatever Internet access provider you have chosen for your office. Unless you dedicate an Internet connection specifically for your phone system your VOIP will share bandwidth with every other Internet user in your office. After a modest initial installation charge the Packet 8 system costs around $40 per phone. The service includes voicemail, and a host of call management features. One great feature common to most VOIP systems is that a phone can be plugged into the Internet in Austin, Texas or Sydney, Australia and be connected to the same office system. The phone in a location remote from the main office can have a phone number from the same series of numbers as the main office and can be configured as an extension of the main system. The drawback of the Packet 8 system is that the sound quality and reliability is a function of your ISP and the amount of bandwidth available.

Recently, I had a conversation with Amy Hess, a lawyer with an office practice in East Texas, about some of the technology she uses in her office. Amy’s practice involves transaction work for clients located overseas and in several major cities in the United States rather than in the area where her physical office is. Her phone system and long distance service is very important to her and she doesn’t want to spend a bundle every month on a receptionist. She told me about a product called AccessLine that she uses and has had good results. I checked it out at www.accerssline.com.

AccessLine offers the features common to other VOIP setups: voicemail, low cost long distance, no geographical limits for extensions, etc. There are two aspects of the product that distinguish it from Packet 8.

First, AccessLine works over a dedicated Internet connection maintained by AccessLine. Nothing else uses the bandwidth and the speed of the connection is tailored to the size of the phone system. Second, the system can be configured to provide phone service to an existing hard wired PBX system. This means that, for instance, if I want to go with VOIP to reduce my monthly costs because of the lower monthly service charge and long distance rates, I can get rid of my existing phone lines and plug in “lines” from the VOIP interface in their place. I could continue to use the phone system I paid dearly for and wouldn’t have to rewire my office for a new system.

The monthly cost of AccessLline depends on how many lines are needed, which basically means how many simultaneous calls the system must be capable of handing since the digital packets travel to the Internet system over one line. A hardware device is provided to split the access to the Internet into individual analogue lines to interface with a traditional PBX. Four lines cost $150 per month which includes 2000 minutes of free long distance. There is a $400 one time installation fee. The medium package offers capabilities of from 5 to 24 lines. Five lines are $184 per month with each additional line costing $34.

A full list of the features appears on the web site linked above. The web site says that your AccessLine numbers can be listed in the white pages of the local phone book. I was curious to find out if the number could be listed in the Yellow Pages. I contacted AccessLine customer service and found out that listings in the Yellow Pages can be had for a price. I suppose I should have known that.

The bottom line is that AccessLine appears to be a good alternative to Packet 8 if you want dedicated bandwidth for your phone system, especially if you already have an analogue PBX that you want to continue to use.

I want to take a moment to wish all my readers Happy Holidays and to thank you for the great feedback you’ve given me on this column. I’ve received a lot of emails and several calls from you with questions and comments. I try to return them all as my practice permits. I really enjoy hearing about how you’ve put technology to work in your offices. It gives me ideas for my practice as well as for my office.

E. G. “Gerry” Morris is a small firm practitioner and has practiced law for over 29 years in Austin, Texas. He is certified as a Criminal Law Specialist by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. His firm web site is at www.egmlaw.com. Email your comments and questions to Gerry at egm@egmlaw.com.