What is a VoIP gateway and how does it work?

Date:
Fri, 04 Mar 2022 01:52:46 +0000

Description:
Looking for a way to reduce IT upgrade costs when moving to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)? Consider a VoIP gateway solution.

FULL STORY ======================================================================What is a VoIP gateway?



A VoIP gateway is, at its simplest, a device or bridge - that converts call traffic into data packets to be transmitted over the internet.

This happens in one of two ways:

1. When the call traffic originates from a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and needs to be converted from an analog voice signal into a digital one. The digital signal is then compressed using whats known as a codec and broken into a series of data packets that are transferred across the Internet Protocol (IP) network.

2. When the call traffic originates from an IP network, then the VoIP gateway will decompress the data packets into a digital signal thats then converted into an analog signal to be sent across the PSTN.

These data packets are the lifeblood of any internet call system as they dictate call quality data packet loss can result in poor quality calls that frustrate employees and customers alike and can even have a negative impact
on your business.

With traditional phone systems, one call is converted at a time, whereas with a VoIP gateway, multiple calls are supported simultaneously, increasing call capacity for busy companies.

VoIP gateway systems typically include the following features:

Voice and fax compression / decompression

Packetization and control signalling management

Call routing

External controller interfaces

Why was the VoIP phone late to the meeting...? It got hung up in traffic!

You can always tell when a new piece of tech becomes commonplace the corny jokes start doing the rounds!

And its easy to see why VoIP has recently followed this well-trodden path given our remote ways of working since 2020.

But what about a VoIP gateway? Its perhaps a term that is less common right now but is likely to see increasing usage in the coming months and years as more and more companies continue to switch to digital phone systems and look for ever more efficient ways of managing call traffic.

In this article, well set out what a VoIP gateway is, how it works, what the different types of gateway are, and how to set one up. VoIP gateways offer many benefits, the biggest of which is the ability to spread out and manage costs more effectively. (Image credit: Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from
Pexels)

VoIP gateways have many benefits, especially for businesses transitioning
from one type of call system to another.

With VoIP gateways, you can, for example, migrate in phases, keeping your existing hardware in place to keep new costs down. By using existing equipment, you subsequently reduce training and set-up times for your teams.

The biggest benefit of a VoIP gateway is, therefore, one of cost. Changing over an entire office or organization to VoIP can be costly in addition to the cost of new equipment, theres the infrastructure and IT support costs to factor in too. With a VoIP gateway, however, these costs are more easily managed and can be spread out over a longer period of time something most Finance Directors and CFOs will be very glad of! Read next (Image credit: RingCentral)

We've listed the best VoIP services and best VoIP headsets available for businesses to help give you a head start in your search.

Why not also take a look at our popular RingCentral VoIP services review or Nextiva vs RingCentral VoIP comparison? Or, if you're just starting out with VoIP learn the difference between VoIP and PBX .

Whats more, you can choose a VoIP gateway system that optimized for minimal
or Least Cost Routing by directing specific calls to the provider that will charge the least per minute.

In addition to this, VoIP servers can and often fail. VoIP gateways, however, have what are called fallback modes that switch to the PSTN if the internet
is down.

What a lot of businesses opt for nowadays is a hybrid approach that combines on-site equipment with VoIP gateways. This enables them to get many of the advantages of VoIP while still retaining their existing infrastructure and equipment that they know to be reliable and familiar.

Oh, and watch out for what are called Fully Hosted IPBX systems theyre also
a growing trend nowadays as they offer a full telecommunication system
without the hassle of buying and managing additional hardware. However, if
for any reason you lose your connection to the hosted IPBX, you lose the ability to make both internal and external calls. What are the different
types of VoIP gateway?

There are two main types of VoIP gateway, analog and digital.

Analog

As the name suggests, 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. These gateways are typically available for between
2 and 24 lines and come in two different forms, both of which often appear as media gateways to: FXS (Foreign Exchange Subscriber) gateway used to connect your traditional telephones (and fax machines) to a VoIP phone system. FXO (Foreign Exchange Office) gateway used to connect your VoIP phone system to your PSTN lines.

Digital

Once again, the clue is in the name! Digital gateways are used to connect
your VoIP phone system to your digital voice lines either BRI ISDN lines
(for Europe), PRI / E1 lines (for Europe), or T1 lines (in the US).

Other terms its worth knowing about when exploring VoIP gateway solutions
are:

VoIP GSM Gateway

GSM stands for Global System for Mobile Communications and is used for
routing IP, digital, analog, and GSM networks directly. With these devices, companies can take advantage of the Least Cost Routing option that we mentioned earlier.

PSTN Gateway

A PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) gateway is a third-party hardware component that converts signalling and media between the Enterprise Voice infrastructure and the PSTN, either directly or through connection to SIP trunks (more on SIPs and SIP trunks here ).

It very much depends on your existing phone system as to which gateway solution is best. If youre currently running on analog, then youll need an Analog Gateway. If you want to upgrade on flexibility though, then you should consider a Digital solution. And if cost optimization is high on your
priority list, then its worth exploring the VoIP GSM Gateway option. How do you set up a VoIP gateway? Setting up a VoIP gateway should be done by your
IT administrator or external supplier. (Image credit: Photo by ANTONI SHKRABA from Pexels)

The specifics of setting up and configuring a VoIP gateway will very much depend on the system you have. Youll usually be able to find detailed instructions with your supplier either via their website or their support line. For example, beroNet , one of the most popular gateway solutions, explain their beroNet configuration process online . Or Grandstream , another supplier, has their own detailed set-up instructions for Grandstream gateways online .

The basic steps are pretty similar across solutions.

What youll need before getting started: An internal telephone device with external connectivity through VoIP via the Internet. The PSTN interface to a telephone network, with IP connectivity to an in-house VoIP phone system.
Both PSTN and VoIP interfaces externally. Steps to follow to setup a VoIP gateway:

Step 1

Find and note the gateways network IP.

Log in via the devices web interface and update your firmware to the latest version.

Assign a static IP and note it down.

Step 2

Configure the VoIP gateway in your admin or management console.

You can typically do this by clicking on SIP Trunks and then Add gateway.
Here youll be asked for details such as the model, number of device ports and main trunk number.

Youll also need to add the hostname or IP of the VoIP gateway and any Direct Inward Dialling (DID) numbers.

Step 3

Once you have created the VoIP gateway connection, youll need to generate a device config file. Depending on your solution, that will either configure remotely or download a file to your computer. If the latter, youll then need to upload these to the gateway.

Step 4

Your final step is to create Outbound Rules to route calls over the PSTN gateway. You can do this via the Outbound Rules function of your device.

Youre all set!

If at any point you get stuck, then contact your gateway device supplier or
IT administrator. Final thoughts Read next (Image credit: Getty Images)

You may also find these articles helpful:

What is VoIP: a guide for businesses ,

The best VoIP providers for 2021 , SIP vs. VoIP: a guide for businesses

How to choose the right VoIP phone for your small business

What is VoIP Quality of Service (QoS)

The telecommunications world has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years, with many businesses now relying on VoIP for their core operations. VoIP Gateway is additionally a common method for businesses looking to ease the transition to VoIP technology while still leveraging existing equipment and
IT infrastructure.

Pardon the pun, but its an excellent gateway to a much easier and more efficient VoIP system that helps to reduce IT costs and keep your business running. Whats more, the benefits of VoIP gateways make them a smart choice when trying to spread out upgrade costs while still retaining a professional, high call quality system.



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