1. What's the difference between a Digital and an Analog phone system? A digital phone system converts all telephone conversations to a digital signal either at the telephone set or at the control unit. These systems have the advantage of connecting to digital telephone lines such as ISDN PRI (23 lines), ISDN BRI (2 lines), or a T1 (24 lines). The other advantage is a reduction in wiring of the telephone sets. Most analog systems take 2, 3 or 4 pairs of wires from the control unit to the telephone set. Digital sets usually work with only one pair of wires, like the Panasonic Digital, the Lucent Definity System and the Mitel SX-200. Some digital systems use 2 pairs like the Lucent Partner, the Lucent Legend and the Lucent Partner. One more advantage in a digital system is that conference calls are usually louder and clearer as there is no loss of volume when connecting lines through a control unit. They also can have more than 3 parties in a conference, usually up to 6 with the added benefit of having all parties hear each other. 2. What kind of cabling do I need in my home for a system? All traditional phone systems require star wiring. This means that a separate wire must be run from a central point, where the control unit will be located, to each telephone. Most businesses are wired this way. Homes are usually wired in a "loop" arrangement where one wire goes from jack-to-jack. This type of wiring is not compatible with traditional control unit-based telephone systems. You must either rewire the entire house or use a ksu-less phone system. These are multi-line telephones that work with "loop" wiring. They must each have access to power as all the "brains" are in each telephone. 3. How does a voice mail system connect to the control unit? A voice mail system interfaces to any control unit through the use of station ports. If considering voice mail, with the exception of Lucent Legend, make sure that you have anough extra ports to accommodate your voice mail system. For example, if the voice mail is 2-ports, you will need two available extensioin ports that are not being used by a telephone set. |
800.515.9918 - 305.759.2000 Fax: 305.751.6089 |