3CX v16 tests on the Raspberry Pi 3B + and WebMeeting update

Testing micro PBX on Raspberry Pi 3B +

When we are developing a corporate IP PBX, of course, it is interesting to add more functions for companies of medium and large businesses. But, you see, strong muscles work well only on a strong skeleton. The quality of the product architecture is more important than the pleasant colors in online reports. And this quality is manifested just on systems with minimal hardware capabilities.

We decided to find out how 3CX v16 turned out to be undemanding to hardware, and we launched it on Raspberry Pi. The system passed various tests, the results of which we hasten to share.


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Installing the v16 Raspberry Pi on is quite simple and is described in this guide . As said, you will need:

• Device - Raspberry Pi 3B +
  
• Memory card - 32 + GB Class 10 Micro SD with an access speed of at least 10 Mb / s.
  
• Case - compatible with Raspberry Pi, preferably with a radiator and fan cooling.
  
• Power supply - compatible with Raspberry Pi, 2.5 A, Micro USB.
  

A similar kit is offered, for example, on Aliexpress for $ 54.



Why do we recommend a fan kit? It turned out that the long-term operation of PBX with a decent load noticeably warms the device, especially if “heavy” codecs are used. Therefore, if your organization expects active work of PBX or quite a lot of mobile users with G729 and OPUS codecs, be sure to install a radiator and / or fan.

Although at first we feared that the Raspberry Pi would not “pull” a more or less serious installation, 3CX showed excellent results for systems up to about 32 users.

• CPU load - from 4% with inactivity up to 46% at the peak, with an average load in the region of ~ 23.7%. This suggests a well-optimized 3CX code.
  
• Memory consumption - from 32% with inactivity to moderate 38% under load. Another confirmation of the excellent quality of the code.
  
• Network load - an improved Gigabit Ethernet controller is installed in the Pi 3B + with an effective speed of ~ 224 Mbps. The average flow with 8 simultaneous calls is ~ 1.5 Mbps, i.e. load is less than 1%. Of course, a lot depends on the quality of your network and the voice codecs used.
  
• Power consumption - if the average server on the X86-64 architecture consumes about 20.4 kWh per day, the Raspberry Pi consumes the same amount per year!
  
• Temperature mode - without the use of a radiator or fan, the temperature sensor Pi showed 47.2 ° C with inactivity and up to 59.5 ° C under full load. The average operating temperature is 52.5 ° C.
  

Where can I use PBX for $ 54

After testing we can say that with the right cooling this baby will serve you for many years. Currently, the recommended usage scenario is a system for 8 simultaneous calls and 16-32 users. On an IP phone, each user can be configured, on average, up to 8 BLF indicators (their number affects the load on the SIP stack 3CX and the embedded web server). Imagine where 3CX can come in handy on a Raspberry Pi +:

• PBX business class for a small company, allowing to communicate with each other not only employees but also their families - from anywhere in the world.
  
• Branches of a large company, each of which needs a full-fledged local PBX in case of loss of communication with the head office PBX.
  
• PBX for a residential house, whose residents will be able to use applications for iOS and Android, and connect the call panel (SIP intercom) to the system.
  
• ATS educational institution for communication staff, teachers and even student learning.
  
• A small hotel offering interesting features of the hotel PBX .
  

Bonus And if something went wrong, you can quickly put the PBX in your pocket and carry it with you!

Video tutorial on installing 3CX v16 on Raspberry Pi.

3CX WebMeeting Update - Now 50 Times Faster

Improved conference features

The latest update of the web conferencing platform 3CX WebMeeting offers new conference features, enhanced voice quality and additional MCU servers for your convenience.

The conference's “Flipchart” (“Whiteboard”) now provides smoother and more accurate drawing, depending on the degree of depression. Users of tablets and laptops with touchscreen displays will appreciate this feature. Also, when you hover over an object, for example, in the panel of conference participants, it is highlighted - convenient.



“Signal level” disappeared from WebMeeting interface. It is replaced by small notifications that appear when the low speed of your communication channel causes a deterioration in video quality. Thanks to the notifications you can understand the causes of the problem and take action. If you are interested in more detailed information about the quality of the connection, go to the 3CX WebMeeting “Settings”> “Network” to see the advanced statistics.

Improving the quality of service

Now we have about 100,000 web conferencing per month in which 150,000 people participate. To expand service coverage and increase reliability, we move 3CX WebMeeting servers to Google and Amazon infrastructure.

Conference data (records, statistics), which are stored for a short time, are placed in the European data center Google. This provides reliability, safety and additional technological advantages. The web conferencing servers (MCUs) are hosted on Amazon infrastructure around the world. This ensures proximity to end users and excellent performance. MCU WebMeeting is currently located in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Russia, South Africa, Singapore, UK, USA, Vietnam and India. Wherever you are, 3CX automatically tries to offer the server closest to you.

OPUS codec for voice conference participants

One of the objective reasons for the popularity of WebMeeting - great sound quality. In the latest update, we connected the adaptive, high-quality OPUS codec for users who participate in the conference only with voice. Previously used codec G.722, which does not work well in mobile networks. Of course, other voice codecs are supported if the participant connects from an IP phone.

Record processing and report generation 50 times faster

In this update, we also accelerated the processing of videoconferencing records and the final generation of reports. Our statistics say that a 1-hour conference with 4 participants using audio and video is additionally processed approximately 50 minutes after completion. Only after that the link to the conference recording (.mp4 file) will be sent to the organizer's e-mail. Now the post-processing takes 1-3 minutes. depending on the installed options and video quality.

→ Complete change log