I have about 50 seperatly billed telephone numbers and I am trying to
find a router that will accept a t1 line in to the router and then
turn around and send the calls out over the internet or a WAN so I can
plug in a digital phone and answers the calls.  I can then save money
by turning my 50 lines into DID's traveling over the t1.

My call volume never exceeds 5 or 6 calls coming in at the same time.

1)Will the cisco 2651 xm router work for what I need?
2)If not what will?
3)If it will work, Is that the most cost effective way for me to achieve my goal?

Thank you

antsta-ga 

I have consulted a contact of mine who is a Cisco Certified
Internetwork Expert (CCIE) and does network and security consulting
for a living. The answer to your questions are as follows:

Will the cisco 2651 xm router work for what I need?
Yes, assuming digital phone is Cisco IP Phone 

If it will work, is that the most cost effective way for me to achieve my goal? 
If call volume is low either of the following will be a more optimal solution:

Cisco 2611XM Multiservice Router
--------------------------------
Driven by a powerful CPU processor along with high-performance DSPs
and auxiliary processors on various interfaces, the Cisco 2600 Series
supports advanced QoS, security, and network integration features
required in today's evolving branch offices.
The Cisco 2611XM Multiservice Router provides a 1-network module slot
platform with 2 fixed 10/100BaseT Ethernet port(s), 2 integrated WIC
slots, and 1 Advanced Integration Module (AIM) slot, with performance
up to 20Kpps.
(http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/routers/ps259/ps4830/index.html)

A comparison with other routers in the same series can be found at
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/routers/ps259/products_data_sheet09186a00800c3263.html

An interactive model of this router can be found at
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/routers/ps259/prod_presentation0900aecd800b1db2.html

These models generally cost around $1700 USD/unit
(http://www.shopricom.com/page.jsp?p=171), though you can get them
considerably cheaper refurbished or used.

Cisco 1760 Modular Access Router
--------------------------------
The Cisco 1760 Modular Access Router offers small to medium sized
businesses and small enterprise branch offices a 19-inch rack-mount
access solution designed to embrace the productivity benefits of
business applications. A modular router optimized for multi-service
integration of voice, video, data and fax traffic, the Cisco 1760
provides businesses with the most complete functionality and
flexibility to deliver secure Internet and Intranet access. The router
offers a wide array of WAN access options, Voice over IP,
high-performance routing with Quality of Service, inter-virtual LAN
routing, and VPN access with firewall options. Powered by Cisco IOS,
the Cisco 1760 allows simplified management and traffic
prioritization, ensuring that the most strategic business and
time-sensitive applications perform as expected.
- Entry-Level 19-inch rack-mount access solution for small to
medium-sized businesses and small enterprise branch offices
- A modular router optimized for multi-service voice/video/data/fax integration 
- Offers a wide array of WAN access options, VoIP, high-performance
routing, VLAN routing, and VPN access
(http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/routers/ps221/ps227/index.html)

An interactive model of this router can be found at
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/routers/ps221/prod_presentation0900aecd800b1dac.html

A data sheet for the router can be found at
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/routers/ps221/products_data_sheet09186a00800920f2.html

These models generally cost around $1179 USD/unit
(http://www.insight.com/site/product/detail/index.cfm?item_number=CISCO1760&norelocate=1),
though again, you can get them considerably cheaper refurbished or
used.

I hope this helps, feel free to ask for clarifications.

Tox-ga

---

Request for Answer Clarification by antsta-ga on 11 Jun 2004 22:43 PDT

Thank you,

It's nice to know I don't have to spend $10,000 + on what I need to do...

I just have a small clarification... When you said :
    "If call volume is low either of the following will be a more
optimal solution:"

By OPTIMAL did you mean Less expensive or better all-around hardware
for what I need?

Thank you, now all I have to do is find my own cisco expert to set it up...

---

Clarification of Answer by tox-ga on 11 Jun 2004 22:48 PDT

antsta-ga,
By optimal, I mean that your original router choice, the Cisco 2651 XM
router, is simply much more powerful than your need. The router
choices I offered you are more suitable for your needs. Unless you
forsee a large growth in your call volume, it is not necessary to use
this higher-end router.

I hope this helps, feel free to ask for more clarifications.

Tox-ga