Frequently Asked Questions

If you are considering upgrading to Sangoma hardware, here are some answers to some common preliminary questions. If you don't find what you are looking for, just ask.

I have a legacy PBX. I want to move to a VoIP system, such as Asterisk or 3CX. Do I need to replace all of my analog phones and rewire my office? I don't want to incur that expense.
No. You just need to buy enough FXS modules to support the number of analog phones that you have and you can use your old phones with your new system. However, if you have a proprietary digital system, you will need to deploy the new VoIP system in front of your existing solution. Then configure the existing system's dialplan to forward calls from the old system to the new one.

The set up would look like this:
telco lines ↔ Sangoma card ↔ New VoIP PBX ↔ sangoma card ↔ legacy PBX ↔ legacy phones
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Do the cards support fax? How does the hardware handle faxing?
Yes. Sangoma was the first in our industry to develop a reliable faxing solution over analog or analog and T1/E1 lines.
Sangoma's reliable faxing solution works so well because Sangoma makes sure that the 1s and 0s coming into our T1/E1 cards are at the exact same rate as the 1s and 0s going out of the analog cards.

If you plan to use Sangoma's T1/E1 and Analog fax solution, please remember to ask for a Sangoma Fax Synch Cable with your order. Learn more about Sangoma's Fax Solution.
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Do I need to purchase a dedicated fax line from my telecom service provider?
No. If you are using Asterisk, enable the fax-detect option to have faxes automatically detected and routed to a pre-determined analog port. If your VoIP software does not detect faxes automatically, simply route a DID number to a specific analog port.

Finally, if you do not have DIDs, you can point a certain extension to an analog port. This is not ideal; however, as the person sending the fax, must listen to your IVR system then enter the extension–which most fax machines do not support.
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What form factor are your cards?
Our cards have a 1U form factor and are shipped with a full-height (2U) bracket installed, with an optional half height, or 1U bracket included. Our cards fit in 1U servers.
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Do you have PCIe cards?
Yes. All of our voice cards come in both PCI or PCIe (PCI Express), and virtually all of our data cards are available in both PCI and PCIe, as well.
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Are the cards PRI?
The hardware works over T1/E1/J1 lines. The software application running on top handles the actual PRI communications. We work with PRI and any other telco signaling method, like SS7, ISDN (BRI, PRI), MFC/R2, etc.
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Is there an issue in _____________ Server? Will it work in my server?
Yes. There are no known compatibility issues. The cards do not run any better in one server over another.
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Will Sangoma cards function in my PCIe Bus?
Yes, all Sangoma cards work in 1x, 4x, 8x, 16x, PCIe busses, because we use a 1x interface which is compatible with all PCI Express interfaces.
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Is there any difference in performance between PCI and PCIe?
No. Functionality and performance is the same.
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If I buy a Sangoma card with PCI connection, is it true that the same card works in both 3.3 V or 5 V PCI busses?
Yes.
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Can I add a hardware echo canceller at a later date?
No. Echo Cancellation is not one of our many field upgradeable features. You will need to purchase a new card.
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Where can I buy Sangoma hardware?
Sangoma sells mainly through its distribution network. Click here to find a reseller in your area.
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How do I become a Sangoma Reseller or Solutions Partner/Integrator?
Apply to the Empowered by Sangoma channel partner program, by clicking here.
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Do your cards run on Windows®?
Yes. In addition to including a low-level Windows® API with all of our hardware, customers can purchase NetBorder Express Gateway Cards, or NetBorder Express Gateway Software as a hardware add on, directly from Sangoma. When you use the NetBorder Express Gateway along with your favorite IP PBX application, you can translate SIP to TDM using the NetBorder Express PRI stack along with Sangoma's Windows® API. Contact Center customers can also choose to run the full NetBorder Suite from our subsidiary Paraxip on Windows along with Sangoma hardware. Click here for a matrix of currently supported software solutions.
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Do your cards work with my software?
Again, the short answer is yes. Sangoma offers a series of APIs that allow you to integrate our hardware with your software. It depends on what sort of integration and features you are looking for. If you simply wish to know whether our hardware is supported with a number of popular applications, please click here. If you would like to talk about features you require, contact .
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What do you mean by "crash-proof" field upgradeable firmware?
This means that Sangoma's cards have a backup ROM. When you upgrade your firmware, if your machine crashes, all is not lost. The card can be recovered using a standard jumper across the two pin connectors on the card. However, if you experience a difficulty in your firmware upgrade, be sure to review the Sangoma Wiki.
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How your products help me create a SoftPBX?
Perhaps this diagram will help you understand where our cards fit into your PBX project.
SoftPBX
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Where can I find answers to my more technical questions?
Try the technical support FAQ page located here, read the Sangoma wiki - a resource for engineers, by engineers, or feel free to contact us with your technical questions directly. We'll put you in touch with an engineer that can help.

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