Tech Tip: Converting a Cisco IP Phone from SCCP (Skinny) to SIP Firmware

April 3, 2009 by Garrett Smith

Cisco IP Phones are amongst the most popular desktop IP phones out there. By default, Cisco ship their phones from the factory pre-loaded with their proprietary SCCP protocol firmware (also commonly referred to as “skinny”).

If you are running Asterisk, Trixbox, Switchvox or any other standards-based SIP platform or hosted service, you’ll need to migrate your Cisco phone(s) from their native SCCP (skinny) load to SIP in order to use them. While this is not a particularly difficult procedure, it can be frustrating for those who have never attempted the process.

For the purposes of this exercise, we’re using a Cisco CP-7960G. The process may be slightly different depending upon the specific model of Cisco IP phone you are working with.

Cisco 7940/7960 IP phones can support either the Skinny Call Control Protocol (SCCP), Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), or the Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP), but not more than one simultaneously. This is possible because they load different firmware versions on bootup. This functionality is transparent to the end user, and you enable it through changes to the basic text−based configuration files that the phones download from a Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) server.

First, a few prerequisites:

A – You’ll need a CCO login for Cisco.com in order to obtain the latest SIP firmware. The easiest way to obtain a CCO login is to purchase a Smartnet maintenance contract for your Cisco IP phone from an authorized Cisco reseller. Once you have a registered Smartnet, you can obtain CCO login credentials and access the firmware downloads section of Cisco’s website. Expect to pay $8-$15 for a Smartnet contract.

B – You should have a comfort level with basic networking concepts and TFTP setup/administration. (more…)

VoIP conference phone showcase

by Garrett Smith

Note: See more updated blog post here: Best Conference Phones for Different Room Sizes (Infographic)
No so long ago you didn’t have much of an option when it came to an IP based conference phone. You either got a Polycom or you IP enabled an analog conference phone with a VoIP adapter.

Over the last few months this has changed. A number of new IP conference phones have hit the market, much to the delight of many of you.

But with an influx of choice comes a bit of added complexity in purchasing the right IP conference phone. So in order to help you make better purchasing decisions, here’s a quick round-up of the top IP conference phones on the market today.
(more…)

More from: VoIP Hardware Garrett Smith

Snom Rounds Out Product Suite with MeetingPoint IP Conference Phone

April 2, 2009 by Garrett Smith

German SIP experts Snom are becoming more and more well known for their excellent line of desktop IP phones. One gap in their product line that has recently been filled is desktop conferencing, with the release of their MeetingPoint IP Conference Phone.

MeetingPoint is a SIP compliant, Wideband Voice capable desktop IP conference phone. Similar to Polycom’s “HDVoice”, Snom calls their HD equivalent technology “OmniSound®” Full duplex broadband sound technology.

The Snom MeetingPoint provides management of up to 4 external participants and call recording range up to 30 m² room area or 10 participants.

The Snom MeetingPoint is expected to ship in April 2009, and is currently available for pre-order on VoIPSupply.com.

More from: VoIP Hardware Garrett Smith

Polycom Announces CX5000 (Formerly Microsoft RoundTable)

by Garrett Smith

You may have heard of Microsoft’s mysterious RoundTable voice and video collaboration device, which was announced quite awhile ago but has never seemed to actually materialize in the channel. It’s no secret that hardware manufacturing is not Microsoft’s strong suit…..thankfully this product concept is finally seeing the light of day thanks to Polycom….a company that does know a thing or two about voice, video and hardware manufacturing.

Polycom CX5000

When used in conjunction with Microsoft Office Live Meeting 2007 or Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, the Polycom CX5000 delivers a unique, engaging 360-degree group video experience, bringing video, voice, and content together into one seamless interactive session.

The Polycom CX5000 features simple USB plug-and-play operation that require little or no training to use. The product is intended to enhance team collaboration and enable faster and more effective decision making, improved interaction and lower costs. Advanced technology automatically changes the camera view so that the active speaker can always be identified, allowing participants to easily track the flow of conversation. The Polycom CX5000 allows you to fully engage all participants by providing a 360° panoramic view of the conference room when used with Microsoft Live Meeting 2007. In a Live Meeting 2007 session, both video views and the shared content are all seamlessly integrated on one screen. The CX5000 also allows you to record meetings for playback with synchronized voice, video and content, using Live Meeting 2007.

More from: VoIP Hardware Garrett Smith

VoIP equipment sales soared in Q4

by Garrett Smith

It’s still too early to tell how the VoIP equipment market performed this past quarter, but iLocus says the VoIP equipment market grew substantially in Q4 2008.

According to their latest research which utilizes data from carriers, VoIP subscriber lines equipment saw quarter-over-quarter growth of 66%. That’s a hefty number in the face of economic fear, uncertainty and doubt.

These numbers don’t speak to the total VoIP equipment market, though one can imagine that if carriers are building out their infrastructures and new lines are being added, the market for premise based VoIP equipment grew in stride.

This is something that we’ve notice here at VoIP Supply. While the many an industry has struggled as has the VoIP industry, there is still strong interest and demand for VoIP system equipment.

And don’t be surprised if iLocus’ Q1 report shows more of the same. From what I’ve seen and heard Q1 wasn’t too bad to most in the VoIP equipment space.

Cisco SPA525G Multimedia IP Phone NOW SHIPPING!

April 1, 2009 by Garrett Smith

The long awaited Cisco SPA525G phone is now in stock and shipping at VoIPSupply.com!

The Cisco SPA525G is compatible with popular SIP based platforms including Asterisk and Trixbox, and is also supported on Cisco’s UC520.

We’ve lowered our price to $299.95, this phone has everything:

- Support for up to 5 Lines
- Dual Ethernet with 802.3af PoE Support
- High Resolution Color LCD Display
- Integrated WiFi 802.11X Connectivity
- USB 2.0 host port for connecting a USB memory device to play MP3 music files
- AUX port (to attach a SPA932 attendant console)
- Bluetooth capability for headset support
- 2.5mm stereo earphone jack for wired headset
- Kensington security slot support
- Integrated web/XML applications (Weather, News, Sports, etc)

Skype for iPhone Review

March 31, 2009 by Garrett Smith

skype for iphone As I covered yesterday, the native Skype client for the iPhone was released today.

Being both a Skype and iPhone user I grab the new Skype client this morning. Before making any test calls or messages, I decided to give the Skype client a quick “feature spin.”

Skype for iPhone feature overview

After a quick download from the app store I found that the Skype for iPhone client allows Skype users to:

Call other Skype users
Call out via SkypeOut
Manage your contacts
View chats and calling history
View and edit your account information

Missing from Skype’s native desktop functionality is:

Ability to purchase SkypeOut credit directly
SMS messaging
Conference calling
Voicemail retrieval
Video
File transfers

There are likely a few others, but those were the major missing features. Once I had an opportunity to familiarize myself with the Skype for iPhone client, I spent some time putting the client through it’s paces.

Skype for iPhone review

For the purposes of this review I:

Made a few calls to other Skype users.
Placed a few 5 – 10 minute calls to landlines and mobiles.
Engaged in a few messages with friends.

Now I’ve only been using the Skype for iPhone client for all of two and a half hours, but there isn’t much to it. Based off my experience with Skype for iPhone, here are some thoughts:
(more…)

IBISWorld Predicts VoIP Industry a Bright Spot Amidst Economic Downturn

March 30, 2009 by Garrett Smith

Research firm IBISWorld released a report today with their predictions for the best performing industries of 2009, and they predict annual revenue growth of 20% for “Voice Over Internet Protocol Providers”.

IBISWorld Press Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 30/03/2009
Top 10 Biggest Recession Winners

IBISWorld Announces Industries To Perform Best in 2009

LOS ANGELES – March 30, 2009 – The recession is crippling businesses across the nation, but several industries will remain unscathed by the current economic strife, according to recent Recession Updates published by industry research firm IBISWorld. As one of the nation’s most respected independent publishers of business intelligence research reports, IBISWorld today announced the top 10 industries expected to have the largest revenue growth in 2009:

S.no INDUSTRY REVENUE GROWTH 2009 (percent)
1 Voice Over Internet Protocol Providers (VoIP) 20.1
2 ecommerce & Online Auctions 12.6
3 Biotechnology 10.3
4 Engine, Turbine & Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing 10.0
5 Scheduled Bus Service 9.2
6 Court Reporting Services 7.7
7 Community Housing Services 7.5
8 Search Engines 6.5
9 Family Counseling 6.1
10 Video Games 5.8

*Full research reports for these industries are available upon request

“Emerging industries remain well represented and continue to benefit from technological innovation and cost advantages,” explained George Van Horn, senior analyst with IBISWorld. “Unfortunately, the impact of the recession is equally pronounced among sectors directly benefitting from the social and financial stress associated with the downturn.”

While only five percent of all U.S. industries are fortunate enough to be positively impacted by the recession, IBISWorld research estimates that nearly 60 percent of all industries are negatively impacted or worse (depicted in the chart below)

Polycom CX5000 video and voice device

by Garrett Smith

The arranged marriage between voice and video got another nod today as the product formally known as Microsoft RoundTable has come back around as the Polycom CX5000.

The CX5000 is a video collaboration device for Microsoft Live Meeting or Microsoft Office Communications Server (OCS) 2007.

With the Polycom CX5000 users get a 360° view of the conference room providing a more interactive conferencing experience. In addition to this, the Polycom CX5000 also features:

Automatic focus on the current speaker while tracking conversation
Fast ROI by immediately enhancing team collaboration
Easy to conduct video meetings with USB plug-and-play features
Ability to record meetings for playback with synchronized voice, video and content

Carrying a price tag of $4,500, the Polycom CX5000 is out of the reach of most small businesses, but if you have the budget (and are a heavy Microsoft user) you might want to give Microsoft OCS and the Polycom CX5000 a try.

More from: VoIP Hardware Garrett Smith

Skype for iPhone release, mobile VoIP providers charge forward

by Garrett Smith

The wait is finally over

It’s looks like your wait for a native Skype client for the iPhone will be over tomorrow.

The folks at Cnet are reporting that the native Skype for iPhone application will be officially announced at CITA 2009 on Tuesday. The native Skype client has been in demand from users since the launch of Apple’s app store in July of 2008.

Skype for iPhone’s impact

Over the last eight months of number of up-start mobile VoIP providers such as Truphone, Fring and Nimbuzz have tried to satisfy iPhone user’s insatiable appetite for Skype by integrating Skype into their own clients, but have had mixed results.

While there’s no hard data as to how much Skype usage is passing through third party mobile VoIP providers, there is no question that a native Skype client will be a big threat to incumbent mobile VoIP carriers.

Many mobile VoIP providers have benefited from having an iPhone application and given Skype’s visbility, user base, user experience and network (even if it is peer-to-peer) their own offering will carve out a nice chunk of the iPhone market for the company.

Mobile VoIP providers charge forward

Seemingly unphased by the pending offering (or perhaps mounting an early attack), mobile VoIP provider Truphone is going “unlimited” with two new offerings.

TruUnlimited for landlines gives Truphone users unlimited calling to landlines in 38 countries for only $14 per month.
Truphone’s second new offering, TruUnlimited for mobiles gives users unlimted calling to mobiles and landlines in 64 countries for $40 a month.

Another leading mobile VoIP provider, fring, announced today that they have added Twitter 2.0 to their mobile VoIP client. This addition allows users to post status updates, search followers, profiles and track conversations by keywords.

The mobile VoIP scene continues to be hot and with Skype now aiming for additional marketshare it should stay that way for the rest of the year.

Tech Tip: Converting a Cisco IP Phone from SCCP (Skinny) to SIP Firmware

VoIP conference phone showcase

Snom Rounds Out Product Suite with MeetingPoint IP Conference Phone

Polycom Announces CX5000 (Formerly Microsoft RoundTable)

VoIP equipment sales soared in Q4

Cisco SPA525G Multimedia IP Phone NOW SHIPPING!

Skype for iPhone Review

Skype for iPhone feature overview

Skype for iPhone review

IBISWorld Predicts VoIP Industry a Bright Spot Amidst Economic Downturn

Polycom CX5000 video and voice device

Skype for iPhone release, mobile VoIP providers charge forward

The wait is finally over

Skype for iPhone’s impact

Mobile VoIP providers charge forward

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