Hi Michael,
I will try to answer your questions as best as I can
What I cannot figure out is how the UC 540/560 hooks up to the VoIP service. Am I correct in that it is a simple as plugging an ethernet cable into the unit just like plugging one into a computer and it picks up the VoIP traffic which is directed to my public IP number through the appropriate port? Or do I need some additional hardware?
This depends on how your WAN connection works, if Comcast provide you a router that works via Ethernet, then you plug this directly into the WAN port of the UC-540/560 and use CCA to configure it with the WAN credentials that Comcast give you, normally/typically this is a Static IP assignment with no need for PPPoE authentication (With most cable systems)
The UC-500 will prioritize the VoIP traffic for you when you use CCA to configure the machine, you can control this in the same section you put your ITSP provider details in (Your VoIP provider that is), so when you create the SIP trunk in CCA, you can also designate the WAN priority for the VoIP traffic so that voice takes precedence over data, which is also highly recommended and encouraged as well
One point that confuses me is the option for either 4 FXO prots or 2 BRI ports. I cannot tell from the documentation is this is the input rather than an ethernet jack. If so, I am not sure which one I would need.
This is only relevant if you are going through traditional carrier services, unless of course your ITSP (VoIP provider) is giving you some form of VoDSL (Voice Over DSL) type service that has a termination unit before the system, and they then require you to terminate this using a voice card on the UC, however you still need to choose an option and no matter what I would highly recommend and encourage you to go down the 2BRI path as FXO lines are just woeful to use and severely limit you to the functionality of the system due to the inherent nature of FXO lines.
One last question. The 540 has 10/100 ethernet ports while the 560 has 10/100/1000 ethernet ports. If I am running gigbit ethernet on my office network over a network swich, would a 540 slow things down to 10/100?
Yes and No... I know not a clear answer, but this depends on how your network topology is going to look, if you are wanting to go pure unified communications and router your computer network through the back of the phones, then you may one to go Gig-E all the way, but then this poses another problem for you You will need to purchase Gig-E phones and there is not a lot of them in the SPA-500 series to choose from that are fully supported or even officially supported as of yet.
So my recommendation is, make sure there is 2X RJ-45 jacks at each work station, one for the phone and one for the PC, the PC's connect directly into a Gig-E switch and the phones can connect to either a SF-300 or an SG-300 switch, the latter being a Gigabit based switch. However this increases your base costs as you have to have two separate switches and more RJ-45 ports have to be catered for at every work station, but it does allow you to put some robustness into the network, it truly comes down to how you wish for the network to perform and what you want to try and achieve with it as to what flavor you choose to move forward with
There... Either I helped you out or just confused you even more LOL
Keep asking questions on here, I am sure others would be willing to throw their quarter into the mix
Cheers,
David Trad.
Cheers,
David Trad.
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