Do agents need IP phones?

Usually not. A softphone or browser-based dialer with a good USB headset is cheaper, easier to manage and standard for call centers.

Is Wi-Fi acceptable for agents?

It can work, but wired Ethernet is much more consistent for voice. Wi-Fi interference and roaming cause jitter and dropped audio that are hard to diagnose.

How much internet bandwidth do 10 agents need?

Roughly 1 Mbit/s in each direction for ten concurrent G.711 calls, plus whatever your CRM, browsers and other traffic use. Size with at least 30% headroom; the calculator in the SIP trunk guide does the arithmetic.

Call Center Equipment Checklist for 10 Agents

Most audio-quality and downtime problems in small call centers come from cheap headsets, overloaded networks and no backup power — not from the dialer. Buy for reliability, standardise models so spares are interchangeable, and keep one spare of anything an agent cannot work without.

Bill of materials

Mandatory vs. optional items for a 10-seat floor
Item	Quantity	Mandatory?	What to look for
PC or laptop	10 + 1 spare	Mandatory	Current supported OS, SSD, 8 GB RAM minimum (16 GB if running browser-based dialers and a CRM side by side), wired Ethernet port, supported for security updates.
USB headset	10 + 2 spares	Mandatory	Wired USB, noise-cancelling microphone, comfortable for full shifts, replaceable ear cushions. Avoid Bluetooth for full-shift agents.
Desk and ergonomic chair	10 + team leader	Mandatory (office)	Adjustable chair, enough desk depth for monitor distance; acoustic separation between seats.
Business router / firewall	1	Mandatory	Dual-WAN failover, QoS for voice, VPN support, SIP ALG that can be disabled, vendor security updates.
Managed network switch	1 (16–24 ports)	Mandatory	Gigabit, VLAN support to separate voice/agent traffic; PoE only if you use IP desk phones.
Primary business internet	1	Mandatory	Fibre or other business line with a static public IP if you use IP-authenticated SIP.
Backup internet	1	Mandatory	From a different provider and ideally a different technology (e.g. fibre + fixed wireless/4G/5G).
UPS	1–2	Mandatory	Sized for router, switch, modem and any on-site server for at least 15–30 minutes; PCs too if outages are common.
On-site dialer server	0–1	Optional	Only if self-hosting; many small teams use a hosted dialer or a data-center server instead.
Generator or inverter	0–1	Optional	Where grid outages are long or frequent.
Second monitor	0–10	Optional	Useful when agents work in a CRM and a dialer screen simultaneously.
IP desk phones	0	Optional	Usually unnecessary; softphones or browser dialers with USB headsets are standard.
Wi-Fi access point	1	Optional	For non-agent devices only; agents should use wired connections.

Sizing backup power

Add the power draw (in watts) of everything that must stay on, multiply by about 1.25 for headroom, and choose a UPS whose rated output exceeds that figure and whose runtime at that load covers your typical outage or the time to switch to a generator. A router, switch and fibre modem together often draw well under 100 W, so a small UPS can keep the network up for a long time; PCs and monitors are what make UPS sizing expensive.

Network design basics

Wire every agent PC; reserve Wi-Fi for guests and phones.
Put voice and agent traffic on its own VLAN and give it priority (QoS) on the router.
Disable SIP ALG on the router unless your provider asks for it — it commonly breaks SIP signalling and causes one-way audio.
Use a static public IP if you plan to use IP-authenticated SIP trunks.
Configure automatic failover to the backup connection and test it by unplugging the primary line.
Calculate bandwidth from your peak concurrent calls — see the SIP channels and bandwidth calculator.

Security on every agent device

Individual user accounts, no shared logins, screen lock when idle.
Automatic OS and browser updates, endpoint protection.
Disable USB storage and personal email where client data is handled.
Password manager and multi-factor authentication for the dialer, CRM and email.
A written process for lost or stolen devices.

Frequently asked questions

Do agents need IP phones?: Usually not. A softphone or browser-based dialer with a good USB headset is cheaper, easier to manage and standard for call centers.
Is Wi-Fi acceptable for agents?: It can work, but wired Ethernet is much more consistent for voice. Wi-Fi interference and roaming cause jitter and dropped audio that are hard to diagnose.
How much internet bandwidth do 10 agents need?: Roughly 1 Mbit/s in each direction for ten concurrent G.711 calls, plus whatever your CRM, browsers and other traffic use. Size with at least 30% headroom; the calculator in the SIP trunk guide does the arithmetic.

Next steps

Next guide: Choosing a Dialer, PBX and CRM for a Small Call Center. Get a Setup Quote · View VoIP Rates · Request Route Test

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