Patton Interview Explains Why Gateways are "Set It and Forget It"

The timing was perfect when Patton dropped by the VoIP Supply office last week for a visit.

A webinar is airing on Tuesday, May 22nd that explains the symbiotic relationship between Patton gateways and 3CX VoIP phone systems.  Or, rather, how to get started with VoIP.

So with the event right around the corner, it was a great chance to bluntly ask Tyler Delin, Patton’s Product Manager, “Why should customers choose Patton?”   And instead of a canned response that their stuff “just works” (Well, he did say that but, more eloquently and with a deeper explanation), Delin told me more about the company than I thought I wanted to know.

The wealth of information he provided about Patton gateway performance should be a great resource in your VoIP solution search.   Delin also highlights Patton’s fierce commitment to customer service and support.

Don’t forget to register for the Complete Turn-Key IP PBX Solutions webinar.

VoIP Supply: What does Patton do, and Where is Patton located?

Tyler Delin, Patton Product Manager: Patton is a family-owned-and-operated business that was started in 1984 by the three Patton brothers while students in college.  Patton’s niche was making modems and connectivity products for the telecommunications industry. Over the years Patton has taken those simple beginnings and expanded into a manufacturing company that today employs more than 170 people and provides over 1,000 products, with a focus on VoIP and Ethernet extension technologies.  Today, Patton equipment is up-and-running in carrier, enterprise and industrial networks all over the world. We are headquartered right outside of Washington DC in the famous “technology corridor” and we have regional offices in strategic locations across the globe, with training and technical-support centers in Switzerland, Hungary, Italy, Lebanon, India and Vietnam.

VS: Where are your gateways made?

TD: We are proud to say that all of our SmartNode Gateways are manufactured right here in the USA. Our manufacturing plant is here in our Washington DC headquarters.  Our Smartware software, on the other hand, is actually developed by our team in Bern, Switzerland. So we can boast both Swiss Precision and Made in the USA. Doesn’t get much better than that Nathan!
VS: Why Patton? Can you tell us a little about what separates Patton from other gateway manufacturers?
TD: Our customers aren’t quiet about why they chose Patton. There are other great gateways out there, but time and time again they rave about the quality of this SmartNode product and our customer support.  Our customers will tell you they choose our gateways because they just work. Set it up. Forget about it. It just keeps working.

On top of this, I have to say people choose SmartNode because of our customer support team. These guys are absolutely phenomenal! They go above and beyond what they are called to do.  And by the way, customer support here at Patton is FREE for all of our channels, resellers and end users. Our customer support is truly unrivalled by any player in the industry.

VS: What is SmartNode?

A SmartNode is a gateway to voice-over-IP as it integrates IP and TDM communications.  Our most common applications are to connect traditional phones and PBX to a VoIP service provider (SIP Trunking) or the other way around where we are connecting an IP PBX to the PSTN.  A SmartNode is really just that. A smart-node. We like to say our SmartNode is “more than just talk” as they do more than just voice, we also offer models with an internal IP Router for QoS, VPN, etc.

VS: Why do Patton Gateways and 3CX phone systems work so well together?

TD: We have been partnering with 3CX since they first came onto the scene and ever since then we have been their preferred gateway.  Together we have set up 3CX phone system to actually auto provision our SmartNode Gateways for you. Gateways aren’t easy to configure and this tool proves to be really helpful if you aren’t familiar with gateways.  With 3CX, it’s quick and easy and the step-by-step process is on their web page for you. On top of this, it’s just the quality of our products and our customer support teams that really make us a great team and a wonderful solution for the marketplace.

VS: What other phone systems do you work with?

TD: SmartNode is interoperoperable with all major IP PBX, softswitch and VoIP Service Providers worldwide. To name a few: Microsoft Lync and OCS, Avaya, Asterisk, IBM Lotus Sametime, 3CX, Alcatel and Broadsoft. You can view most of our partners on our partners page.

VS: For evolving businesses, how future-proof are Patton solutions?

TD: Well there’s no point in making future-proof products unless your products are truly built to last. But since you can expect our products to stick around, it would be good to know that we are currently transitioning our entire SmartNode product line to IPv6 upgradeable hardware. In the next few weeks we are releasing our next generation T1/PRI series of Gateways (SN4990/4980/4970) and we plan to release our next generation analog FXS/FXO products by the end of the year or early next year. It’s also important to note that we offer our customer the ability to download updates to the SmartNode SmartWare software every 2 months completely free of charge.

VS: How do you handle pre- and post- sales support and what is the warranty?

TD: Anytime you call us from 8 AM to 5 PM EDT for a pre- or post- sales questions, our guys will be there to answer your questions free of charge. For additional charge, we can offer guaranteed response and remedy times as well as 24/7 support. We also offer time-based professional services including system design, installation, configuration and more.

All of our products have a 1 year warranty that comes included. At additional cost we also offer a 1 to 5 year Enhanced Warranty that offers you advanced replacement. It’s basically like having your own spare. If your unit goes down, your replacement will be shipped next-day priority at no cost to you.