I've posted some semi related questions before and i'm trying to nail down my answers a little better now to specifics.
At the moment I have only 2 VOIP lines via an OBitalk. However I need to plan for periodic VERY HEAVY usage with as many as 20 lines possibly at the same time. (I do not yet have the hardware VOIP adapters to plug in, though in meanwhile will probably just be computer based SIPphone type stuff if used before then if it matters) Therefore I was assuming as much as 2megabit of down and upload bandwidth needing to be reserved for this use when in effect. (my current connection is 25down/3up so I thought that was adequate)
The only problem is there is also cpu blasting (for the router) traffic like VPN and torrenting going on in the household as well. (due to a roommate)
My only real question is whether there is anything unique or special about the nature of VOIP traffic which would create any kind of problem, or need any kind of special consideration for a router to handle. (i'm guessing latency is issue #1, i'm hoping the load is not that substantial) The problem is with torrent/vpn use at the same time at least competing for upload space this may mess with VOIP.
Also I cant just flat reserve 66% of all upload bandwidth to my network of phones. Most of the time only one or two calls are even active, even when alot of phones would be hooked up the use would be very flexible. Roommates be mad at me wasting bandwidth i'm not even using. So even more so than normal simpler VOIP options i'm wanting to make sure I can implement rules like "when anything VOIP is coming in, it gets top priority traffic" while still dropping things like torrents to the bottom traffic, games to higher tier if someone is on the PS3, web browsing to tolerable usability even if the pipe is constantly saturated up and down, etc etc.
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Router software like pfSense or Sophos can be listed - I dont know much about either I just know of them. I'm looking for leads to read up on and investigate I just need to know the names to consider that can handle a small calling operation with lots of DID (direct inward dial) numbers needing answering. (this isnt telemarketing/spamming stuff its more periodic fundraising)
Suggested routing strategies please educate me - like i've heard of this 'bufferbloat' stuff which maybe explains why I had such problematic connections in the past, and how FQ Codel should fix it. Yet i've no clue if there are other methods, even better methods, what method is better for different types of connections/situations, etc. I'm still not even sure the difference between traffic shaping and traffic queueing for instance, what other terms do I need to learn while i'm at it?
Suggested hardware options that can preferably accept open source options - whether this is for dedicated x86 Atom boxes, or bare metal switches, or whatever. The VOIP is alot of channels but not too demanding, I can either run firewall/routing/QoS all on the switch, or I can run some simple 3-5 port method and then split the VOIP lines with a 24 port fast ethernet switch that way. (which I already have and originally got for this purpose, though I wouldn't mind replacing it with a gigabit one) I'm not fixed or picky on how best to set this up... ie cascading routers and switches vs some rack mount all in one.
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