Here are answers to the most frequently asked questions about the Reynwood MCS service.  If you don't find your question here, call or e-mail us and we'll send you an answer right away.

Business Questions

Q. What is Reynwood MCS?
A. Reynwood MCS is IP Converged Service from Reynwood. It consolidates local and long distance calling and data communications on one IP network. That means that your company’s communication network is greatly simplified, saving you money on equipment, personnel and changes. 

Q. How much bandwidth do I get?
A. With MCS, the bundle you choose determines the bandwidth you get. The basic small business bundle is delivered on a T1. The whole T1 is available for use. As phone calls are made, the bandwidth is shared between data and voice.

Q. Do I get free equipment?
A. Reynwood installs, maintains and owns an Integrated Access Device (IAD) that’s located on your premise. Clients may use their existing analog or Reynwood approved IP phone equipment from various manufacturers or Reynwood integration partners.

Q. Do I have to purchase hardware?
A. You can start to use MCS without any capital investment by using your existing analog phones. Reynwood provides the Integrated Access Device (IAD) for your office. To get more advanced features, like an LCD display, you may wish to purchase and install IP phones.

Q. Can I use regular phones and fax machines?
A. Yes. You can start with analog phones and Reynwood will provide you with port adapters on the Integrated Access Device. As you desk phones need replacement, simply replace them with an appropriate IP handset (available from various manufacturers) to get an even more user-friendly features from your system.

Q. Do I require any special software on my computer to use this service?
A. A computer or software is not required to use your phone. However, Premium Users have access to their phone features through a Web portal, using their current Web browser. The Web portal allows users to personalize calling features without the need to remember cumbersome flash and star enabled codes.

Q. Will I have a seamless transition to Reynwood MCS?
A. Integration of the IAD (Integrated Access Device) into your network provides a seamless migration path from your traditional voice and broadband services.

Q. Do I have to cut everything over at once?
A. No. You can migrate your services over to Reynwood in phases. In many cases, we recommend this approach to ensure a smooth transition.

Q. Will I be down for any length of time during setup?
A. In most cases there will be minimal downtime. There may be a brief interruption on Internet service while Reynwood installs the Integrated Access Device (IAD).

Q. Will we be able to keep our current phone numbers?
A. Yes, Reynwood supports local number portability, which allows you to keep your current phone numbers.

Q. Are my calls sent over the internet?
A. With MCS, calls do not travel across the public Internet. Instead, they are on high-quality carrier lines just like any other phone call. Reynwood uses voice-over-IP only between a point of presence (POP) and the customer premise.

Q. Is this the same as a PC phone?
A. No. PC phones that allow you to make “free” calls are meant for residential use and do not meet a business’s quality requirements. Plus, they do not have the voicemail and call handling features that businesses need. Reynwood ’s service is business quality!!

Q. Will the voice quality ever seem 'choppy?’
A. Voice quality is comparable to that of your existing phone service. The Integrated Access Device uses a Quality of Service algorithm to mark and prioritize voice packets for transmission over the T1. (We also have QoS across our IP network to ensure signaling and gateway traffic.)

Q. Can I make calls to any phone?
A. Of course! Call anyone, anytime, anywhere. Your domestic interstate calls are free unless you exceed your free minutes. International calls are billed at competitive long-distance rates.

Q. If my internet connection fails, will my phone system go down?
A. Reynwood ’s service level objective is to provide 100% availability. Reynwood owns and manages a highly redundant nationwide backbone network to minimize the possibility of service failure. However, just like traditional voice service, a local loop failure can cause the phone system to go down. Reynwood delivers service over proven and reliable T1 local loops. Additional options are available. SRTS (Survivable Remote Telephony System) requires additional lines be brought in from the LEC.

Q. Do I pay a separate long distance company?
A. No. MCS includes long-distance service. Not only do you receive a generous number of free minutes, you also get a very competitive per-minute rate if you exceed your free minutes.

Q. What are the phone system features?
A. MCS gives you the features you need for a business phone system, including voicemail, automated attendants, call transfer, drop and hold, call forwarding, 3-way conferencing, redial, caller-ID and more. Check out or Features page for complete details.

Q. Can I get a calling card?
A. Yes, long distance calling cards are available.

Q. How do I hook up new employees?
A. All you have to do is make a quick call to Reynwood to add another phone and program the IP address in to that phone. Everything else is handled via the web.

Q. What if I have fewer than 8 employees?
A. If you need the full T1 bandwidth for Internet access and you make a lot of long-distance calls, MCS could still be a good choice for you. Please contact us for a detailed analysis of your benefits.

Q. Is the service guaranteed?
A. Yes, in a variety of ways. First, MCS is backed by a 60-day guarantee. If you aren’t happy with the service, you can cancel with no obligation or penalties and any Reynwood owned equipment will be removed. Second, Reynwood owns and operates a highly meshed, highly redundant nationwide voice and data network that is backed by a Service Level Agreement that guarantees very high standards for performance and uptime. Please ask an Reynwood representative for details of the SLA.

We do ask that after we prove how great our service is - you provide us at least two referrals who would benefit from our service!

Q. Who do users call for support?
A. Your employees may never need phone-in support because they use a very convenient website for managing their own service. However, your designated system administrator will always be able to call and speak with someone at Reynwood when they need to.

Q. Is there 24x7 support?
A. Yes. Not only can you call for assistance at any time, technical specialists are monitoring Reynwood ’s network around the clock. They discover and correct most network issues before they ever have an impact on your service.

Q. Where is Reynwood?
A. Reynwood provides services in 24 markets across the United States and connects to most major metropolitan areas. Reynwood has points of presence and Client Representatives in major cities across the country.

Q. What else does Reynwood do?
A. In addition to MCS, Reynwood offers standard business telephone services, including digital trunks and PRI, wireless and wireline Internet services (including operating WiFi hotspots), and a whole host of residential services. Reynwood also sells services to ISPs and other communications carriers who need access to the markets Reynwood serves and those who need converged services capabilities.

Technical Questions

Q. Does it work with a firewall?
A. In most cases, our service works with or without a firewall in place. However, Reynwood always recommends having a firewall installed at your site.

Q. Will I have to make any changes to my existing LAN infrastructure?
A. If you use analog phones, no changes are needed. If you plan to integrate IP phones with your LAN, you’ll need to make sure it can support that quality of service. Reynwood will be glad to bring on an integration partner to help with this assessment.

Q. If I am sending large files across my LAN will it mean I can't get a line to make a call?
A. Not in most circumstances. However, a congested Ethernet LAN may introduce delay for "LAN based phones" and if the delay is outside of certain guidelines, the voice quality could be degraded. A traffic study may need to be performed on your LAN to determine if LAN changes are required.

Q. Will my LAN ever slow down if a lot of people are on the phone?
A. IP telephony does not use a lot of LAN bandwidth. IP telephony conversations consume approximately 20-80Kbps or less of intermittent, non-sustained bandwidth.

Q. Will Reynwood help me with LAN setup?
A. Reynwood and its business partners can provide additional consulting service you may need beyond the installation of the IAD.

Q. Will I need a spare LAN port at each desk to plug the phone into?
A. To save on Ethernet ports, the IP phone can be plugged into the Ethernet port, and the PC can be connected to the Ethernet port on the phone. On most phones this is a switch port, not a hub port, with VLAN capability, so you can put your telephone in a different VLAN than your PC.

Q. Can I still host my email server or website if I get eXreme?
A. MCS is delivered over a business-grade, always-on, high speed, dedicated Internet access circuit suitable for hosting your own email server or website. Reynwood can also provide you with business quality email services.