Cisco 2811 router v's Asterisk

I have read that to develop a quality, secure voip SIP network using Asterisk one should incorporate additional servers and devices to handle things like session registration, border security and NAT traversal such as an SBC (Session border controller) and a registration server.

Does the Cisco 2811 router (or any other cisco integrated services router) carry out these processes itself or will I still need to add additional servers and SBC devises or more?

Basically, is it an easier, more compact setup to buy the Cisco router than setup Asterisks and the associated extras to have a quality, secure network?

Cheers

Why would you want both Cisco and Asterisk, as far as I can see they talk different languages (Call Manager vs IAX/SIP)?

By and large a specialist integrated system is going to be easier and more compact to set up than building your own.

It will depend on how big your requirements are, most of what you want can be put on the same server as Asterisk using open sourced solutions. The larger the system gets, the better it is to get someone else to do it for you.

The particular problem with Cisco is that it has a habit of being un-necessarily complex and heinously expensive, then you have to pay extra to make it do anything and more again so that it keeps doing it.

Could be that the pain in the wallet ends up greater than the discomfort of making OS software work?

Hi

It all depends on what you are trying to achieve, if you are looking at the 2811 then you must be looking at the low end as it only supports 36 CME IP Phones.

For this size of deployment Asterisk is perfectly serviceable. and would easily be supported on a small low power server.


Ian

Thanks for your replies Ian and rgrower.

rgrower:

Quote:

Why would you want both Cisco and Asterisk, as far as I can see they talk different languages (Call Manager vs IAX/SIP)?

I am asking which one I should use as my PBX, asterisks or Cisco not whether I should use them in conjunction with each other. I wanted to know if the Cisco 2811 provided some of the extra services that would have to be carried out by extra servers and software in the Asterisks setup.

Quote:

most of what you want can be put on the same server as Asterisk using open sourced solutions.

Do you mean "on the same server" using virtualization? Has anyone had any issues using virtualization with the open source software?

I guess I should give a rundown of my requirements for this voip service:

My primary requirement is to terminate all incoming calls to our businesses local telephone numbers to individual mobile phones via a GSM gateway on our own SIP server (which ever type we go with Cisco, Asterisks etc). Currently there is no need for outgoing calls via our voip network just a need for cost effective termination of all incoming calls to individual mobile phone handsets.
My plan was to have our businesses local telephone numbers provided to us via a VSP and have our own SIP server, located in our office, receive all calls over a large broadband connection. From there we control the termination of all calls to our individual mobile phones via the GSM gateway. The quantity of calls I'm talking about here would be about 100 incoming calls per day.

My secondary requirement is to capitalize on any commercial benefits of running a Voip network, I believe there are a few services I could make commercially viable down the track. This leads me to the question of what hardware (and software) is going to provide me with the basic needs of my primary requirements but also, with further investment, provide a secure, professional platform in which I can make some revenue by provide some quality services. With respect to the budget of this network I would think that an investment of 4K to 5K on a network that can provide me with future growth potential is a better investment than a 2K or 3K investment that doesn't get me beyond my primary requirements.

Also I currently have a brand new Juniper firewall I can use in the Voip netwok if that helps?

Thanks again for your informative replies and any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Hi

I think In one way its good to plan ahead, But in another its sometimes can be a case of running before you can walk so to say.

You mention that you are expecting 100 calls a day, This is about 12 and hour, you dont say how many extensions. but for example a single asterisk server in a normal office will handle well in-excess of 150 extensions and 1000+ calls a day without even breaking into a sweat.

Its hard to compare a Cisco hardware platform to a SIP based software platform. For example with a SIP Platform you could start with Asterisk, swap to freeswitch then SIPX etc and only have to change the software. no change of gateways, phones etc.

As it stands at the moment I would bulid a dev platform on a PC using Asterisk and see if it will do what you want.

Ian