DCS Telecom Tips on Choosing The Right Telephone Systems For Y | Page 3

Understanding the Basics of PBX, IP PBX, VOIP Phone  PBX  PBX stands for Private Branch Exchange. PBX describes the system within an organisation or company that is used to forward calls to the correct person or department.  In the past, PBX was done manually by staff physically connecting two phones with a cable (referred to as switching). An operator would answer, ask the caller who they needed to speak to, and then connect the call.  IP PBX  With the invention of the Internet, IP (Internet Protocol) PBX became possible. This involves using a computer on the Internet to transmit calls and using a serial connected (usually USB) phone or headset to listen and talk. The signal is converted from analogue to digital in order to transmit over the IP network and then converted back to be played as audio on the other end.  VoIP  VoIP (Voice over IP) is very similar to IP PBX in that it uses networked devices with IP addresses. However, VoIP systems are usually cloud-based as opposed to having a locally hosted server. While this provides greater mobility at lower cost, it requires very fast, reliable Internet. In the event of a power outage or loss of Internet, no communication is possible.