Keep It Simple

The best advice we can give for networking is to keep it simple. Basic routers such as Linksys, Netgear, or D-Link residential models do the job just fine. If that's all you were planning on using, congratulations, you've kept it simple.

For those of you who are thinking of getting fancy, we recommend double-checking your requirements to make sure you absolutely need to deploy a complicated network. Most issues with VoIP providers can be traced back to your network, not the phones or the PBX. Simple networks have far fewer problems than complex networks.

Below are some specifics to help you ensure that your network is in good shape for a successful deployment:

Static IP vs. DHCP

We recommend using a static IP address. Because Switchvox is a server, it is important that you assign it an IP address that does not change after it has been configured and users are connecting to it.

If you use Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, or DHCP, we recommend that you configure your DHCP server to reserve an IP address just for Switchvox (login to your router to configure this).

You might want to use DHCP to obtain your network address information, and then set those numbers as your static IP address, subnet mask (netmask), gateway, and DNS server. Be aware that it is possible that the DHCP server might give away that IP address, at some later date, if you shut down Switchvox and the DHCP server can't find it. If you do this, you can find all of the addressing information that the DHCP server has provided by going to your Switchvox Web Admin and selecting Server > Networking > IP Configuration.

PBX and Phone Placement

We recommend placing Switchvox on the same LAN segment as the phones. We recommend that Switchvox phones and other networked computers be, on the same subnet or private network, if possible.

Can I put my PBX on a public IP?

While most of our customers keep their PBX on a private IP, putting it on a public IP in a DMZ works too. We strongly recommend that you have a firewall in front of your PBX, even if it is on a public IP address. That lets you control which IPs have access to your PBX's services.

 Can I segment my PBX and phones from my LAN using an alternate network or VLAN?

Yes, but we recommend staying with a simple, single LAN setup.

QoS

If you plan on using a VoIP service provider, it's a good idea to use QoS to prioritize your traffic. QoS can improve your voice quality, even if your Internet connection is saturated with other traffic.  This is done by giving higher priority to the traffic going in and out of Switchvox.

Consult your router's documentation for how to set up QoS rules to prioritize VoIP traffic. This can be done by giving priority to your Switchvox MAC address or IP address.

If you are using QoS in your network equipment, you can set up Switchvox to send the correct ToS or DSCP field in all VoIP packets. This field can be used by firewalls and switches to distinguish specific types of traffic to apply QoS rules, such as favoring all voice traffic for better quality. To do this, go to your Switchvox Web Admin and select Server > Networking > IP Configuration. On that page, click on Advanced Options, and then select the Audio and Video options that you want. The default settings should work fine, but if you need to change these you may. For further information on this, refer to this article.

Do I need a QoS switch for my network?

In most cases, you do not. Furthermore, QoS on the switch is not a replacement for QoS on your router. Unless you consume massive amounts of bandwidth transferring large files between computers in your local network, simple unmanaged switches should do just fine.

Access Control

Switchvox's Access Control (Server > Networking > Access Control) can be configured to allow network access to Switchvox services, based on IP address and Netmask. The default action is to deny access, so if you don’t allow a service for a network, then the network is denied access to that service. If you need to use the Switchboard, be sure to enable access to the XMPP Server service. It is important to consider security when setting up Access Control Rules. For recommendations, please see this article Best Practices to Protect your Switchvox PBX.

Port Forwarding

If you plan on using phones or accessing the PBX from remote locations, you must forward certain ports back to your PBX.www.portforward.com is a good resource for documentation on how to forward ports on most routers. Also, you'll need to enable the "Allow Nat Port Forwarding" option in theServer > Networking > IP Configurationsection of your Switchvox Web Admin. 

For a complete list of the ports that Switchvox uses, please review Firewall Checklist and SERVER-NETWORKING articles. We recommend that you forward the ports needed by your implementation.