September 1998

Telecom 2000 Office Suite

e-Net, Inc.
12800 Middlebrook Road, Suite 200
Germantown, MD 20874
Ph: 301-601-8700
Fax: 301-601-8777
www.datatelephony.com

RATINGS (0-5)
Installation: 3.5
Documentation: 5
Features: 5
GUI: 4
Overall: A-

The concept behind the e-Net Telecom 2000 Office Suite is that it will take your existing computer network and transform it into a PBX. With most businesses today utilizing at least some network technology, and an ever-growing percentage of these companies turning to networking solutions, the corporate network seems to be the natural place to search for answers to telecommunications problems. If a company plans to put a computer on every desk, and a digital phone on every desk, there should be a way to satisfy these two proposals with one solution. That is where the Telecom Office Suite 2000 comes in. Using voice over IP technology, the Telecom 2000 Central Office Gateway (T2000-CO) and Telecom 2000 Telset Interface (T2000-TS) cards accommodate voice, turning each computer into an extension of the virtual PBX.

INSTALLATION
We received a Telecom 2000 Office Suite containing one T2000-CO card and three T2000-TS cards. We first set our sights on installing the CO card to test its functionality. Essentially, we powered down the computer, located an available ISA Expansion slot and pushed the card into place. The computer we used contained a Pentium II 266 MHz chip with 64 MB of RAM running Windows 95. In the hardware profile, we removed the previous network card and the settings for that card. We also determined that default IRQ value and the default RAMbase settings for the T2000-CO card were available. We plugged an RJ45 cord into the connector on the card with the other end leading to our company LAN. We also connected an analog phone line to the outside port on the T2000-CO card, leading to an outside line and then powered on the computer.

One situation that was created by the installation of the T2000-CO card was that it actually interfered with the power management of the computer. When the computer needed to restart in order to update the system, we were greeted with a blank screen. Clearly, the computer was powered on, but we were unable to verify that the computer was taking any of our commands. We tried to reboot the computer, but nothing happened, so we were left to push in the power button as a last resort. This was the point when we became baffled. We pushed the power button on the computer and nothing happened. In order to shut the computer down, we actually needed to pull the plug. Reasoning that it must have been the power management, we plugged the computer back in and entered the computer's BIOS. There, we disabled the computer's power management. From there, we were able to continue the installation of the card.

The installation of the software for the T2000-CO was easier than the physical installation. This first step of the installation consisted adding two network adapters and one network protocol that were supplied with the CD that was included in the package. After that, we executed a setup file located on that same CD. This brought us to the Line Configurations Screen and the Line Properties. Here, we were able to set the extension number of the station, the protocol to be used, the device number (if more than one CO card is being used), and a few other options as well. The Feature Screen gives the options Call Waiting and Promiscuous Calling Mode, although Call Waiting is not supported by the CO board. The last thing we had to do before restarting the computer was adjust the compression schemes. We had the option of doing this one of two ways - through the Properties Tab for the T2000-CO Network Telephony CO Card under Network Settings or through the e-Net Configuration Wizard.

The installation of the T2000-TS card was nearly a perfect mirror of the T2000-CO installation. The only difference between the two was that we had to run a different setup file from the Office Suite CD. Like the T2000-CO card, we installed two T2000-TS cards on computers with Pentium II 266 MHz chips with 64 MB of RAM running Windows 95. The installation was, for the most part, trouble free, leaving us only to test the cards for their functionality. Finally, we connected analog telephone lines to both cards and connected them to the company LAN with RJ-45 cables.

DOCUMENTATION
All the documentation for the T2000-CO and the T2000-TS cards came on the Telecom 2000 Office Suite CD. There are four files on this CD comprising the necessary literature. They are the T2000-CO Installation Guide, The T2000-TS Installation Guide, The T2000 Feature Guide, and an Addendum for users that are upgrading their T2000 software. Each of the installation guides is explicit in a blow-by-blow fashion, outlining every step of the installation for both Windows 95 and Windows NT. The Feature Guide outlines all the functions available through the cards via a telephone set and through the phone assistant software. Again, this file covers the features of the CO and TS cards thoroughly.

Additional information on the T2000 Office Suite can be found at e-Net's homepage. This site provides an excellent overview of the purpose and functionality of the Telecom 2000 Office Suite. In addition to the T2000-CO and T2000-TS cards, this site also provides information about the T2000-DTI, which is their digital trunk interface, the T2000-CSS, which is their carrier class switch, and the T2000-LT, which is an add-on card for computers already connected to a Telecom 2000 Gateway.

FEATURES

• Combines the functionality of low-cost data connectivity over the LAN with that of ATM products for the LAN.
• Allows the use of analog phones in the place of expensive digital phones.
• Integrates with traditional private and public phone systems.
• Utilizes voice over IP to packetize sound for transfer over Ethernet.
• Voice compression schemes reduce bandwidth and communications costs.
• T2000-CO and T2000-TS cards connect you to your LAN, giving you access to your network.
• The T2000-TS card offers: Tone and signal generation; Echo cancellation; Silence suppression; and TAPI compliance.
• Phone Assistant software allows you to Hold, Transfer, and Forward calls using your computer.
• Phone Book and Speed Dial Features give you access to frequently dialed numbers.
• Specialized forwarding such as Unconditional Forward, Forward on Busy, and Forward on No Answer.
• With conference calling capabilities, the suite allows for scalable conference calls.
• Can be used with customized voice mail software.
• T2000-CO cards are stackable, thus enhancing scalability.

OPERATIONAL TESTING
With the computer connected to the company LAN through the T2000-CO and T2000-TS cards, we were ready to test the capabilities of the e-Net Telecom 2000 Office Suite. We were quickly able to determine that we had network functionality by browsing the network. After that we placed a call from one computer to another using the analog phone set. For the compression scheme on the CO card, the voice sounded fine. As always, latency can be an issue in this type of network telephony. Over our LAN, the latency was minimal, but over a wide-area network, the latency might increase.

Seeing that we had phone functionality across the LAN, we tried some of the specialized features of the software. Using both the Phone Assistant and our analog phone sets, we verified that a call could be put on hold and transferred to the third extension. In addition to transferring the call to the third extension, we used the conference call capabilities to create a three-way conference call. We also used the last number redial function with both methods.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
The Telecom 2000 Office Suite is an attractive solution for the problem of merging network connectivity and PC-PBX features. One of the only things that went wrong throughout the testing was the problem with the power management of the computer. This complicated the installation process of the cards and could possibly cause damage to the computer. In addition to making the physical installation of the card more difficult, it made it impossible to reboot or shut down the computer at any time. Needless to say, the reboot function is a vital process for a computer and should not be tampered with. Otherwise, the installation and the utilization of the Telecom 2000 Suite went commendably.

CONCLUSION
This product will considerably facilitate the future of computer data telephony. By combining the transfer of voice and data through IP, a company's network system can be combined with its PBX system. The cost savings can be immense. Not only is the company saving money from the fact they can do with one card where they formerly needed two, but sending voice over IP can save money on its own. With compression algorithms coupled with some least cost routing capabilities, e-Net's Telecom 2000 Suite can form the backbone of a sturdy and useful communications system.