02 — Network
The network, built for the phones and watched after we leave.
Most call-quality problems are network problems. We design, install and manage the firewall, switches and Wi-Fi so the phones, the computers and the card terminals all get what they need.
What we manage
From the internet circuit to the last access point.
The edge
- Routers and firewalls
- Business-grade equipment we specify, configure and keep updated, with voice traffic prioritized so calls stay clear when someone is uploading a file.
- Internet circuits
- We deal with the provider: ordering, troubleshooting, and the call when the line is down.
- Failover
- A second circuit or cellular backup that takes over on its own when the primary drops.
Inside the office
- PoE switching
- Switches that power the phones and access points, configured correctly for voice rather than left on defaults.
- Wi-Fi design
- Access points placed for coverage where people actually work, with a separate guest network that cannot see yours.
- Cabling standards
- Labeled runs, a patch panel that makes sense, and a written map of which jack goes where.
After installation
- Monitoring
- The equipment reports in. When a circuit, switch or access point drops, we know.
- Firmware and changes
- Updates, new devices, new staff, a moved desk: handled through the same agreement.
- On-site work
- On site across Long Island, to a written plan and our own standards.
Why the phone company should run the network
The phones are the best diagnostic tool in the building.
Every desk phone measures its own calls: jitter, packet loss, where the trouble started. On a recent call about choppy audio, that data pointed past the phone service to a PoE switch in the closet producing collisions in its managed configuration. A phone-only provider would have stopped at “our service is fine.”
- Call-quality data from every phone, by location
- Registration drops that point to a failing switch port
- Patterns that line up with a circuit or Wi-Fi problem
- One firm that can see both sides and fix either
How it is run
Specified, configured and changed on purpose.
- 01
Specified by us
We choose equipment we know how to support and that will still be supported in five years. No mystery boxes from the internet provider left in charge.
- 02
Configured for voice
Quality of service, VLANs and switch settings are set with the phones in mind, because voice is the first thing to suffer on a bad network.
- 03
Changed after hours
Firewall replacements and cutovers happen when the office is closed, with a rollback plan if anything misbehaves.
What we document
A network someone else could pick up tomorrow.
Most offices cannot say who has the firewall password. Every network we manage has a current written record, and it belongs to you.
- Diagram
- How the office is wired: circuit, firewall, switches, access points and what hangs off each.
- Equipment
- Every device by model, serial, location, firmware and warranty date.
- Access
- Admin logins held securely, provider account numbers, and who is authorized to call them.
- Addressing
- Networks, VLANs, reserved addresses and the devices that need them.
Under the same agreement
Start with an assessment
Let’s walk your office.
We map the phones, network, computers and accounts, and hand you a written picture of what you have and what we would change. Then you decide.