Lab review: Altigen's AltiServ OfficePlus

Headnote

A mature, solidly designed PBX with excellent performance and top-notch enhanced features and options.

AltiGen Communications

Headquarters: 47427 Fremont Blvd, Fremont, CA 94538

Phone: [phone]

Homepage: ww.altigen.com

MSRP per station is $400-$700.

Architectural Overview: AltiServ Office Plus is a PC-based PBX at the high end of AltiGen Communications' AltiServ Office Suite. It's configurable for up to 160 users per system, and you can link together multiple chassis to get added users onto the system. The base package includes a 24-port Tl/PRI interface, 36 telephone extension support, 60 ports (expandable to 264 ports), and a 16 HiCap slot cabinet (twelve slots available for expansion). OfficePlus supports both traditional and IP telephones and web-based phone and configuration/call control clients. Relatively sophisticated voicemail/messaging and call center functionality come standard; a more powerful contact center upgrade is available.

For CT Labs' review, AltiGen was asked to provide a full, turnkey system that included support for trunk-side lines (analog FXO lines, Ti robbed bit, or ISDN PRI). And the system had to support analog FXS station-- side phone lines (a minimum of 16 was required).

For testing purposes, that OfficePlus server was connected to an Empirix (Waltham, MA-781-993-8500, www. empirix.com) Hammer IT Automated Call Generator, and to twelve station lines through a channel bank. It was also hooked up to a PC - which ran the webbased administrative interface and the end-user GUI programs - and three IP phones via Ethernet.

Ease of Installation: CT Labs reported that...