Polycom VSX700 - QUAD BRI or IMUX?

[Essen]

Total newbie here, so apologies for any poor use of terminology or lack of knowledge!
I'm looking to set this system up in our boardroom and get 4 ISDN 2e piped in to use the higher bandwidth(512kbps). As far as I understood I required a quad bri module to connect the 4 ISDN lines to, however a friend says that I need an IMUX. Isnt a quad bri module an IMUX?!?!
I've priced a quad bri module for the vsx7000 @ £970 and an IMUX comes in at £1,480, so what is the difference between the two and what do I need?
Any help with this greatly appreciated, many thanks.

Essen

[Entropy3XD]

Yes, the quad BRI module for the Polycom is an IMUX. If you were using a serial interface on the Polycom then you would need an external IMUX, such as the Adtran 512.

[Essen]

Thanks for that. At the moment we have it set up through ethernet in the board room going into our switches and through our cisco PIX. Our ISDN lines are terminated in the comms room which, while being just through the wall arent very easy to connect to. So ideally we'd like to get an external imux that we can keep in the comms room and then have an ethernet connection from comms room to the floor port that we currently use. Is this do-able? Will the adtran 512 work on europe isdn? Will the Polycom ViewStation 512 IMUX do this for me? sorry for so many questions!

[Entropy3XD]

Thanks for that. At the moment we have it set up through ethernet in the board room going into our switches and through our cisco PIX. Our ISDN lines are terminated in the comms room which, while being just through the wall arent very easy to connect to. So ideally we'd like to get an external imux that we can keep in the comms room and then have an ethernet connection from comms room to the floor port that we currently use. Is this do-able?

If you wish to have ISDN connectivity in the comm room and provide an ethernet circuit to the codec you are getting into the world of gateways and gatekeepers, which may not be cost effective for you unless you have several H.323 codecs in your facility. Without a gateway, by putting the IMUX in the comm room you will still need to get the serial cable to the codec room by running a 530/449/366 cable. There are distance limitations to the serial cable, so fiber drivers may be needed, which also increases cost. The easiest solution would be to simply run the BRI lines from the comm room to the conference room. If you already have CAT5 runs for ethernet run between the rooms you could use those lines for BRI connectivity instead.

Will the adtran 512 work on europe isdn?
Yes. The Adtran 512 can be ordered with either a S/T or U interface. Most of the world typically uses S/T, while America (and parts of Japan) usually use U.

Will the Polycom ViewStation 512 IMUX do this for me? The Viewstation 512 IMUX will not work with the VSX7000. If you wish to use the Viewstation 512 instead of the VSX7000, you could put the Viewstation 512 "brick" IMUX in the comm room, then run a single cable from the IMUX to the codec. This is more difficult to do with the VSX7000 as the IMUX is built into the subwoofer.

sorry for so many questions!
No reason to apologize for questions. This is why we are all here.

[MACC the AVCOtek]

There is no direct ISDN connection to the VSX7000 which is why the 512 IMUX will not work. The Quad-BRI module actually plugs into the subwoofer of the VSX7000 (which is also the power supply). The sub then plugs into the VSX7000 codec via a proprietary connection.

So, for ISDN connectivity for the VSX7000 you need between 1 and 4 ISDN-U lines and 1 VSX7000 subwoofer with 1 Quad-BRI module.

Hope this helps!

[Entropy3XD]

The Adtran 512 does work with the VSX7000, however, you would need the serial interface blade instead of the BRI interface blade on the subwoofer. You would typically use the Adtran 512 when there is no direct ISDN connection to the codec (or for secure ops), but you still have to have serial capability. If you have direct ISDN connections to the codec and do not have a need for secure operations, there really is no reason to use the Adtran 512. For non-secure ISDN like Essen's scenario, one would most likely be better off using the BRI blade and simply running the BRI lines to the the IMUX on the subwoofer.

[Essen]

Thanks guys, you've been a big help. I've tried phoning some uk resellers and all I've been getting is "we'll get someone to phone you back".
We have enough floor ports I think to just use the cat5 floor ports for the ISDN after installing the quad bri module. This wil also prevent me having to knock holes in walls while still making it look "pretty".

The only other issue I can think of is maybe distance, while its physically only a few feet between the ports and the ISDN termination, logically it could be much longer, but hopefully not!

Essen

[Entropy3XD]

Typical maximum distance for CAT5 is about 100 meters, so you should be fine.