VoIP gateway(2)

The types of VoIP gateways
With the techno babble out of the way it is time for you to dig into the different types of VoIP gateways.

There are two main types of gateways that you need to concern yourself with – analog and digital.

Analog – An analog VoIP gateway is used to connect your traditional analog telephones to a VoIP phone system or to connect your VoIP phone system to the PSTN. Due to this dual purpose an analog VoIP gateway comes in two different forms – FXS and FXO.
FXS gateway – An FXS gateway is used to connect your traditional telephones and fax machines to a VoIP phone system.
FXO gateway – An FXO gateway is used to connect your VoIP phone system to your PSTN lines.
Digital – A digital VoIP gateway is used to connect your VoIP Phone system to your digital voice lines such as T1/E1/BRI. A digital VoIP gateway can also be used to connect your traditional PBX system to an IP network.
You might be thinking that analog and digital gateways both do the same thing. This is correct.

The real difference between an analog VoIP gateway and a digital VoIP gateway are the interfaces each one uses to connect to various solution components together.

Before we take a closer look at the applications mentioned above let’s take a few minutes to take a look at the features and configurations of a VoIP gateway.

Features of a VoIP gateway
VoIP gateways are very robust devices. The vast majority of VoIP gateways come with the following features:

Compliant with multiple protocols including SIP, H.323 and MGCP
Support for G.711, G.723.1, G.726, and G.729A voice codecs
T.38 compliant (for faxing)
Echo cancellation, Jitter Buffer, VAD and CNG
Web based administration/management
Automatic provisioning via TFTP/HTTP
Call routing and least cost call routing capability
These are merely the standard features found in the majority of VoIP gateways. Each VoIP gateway has subtle differences. For more information on a specific VoIP gateway please refer to its full product description on VoIPSupply.com.

Standard VoIP gateway Configurations
VoIP gateways can be found in the following configurations:

FXS gateways
4 Port
8 Ports
16 Ports
24 Ports
48 Ports
FXO gateways
4 Port
8 Ports
16 Ports
24 Ports
48 Ports
Digital gateways
1T1, 2T1, 4T1
1E1, 2E1, 4E1
1BRI, 2BRI, 4BRI
The number of ports you will need on your VoIP gateway is dependant on the number of lines and or devices you are looking to connect to the VoIP gateway. For instance if you want connect your VoIP phone system to your two PSTN lines, you will need a two FXO analog VoIP gateway.