TIPS 2 PBX's one internet router

[Hometech]

Hi have a question How would you set up two separate Pbxes on one router. I have one for Business and a second for home. I am moving and both switches will be on the same internet router single IP. My concern is port forwarding (5060) how would I point the ports to both pbx computers? I am using vitelity. Any suggestions?

 

[wardmundy]

Simple. Don't redirect any ports from your router to either PBX. So long as you enter your external IP and local net settings in SIP Settings on BOTH PBXs, you shouldn't have any trouble using registered trunks with Vitelity. Works the same way as multiple people on your LAN using browsers to access content on the Internet. The return traffic will find its way back to the correct originator.

 

[Hometech]

Thanks Ward ! I forgot to mention my home pbx has Anveo Direct service as well I don't believe it registers is there a workaround for them?

 

[matthew]

If you're having weird issues, you can connect all external trunks to one PBX. It will be the gateway (or voice router, if you prefer). Create a trunk from it to the other PBX. On the gateway, route calls to/from the other PBX. In other words, one PBX sits behind the other.

Otherwise, I agree with @wardmundy; there's no need to forward ports to your PBX. The basic idea is your trunks will contact the SIP provider regularly, keeping the firewall ports open specifically to the SIP provider's server, meaning you don't have to manage inbound firewall rules. You don't want to open 5060 allowing inbound access from *everybody* if you don't really need to.

 

[MikeD]

From my experience with multiple SIP devices behind a NAT-ing firewall is that it depends on the router. Most mass-market routers have a built-in SIP proxy feature called SIP-ALG. Sometimes this feature is exposed in the router's administration and sometimes not. It also seems that some of the early versions of this proxy were broken and the only way to get a single device to work was to disable it.

I use a TP-LINK Archer C7 and it seems to work fine with multiple SIP devices behind it. It does not expose the control of the proxy nor mention its existence anywhere I can find. For even more sophisticated deployments, I really like pfSense+sipproxd as it gives me a lot of control over inbound and outbound connections.

I have encouraged Tim Higgins over at http://smallnetbuilder.com to include SIP testing in future reviews as this feature is critical if you want to be able to have a phone and fax or two PBXs behind your router.

Mike