Is it possible to connect my entire office to my new asterisk server without switching to IP phones and without having a wire running from each phone to the server. I know that using interface cards you can connect analog phones, and using the data network you could use IP phones, but I’d like to be able to just use the phone jacks that are in each room, even if we have to replace the analog phones. Any shot at doing this without a wire mess or no?
Short answer is sure.
What do you have right now, what types of: Phone lines - analog(plug into the telco block), T1? How many lines? Phones: digital that hook up to a PBX, commodity analog (the kind you can buy at Radio Shack/WalMart) that plug into a splitter of some sort?
"without having a wire running from each phone to the server"
Sounds like you don’t have homeruns ( a single line from each phone to phone room/phone board) you’re gonna need these. If that is the case, run cat 6 to the end points, then you can use analog or IP phones, though IP phones would be best.
If you can’t answer any of these questions you’re gonna definitely need some assistance with this. It’s hard to tell you what you need if you don’t know what ya got. Sorry for sounding like an 80’s hair band song, but that is the song. You should probably get some assistance with this anyhow.
You could also just use soft phones on the workstations, and skip the handsets completely.
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