At a cost of around 3000 for a pair of units, Viper is an IP router which also supports voice phone calls via an optional card. The units chosen were a host, which takes two lines for the PBX in Manchester, and a client which allows two handsets to be connected in High Wycombe. Although VoIP is sometimes seen as a complicated technology, Shields says that the Viper route was actually very simple. In fact, just about the only major installation problem was when he brought the host router to High Wycombe instead of the client one. Fortunately, the mix-up was solved easily be removing the VoIP cards and swapping then through the post.
Viper fragments the other data streams as a voice call comes online.
According to Paxdata, this ensures that information packets are not crammed nose to tail, which allows Viper to prioritise the voice traffic. The result is that Shields and his colleagues now have a direct connection to the company's internal telephone system. This means the leased line has saved the cost of all the PSTN voice calls that used to travel between the offices in Manchester and High Wycombe, as well as saving the expense of the ISDN line. However, Shields says this was not the deciding factor in the company's choice. It solves the problem of call volume in a cost-effective way as we have a receptionist in Manchester who can answer them.