Draytek VigorIPPBX 2820 review

Under Applications, you can configure Dynamic DNS settings, which allow you to point a domain at your network, even if your ISP doesn't provide you with a fixed IP address - a number of popular free and paid-for DDNS services are supported. The Schedule settings allow you to configure your internet connection to be available at specific times. Other Applications menus cover RADIUS settings, UPnP, Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) options for multicast groups, and Wake on LAN.

Still more configuration screens allow you to set up multiple PVCs (Permanent Virtual Circuits), load balancing profiles, static route configuration and connection details for up to four VLANs. There are comprehensive VPN configuration options for PPTP, IPSec, L2TP and even ISDN Dial-In protocols. A Certificate Management menu allows you to generate and import digital certificates for additional security.

The meat of the IP telephony settings are dealt with in the IP PBX configuration screens. We were impressed by the ease of set up thanks to a range of helpful wizards and options menus. The device comes with a voucher for £2 of credit with Draytel, Draytek's own VoIP provider, which means you can make sure your IP PBX is functioning properly before committing to a provider. Setting up a Draytel SIP line is remarkably simple. When you sign up for the service, you're provided with all the information you need - all you have do is enter it into the SIP Trunk settings under the IP PBX Line Management options.

When we created a new SIP Trunk connection it automatically generated default values for its SIP local
port and Proxy Port, leaving us to type in the information from our provider, such as our Display Name, Account Number and Authentication ID. You're not limited to using Draytel - various SIP providers are supported, including Gizmo Project, Call1899 and Call18866. If you wish to use another provider, as with any IP PBX, you should always either contact them or check their website for a list of supported devices and follow the configuration guidelines they will supply.