Grandstream UCM6308A Audio IP PBX, 1500 Users, 8 FXS + 8 FXO

Overview

The Grandstream UCM6308A is an office phone system (IP PBX) that runs in your own building rather than in the cloud. It handles voice calls, voicemail, instant messaging and audio meetings for up to 1500 users, and connects desk phones, cordless and Wi-Fi handsets and the Wave app alongside SIP trunks and analogue lines. It suits larger offices and multi-floor buildings that want a rack-mounted phone system and do not need video conferencing.

Is it right for you?

• It suits an organisation that needs calling, voicemail, menus (IVR), call queues and audio meetings, but not video meetings. For video conferencing the UCM6308 is the matching model.
• Up to 1500 users and 200 concurrent calls, so it covers a large office. The UCM6300A, UCM6302A and UCM6304A in the same series suit smaller user counts and fewer analogue ports.
• 8 analogue phone ports (FXS) and 8 landline ports (FXO), so it suits a place that keeps analogue phones, fax machines or landlines alongside IP phones.
• It is a 1U unit for a 19-inch rack or a desk, so plan a rack space or a shelf in the comms room.

Key features

• Up to 1500 users and 200 concurrent G.711 calls (150 with encrypted SRTP calls).
• 8 FXS and 8 FXO RJ11 ports with lifeline, so an analogue phone can still reach a landline during a power cut.
• Audio meetings with unlimited rooms, up to 9 simultaneous public rooms and 150 participants in total.
• Three Gigabit network ports in switched, routed or dual mode, with PoE+ and a NAT router mode, so the PBX can sit between your internet connection and the phone network.
• Call queues with skills-based distribution, IVR menus up to 64 layers deep and built-in instant messaging.
• Secure boot, a unique certificate per unit, a random default password and hot standby high availability, so a second unit can take over if the first fails.
• Codecs include Opus, G.711, G.722, G.722.1, G.722.1C, G.723.1, G.726-32, G.729A/B, iLBC and GSM, plus T.38 for fax; protocols include SIP, SRTP, TLS, LDAP, STUN, PPPoE, IPv6, OpenVPN and 802.1X. The system is based on Asterisk 16.
• 2 x USB 3.0 ports and an SD card slot, and a 128 x 32 dot matrix LCD with buttons on the front panel.

What else you need

• Phones for your users: SIP desk phones, cordless or Wi-Fi handsets, or the Wave app. Phones are a separate purchase.
• Outside lines: SIP trunks from a VoIP provider, which are a separate purchase, or analogue landlines on the FXO ports.
• A wired network with a free Gigabit port, and a 19-inch rack if you rack mount it.
• For staff working away from the office, a UCM RemoteConnect (UCMRC) plan.
• Power: 12 V DC 2 A on dual power jacks. Two adapters come with the unit.

Installation

An IT or telephony installer should set it up. The job is to mount the unit in a 19-inch rack or on a desk (485 x 187.2 x 46.2 mm, 1U, 2538 g), connect the network ports, analogue phones and landlines, then configure extensions, trunks, IVR menus, queues and voicemail through the web interface. Grandstream SIP phones can be provisioned with zero configuration. Keep the room between 0 and 45 °C.

Software and licences

• Web interface for local management, and GDMS (Grandstream Device Management System) for cloud management.
• Wave app for softphone users; UCM RemoteConnect (UCMRC) plans for remote users.
• API for CRM (customer relationship management) and hotel PMS (property management system) integration, and standard SIP for third-party phones and devices.

Before you buy

• This is the audio model: it has no video conferencing. Choose the UCM6308 if you need video meetings.
• Phones and SIP trunks are separate purchases.
• Remote users connect through UCM RemoteConnect plans.