Benefits of Wireless VoIP

July 7, 2010 by Joe Shanahan

Most people have grown accustomed to having mobile communications through the use of a cellular phone. For many, the next logical progression is to find a way to have that same luxury but at a cheaper cost.

Thatā€™s where wireless VoIP comes into play via WiFi phones, which require a wireless access point, and DECT phones, which utilize a base station with a direct internet connection and a wireless handset.

Both of these methods of wireless VoIP have their advantages depending on the application required.Ā  Letā€™s take a closer look at each of them. (more…)

IP Enabling Your Analog Paging System

June 30, 2010 by Darren Hartman

Traditional zoned paging systems are proprietary, inflexible and not easily managed. Oh and they don’t exactly play well with your new IP PBX.

Now, you could replace your zoned paging system with IP paging system, but that requires additional budget and time that you’d more than likely save. However there is IP paging equipment that provides for flexible zoning, and enhanced speaker capabilities that does not require you to throw out your existing investment.

Enter the IP paging gateway! A relatively simple device, the IP Paging gateway is similar in form an function to a VoIP adapter or VoIP gateway.

Using an IP paging gateway

An IP paging gateway is simple to set-up. Using the Ethernet port on the IP paging gateway you connect the gateway to your switch. Once the IP paging gateway has an IP address, you can use the web based configuration to set-up the basic settings. You then connect your existing zone controller to the FXO port on the gateway

It is very simple install and makes a clean solution. See the below diagram for a typical for setting up a multiple zone conversion.

Don’t have paging? Maybe you should

Having an efficient paging system is not a top priority for most top management teams. But a properly installed system allows you to quickly communicate with your mobile workers and lessen hold times for internal and external calls.

Also being able to designate a particular zone for a page helps employees realize that they need to pay attention to that message. A great way to make the work flow smoother and your customers will benefit too.

Commercial and Proprietary PBX Systems

In our first segment, we spoke mainly of the benefits of using an open source based VoIP solution as compared to the commercial applications and even proprietary applications.

Obviously open source has its pros, but like my previous post stated, itā€™s not for everyone. Companies and Businesses that are new to VoIP may opt out of an open-source based solution for a commercial or proprietary for a number of reasons.

In my mind, the biggest benefit you see from commercial VoIP solution is that it is a complete solution that is fully documented and usually comes with some type of technical support or support option. With commercialized solutions, itā€™s a more complete solution where features such as unified messaging, integration with data applications, and full-blown functionality including call recording, reporting, fully customizable IVRā€™s, and much more have been fully tested and are very easily setup and administered.

Now I am not saying you donā€™t get all of these features with open-sourced solutions because this is not true. You do get most of these features but it does take more work ā€œunder the hoodā€ and through the Asterisk CLI to incorporate some of this functionality and if you are new to VoIP or not technically inclined to make these changes, the solution could get very frustrating for you and your business.

Below, we will detail out some of benefits and drawbacks to commercial VoIP solutions as they are compared to open-sourced solutions. (more…)

Video Conferencing Deployment Checklist

June 23, 2010 by Joe Shanahan

In todayā€™s world, more and more businesses and organizations of all types and sizes are utilizing video conferencing to conduct meetings that in the past could only be held in person.Ā  Video conferencing can be advantageous in many different ways, and countless new systems are being deployed every day as the technology continues to grow in popularity.

However, before people go out and purchase all the equipment they need to deploy a system, they need to consider several factors which will help guide them in their purchasing decision.Ā  Listed below are some important aspects of any video conferencing project that need to be considered prior to installation.

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Leveraging Existing Handsets With a VoIP Gateway

If you are reading this you have probably concluded that VoIP would be the most efficient way of communication for your business.

However you may find that the cost associated with migrating to VoIP to be more than you bargained for. Perhaps you have recently made a substantial investment in analog telephones or maybe you users like their existing analog phones and fear “losing” them.

In either case you definitely donā€™t want to throw away your brand new analog phones if you deploy a VoIP Phone system.

Well I’m happy to tell you that you donā€™t have to! All you need is an FXS VoIP gateway.

(more…)

Can the TV Screen Compete With the PC Screen?

June 14, 2010 by Garrett Smith

Since the advent of the Internet it was apparent to most that it would have a substantial impact on other entertainment and media vehicles (I.E. Newspapers, Magazines, TV). If you’ve spent any amount of time around the communications or media industries you know that everyone has proclaimed the death of the TV.

Thanks to the Internet, the TV has become less and less important. Well at least to some.

While it is true that the Internet has put a dent in the TV “mind share” of millions, TV isn’t dead. Nor does it seem that the TV is ready to roll over and die.

Today’s TV is not the one trick pony it use to be.

Brands around the world have finally started to smarten up and are now coming out with TV’s and ancillary components that make the TV much more, well, PC like. Take for example, Skype’s work with LG and Panasonic to bring Skype to your TV.

It’s not just the TV manufacturer’s either. Cable companies are now offering the almighty “triple play” and integrating call screen pop’s to alert you of an incoming call.

Soon cable companies will start offering the quadruple play of Internet, voice, TV and video. Check out FREETALK TV if curious as to what could become a common accessory for your TV in the near future.

Don’t know about you, but this really does sound like TV manufacturers and cable companies working to port current web utility to the TV.

Which leads to the question, “can the TV screen compete with the PC screen?”

The PC has been dominant the last decade. It has put a dent in theĀ  mind share and market share the TV held for the previous three decades thanks to the rise of the Internet.

But the TV still has a strong foot hold in the lives of millions.

If played smart and done well, it’s not a stretch to think that the TV could compete with the PC as the “primary screen” be which people communicate with one another and entertain themselves.

What do you think?

The Upsides and Downsides of Open Source VoIP Systems

Open Source solutions are very prevalent in the VoIP industry, particularly surrounding the open-source telephony engine Asterisk.

Open source telephony applications have opened many opportunities in the VoIP industry and many companies such as trixbox, elastix, freepbx, pbxinaflash, and rhino, which are just a few, have taken the asterisk source code (licensed under the GNU GPL) and rounded it to their own business applications. Since the topic is ā€œopen-sourceā€, the source code of Asterisk is distributed freely among companies, users, administrators, developers, and integrators alike and together have produced the worldā€™s most powerful telephony engine and what that means to you, the VoIP customer is, a freely distributed source code or compiled ISO of a feature rich IP Phone system better termed as the IP PBX.

(more…)

Free 2 Day Shipping on Digium and Rhino Equipment PCI Cards

June 11, 2010 by Garrett Smith

free shipping digium and rhino

Whether you are currently purchasing PCI telephony cards or considering building one you will want to take a look at this offer.

VoIP Supply is now offering FREE 2 Day Express shipping via FedEx on all Digium and Rhino Equipment PCI Telephony cards. This includes all analog and digital models.

Take advantage, check out the links below.

About Digium PCI Telephony Cards

DigiumĀ® digital cards are high-performance, cost effective, digital telephony interfaces. With the combination of Digium hardware and AsteriskĀ® software, numerous telephony configurations are possible. From the traditional PBX to VoIP Gateways, Digium solutions are paving the way for a new generation of worldwide communications.

Click here to shop all Digium PCI Telephony Cards!

About Rhino Equipment PCI Telephony Cards

Managing your Open Source telecommunication needs has never been easier than with Rhino products. Rhino PCI plug-in cards satisfy the needs of Open Source Telephony (OST) applications, no matter how stringent the requirement. Rhino Open Source Telephony PCI cards feature AsteriskĀ® and Linux tested software. Knowing that Rhino products are ready to perform right out of the box means that you can spend more time developing important customer relationships.

Click here to shop all Rhino Equipment PCI Telephony Cards!

Wondering what PCI Telephony Card is right for you? Call a VoIP Supply sales representative at 800.398.8647!

Open Source Telephony Software

When it comes to VoIP and telephony, many customers are realizing the added benefits of using open-source operating systems and telephony software to administer and maintain a fully functional, feature rich, and productive phone system. The term open-source is used very loosely but in short, describes a VoIP Phone system that is based entirely on free, openly distributed source code and a combination of both an open-sourced version of Linux operation system, and open source telephony software, better known as Asterisk.
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More from: Asterisk Garrett Smith

Benefits of Video Conferencing for Small Businesses

The use of video conferencing technology by small businesses can have many benefits, not the least of which is helping the bottom line.

Cost Savings

Having employees travel for meetings can be a very large expense for any business. Considering the costs for transportation, lodging, food and entertainment, companies can experience great savings by conducting meetings via video conferencing rather than in person.

However, the obvious cost cutting advantage of utilizing video technology is only part of the overall benefit that the small business can reap.

Increase Productivity

Worker productivity is another great example of a benefit a small business can realize through the use of video conferencing. Reducing travel and commute requirements allows people to have more time to accomplish other tasks and be more efficient.

This also results in a better quality of life for workers, as they can be home more to spend time with family and pursue other interests during non-work hours. If they are traveling frequently, they are not only less efficient at work, but also have less time for their personal lives. Most people would be much happier with that type of a job requirement, and of course a happy worker is a more productive worker.

Better Engagement

Video conferencing also enables a small company to conduct more meetings and touch more potential customers. While someone who travels to meet with prospective clients may only be able to see one or two in a day, efficient use of video conferencing allows for that same person to meet with several customers in a given day.

Video conferencing gives a small business the opportunity to create the personal connection generated from meeting face to face with customers while being in another part of the country or even the world. Communicating via telephone simply does not allow for that same connection to be made on a personal level that can be achieved when you are seeing the people you are talking too.

The use of video conferencing can allow for a similar number of customer touches in a day that using a telephone can, while also making a personal connection that can only be made face to face.

When looking at it from a numbers perspective, itā€™s quite clear that using video conferencing to meet with customers is head and shoulders more efficient than traveling to meet in person, and more personal than talking on a telephone.

Interested in learning more about the benefits of video conferencing for your small business? Check out the video conferencing section on VoIP Supply or give me a call at 716-250-3873

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