[Asterisk-Users] ISDN BRI vs. VOIP DID's, is it worth it?

[snacktime]

On 4/17/05, Gregory Wiktor - ADCom Corp. <gw at adcomcorp.com> wrote:
> Hello All,
> 
> I have been trying a did company for a few days. I find the service
> decent, but sound quality only moderate.
> 
> Rather than spending 35 or so for monthly with did, I am considering an
> isdn bri at this location.
> 
> How much more stable and reliable is bri or pri versus a voip did
> service?  I like the concept of a bri more, but I do not get cid
> generation.  Would anyone suggest bri over voip where available?
> 
> I must say, I prefer higher voice quality.  If anyone finds bri to be
> worth it (at about 54/month plus usage) please let me know what you
> think.

I'm kind of asking the same questions myself right now.  I think it
depends a lot on what you are planning on using voip for.  I also
think that you are going to see reliability go up and up over the next
year or two, so you have to take that into account also as you plan
your infrastructure.   I think new installations should at least be
voip capable.

Right now I would not rely on voip 100% for something business
critical.  Personally I'm looking at using voip but having adequate
pstn access as a backup, with the incoming DID numbers being able to
automatically route to the pstn in case of failure.    I know I can do
this if my numbers are 800 numbers, but I've still not found a way to
do this with local number DID's, although I'm still looking.

Reliability on incoming lines is a lot more difficult to deal with
then outgoing.  As long as you * server has connectivity, you could
have 4-5 different providers in your dialplan and have it cascade down
through them on failure.   Wish it was that easy with DID's.

Chris