Mitel Announced the Integrated Portfolio for North America

February 1, 2018 by Ying-Hui Chen

January 29th – A quarter after its acquisition of ShoreTel, Mitel® announced their rebranded and integrated portfolio of Cloud and on-premise solutions for the North American market.

This new portfolio is designed to offer their North American customers the best path to the Cloud for access to advanced applications and the latest technology and to provide on-site portfolio with maximum choice, flexibility, and reliability.

“Mitel’s product portfolio has never been stronger. It offers a complete technology menu to choose from with the right combination of cloud and on-site solutions that really gives us the freedom and flexibility to customize solutions that make sense for our customers,” said Matt Pingatore, Chief Executive Officer, Packet Fusion.

Mitel is a global leader of business communication solutions provider that delivers simplicity, reliability and high-end communications and collaboration. Mitel’s flagship solutions for the North American market include:

Retail UCaaS Solutions

MiCloud Connect (previously ShoreTel Connect CLOUD) with Teamwork and Contact Center
MiCloud Flex (previously Mitel MiCloud Enterprise) with MiCollab and MiCloud Contact Center

On-Site Solutions

MiVoice Office 250 with Phone Manager applications
MiVoice Connect (previously ShoreTel Connect ONSITE) with Connect UC and Contact Center
MiVoice Business with MiCollab and MiContact Center Business

Same Great Aastra IP Phones Now by Mitel!

by Ying-Hui Chen

As you may know, Mitel completed the acquisition of Aastra in 2015 to offer best and most complete communications solutions. Now all Aastra IP phone nameplates are replaced completely by Mitel’s name.

Wait, what? Then, what has changed?

Same Great Aastra IP Phones by Mitel

The Mitel rebranded IP phones may look slightly different from the old Aastra VoIP phones, as most products have been updated, however, the quality and functionalities have been maintained and even enhanced with it’s transition to the Mitel label! Your satisfaction is assured.

Mitel’s VoIP phone systems cover a range of VoIP phones, conference phones, and peripherals suited for the business of all sizes. They offer a comprehensive line of VoIP devices, from entry-level to enterprise IP phones and a wide range of handsets and conference units. Their IP phones are interoperable with today’s leading VoIP phone systems such as Asterisk, FreeSWITCH, trixbox, Switchvox and more.

Why buy Aastra/Mitel Phones?

Offers a versatile line of IP phones with robust functionality for any size office environment
Produces phone expansion modules that support up 28 programmable keys per unit
All phones are wall mountable in order to provide variety of usage
VoIP Supply stands behind the quality and dependability of the Mitel brand

New Microsoft Teams Update Unifies the Search and Command Experiences

January 31, 2018 by Ying-Hui Chen

Are you one of the many users that struggle with juggling multiple software windows and browser tabs?

January 30th, Microsoft Teams launched new updates that bridge the gaps between applications and allow users to quickly include information from other software applications into their team conversations. This is designed to improve team collaboration, especially for chat-based applications.

This new update also comes with a personal application hub where you’ll have access to a catalog of applications with pending items. The hub offers access to Who, an app that allows you to search for people within your organization by their name or a given topic.

“Now you can have a conversation about content from an app without the need to include a screenshot or a hyperlink to the information. In the same way that you can add an emoji or GIF, you can now bring information from apps into a chat or channel message with a simple click,” blogged representatives of Microsoft Teams.

Team collaboration has been a focus for VoIP service. Standard VoIP services also have lots of team collaboration tools to improve your teamwork such as unlimited Cloud storage and shared drive, keeping your employees connected in one system, regardless of their location, check some of them here!

To find the right services you need, simply call one of our VoIP experts at 1-800-398-8647 today!

New Neckband Bluetooth Headsets Accommodate Millennial Workstyles

January 30, 2018 by Ying-Hui Chen

More than a third of American workers today are Millennials (adults ages 20 to 36 in 2017), and they have become the largest share of the American workforce, according to new Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.

As more Millennials enter the American workforce, accommodating Millennials workstyles with the right communication equipment to retain their talent has become a focus for businesses from all walks of life and choosing a right VoIP headset will be a good start.

What kind of headsets are Millennial workers looking for?

Both Plantronics Voyager 6200 UC and Jabra Evolve 75e are popular headsets for office professionals and Millennial workers in terms of the design, sound quality, compatibility and advanced features. Let’s dig a little deeper to see why Millennials choose (and love) these two new VoIP headsets!

Sound Quality

When it comes to a VoIP headset, noise and distraction are the biggest pain point we hear from almost all users. Almost all VoIP headsets nowadays are equipped with noise canceling technology and Plantronics and Jabra headsets are no exceptions. The Plantronics clear talk technology and Jabra’s active and passive noise cancellation give Millennials peace of mind ensuring that they can hear and be heard clearly without interruptions.

Wearing Style

While traditional VoIP headsets have a lot of annoying wires moving around in your way; the new Plantronics 6200 UC and Jabra Evolve 75e VoIP headsets are both designed with new around-the-neck wearing style with earbuds. This new neckband design provides comfort and stability, giving users more control of their headsets.

Bluetooth with a standard 30 meters wireless range is also a must when it comes to hands-free communications. Mobility is one of the most important features Millennial workers love. They require a flexible headset that can set them free from their seats!

Work & Life

Work-life balance is more emphasized in Millennial generation than before. Millennials are looking for a headset that’s not just for office work, but for everyday voice and music, in or out of the office. Therefore, the headset needs to be compatible with multiple applications that they use at work and in daily lives. Both the Voyager 6200 UC and the Evolve 75e are compatible with Skype for Business, Cisco and they are also very versatile for multi-taskers!

Battery Life

The long battery life from these new VoIP headsets allows you to continue your work without needing to stop and charge your headset. The 14 to 16 hours long-lasting batteries are designed for whole-day use!

Check out the chart below to compare these two popular new VoIP headsets!

Monthly New VoIP Hardware Roundup – January 2018

January 29, 2018 by Ying-Hui Chen

This January, we have some more new VoIP hardware to gear you up for better communication experience! Start your new year right with upgraded VoIP equipment!

Plantronics Voyager 6200 UC Headset is Coming Soon!

If you are looking for a headset to use both in the office environment and outside, the Plantronics Voyager 6200 UC can be your perfect fit!

It is a professional-grade wireless earbud neckband headset that comes with Class 1 Bluetooth technology and certification for Skype for Business. The four omnidirectional microphones and enhanced noise canceling technology minimizes background noise, giving you crystal-clear communications.

Unique Features:

Professional-grade audio with enhanced Digital Signal Processing
On-demand active noise canceling
Built-in versatility in a neckband with earbuds
Incoming call alert
Dynamic mute alert

See Plantronics 6200 UC Datasheet

Grandstream’s GXP1760W

Grandstream’s GXP1760W is a WiFi mid-range IP phone that supports 6 lines and 3 SIP accounts. Featuring personalized ringtone and integration with advanced web and enterprise applications, the GXP1760W truly delivers outstanding performance at an affordable price! The GXP1760W will begin shipping in late March. Pre-order now!

Unique Features:

6 lines, 6 dual-color line keys
5-way audio conferencing
24 digitally programmable BLF/ fast-dial keys
Built-in USB port for importing and exporting data only

See GXP1760W Datasheet

Snom D785 Color SIP Deskset with Self-Labeling Keys

The D785 Color SIP Phone provides a clean and sleek 4.3-inch color display and supports for 12 SIP lines and Power over Ethernet (PoE). It’s also equipped with optional Wifi and DECT connectivity.

Unique Features:

Optional WiFi and DECT Support via USB port
Dual Ethernet ports (GigE)
Support for up to three D7 expansion modules
Support for up to 12 SIP lines/accounts

Don’t forget to register for our upcoming Snom D785 Product webinar!

How can I connect a PBX to my existing incoming POTS line?

January 24, 2018 by Ying-Hui Chen

Our tech support team at VoIP Supply offers great pre- and post-sales support plus provisioning, consultations, configuration, and installation help. We get a lot of VoIP hardware and software questions and would like to share the solutions with everyone.

In previous Mom’s calling Q&A series, we have discussed: What is the most basic setup for a full-featured VoIP system? Today, we have more new real questions and answers from VoIP users just like you.

How can I connect a PBX to my existing incoming POTS line?

Q: I am an emergency management coordinator and have an in-office phone system that I want to expand. How can I connect a PBX to my existing incoming POTS line?

A: It depends on the phone system you have. We carry a wide range of FXO SIP Gateways that interface with POTS lines.

FXO Gateways connect your devices to an outside telephone line and support Failover or Fallback in the event of internet failure or a network crash. An FXO gateway can be implemented to provide access to multiple POTS lines.

Click here to check out!

STAY TUNED

Come back for more VoIP questions and answers next time! If you have VoIP questions to ask us, please submit a technical support ticket or contact our VoIP experts today at (866) 582-8591

More from: Q & A Ying-Hui Chen FXO gateway PBX

Digium Switchvox: The Softphone features every road warrior can’t live without

by Ying-Hui Chen

Most of us can sense that cell phones are shifting the way we work and live dramatically in modern years. Our smartphones have become not merely an electronic device, but a digital extension of ourselves where we connect and communicate. As more people describe a smartphone as an “indispensable” tool for work, the demand for Softphone arises.

“The majority (79 percent) of respondents cited the smartphone as the phone they used the most to conduct business, as compared to an office phone or home phone.” – According to a survey from PCWorld

What is Softphone?

Softphone is a software program that allows you to make phone calls over the Internet via your computer or cell phone rather than dedicated hardware like a traditional telephone.

Digium Switchvox Softphone for iPhone & Android

Digium’s Switchvox Softphone is an all-in-one communication solution designed for iPhone and Android. It covers all enterprise-class Unified Communications (UC) features you can expect from Switchvox, except, this time, you enjoy them on the go! Let’s take a peek at some of its popular features every road warrior can’t live without!

Simple Setup Process – Configuring the Switchvox Softphone for your cell phone is easy! Get ready to start making calls within seconds.

Advanced Call Control – Stay connected wherever, whenever you go with the power of Switchvox Softphone! The advanced call features include:

3-way conference
Call recording
Transfer, ignore or send to voicemail
Status – Set your Status and decide how your calls are handled and what voicemail greeting is played.
Favorites – set up favorites contacts and see their phone state and their Status.

Apple CallKit – Enjoy the full advantage of Apple CallKit! The Switchvox Software uses the latest iOS technologies to improve battery life and allow more accurate alerts/notifications. Your Softphone calls will display the same way as native iOS calls even when the app is closed or the phone is locked.

Private Number – Keep your private number private and safe. Callers will only see your deskphone number.

That’s not all! There are more unique features such as Extension-to-extension calls, Real-time Status/ User Presence, Wi-Fi, 4G or LTE connectivity await your exploration!

Not sure where to start? Click here to check out Digium’s Switchvox Softphone Start Guide or simply raise your phone to give our VoIP experts a call at 800-398-8647 to discuss your specific needs!

Quality of Service (QoS) In the Know: How Innovative QoS Boosts Your Network

January 22, 2018 by Ying-Hui Chen

Had enough of the poor audio quality and choppy video? Nothing frustrates your customers or salespeople more than poor phone quality. Businesses in all walks of life depend on a phone system that simply works smoothly every single time and that highly relies on whether you have strong QoS or not. That is why it’s important to learn about what QoS is and how it works! Let’s get to it!

What is QoS?

QoS stands for Quality of Service. As the name implies, QoS is a way of providing better overall performance for selected traffic types on telephone networks.

Basically, it’s a method to ensure that your communication system has the ability to provide high-quality service. See the definition from Microsoft:

Quality of Service (QoS) for networks is an industry-wide set of standards and mechanisms for ensuring high-quality performance for critical applications. – TechNet, Microsoft

How Innovative VoIP QoS Boosts Your Network

There are two types of speeds: Burst Speeds and Streaming Speed

Burst Speeds, also known as speed test speed, helps you download small files quickly and it only lasts a few seconds; Streaming Speed, on the other side, helps you work on long-term tasks such as voice and streaming videos. Traditional firewalls lack the ability to recognize different types of speeds and the tasks you are doing on the networks, so they are not able to understand who needs access to certain services at certain times and how much. That’s where an innovative VoIP QoS product, like SimpleWan’s solution, comes into play!

The SimpleWan solution acts like a sensor that is aware of the differences between streaming speeds and bursting speeds, the various devices that are on your networks, as well as the needs from all users and tasks.

The intelligent solution makes smart real-time decisions to prioritize your tasks and assign just the right amount of space for each task. Once the task is complete, it opens up space again to all users to ensure that all users get equal access to the network connection. The consistency of network access is so important nowadays when there are so many different devices connected at the same time!

QoS has become a must when it comes to providing the best overall telephony service quality. Now that you have learned about QoS. Time to break up with your poor phone service!

Learn more about VoIP routers with QoS on our website or simply give our VoIP experts a ring at 1-800-398-8647 today to learn how your business can utilize QoS!

How To Connect The Grandstream GXP1760W To Your WiFi Network

January 18, 2018 by Steve Lopian

As time goes on, so do advancements in VoIP technology. One of the latest things we’re seeing now is IP phones coming equipped with WiFi capabilities.

This is something that has been around for a little while now but becoming more and more standard on your average VoIP Phone. We welcome this addition because it is extremely useful and also, kind of cool.

One phone in particular that comes to mind when talking about VoIP Phones and WiFi is the GXP1760W. Normally, when you think of a WiFi phone, you would think of something wireless, but not this phone. This is a classic IP deskphone.

There is a possibility, if you have this phone on your desk, that you didn’t even know it was WiFi capable! If that’s the case, your next question is definitely going to be “how do I connect it?” Well, it’s simple! Just follow these easy steps:

Using the keypad, on the LCD menu, navigate to System > Network > WiFi Settings
Select “Scan” and your GXP1760W will automatically start scanning within its range
A list of WiFi networks will be displayed. Select the desired network, and if required, enter the correct password to connect

And that’s it! Your Grandstream GXP1760W IP deskphone will now be connected to your WiFi network! If you need some reassurance that it has successfully connected, look for the WiFi logo to display on your LCD menu.

Do you have the Grandstream GXP1760W on your desk? If not, what do you use? And does it have WiFi? Put your answer in the comments, we want to know!

I use a VPN. Do I still need a SBC? 7 Questions from Sangoma Security Webinar

by Ying-Hui Chen

We co-hosted a Security webinar Part I with Sangoma this Tuesday and our audience had a lot of questions regarding SBCs, VPN, dynamic IPs, PBX and other security issues. We would like to share the Q&A session with all of you who may have the same questions!

Also, don’t forget the Security Webinar Part II is coming on February 6th! Register early to save your seat!

1. For the session border controller if we have any IPS static do we need one? Then we wouldn’t have ports open to the entire world but only from specific?

Answer: This will protect you as long as your users do not have infected devices at that IP address. Putting a SBC into the equation ensures that only the traffic you want passes onto your network.

2. What if you use a VPN? Do you still need a SBC?

Answer: VPN will secure the device (in this case the IP phone), but you are still opening up ports for your SIP provider. You must also consider the fact that your user may connect an infected PC or Laptop to that phone, which would now have a secure connection directly to your LAN. The same thing applies if your users are using a softphone over VPN using an infected device.

3. If we use remote phones and they are on dynamic IP’s or travel then we should be using an SBC?

Answer: Absolutely.

4. I would imagine VPN from endpoints to PBX, like OpenVPN with the Sysadmin Pro module. So if I have FreePBX, Sysadmin Pro module with Sangoma phones running OpenVPN, what does adding the SBC get me? SIP trunks, like Bandwidth or Flowroute. The PBX is hosted.

5. What if our phone system is cloud hosted. Do we need an SBC?

Answer: Yes. Since you would need to open ports on your firewall to allow SIP traffic thru to your phones.

6. If you are using HA do you need 2 SBCs?

Answer: Since the two PBXs are on the same network, you would only need 1 SBC.

7. What if the SBC fails in the field. Do you need a hot-swappable or can you run the system without the SBC?

Answer: A system will run without it and hopefully your backup security strategies will protect you until you get another SBC deployed. If security is your number 1 priority you should have a backup if your budget allows for it.

More questions? Utilize the comment box below to ask our VoIP Experts or simply raise your phone to contact Brian Hyrek at [email protected] or 716-531-4318!

More from: Q & A Ying-Hui Chen Q&A Sangoma SBC

Mitel Announced the Integrated Portfolio for North America

Same Great Aastra IP Phones Now by Mitel!

Same Great Aastra IP Phones by Mitel

Why buy Aastra/Mitel Phones?

New Microsoft Teams Update Unifies the Search and Command Experiences

New Neckband Bluetooth Headsets Accommodate Millennial Workstyles

What kind of headsets are Millennial workers looking for?

Sound Quality

Wearing Style

Work & Life

Battery Life

Monthly New VoIP Hardware Roundup – January 2018

Plantronics Voyager 6200 UC Headset is Coming Soon!

Grandstream’s GXP1760W

Snom D785 Color SIP Deskset with Self-Labeling Keys

How can I connect a PBX to my existing incoming POTS line?

How can I connect a PBX to my existing incoming POTS line?

STAY TUNED

Digium Switchvox: The Softphone features every road warrior can’t live without

What is Softphone?

Digium Switchvox Softphone for iPhone & Android

Quality of Service (QoS) In the Know: How Innovative QoS Boosts Your Network

What is QoS?

How Innovative VoIP QoS Boosts Your Network

How To Connect The Grandstream GXP1760W To Your WiFi Network

I use a VPN. Do I still need a SBC? 7 Questions from Sangoma Security Webinar

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