Switchvox SOHO Overview

October 12, 2010 by Arthur Miller

Switchvox SOHO Overview

Switchvox SOHO is Digium’s switchvox software offering for small or home offices, though many business including larger organizations can still benefit from the great features that SOHO offers.  There are two other Switchvox offerings; including free and SMB which I will describe in later blogs.  The SOHO version has a smaller feature set and was designed for small offices that require a professional phone system at a lower price point, or lower call volume than the SMB.

SOHO Hardware

Switchvox SOHO was designed to be implemented on the Switchvox AA60 PBX appliance which supports up to 10 concurrent calls .  Typically an office of this size has less than 30 users, and might not have a server room with a rack to host a larger machine; the AA60 takes care of that by coming with wall mount brackets, and is small enough to fit into a smaller desktop space.  If you are looking for a more robust server offering to host your PBX your next option is upgrading to SMB software which is compatible with a wider variety hardware.  If you are looking for redundancy, the AA60 is available in a cold-spare form; in the event that the AA60 shuts down you can simply load the software CD that came with your original purchase to quickly get your office back up and running with minimum downtime.

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Mobotix IP Camera Product Line Overview

October 11, 2010 by Nathan Miloszewski

Since its founding in 1999, Mobotix has been focused on one particular feature of IP cameras:  High resolution.  In fact, that’s their tagline:  Mobotix: The HiRes Video Company.  “What’s so special about high resolution images,” you might ask?  The higher resolution images that an IP camera can produce, the more detailed, accurate, and (quite frankly) useful that image is going to be.

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How To Make Sony IP Cameras Work For You

October 8, 2010 by Nathan Miloszewski

When considering a network based solution for your surveillance needs, many important questions need to be answered. One of which may be, “is this for me?”  A considerable amount of time can be spent researching and planning for the implementation of IP cameras so you’ll want to know if it’s the right fit for your application.

Sony IP cameras run on an open source platform, can be mixed and matched, can be integrated into existing systems, and from small to large scale deployments they are a great fit for applications like: 

  • Border / Airport / Port surveillance
  • City and town monitoring
  • Transportation and transportation centers
  • Banks, finance, retail outlets, and offices
  • All types of government and education entities

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What Is the Sony IP Camera Advantage?

October 7, 2010 by Nathan Miloszewski

If you’ve been thinking about Sony’s IP cameras and you’ve read their product line overview then you certainly know they have a nice, customizable offering to enhance your surveillance system. You may however still be asking, “What is the Sony advantage?” so, I’d like to point out a few  of their interesting IP camera features that warrant a closer look.

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Sony IP Camera Product Line Overview

October 6, 2010 by Nathan Miloszewski

There are a lot of IP cameras to choose from and when you’re finding it difficult to pull the trigger on a decision where does that leave you? If your choice defaults to going with what you know, Sony might just fit the bill for you. And luckily we can both feel confident that you’re selecting a top-end, efficient, performance-driven product that we feel great providing to you from a market leader.

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AudioCodes MP-252 All-In-One Home Multimedia Gateway

audiocodes_home_goCould we be seeing the return of innovation in the VoIP equipment space? Let’s hope so.

Over the last two years the VoIP equipment market place has been rather ho-hum. Not much has changed and not to many new products have hit the scene.

This week at IT Expo a number of new products were announced. The most interesting being from AudioCodes.

Unveiled as an all-in-one home network service, the AudioCodes MP-252 home & go multimedia gateway combines everything but the kitchen sink to deliver voice, data and mobile services through a single device.

Designed for service providers delivering residential services, the MP-252 features:

  • Built-in ADSL2+ modem
  • DECT handsets
  • HD VoIP
  • 802.11 b/g Wireless
  • Bluetooth for connecting cellular phones
  • USB ports (1 – 3)
  • Basic PBX functionality

According to AudioCodes, the MP-252 home & go allows service providers to leverage the fast growing use of smartphones and the wide availability of Wi-Fi in the residential environment to offer a comprehensive residential mobility solution.

The AudioCodes MP-252 is not yet available and will only be available through a service provider.

For more on this, checkout Tom Keating’s overview at TMCNet.

Plantronics IP40 – The SIP Phone without a Dialpad

October 5, 2010 by Christina Smith

IP40What is the Plantronics IP40?

The Plantronics IP40 is a SIP-based deskphone that comes in a small form factor and no dial pad.  The IP40 supports SIP Protocol and plugs directly into your RJ45 LAN jack to make calls.  The IP40 has dual PoE RJ45 Jacks, so you can use it as a PoE Switch to route voice and data from a single port in the wall to both the IP40 and the PC, saving you the time of installing a 2nd RJ45 jack in each station when installing VoIP for the first time.  The IP40 ships with a Plantronics QD lower cord and  any Plantronics wired headset will plug directly into it.

Why would I want an IP40?

ip40 - handAn IP40 is a great choice for someone who will be desk-bound taking over 50 inbound calls a day.  Compared to a similar desktop IP Phone, the cost of a Plantronics IP40 is much less and there are less features to distract the desktop associate.  The Plantronics IP40 provides the inbound call support you need without some of the distractions that may not be needed, such as multiple line appearances,  speakerphone, and menu.  It also eliminates the ability for users to make outbound personal calls, hence increasing productivity.   The Plantronics IP40 form factor is slightly bigger than an iPhone, so it takes up much less desktop real estate than a comparable IP Phone. The IP40 would be a great deskphone in areas where the desk space is limited and there is only one RJ45 port.

Why wouldn’t I want an IP40?

One word – outbound calls. Ok, that is two words, but you know what I mean.  If you are in a position where there is consistent need to make multiple outbound calls as well as inbound calls, the Plantronics IP40 is not for you.  You can configure your IP40 to make outbound calls to one number, usually a customer service or remittance number that is dialed often.  The IP40 is unable to dial any other numbers.  If you need to do frequent conference calls or check a voicemail account, the IP40 does not have the functionality you are looking for.

What verticals best benefit from the IP40?

Unlike most other Plantronics products, the IP40 is really best suited for only one vertical –  Inbound call centers.  Banks with telephone customer service, etailers, tech support, telemarketers who dial out on predictive dialers, and inbound sales centers would benefit best from the IP40.  These types of positions tend to take repeated inbound calls and would benefit from the basic functionality offered by the Plantronics IP40: Answer/End Call, mute, volume, and hold.  These workers often are highly populated in small desk areas where the PC is the central focus and there is not much room for a phone.

How To Solve Surveillance Needs With Axis IP Video

Digital, Axis IP video surveillance provides flexibility and advanced functions that cannot be matched by CCTV analog security systems. But, who is this for? No matter the industry, all who need video surveillance can benefit from the convergence and digitization of the security industry which provides:

  • Remote accessibility
  • High image quality
  • Event management and intelligent video
  • Easy, future-proof integration
  • Scalability and flexibility
  • Cost-effectiveness

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How the Axis Advantage Can Help You Select the Right IP Camera

October 4, 2010 by Nathan Miloszewski

You’re in the market to upgrade to an IP camera or video server solution so, why buy Axis? Axis operates worldwide in more than 20 countries, is listed on the NASDAQ under the stock ticker AXIS, and is the global market leader in network video driving the ongoing shift from analog to digital video surveillance. The Axis advantage includes:

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Getting To Know The Axis Product Line

October 1, 2010 by Nathan Miloszewski

Axis Communications, founded in 1984, is not just the world’s leading provider of network video solutions. Axis also launched the world’s first network camera for connection to an IP network in 1996 and today when their company mission states that they want to be, “To be the driving force in bringing customers the full benefit of intelligent network video solutions,” you as a customer and we as a reseller can feel confident that Axis provides more than a few options for IP surveillance systems.

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