Installing G.703 technology has traditionally been an expensive outlay. The interface cards for branded routers tend to be very expensive. However, more common interfaces such as X.21, V.35, RS-449 or RS-530 are much less expensive. This is because the chipsets required to make up an X.21 interface are readily available at far less cost than G.703 equivalents.

Most telcos or telecom companies provide their Wide Area Networks termination via a G.703 interface. These services throughout Europe are presented to the user as E1 G.703 on either a pair of BNC connectors (unbalanced 75 ohm) or on an RJ-45 connector (balanced 120 ohm). The speed is typically 2.048 Mbps or N x 64K up to 1.984 Mbps.

The most cost-effective solution is to purchase a router with a standard serial interface such as X.21 or V.35 and a BLACK BOX® G.703-to-X.21 converter. This will give a G.703 connection for the Wide Area Network and present the router with the required serial interface. The cost saving here can be huge.
The basic interface conversion is from G.703 to a choice, or combination, of X.21, V.35, RS-449 and RS-530 standards. Within this, Black Box offers two main product streams of G.703 converters. These are framed and unframed. Unframed converters offer full 2.048-Mbps data stream conversion and are suitable for all unstructured circuits such as E1, etc.

Framed converters enable G.704 circuits/services to be utilised at speeds from a single 64K timeslot to 1.984 Mbps utilising all 31 available timeslots, or any N x 64K number  between the two.
All the framed converters enable independent settings for CRC-4 (a basic form of error checking used on framed or structured services), data and clock inversion and all will enable the user to configure the units to either master or slave clocking.

All of the converters connect to either a balanced (RJ-45) or unbalanced (pair of BNCs) line. All are mains powered; however,
some are also available with a -48-VDC supply instead, ideal for switch room environments. Some units will support SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) management, offering the user the opportunity to monitor the quality of the connectivity provided.

For larger sites where multiple conversions are required, Black Box offers several ranges of 19" (48.3-cm) mounted chassis-based solutions, again with multiple power options and some with SNMP management available.

Most units are configured through a combination of DIP switches and jumpers, with some units providing the options of using VT100™ style console access.

If you require help with configuration or would like Black Box to preconfigure these units for you, then please do not hesitate to contact us.

If you require a non-standard converter, then contact us, and we will arrange a quote for you.