ABSTRACT
Keyphones from 3COM / NBX (Andover, MA - 978-749-0000, www.3com.com) are beautiful examples of the industrial designers craft: Any one of these curved, asymmetrical shaped sets can stand on its own as modern art. Arrayed on the right-side of the phone, the familiar line keys with BLF indicators assure us that we are looking at a key phone. However, if you felt that NBX was suggesting more than just a key phone, your intuition would be right Trace the RJ-45 line back to its source and you’re looking at an ordinary 10-baseT hub, not a KSU! Of course, extraordinary technology is at work here. With the NBX 100 Communication System, the wizards at NBX Corp have managed to turn
Key system ) a key phone into a device on an Ethernet network - it’s got its own lowlevel Ethernet address - a device which transmits/receives IP packets holding digitized, compressed voice. DSPs and proprietary technology assure smooth flow of data and voice over your existing shared or switched network. Of course, normal rules of LAN segmentation apply here: a heavily used NT file server should be on its own stretch of wire.
