Draytek VigorIPPBX 2820 review
We review the Draytek VigorIPPBX 2820 to see if its combined router and IP PBX capabilities make life easier than buying two separate products.
This device's IP PBX feature set is ideal for a small office. Although it's not as powerful or flexible as advanced dedicated IP PBX systems, it's incredibly simple to set up and did everything we asked of it. Call quality was excellent and we had no problem using it with our usual VoIP phones and softphones. The Vigor's capabilities as a router are as simple and effective as its IP PBX features. There's remarkably little on market to compare it to, as this is the first device we've seen from a major manufacturer to combine a router with an IP PBX. At around £370, it costs a little over twice as much as Draytek's standard Vigor 2820 router. Although it may be possible to buy a similarly specified dedicated IP PBX appliance and a separate router for a little less, configuration will certainly not be as simple as it has proved to be with the VigorIPPBX.
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.
-
Kaseya targets IT efficiency with new AI-powered toolsThe cyber security firm unveiled its new Kaseya 365 Ops and Kaseya SIEM offerings at its Connect 2025 event in Las Vegas
-
AWS to give AI skills to 100,000 people in the UK by 2030Cloud giant wants to inspire the next Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace with an AI-training initiative that pulls government, business, and education together
-
Cyber defenders need to remember their adversaries are human, says Trellix research headThere's a growing overlap between nation-state actors and cybercriminals, but these attackers are real people who make mistakes
