Login  |  Call 877-366-2548

Next Steps
Awards
Phones
Partners
Newsletter Sign Up

The Big Questions
Click to expand/collapse answer!Show me a diagram of how PBXtra works!
PBXtra fits seamlessly into your network. You simply plug PBXtra into your office router, and then plug your IP phones into your network anywhere. Click to view diagram!
Click to expand/collapse answer!What do I get for $995.00?
For $995 you get two things: a one-server license of PBXtra Standard Edition and a brand new server with PBXtra pre-installed and configured. The software carries with it a license for unlimited extensions and comes standard with many features such as: Auto-Attendant, Music-on-Hold, Schedulers, Enhanced Voicemail, Voicemail as Email Attachments, Support for analog phones (including full cordless phones), Message Waiting Indicator, MS Outlook integration, One Touch Voice-Mail Retrieval, Stutter-tone, Dial-by-name-Directory, Unlimited Nested Menus, Telecommuter Access, Call Transfer, and Web Control Panels for both administrators and users, and many more features!
Click to expand/collapse answer!Do I need to have an Internet connection?
You only need an Internet connection to make changes to your PBXtra, because that portion of the software is hosted in our server farm. This means that your PBXtra will operate normally (route calls, voicemail, etc.) when your Internet is down. Of course, if your Internet is down, you will not be able to use VoIP, and your telecommuter extensions will not function. Fonality recommends that all of our customers keep at least one PSTN line so that their main office stays operational during Internet outages. Learn about our exciting PSTN-Fallback feature.
Click to expand/collapse answer!Do you support multiple offices?
Yes we do. And it's incredibly affordable - no VPN or dedicated connectivity between offices is required. One click of the mouse and your branch offices will be 4-digit dialing each other for free! Learn more about our Branch Office feature.
Click to expand/collapse answer!When will I get my PBXtra?
Depending on when you ordered and paid for your PBXtra, it will ship between 3 to 15 business days after payment. For more details, please click here.
Equipment
Click to expand/collapse answer!Do I have to run new wiring for the IP Phones?
No. All our IP Phones come with built-in Ethernet bridges which allow one Ethernet drop to work for both your PC and your IP Phone. Click to view diagram!
Click to expand/collapse answer!What type of servers do you use?
Fonality offers either HP or generic servers in mini-tower, rack-mount, Celeron, Pentium 4, Dual Core and Dual Core Xeon varieties. Customers may also add RAID, redundant power-supplies, fully redundant servers or RAM upgrades to their server. Learn more about our affordable server options.
Click to expand/collapse answer!Is there a warranty on the hardware?
Yes. All phones come with a one-year manufacturer's warranty. All servers come with warranties as well. Customers who chose our HP line of servers get a 1-year on-site warranty, with the option to purchase a 3-year upgrade. Learn more about our warranties.
Click to expand/collapse answer!Can I use my own server?
No. you must purchase the server from Fonality with the PBXtra software pre-loaded. Although PBXtra is based on Asterisk®, the myriad of hardware and software options on the market make the product unreliable if we deviate from our time-tested formula.
Click to expand/collapse answer!Does PBXtra come with phones?
PBXtra does not come with phones, they are priced separately. You must however purchase the phone from Fonality so we can configure it and insure that works with your PBXtra. Customers can choose from the list of compatible phones on the Fonality website.
Click to expand/collapse answer!Can I use my existing IP Phones?
Customers who already own phones that are on our pre-approved list may sometimes ask to have us reprogram them for their new PBXtra. This process is very labor intensive, and there is an associated fee for each reprogrammed phone. We are *not* able to reprogram all versions of the phones on our pre-approved list due to the fact that manufacturers will sometimes change hardware or firmware features while retaining the same Model numbers, so earlier versions of the same product may not be reprogrammable. This caveat applies specifically to Cisco phones, among others. Please refer to the following Fonality Support Wiki article for exact details.
Click to expand/collapse answer!Can I use an IP phone that is not on the list?
Fonality is continually testing IP phones, and we only support and sell those phones that we guarantee to work with PBXtra. Please check back often to see which new IP phones work with PBXtra!
Click to expand/collapse answer!Can I use analog phones?
Yes. PBXtra is designed to expand to accommodate the use of analog phones. However you will need to order an Analog Phone Card and as many Analog Phone Ports as you have analog phones. Each Analog Phone Card can hold up to 4 Analog Phones Ports. Having an Analog Phone Card also lets you use a regular cordless phone with PBXtra. PBXtra handles analog phones very gracefully using Call-Waiting to indicate a second line (call-appearance), and Stutter-Tone is used to indicate a voice-message is waiting.
Click to expand/collapse answer!Can I use a Softphone?
Yes. Fonality offers a PBXtra Softphone bundled with a Plantronics headset for the best possible softphone experience.
Installation
Click to expand/collapse answer!Do I need to configure any hardware?
Your PBXtra server and all associated hardware will arrive pre-configured and tested from Fonality. Once you have it in hand, your PBXtra server will need to be connected to the Internet via an Ethernet cable. You will also need to configure your PBXtra server to work on your network in accordance with our PBXtra Installation Guide" This will include assigning your PBXtra Server a static IP address, setting up and plugging in your phones, and then entering all of your user information for each phone extension. After that, you will need to configure how you want your PBXtra to handle your incoming calls through the Fonality Web-Admin tool. These last two steps, adding user information for each phone, and configuring your queues and call treatments, will require access to a PC on the internet with a web-browser (You can not use the PBXtra Server itself as it has no web-browser). That's it! If you have any issues with your installation, our Customer Care Team is just an email or a phone call away! Also, with each PBXtra shipment, we schedule an Installation and Training appointment to ensure that your server is set up correctly, to answer any of your remaining installation questions, and to show you how to use the most common features your new phone system.
Click to expand/collapse answer!Can I connect my existing phone lines to PBXtra?
Yes, with the appropriate expansion cards. PBXtra is designed to expand to accommodate the use of PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network). To use PSTN, you will need to order a Base Expansion Card and as many Analog Line Ports as you want PSTN-lines on that card. Each Base Expansion Card can hold up to 4 ports. If you want to connect to a T1/PRI line, you will need to order a T1 interface card from Fonality.
Click to expand/collapse answer!Can I connect PBXtra to an Integrated Access T1?
If you have an integrated Access T1 line that supplies you with internet access and phone lines on the same circuit, you can connect those phone lines to PBXtra. If your existing IAD (T1 box) has RJ-11 ports on it, you can connect them to PBXtra Analog Line Ports using standard RJ-11 cables. If your IAD has both an incoming and outgoing T1 port, you can connect the outgoing port to a PBXtra T1/PRI interface card.
Click to expand/collapse answer!How do I install PBXtra?
Your PBXtra server and all associated hardware will arrive pre-configured and tested from Fonality. Once you have it in hand, your PBXtra server will need to be connected to the Internet via an Ethernet cable. You will also need to configure your PBXtra server to work on your network in accordance with our PBXtra Installation Guide" This will include assigning your PBXtra Server a static IP address, setting up and plugging in your phones, and then entering all of your user information for each phone extension. After that, you will need to configure how you want your PBXtra to handle your incoming calls through the Fonality Web-Admin tool. These last two steps, adding user information for each phone, and configuring your queues and call treatments, will require access to a PC on the internet with a web-browser (You can not use the PBXtra Server itself as it has no web-browser). That's it! If you have any issues with your installation, our Customer Care Team is just an email or a phone call away! Also, with each PBXtra shipment, we schedule an Installation and Training appointment to ensure that your server is set up correctly, to answer any of your remaining installation questions, and to show you how to use the most common features your new phone system.
Click to expand/collapse answer!How many extensions can I have?
PBXtra allows you to create unlimited extensions on your system! Note, the heavier the load on the server the more RAM the server needs. 256MB is fine for 1-5 extensions, and 512MB is recommended for more than 5 extensions.
Click to expand/collapse answer!Do I have to use VoIP with PBXtra?
PBXtra provides you with the ability to use VoIP-only, PSTN-only (Public Switched Telephone Network), or a combination of the two, with our revolutionary PSTN-Fallback feature.
Click to expand/collapse answer!What are my bandwidth requirements for VoIP?
VoIP calls require 90Kb for the first, and 64Kb (up and down) for each additional concurrent call. Most ordinary small office routers are capable of gracefully handling 5 simultaneous calls. While routers with QoS capabilities (recommended) handle around 20 calls per internet T1.
Careers::About Us::Contact Us::Terms and Conditions::Privacy Policy::Sitemap
© Fonality 2004-08
See PBXtra compared to the competition!
Fonality and trixbox are registered trademarks and PBXtra is a trademark of Fonality.
Asterisk is a registered trademark of Digium®, Inc.