What is an Open Source PBX?

April 27, 2017 by Ying-Hui Chen

phone-system-diagram

If you are a VoIP user (or thinking about being one), you must have heard the buzz word: Open Source PBX. But what is it? What does it do? Let’s find out.

First, let’s talk about PBX.

What is PBX?

PBX or “Private Branch Exchanges”, is a private telephone switchboard within an enterprise that allows multiple enterprise users to switch calls among them and share a certain number of external lines.

Unlike a traditional PBX that has a limited number of outside telephone lines and to a certain number of internal extensions, PBX phone system shares the lines for making calls. This kind of phone system avoids the cost of having a line for each user to the central telephone office.

Back to the topic– So what is an Open Source PBX?

guide-to-open-source-pbxWhat is an Open Source PBX?

An open source PBX system is a PBX with an underlying operating system and PBX software that is made generally available to the public for free. Because the operating system and software are free, an open source PBX system is very low in cost comparing to proprietary PBX systems. It also offers unlimited flexibility to any type of business.

Types of Open Source PBX Systems

There are basically two types of Open Source PBX systems:Digium Switchvox

  1. “Pure” open source PBX: A PBX system that has an underlying operating system and PBX software that’s made available to the public for free under GNU General Public License. Asterisk is a popular choice of open source PBX system.
  2.  Open source based: A PBX system with an underlying operating system and PBX software that’s open source at the core, but proprietary codes were built on top of it. Switchvox is an example of this type of PBX system.

Download our Open Source PBX guide or read our blog to learn more: Anatomy of an Open Source PBX

More from: Small Business VoIP Ying-Hui Chen Asterisk Open Source PBX PBX

Paula Griffo, President and CFO of VoIP Supply, Celebrates 10 Years Anniversary!

April 26, 2017 by Ying-Hui Chen

VoIP Supply Anniversary

April 25th, 2017 – Paula Griffo, VoIP Supply’s President and CFO, completes her 10-year milestone with VoIP Supply since April 2007.

She started working at VoIP Supply during its most difficult fiscal year and successfully transformed this startup into the promising, strong business it is today.

“We wouldn’t be the same without Paula’s effort and determination. I am extremely grateful for what she has done for VoIP Supply.” – Ben Sayers, CEO, and Founder of VoIP Supply.

About Paula Griffo, CPA, CGMA

paula-imageMatching an unwavering work ethic and passion for finance with an accomplished and diverse background in the field of corporate accounting, Paula brings over a decade of experience to VoIP Supply. Since 2007, Paula has provided strong leadership in transitioning VoIP Supply’s finance department through the implementation of a number of initiatives designed to establish various internal controls, development of strong financial statements and the utilization of financial analytics to make sound business decisions.

As Chief Financial Officer, Paula is responsible for the strategic direction, operation, and management of VoIP Supply’s financial resources. And with her promotion to President and CFO in August 2013, she now also oversees the company’s entire day-to-day business operations including a focus on improving processes and procedures, employee development programs, departmental strategies, and business development.

“I was presented with an exciting opportunity, a start-up growing at triple digits, that was really a dream for someone like me. It was chaotic and a challenge that was very satisfying with every win we had. I really can not believe it has been 10 years. I would like to thank the entire team for making the last 10 years incredible! It is a joy to work with such great people and I am proud of what we have accomplished during this time.” – Paula Griffo, President and CFO of VoIP Supply.

Congratulations Paula! Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication to VoIP Supply and all of us!

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End the month strong by saving with Refresh IP Phones

by Youleidy Vega

Take a look at this month’s top picks for Refresh IP Phones. Refresh, Refurbished and Rocking!


Polycom VVX310 ($79.99)

Polycom vvx300
This is the perfect phone for call centers and cubicle employees. With an intuitive user interface, HD Voice and easy integration with third party applications, this desk phone has you covered.

Key features:

  • 6 Lines
  • Backlit Grayscale LCD display
  • Dual Gigabit RJ45 Ports
  • Power over Ethernet (PoE) Support

 

 

Polycom VVX500 ($134.99)

polycom-vvx500
This mid-range IP Phone works with most SIP PBX’s and third party Unified Communications platforms. The VVX500 has (2) USB ports, so that you can use it as a media and storage application allowing you to add a digital photo frame, news, sports, weather and more on the phone’s display.

Key features:

  • 12 Lines
  • 3.5-in TFT Color LCD display
  • PoE Support


Polycom IP 5000 PoE ($229.99)

IP5000
This is the conference phone for small conference rooms and executive offices. HD Voice will enable your communication to be clear and life-life. The seven foot microphone will pick up audio from up to 7 feet away and can support up to 6 participants.

  • Acoustic Clarity Technology
  • Multi-language support
  • High-resolution Backlit display
  • PoE Support


Why Buy Refresh?

refresh

  • Value- Refresh products represent an exceptional value as they can be purchased for 20 to 25 percent less than their new equivalent retail price.
  • Reliability – You can be assured that each product has been fully tested and ready to perform just like it was when originally purchased.
  • Performance – All Refresh products go through an extensive reconditioning process which includes feature/functionality testing, component replacement (if necessary) and software upgrades.
  • Warranty – Every Refresh product comes with a standard six month warranty that covers mechanical failures and defects. In addition, VoIP Supply also offers an additional six months of protection through the Plus 6 warranty.

Show Me More Refresh Products!

More from: Small Business VoIP Youleidy Vega ip phones IP5000 Refresh IP Phones

VoIPisms: Episode 4 QoS

April 25, 2017 by Steve Lopian

How important is QoS? It is extremely important. Especially for businesses that rely on their phones to be successful. But first, let’s start from the beginning. What does QoS stand for? It stands for “Quality of Service”.

What does QoS mean?

Well, it can mean a few different things but when it comes to VoIP, it’s simple. It’s how well your customers can hear you on the other line! As I had mentioned earlier, and I’m sure you will agree, this can be very important to businesses with call centers, inside sales teams, and customer support teams that use VoIP.

It is important to make sure you are ensuring the QoS of your phone calls! Doing this goes hand in hand with the way your business uses the Internet. I know this might sound confusing and right now you are probably saying “Why would the way I use my Internet affect my business’s quality of service?” So, allow me to explain.

Everything within your business that needs the Internet is hooked up to a router, most likely in your server room. It’s there that everything fights for whatever bandwidth that is available! If this is left unmonitored, bandwidth powerhouses like streaming video, or uploading will take as much as it wants. Kind of like an all-you-can-eat buffet!

When this happens, it leaves other things, like your VoIP phone system, with not enough bandwidth to function properly. This is where you can experience packet loss, resulting in voice delays, broken connections and even dropped calls.

But with a QoS router, like the Patton Smartnode 5200 Enterprise Session Border Router, you are able to prioritize how much bandwidth is used, and where it is used. This puts the bandwidth focus on your business’s important Internet assets, like your VoIP Phone system, but won’t starve other things in your office, like video conferencing or streaming videos.patton-5200

So if your business is experiencing VoIP troubles and you can’t figure out why, it may not be your VoIP service provider. You might just need a little QoS!

How do you manage the bandwidth in your office? Do you use the Patton Smartnode 5200? Or something different? We want to know!

More from: Small Business VoIP Steve Lopian patton Patton 5200 QoS

Skype for Business: What’s new for Mac users?

by Ying-Hui Chen

skype 4bApril 21st, 2017 – Microsoft released the April update for Skype for Business on Mac. Currently, Mac users are provided with features such as one-click to join, edge-to-edge video, and full-screen sharing. This April, Microsoft brings more improvements to support File Sharing during a chat for Office 365, and other advanced features include:

  • The video preview and button for answering calls via a notification
  • Users who receive calls from Delegate on behalf of Delegator will now be able to see the call made on behalf of Delegator
  • The contact names are sorted out alphabetically
  • Users are properly informed their meeting join request has been denied when trying to join multiple times
  • Fixed additional Exchange connections

Visit Microsoft’s website to learn more about the updates. Are you using Skype for Business on Mac? Have your improvement requests been heard?

More from: Small Business VoIP Ying-Hui Chen Mac Skype for Business Update

What is IoT? A Modern Technology That Brings Value to Any Business.

April 24, 2017 by Ying-Hui Chen

iotThe world is more connected than ever before.

We can literally catch all the activities out there without stepping out of our houses. A click on the screen, you share a post or document to thousands of others all over the world. Even my family from the other end of the earth is just a few finger swipes away on my smartphone.

That’s the power of the Internet of Things – a new concept of connecting not just humans, but the “things” surrounding us through the Internet.
 

What is IoT?


IoT stands for “Internet of Things”. As the name states itself, the Internet of Things is a system that provides a seamless connection of all the devices on the Internet so they can communicate from one to another.

“The interconnection via the Internet of computing devices embedded in everyday objects, enabling them to send and receive data.” – from Google Dictionary

 

Why Do I Care About IoT?


When everything is connected, there’s a huge potential for businesses, or you could say, a huge challenge for businesses who are left out.

Voice over IP is at the core of IoT. VoIP has changed the way we work, communicate, and interact with each other. A unified communication system allows you to communicate anywhere anytime in your preferred form such as Voice Call, Video Conferencing, Instant Message (IM), or Email.

That’s where your business can take advantage of not just for your customers, but also for your employees. Managing remote workers becomes a breeze when you can monitor activities in the advanced analytics report; keeping in touch with your customers is no longer a tough task when their purchase or interest reports are just a few clicks away.
 

The Future of IoT


baby-monitorIoT continues to grow. Today, we have baby breathing/rollover monitors that get signals through a child’s clothing and send alerts to your smartphone. A smart Wi-Fi-enabled pitcher that tracks the amount of water that passes through the filter and automatically orders a new filter for you online.

What do you think we will have tomorrow? A smart plate that gives you a nutrition report before you start eating? Or a refrigerator that sends you a shopping list of what you need to pick up on your way home today? You will also love some of these cool IoT technologies, check it out!

More from: Small Business VoIP Ying-Hui Chen Internet of Things IoT Voice over Internet Protocol

How to Use the Menu Button on the Grandstream GXP1760

April 21, 2017 by Steve Lopian

how-to-use-the-menu-button-on-the-gxp1760

Everyday it seems that the world of VoIP is expanding with innovation and new technologies. New phones, new headsets, and new appliances are constantly hitting the market and sometimes it can be hard to keep up!

And while we all want the latest and greatest for our desk at work, sometimes it can be overkill. Why have all of those flashy features when the job just doesn’t call for it? Besides, sometimes even the most basic VoIP phones can be extremely feature-rich and you might not even know it!

One thing that can be common amongst entry-level IP phones is shortcuts. These are ways to make our jobs easier by using your phone more efficiently. While there are the obvious shortcuts like dialing without picking up the handset or accessing your voicemail with the push of one button, some shortcuts might be harder to find.

Just because a button is labeled to do one thing, doesn’t mean that it has only one purpose. Multi-functional buttons can vary between a lot of different phones, so allow me to give you an extremely basic example, because, after all, this is a “basic” how-to blog.
 

How to Use the Menu Button on the Grandstream GXP1760


Let’s use the Menu button on the Grandstream GXP1760 for an example. This button is labeled as a menu button, so naturally, you are going to use it to access the menu screen on the phone. Once you are in the menu screen on the GXP1760, this button is also used to make your selections.

grandstream-gxp1760

I know what you’re thinking, and right now you are probably saying “That’s not a shortcut!” Well, that’s because the menu button on the GXP1760 also has an additional function!

When the phone’s handset is off the hook, by default you will hear a dial tone to prompt you to make an outgoing call, that you probably didn’t know is that you are able to switch between an outgoing call and a paging call by pressing the Menu button while the phone is off the hook!

While using your VoIP phone for paging might not seem to be the most common thing, it is definitely something that is used quite often in schools and warehouses with VoIP technology.

So, if you are one of many who is in charge of paging at work, this could be a very useful shortcut for you!

Do you have a Grandstream GXP1760 on your desk? Do you know of any other hidden shortcuts? We want to know!

More from: Basic VoIP How-To's Steve Lopian GXP1760 How to

Can Skype Work on the Grandstream GXV3275 and GXV3240

April 19, 2017 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 Features are Included in the 3CX Standard Edition? Today, we have more new real questions and answers from VoIP users just like you.

Can Skype Work on the Grandstream GXV3275 and GXV3240

Q: Will Skype (free), NOT Skype for Business, work on the Grandstream GXV3275 and Grandstream GXV3240?

A: Running Skype on the phone(s) is possible. Access Google Play store and download the application. Then use your sign-in credentials as you would on your PC.

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 Grandstream GXV3240 Q&A

VoIP Supply Is Featured in the Telecom Reseller Podcast

April 18, 2017 by Ying-Hui Chen

fulfillment-centerApril 17, 2017 – Telecom Reseller featured a news story in their channel daily news podcast about VoIP Supply’s new fulfillment center which was opened last March in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The team behind VoIP Fulfillment by VoIP Supply has been providing provisioning and fulfillment to VoIP Service Providers since the industry’s beginning. Many of our past and current customers were pioneers in residential and hosted VoIP back in the early 2000 era.

“We launched our new fulfillment center at the Channel Partner event last March and opened the doors at the same time. We had a great year completing provisioning, fulfillment service orders for a wide variety of Voice over IP providers.” – Ben Sayers, CEO and Founder of VoIP Supply.

Our service has continued to evolve and improve over time, leveraging current technologies and passing the access and efficiency to our customers.

VoIP Supply’s CloudSpan MarketPlace provides customers and partners access to a wide variety of host providers and SIP trunking providers, allowing them to leverage VoIP Supply’s long-term connections in the industry and relationships with service providers.

Featuring the most complete and robust VoIP product catalog that contains over 5,000 products from over 60 of the industry’s leading manufacturers, at VoIP Supply you will find everything you need for VoIP.

ben-sayersTo learn more about VoIP Supply’s Fulfillment service and CloudSpan MarketPlace connect our Channel Manager, Don Stefanie at 716-213-6906 or email [email protected]

Click the play button below to listen to the podcast now!

More from: Small Business VoIP Ying-Hui Chen

How to Calculate My Network Bandwidth

April 17, 2017 by Ying-Hui Chen

network“Hello…? I am sorry, could you say that again?” We’ve all had the experience – having trouble hearing each other over a phone call. Nothing is worse than asking your important client who you are able to close a huge deal with to repeat himself/herself again after you have asked twice.

So how can you avoid that embarrassing moment? While call quality is affected by multiple factors, bandwidth is one of the most important elements to look at. In order to have excellent call quality, you must have adequate network bandwidth. Let’s learn how to calculate the network bandwidth you will need to ensure an interruption-free communication experience!

How to Calculate Network Bandwidth

Here’s a simple equation to estimate how much bandwidth is sufficient for your VoIP. Be aware of the trade-off between the sound quality and the bandwidth you need.

Required Minimum Bandwidth = The Number of Concurrent Calls X 100 Kbps (kilobits per second)

service-guide-imageEx: If you need 5 concurrent calls, you will need at least 5 x 100 Kbps bandwidth to support your calls. Remember to add some buffer to it in case you experience some unexpected busy times.

For those of you who want to have a more precise calculation, you can ask your potential VoIP service provider how large their voice packets are, then multiply that number by how many simultaneous calls you will be making to see how much bandwidth your VoIP calls will use.

(More Precise) Required Bandwidth = The Number of Concurrent Calls X The Size of your Voice Packets (Kbps, kilobits per second)

It’s just that simple. If you still have questions feel free to download our VoIP service guide or just call our VoIP experts at 1-800-398-8647. We will be thrilled to answer your questions for you!

cloudspan-promo

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