UCM 6102: Do I Need a Different Configuration to Backup?

October 11, 2016 by Mary Cheney

Do you have questions about VoIP?

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 the previous Mom’s calling Q&A series, we have discussed: How Do I Unlock Polycom VVX410 Phones? Today, we have more new real questions and answers from VoIP users just like you.

Do I Need a Different Configuration to Backup UCM 6102?

Q: If I buy 2 units of UCM 6102 to use 1 as a spare, how do you get it backed up with the same config as the 1st unit so it can be swapped out and ready to go right away if the 1st one fails?

A: They should be able to do the backup two ways, through SD and USB and restore the same way. They can back up the 2nd unit with the same config as the 1st and it will be like a hot swap if the 1st one goes down.

Revolabs’ Conference Phones Are Now BroadSoft Validated

October 7, 2016 by Steve Lopian

Revolabs announced on October 4th that their FLX UC 1000 and UC 1500 conference phones are now able to work with BroadSoft, who is the leading provider of unified communications and collaboration services.
These conference phones can be easily added to an existing Broadsoft network and automatically configured to work through plug-and-play provisioning.

For more information on Revolabs and their devices Click Here!

How to Handle Multiple Incoming Calls on the Grandstream GXP2140

September 30, 2016 by Steve Lopian

We all know that some work days are busier than others, and when it comes to workers who spend most of their day on the phone, having the advantages of VoIP can be the difference between staying calm and collected, and falling into a rage blackout at your desk.

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When those busy days happen, it usually means that you are receiving multiple calls at once. The more help you can get from your actual phone, the better you will be at managing the constant stream of calls coming your way.

For this blog, we are going to use the Grandstream GXP2140 as an example to show how to juggle multiple calls so that you can keep your customers happy, and finish your work day with your sanity intact.

When you are on a call, and another call is coming in, the first thing that the GXP2140 will do to let you know is send a Call Waiting Tone that only you will be able to hear in your headset or handset.

Along with this, the next available line on your phone will begin to flash Red. These two notifications will alert you and prompt you to handle this next incoming call.

After you ask your current caller to be placed on hold, there will be no need to actually hit the hold button. All you have to do is press the corresponding line key. This will automatically place your current call on hold and pick up your incoming call.

If your day is turning out to be incredibly busy, and you keep receiving incoming calls, you can repeat this procedure up to as many available lines as you have on your phone.

If you need to toggle between calls, all you need to do is press the LINE key. This will continue to place your callers on hold as needed. If you are finished with a call, you can simply switch back to another call on hold and that line will take care of itself on its own; becoming available for the next customer who is calling in.

This may take a little bit of practice to become lightning fast, but once you have this down systematically, there will be nothing that can stop your exceptional customer service. Not only will this take your multitasking to new heights, it will also keep your stress level below your boiling point!

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Yealink VC Mobile App Now is Open for Beta Testing

by Ying-Hui Chen

Recently, Yealink announced that their VC Mobile App is now available for beta testing. This is an updated addition to Yealink’s One-stop Video Conferencing Solution designed mainly for remote and office workers.

The high-quality video collaboration and streamline communication attract a lot of on-the-go staff with tablet or smartphone. It also supports Network Address Translation (NAT) and Intelligent Firewall Traversal to provide safe video conferencing meetings anywhere you go. The Yealink VC Mobile app is free of charge and available for both Android and iOS users to download.

Digium Releases Asterisk 14, the World’s Most Popular Open Source Communications Software

September 29, 2016 by Ying-Hui Chen

September 28, 2016, Digium, Inc., the Asterisk Company, announced the release of the Asterisk 14, an open source communications engine, at AstriCon, a users and developers conference.

The Asterisk 14 is an updated version of the previous Asterisk releases, featuring the expanded DNS services, improved media API that includes remote media playback capabilities and a media cache, and more enhancements that make Asterisk function more efficiently in a larger communications ecosystem.

“For administrators using Asterisk in large, horizontally scalable service-based ecosystems, the additions and improvements made in version 14 are significant,” said Matt Fredrickson, project lead for Asterisk with Digium.

Polycom announces the finalization of the acquisition by Siris Capital

September 27, 2016 by Jeff Quinn

Polycom’s new CEO, Mary McDowell, has officially announced the completion of the acquisition of Polycom by Siris Capital.

While we are moving to a new capital structure, I want to emphasize that Polycom is still Polycom. The Siris acquisition does not change our vision—in fact, it positions us better than ever to fully unleash the power of human collaboration. We will continue to offer our full portfolio of products and solutions and are committed to a robust roadmap and deep interoperability and integration with our market leading ecosystem. Mary McDowell, CEO of Polycom

VoIP Supply Recycled 1669 lbs. of Electronic Equipment to Sunnking

by Ying-Hui Chen

In May of 2016, VoIP Supply donated 1,669 lbs. of electronic equipment through the 2016 e-Scrap 4 Camp fundraiser hosted by Sunnking, a electronics recycling center.

This recycling effort contributed to a total donation of $11,219.94 to Camp Good Days & Special Times. They are a non-profit organization that provides children with cancer the opportunity to come together in a residential camping experience to be with the ones who truly understand what they have been through – other children with cancer.

As a B Corp, VoIP Supply follows the rigorous standard of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. We joined Sunnking’s recycling effort in 2012 and have been collecting and donating electronic equipment since then.

“We are proud to be part of the recycling movement, keeping electronic waste out of landfills,” said Ben Sayers, Founder and CEO of VoIP Supply “Thanks to Sunnking and Camp Good Days for giving us the chance to give back to the community.“

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Have some Electronics to Recycle?

VoIP Supply now collects old electronics from the public all year round. If you’d like to contribute, please contact us at 1-800-398-VoIP to schedule a time to drop off your obsolete electronics.

The acceptable materials for recycling include computers (desktop & laptop), monitors, cables, printers, gaming devices, and more.

Download a list of Acceptable Materials

Please also note that we can’t accept the following materials.

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Session Border Controllers are the Air Traffic control of VoIP

September 26, 2016 by Jeff Quinn

Recently I have been thinking about how to explain what exactly a session border controller (SBC) is and why it’s so important to have. It has been difficult but I always find that a good analogy does the trick and that is when an air traffic controller popped into my head.

There are some major features and aspects of a session border controller that I wanted this analogy to cover. Let’s get right into it and you can be the judge if the analogy fits!

Keep yourself safe from hackers

The first aspect of a session border controller is SECURITY. An SBC is basically a firewall that is optimized for VoIP traffic. The SBC can make sure that any incoming SIP trunks are the proper ones and don’t allow for any attacks. Your VoIP system can be intruded by hackers who will than make multiple long distance calls skyrocketing your bill.

These attacks normally happen outside of normal business hours. Your SBC will block these attacks so you don’t have to be on 24 hour watch.

How does this relate to Air Traffic control?

You want to be assured that traffic is properly monitored at both ends of your flight! An air traffic controller only allows in planes that are supposed to be landing at that location, at that time. They keep the airport secure and make sure everything’s running smoothly. There is an air traffic control at every single airport and some are larger than others, but each airport has one. You need an air traffic controller at your site also.

Your service provider will be secure at their end but you need to be secure at your end. Don’t forget to have air traffic control at your airport.

Keep everything secure with the best SBC for your size office.

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Keep track of what is coming in and out of your VoIP System

An air traffic controller keeps records of what airline are leaving and when. With multiple airlines using the same airport you need a good way to keep track of who is doing what and when.

An SBC is able to understand and tell you where problems are coming from. When you have an issue with your phone system there are basically three places the issue could be coming from, your VoIP Service provider, Internet provider or the VoIP hardware. When your phone system has issues the last thing you want to be doing is calling all three of these providers and having them tell you it not them it is something else.

With an SBC, you have records of all the traffic and that helps to narrow down the problem for all parties involved. It isn’t about pointing fingers here, it is about saving you time and aggravation. Once the problem has happened let’s get it fixed first and then decide if bigger changes need to happen.

Did my analogy work for you?

Hopefully, this analogy gives you a better idea of why you need an SBC for your VoIP System.

Please comment below and let me know if you agree or disagree with me. I’m always up for some constructive criticism!

Use Polycom VVX Phones in a Loud Environment with the Algo 8180

by Brian Hyrek

As a VoIP consultant, I get a lot of calls from customers each day asking for recommended solutions that can fit the needs of their business.

Recently, I have received questions from customers using Polycom VVX phones in loud work environments such as warehouses, restaurants and machine shops, where they can’t hear the ringtones, resulting in missing important calls. If you are facing the same issue, you may find the following solution useful.

Hear Loud and Clear with the Algo 8180 Alerter

To reduce the missed calls in a noisy or large site, we recommend you use this straightforward solution – The Algo 8180 Audio Alerter with the Algo 1506 Polycom Ring Detector.

The Algo 8180 is a SIP compliant PoE speaker designed for voice paging, loud ringing, and emergency notification.

With its high-efficient amplifier and loudspeaker, the Algo 8180 is able to generate 8 times louder tone than a normal telephone ringer.

The Algo 8180’s most useful features include:

Dual purpose loud ringing and talkback voice paging
SoudSure ambient noise compensation adjusts output for noise level
Selectable alert tones
PoE eliminates local power supply
More

Instead of adding an extension or “seat” to the noisy site, you can simply pair the Algo 8180 with the Algo 2506 detector which detects the audio from the headset jack and actives 8180 alerter directly without using SIP.

Common Setup

A basic, common setup is to have the Algo 2506 detector connect to both your Polycom VVX phone and the Algo 8180 audio alerter. When an incoming call is received by the Polycom VVX phone, the detector will trigger the audio alerter to amplify the ringtone.

You can also add an optional visual alerter or a horn speaker to work with the 8180 Audio Alerter. In this way, even when you can’t hear the ringtone, you can “see” it.

What’s your solution of using Polycom VVX phone in a loud environment? We want to know!

Follow the links for more information:

The Algo 8180 Product Sheet

Understanding the Navigation Keys on the Grandstream GXP1615

by Steve Lopian

VoIP phones nowadays do a really good job as far as labeling what buttons do what, but have you ever wondered if a single button could have more than one function? Well, I am about to let the cat out of the bag, and tell you what they most certainly can!

The majority of VoIP phones you will see today have what are called Navigation Keys. These are usually a set of arrow keys that allow you to navigate through your options if you do not have a touch screen. If you are not familiar with this set of buttons, then check out the picture below.

Oftentimes, these keys can serve more functions than just a simple left, right, up, and down. For this blog, we will use the Grandstream GXP1615 as an example of what else these buttons can do.

When your phone is idle, hitting the UP arrow key will actually allow you to view your missed calls! This is a great feature to have, and will save you from having to navigate the menu to see what calls you have missed!

Also, while your phone is idle, hitting the DOWN key will allow you to see a list of numbers that you have dialed. This is really nice, especially if you frequently dial the same number. Ultimately, this will save you from having to go into your contacts list, and is a much better option than dialing that number over and over again.

Lastly, hitting the RIGHT arrow key will access a list of phone numbers that you have answered! This can be a fast and easy way to call someone back that you just got off the phone with, or if you need to pass along a message, but forgot to take down the callers phone number.

So, the lesson today is to never judge a button by its icon. You never know what else they might be able to do to make your job easier. And now that you have the inside scoop, you will be lightning fast in the office and impressing your coworkers in no time!

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