I have setup quite a few VoIP systems using FreePBX (PIAF Mostly) but I never configured one for a T1 (I don’t know that much about how they work to be honest). Now a client has challenged me to setting up a T1 system for 4 voice channels and 1 fax line.
If you know of any good resources to read up on I would be appreciative. I have been reading everything I can find on Google but you never know what is “good” or “bad” advice when it comes to PBXs or even what really works.
Question 1:
I have never been to this clients location before so before I go research their current setup is there anything specifically that I should find out about their T1?
Question 2:
Based on what I think I know…
Would the following card be ideal and do I really need the “echo cancellation module”?
“1TE122BF One (1) span digital T1/E1/J1/PRI PCI 3.3/5.0V card and hardware echo cancellation”
Question 3:
In addition since they want to use a real fax machine and I want a little versatility I was going to go with the following analog card to run the fax off one of the 5 T1 voice channels. What do you think about my choice of the following and again is the HW echo cancellation highly desirable? “1TDM422EF
4 port modular analog PCI 3.3/5.0V card with 2 Station and 2 Trunk interfaces and HW Echo Can”
Using any type of circuit on a T1 for 4 lines makes no sense at all. A channelized t1 has 24 channels on it. This is not cost effective at all.
The first question you need to find out is what is running on the T1.
Is it a data T1 to the Internet, if so you will need to use an IP voice provider like Bandwidth.com and the fax will be problematic.
Is it an ISDN PRI line running on a T1? If so you will be using less than 20% of the capacity?
Is it a channelized T1 with some type of hybrid data/voice service?
Many questions need to be answered.
It might make sense if it’s a “flex” product that many of the providers offer (XO=IPFlex; Qwest=Qwestflex).
The only thing I would add to this is. Being your first install research what hardware is going to work with your distro the best so there isn’t too much compiling etc… required that might mean a digium card, or a sangoma? Stay away from any clone cards or anything with dodgy support.
I would recommend getting hardware echo cancellation its only a small cost in the grand scheme of things and far better to pay for it now, than deal with call quality complaints and try and fix it in a software echo cancellation tweaking it all the time.
Good Luck 
I believe this is going to be a channelized T1 with voice/data. I know it’s capable of more but C-Bell has been making a huge push for service like this in our area and the pricing is hard to beat.
Does the telco usually break the voice out to analog punch downs in these cases?
I am thinking the telco would be responsible for terminating the T1 to extrapolate the data and voice per the customers order.