VoIP Supply is excited to announce the new promotion of Mary Cheney as our new Marketing Manager!
About Mary Cheney
Mary joined VoIP Supplyâs marketing team about 5 years ago as our marketing supervisor. Over the past couple of years, she has successfully implemented processes in the department of marketing. Her positive attitude and knowledge have contributed to increasing all of our KPIâs. Her dedication and commitment to VoIP Supply is seen by all of us.
Mary has always had a passion for learning and listening to people around her, and has been in the field of marketing for over 10 years. She enjoys developing ways to help customers find products and solutions, as well as working with the team at VoIP Supply to optimize internal processes and procedures. When Mary is not at work, she enjoys spending time with her husband, two daughters and Great Dane Gus.
Congratulations, Mary! We are excited to have you continue leading our team and bringing more successes in the future!
Resellers – Time to review whatâs new this month! In our VoIP Reseller Webinar this month, we talked about new products to consider, Fanvilâs white labeling options, new promotions and so much more. Letâs check out this quick recap:
Have you checked out these new VoIP products? If you havenât, you are really missing out!
Fanvil X7A Android Phone: A high-end Android device that brings HD Voice, built-in Bluetooth and WiFi and the ease of a touch-screen display.
Grandstreamâs UCM6300 – Coming Soon: Supports desktop (WebRTC), mobile (Wave app), SIP video conferencing endpoints, IP phones
Yealink T46U: Offers the same elegant appearance as the T4 line, but with improvements for greater interoperability and better collaboration
Fanvilâs White Labeling Options
Did you know that Fanvil offers flexible white labeling options to our partners? Itâs available on the XU Series IP phones and the X210 and it only takes about one week after the artwork is approved!
X3U, X4U, X5U, X6U, X210
XU-N series use removable/replaceable PVC logo stickers/inserts
Free printing of custom sticker when ordering 200+
5 – 7 days after artwork is approved
New Fanvil Bundles Are Coming Soon!
Look out for the new Fanvil bundles available from October 1st, 2020! The old XU demo kit bundles will also be extended to March 21st, 2020:
Snom Trade-In Promotion
Lastly, donât forget to check out the Snom Trade-In promotion! Experience the latest technology from Snom. Replace old desk phones and take advantage of Snomâs trade-in rebates. Rebate amounts valid from July 15, 2020 through July 15, 2021 when you replace 5 or more phones.
Questions? Contact one of our VoIP experts at 1-800-398-8647 to learn more!
Note: This article was originally written by Garrett Smith in 2006 and edited by Ying-Hui (Evy) Chen on September 25th, 2020.
One of the biggest âbuzzâ words in the industry is SIP Trunking. For those of you who are not yet familiar with SIP Trunking, now is your chance to get some insights!
SIP Trunking is based on SIP. SIP stands for Session Initiation Protocol. SIP is an application-layer control (signaling) protocol for creating, modifying, and terminating sessions with one or more participants. It is widely used as the signaling protocol for VoIP calling and is widely thought of as the standard for VoIP calling.Â
Typically, a companyâs VoIP calls will involve a circuit switched handoff to the PSTN outside of the companyâs local area network. With SIP Trunking, the companyâs VoIP Service Provider handoffâs calls via the Service Providers SIP Network. Calls that are going to the PSTN will routed over the Service Providers IP backbone to the nearest PSTN gateway.
For the truly non-technical, a SIP Trunk is similar to a phone-line, except that a SIP Trunk utilizes the IP network, not the PSTN. SIP Trunking also allows for convergence of voice and data onto common all-IP connections.
The Top 9 Benefits of SIP Trunking
So why should you be using SIP Trunking? Here are 9 Benefits of SIP Trunking that help answer that question.
Reduce Hardware Cost: SIP Trunking reduces or eliminates the costs associated with the purchase of hardware media gateways.
Reduce Maintenance Costs: SIP Trunking also reduces or eliminates the costs associated with the ongoing support and maintenance costs of hardware media gateways.
Reduce Recurring Costs: SIP Trunking reduces the recurring costs of separate PSTN and data circuits (some dedicated to voice, some to data).
SIP Trunking eliminates the over-subscription of voice channels based on business requirements.
Support Multimedia Communication: SIP Trunking supports multiple forms of communication including video and instant messaging allowing for greater levels of user presence.
Utilize Direct Inward Dials (DIDs): SIP Trunking utilizes DIDâs (Direct Inward Dials) that allows each employee to have their own phone line. This increases the flexibility and implementation of call control and dial plans.
Improve Call Quality: SIP Trunking improves the call quality of voice based IP communications because each SIP Trunk is a dedicated âchannel.â
Reduce Long-Distance Fees: SIP Trunking reduces toll charges from SIP origination/termination services to the PSTN for external long-distance and local access calls.
Increase Flexibility: SIP Trunking allows for the selection of a single SIP Trunk which increases the flexibility and ease of adding, subtracting, or changing a line.
SIP Trunking is a unique product that delivers great benefits to small and medium businesses. As one of the hottest new products in the VoIP industry, there will soon be an increase in SIP Trunking offerings from a number of different providers.Â
In addition to the 9 benefits of SIP Trunking listed above, make sure that prior to making any business communication decisions on SIP Trunking, you fully consult with your service provider of choice about the implications of this decision on your business.Â
Snomâs DECT phone solutions are designed for a wide variety of verticals including manufacturing, warehouses, healthcare, education, restaurants, and more. In this monthâs webinar, we focused on Snomâs DECT solutions for restaurants and retail. Letâs do a quick recap!
For restaurants, the D7 Series IP phones are a great fit for hostess, management, and take out/delivery line; for retail, the D7 Series is also good for checkout counters and flexible positions.
The D7 Series includes the D717, D735, and D785 with a WiFi dongle for wireless communications.
The M100 DECT solution is ideal for mobile employees/hostess kiosk, take out/delivery lines and small retail shops. The M100 highlights its Key Line Emulation benefits:
4 Backlit LED line keys
Allow users to manage multiple calls
Blinking lights show who is on hold for easy call pickup
Before you leave, donât forget to take advantage of the Sno trade-in promotion! From now through July 15th, 2021, trade in your minimum of 5 qualifying Snom/VTech Phones or other competitorâs phones to receive rebates! Call one of our VoIP consultants at 1-800-398-8647 to claim your rebates.
Whatâs new this month? As more businesses transition to remote working environments, personal collaboration and communication security have become the focus. This brings us to Septemberâs big highlights, Grandstreamâs GUV Series and Ribbonâs EdgeMarc 6000 SBCs. Letâs dive in!
Grandstreamâs GUV Series
You canât miss out on Grandstreamâs latest addition, the GUV Series. This series focuses on personal collaboration and includes two headsets and a USB-based web camera. The GUV Series is designed to work with major UC platforms such as Teams, Zoom, WebEx, Grandstreamâs IPVideoTalk, GS Wave Desktop, and more!
The GUV Series also supports Grandtreamâs GXP IP Phones, GRP Series of Carrier-Grade IP Phones, the GXV Series of IP video phones. Learn more details here!
USB 2.0 port for plug-and-play connections
Supports 1080p Full HD Video at 30fps
Compatible with all major third-party platforms, apps and softphones
Ribbon EdgeMarc 6000 Series Session Border Controllers (SBCs)
The next new hardware we are excited to introduce is the EdgeMarc 6000 Series SBCs. These session border controllers are ideal for cloud communications. It can easily connect to several digital and analog legacy systems.
Better yet, the EdgeMarc 6000 Series grows with your business! It can be scaled up to 300 concurrent sessions and allow users to run several virtual network functions (VNFs).
300 concurrent session capacity
Controlled through the EdgeView Service Control Center
Were you using Skype for Business? Since July 31st, 2021, Microsoft has moved their Skype for Business Online customers over to Microsoft Teams. Letâs see what options you have for upgrading from Skype for Business Online to the Teams:
Four Options of Microsoft Teams – One is Free!
There are four options of Microsoft Teams including one free version. Each plan has varying costs.
The free version of Teams includes the basic functionalities without advanced features such as administration features and support.Â
VoIP Service Providers with Microsoft Teams Integration
VoIP Supply works with multiple service providers and most of them have great integrations with Microsoft Teams. Here are some options:
Sangoma Switchvox for Teams enables Click-to-Dial feature directly from Microsoft Teams. Simply click a contactâs phone number or extension and make the outbound call through your main Switchvox phone extension.
Broadvoice B-Hive and Microsoft Teams work seamlessly with Microsoft Teams to bridge the gaps for remote work. These two platforms work together to provide you with great collaboration features and access to advanced calling features such as auto attendant, call routing, CRM integration, workflows, and more. Broadvoice also provide SMS/MMS texting services for your team to stay connected at all times. Read this article to learn more!
Nextiva and Microsoft Teams fuse together to empower your business. Streamlined operations and extended flexibility to reach out to more contacts are just a few of the benefits you can take advantage of.Â
RingCentral for Microsoft Teams: Use Teams on the web or through the Teams desktop app with RingCentral Microsoft Teams. Users can make RingCentral voice calls, send SMS and initiate video meetings within Teams interface. You will also be able to make outbound calls, schedule meetings, and host meetings without leaving Teams.
Give our VoIP experts a call at 1-800-398-8647 today to learn more about Teams integration.
SMS, also called texts, stands for short message service. Itâs a messaging service that can contain up to 160 characters.
Why SMS? Some businesses rely on the SMS service for marketing campaigns and/or business notifications such as sales reminders, promotions/special pricing alerts or emergency alerts, important notification messages, and more. As more businesses are transitioning from traditional analog lines to VoIP, the demand for texting (SMS) through VoIP also increased.
Can You Text (SMS) Through VoIP?
Great news – Yes, it can be done through VoIP! SMS through VOIP allows users to send texts through an Internet connection. In order words, you are able to send text messages to cellphones from your VoIP devices.
By texting/SMS through VoIP, your business can reach out to a broader customer base at once and save more money. While most VoIP service providers charge a fee for SMS messaging service, itâs generally much cheaper than a traditional cellphone plan. See below for a quick list of some of our popular service providers that support SMS:
Which VoIP Providers Support Texting/SMS Service?
VoIP Supply works with multiple VoIP service providers that support SMS texting service. We will work with you to find you the best solution for you. Hereâs a quick look at some of our popular options:
Sangoma SIPStation provides SIP Trunk service. Customers can sign up for SIPStation service with SMS-capable numbers and SMS metered service.
Users also have the option to use their existing phone numbers for SMS. If you are using Switchvox, you can set up Switchvox with a SIPStation VoIP provider and a Switchvox SIP Phone extension to use an SMS DID. Learn more here.
Nextiva support sending and receiving SMS service. Users need to activate Nextiva business numbers for texting (SMS), create a new contact for each SMS recipient, and format the phone number to Nextiva specifications. Learn more here.
Broadvoice empowers teamwork anywhere from any device. Its service allows users to send and receive SMS text messages to any number directly through B-Hive Communicator within your desktop.
Broadvoice Communicator also includes a beta version of video calling! This feature is perfect for small team communication, allowing group chats to move to video with one simple click. The best part? No download is necessary! Learn more here.
Not sure which provider is ideal for your business? Give one of our VoIP experts a call at 1-800-398-8647 today! We will be happy to give you a free consultation with multiple quotes!
A true enterprise-grade unified communications solution
Increased capacity â up to 5000 users
Included video conferencing platform
Wave mobile app for communicating with all endpoints
UCM Remote Connect â available cloud SBC / NAT Traversal
Built-in high-availability and hot standby
API available for integrations and interoperability (Asterisk 16)
How do you choose the UCM6300 IP PBX model that is right for you? It depends on the capacity you need. How many users do you have? How many concurrent calls do you usually handle? Any FXO/FXS needs? See the chart below to compare these four models side by side:
The UCM6300 Series IP PBX gives you up to 8 FXO/FXS ports. See the layout of each model here:
The UCM6300 series also comes with more advanced features such as:
Built-in conferencing platform
Built-in and fully included â no extra cost
Supports desktop (WebRTC), mobile (Wave app), SIP video conferencing endpoints, IP phones
2, 3, 4 and 8 rooms
10, 20, 40 or 70 video participants
75, 150, 250 or 300 audio participants
Video codecs: H. 265, H.264, H.263, H.263+, VP8
Wave Desktop – Wave Mobile App
For iOS and Android
Mobile communications hub for the UCM6300 series
Free to download and use
Communicate with any device or user integrated with the UCM6300 series
Integrate with UCM Remote Connect (Not with Wave Lite ed.)
UCM Remote Connect Service
Cloud NAT traversal service from Grandstream
Create secure remote connections between remote users/devices and the UCM6300 series
Ideal for any business with remote workers and/or multiple offices
Create secure connections between remote UCMs
Plans and specifications coming soon
Still not sure which UCM6300 model is the best for your communication needs? Call one of our VoIP experts at 1-800-398-8647 today for an evaluation! The UCM6300 series is coming soon! Stay tuned for more information.
We want to continue sharing VoIP Supplyâs Refresh Program for refurbished devices because we know that there are so many businesses out there that may be in need of just that- used IP phones- but may not exactly know where they can get quality refurbished devices for fair market value.Â
VoIP Supply has been in the refurbished game for years now, and we are not perfect, but we are pretty close to it! We are confident that we are hard to beat when it comes to offering used devices that work great and look good.
Take a look at our 10-Step Refresh Process:
These are our featured products of the month!
The Polycom VVX 501 IP Phone is a Gigabit device with a touchscreen display. It provides all the key features a professional user would require in order to work effectively and efficiently. For example, the VVX 501 complements userâs desktop computers by displaying calendars and corporate directories right on the phoneâs display. With Polycomâs HD Voice in both the handset and the speakerphone, rest assured that your calls will be crisp and clear.
Another great refurbished IP phone, also from a respected VoIP manufacturer is the Yealink T46S.
As you can see in the picture above, the T46S is a beautifully designed IP Phone with a color 4.3-inch color touchscreen display. It has a paperless design and supports up to 16 SIP accounts. The T46S supports Wi-Fi via the WF40 dongle, and Bluetooth via the Grandstream BT40 dongle.
And for our friends looking for a refurbished conference phone, the Polycom Trio 8800 is the way to go if you need a noise cancelling phone, with HD Audio that also has a familiar Skype for Business touch screen interface.
With built-in Wi-Fi and a 20 foot range, the Trio 8800 is a reliable and flexible conference phone that can be in small-to large meetings. It supports 5-way conferencing and has Polycomâs patented noiseblock.
These refurbished options make a great buy for users that want quality for less. These devices are backed by VoIP Supplyâs one year warranty for your peace of mind!
Have questions about VoIP Supplyâs Refresh? Give us a call at 1-800-398-8647.
Note: This article was originally written by Garrett Smith, and edited by Ying-Hui (Evy) Chen
Q: We recently purchased an IP PBX, but arenât using VoIP to send and receive calls. I keep hearing about âSIP Trunkingâ everywhere I turn. What is âSIP Trunkingâ and can it help my business save money on calls?
A: If you are the proud owner of a SIP compatible IP PBX and are currently using a PSTN connection, such as a PRI or a handful of POTS lines to make and receive phone calls, it might be time to give SIP trunking a look.
Many IP PBX systems, such as Asterisk and Trixbox allow you to leverage SIP trunking, in addition to maintaining PSTN connectivity. By editing the dial plan in your IP PBX, you can dictate which types of calls you want to connect to the PSTN, and which calls you want to hand off to your SIP trunking provider for termination. Cost savings is a primary reason why SIP trunking is becoming increasingly popular with businesses of all shapes and sizes.
What is a SIP Trunk?
For enterprises wanting to make full use of their installed IP-PBXs and not only communicate over IP within the enterprise, but also outside the enterprise, a SIP trunk provided by an Internet Telephony Service Provider to connect to the traditional PSTN network is the solution.
Unlike in traditional telephony, where bundles of physical wires were once delivered from the service provider to a business, a SIP trunk allows a company to replace these traditional fixed PSTN lines with PSTN connectivity via a SIP trunking service provider on the Internet.
There are a number of reasonable answers to that question, but the primary advantage for many users is cost savings. For example, as a business owner, I could leverage SIP trunking to bypass expensive Long Distance or International toll charges levied by my PSTN provider. The rates for domestic and international LD are typically a fraction of what can be charged by traditional Telco operators.
Understanding that a SIP trunk is dependent upon the integrity of your data (internet) connection, it is often prudent to use SIP trunks to complement traditional PSTN circuits. This gives you the cost savings you are looking for, in addition to the fail-over and redundancy of having two call carriers available.
Actual trunk configuration will vary depending upon the make and model of IP PBX you are using.
In a nutshell, you need to configure SIP trunking using account-specific information obtained when you sign up for service with an ITSP such as Bandwidth.com.
Next, modify the dial plan in your PBX to set up specific call rules which dictate which trunks (SIP or PSTN) calls are placed on when a user picks up a phone in your office and dials an outbound call. A very simple dial plan setup would use PSTN trunks for local calls, and SIP trunks for LD or International calls. Many businesses with multiple domestic and international locations use SIP trunking for intra-office calling as well, often leveraging their existing data infrastructure.
If you are interested in getting SIP trunking in place feel free to contact one of our VoIP experts at 1-800-398-8647 and our team will be happy to share some instruction for your specific PBX platform.
