OFFICE VOIP IP PHONES SOLUTIONS KENYA
OFFICE VOIP IP PHONES SOLUTIONS KENYA, We are the leading office VOIP PBX solution provider in Kenya. Our technical team will help you in better Understanding of your office need and the eventual Set-up and configuration. We operate all over East Africa.
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Visit our office to buy quality VoIP Telephones solutions in Nairobi Kenya. IP PHONES are the modern-day communication gateways and because of the telecommunication dramatic evolution you need to keep updating your organizations Voice over IP Phones.
Then what is the difference between traditional phones and IP phones? The IP phones utilizing TCP/IP network to communicate while traditional phones using analog lines for communication. Moreover, IP phones allow you to utilize the same corporate network for telephony and data.
Dayari technologies is a supplier of voice over IP (VoIP) phones and IP telecommunication solutions. We are able to provide different IP phone brands that match your requirement. We now deal with Avaya, Cisco, Grandstream, Dlink, Yealink, Phones. Contact us for any IP phone solution for your office in Kenya, Nairobi. We can supply and install VOIP Phones anywhere in east africa.
Comprehensive Guide to Buying a PBX Telephone System in Kenya
Buying a PABX Office Telephone Switchboard System
The purchase of a modern PABX Telephone System or Switchboard Solution represents an important process for any modern business. The incoming voice solution for any business is often the first impression a customer or supplier has of that organization and it is critical that it is a favorable one.
There are several types of PABX
- Small PABX – (1 – 4 Staff)
- Medium PABX – (5 – 30 Staff)
- Large PABX – (31 – 200+ Staff)
Below is a detailed guide to assist in preparing to buy or rent a PABX Switchboard System. It is important for businesses to understand that a PBX telephone system has many varied components and multiple setup options therefore proper planning is essential when preparing to change, move or update your PABX solution in order to avoid disruptions and downtime within your organization.
Below we provide useful information to assist you when considering buying or hiring a PABX Switchboard System.
Critical Questions to Ask When Beginning the PABX Buying Process:
- How many users must the PABX telephone system accommodate? I.e. How many people will need a telephone device/handset/Smartphone PABX App or have access to one?
- Do you have existing cabling at your office location or will your site require new PABX telephone cabling?
- Does the site have existing landline connectivity i.e. Existing Telkom/Neotel/VOIP infrastructure or telephone lines already in place or will you require new VoIP connectivity with your VoIP PBX System? If so, how many lines does your business require? i.e 4 concurrent telephone lines.
Once you have answered these basic questions internally, you can then begin to refine the switchboard solution down to more exact needs and features required by your business or organization including, but not limited to:
Which PBX Switchboard System Brand Should I Buy?
This is a personal preference and our consultants can guide you on which PABX telephony hardware provider best suits your needs and budget.
Ultimately, all PABX brands offer very similar general features, but once we understand exactly what your organization’s needs are, we can advise on which PBX switchboard brand is right for you and your organization’s telephony needs. Browse some of the range below:
- Hosted Telephone System
- Panasonic Telephone Systems
- Samsung Telephone Systems
- NEC Telephone Systems
Buying an Office Phone System outright vs renting your PABX Switchboard Phone Systems
Again, this decision comes down to the circumstances and the stage that your business may be at, at the time of purchase.
PBX telephone systems in stable companies not expecting large amounts of staff growth or change, can typically be purchased or bought outright.
In cases where the system is purchased outright, the business would then accept that updates and changes in technology or the size of the system will incur further capital outlays as opposed to making changes when renting the system, which can be done with a simple adjustment to the monthly rental cost.
Renting a PABX telephone system offers a number of advantages including the ability to add changes to the size and capabilities as a business’s telecommunications requirements change in the future, essentially allowing greater flexibility.
Rentals also allow for the PABX system to be upgraded regularly as they age and the technology dates, ensuring the company always has access to working, modern telephony systems. Read more on the advantages of Renting PBX Systems.
IP PBX System vs Analog PABX Phone Systems?
Traditional analogue PBX solutions work perfectly well for standard installations where additional add-on functionality and features are not required. Analogue telephone systems perform well in almost all standard environments and most end users will be unaware as to whether they are using an analogue or IP PBX system.
Therefore, where cost and simple functionality are the key considerations, we recommended an analogue solution.
The alternative is an IP PABX solution, these run via existing or new IP CAT 5 or CAT 6 “computer” cabling. The advantages and disadvantages of an IP PBX system include:
IP PBX Advantages
- Extension numbers can be programmed remotely and extension numbers follow users even when moving around the building or organization via the IP address of their PABX phones
- Easy remote maintenance and programming, maximum uptime
- No need to re-cable the building if existing computer network can be used, great for time and cost savings
- More sophisticated integration features with unified PBX communications solutions allowing remote branch setup, integration with hosted video conferencing and more
- Seamless integration of transferring calls for businesses with multiple sites or branches.
IP PBX Disadvantages
- Cost is higher than that of an analogue PABX solution
- VLAN switching equipment may need to be purchased depending on site requirements
PABX Lines: Traditional Telkom Phone Lines vs VoIP Lines
With the advent of VoIP, hundreds of PBX voice options have appeared for businesses to choose from. This is one of the most critical decisions to be made in the purchasing decision process, as no matter how good the PABX hardware solution you buy, if the voice connectivity feeding that hardware is poor, the general user and customer experience will be bad.
Typically, VoIP lines are cheaper on usage and allow for free or low-cost inter-branch calling, but beware, below a certain usage, the cost of hiring a VoIP PBX system may outweigh the savings on lower call usage.
United Telecom’s expert sales consultants can assess your location, needs and budget to assist in supplying first, the most cost effective and stable solution for your organization’s requirements and secondly, one which meets the features and requirements of your business. View our VoIP Packages.
Which Type of Switchboard Phones & Handsets Should I Buy?
Almost all modern PBX phone system solutions can have a wide variety of corded and cordless handsets. It’s important when chatting to your consultant to discuss who needs what type of PABX phone and why?
This process will uncover where there is potential for cost savings, you may even be able to reuse some of your existing handsets.
In cases where executives require a more advanced features handset or where aesthetics is a key concern, we provide up range phone handset models to cater for any office aesthetic, finally, conference phones are often required for boardrooms or locations where multiple participants may wish to partake in a telephone call or meeting.
Types of PABX phone handsets include:
- Simple analogue phone handsets
- Digital handset phones with caller line identification
- IP Phones/handsets
- Receptionist phones
- Cordless phones
- Conference phones
- DECT cordless handsets for large roaming areas and much more
Moving Your PBX System
A large component of the cost of a PABX solution is the infrastructure, cabling and labor required to get the PBX solution in place within an organization. Often, connectivity suppliers require significant lead times to have voice solutions installed and as such proper planning is required. Don’t leave this too late!
Before embarking on a change of your unified communications telephone system, make sure that you have consulted with your account manager around all potential snags and delays. These could include: PBX connectivity availability i.e is there the ability to access VoIP or GSM services nearby, number porting, cabling, access to new buildings, user setups and more, amongst an array of other issues to be considered when preparing for a new PABX telephone solution or a system relocation.
Dayari technologies Services: What Can We Help You With?
Dayari technologies assists with the full spectrum of commercial telecommunications requirements from small business PBX systems to corporate unified communications rollouts, our services include:
- PABX / PBX Relocations and Installations and Re-installations
- PABX / PBX Maintenance and Service Contracts. Monthly/Quarterly/Annually
- PABX / PBX Switchboard Cabling
- PABX / PBX Switchboard Consulting
- PBX / PABX Hardware and Software Solutions
- PBX Call Centre Solutions: Hosted and On-Premise
- VoIP Packages
- Unified Communication Solutions
- Video Conferencing
- Connectivity including Voice (VoIP) and Data
- Number Porting
- Wireless LAN Setups
- Fixed – Mobile Convergence
Office IP Phones Kenya
Yealink SIP IP Phones
When it comes to telecommunication technology, you should have a look at the diverse opportunities available. With the advent of VOIP technology, the business communication has become transparent, simple and refined.
It enables enterprises to achieve its communication goals by reducing the telephone expenses and increasing the employee productivity and proficiency.
Therefore to maintain a stable and reliable communication, it is worth to upgrade your business telephone systems with the IP based systems. Once you have finalized to go for the IP telephony solutions, deciding upon the proper systems can be a complex undertaking.
We are experienced IP telephony provider can design and implement reliable solutions that fit your needs and budget. Dayari technologies is well equipped to help in Getting scalable IP telephony solution for your communication need in Kenya.
Communication set up in the emerging markets need to be expanded. As a fast-growing economy in Africa, Kenya has immense opportunities. To stay competitive and productive the businesses in Kenya need advanced IP phone solutions that can address their communication needs.
Therefore, all business organization in Kenya needs to ensure that they move along with the latest communication technology.
Dayari technologies Kenya is an experienced telephony provider with many year experience. We have all the technical capability that is instrumental in bringing latest IP solutions incorporating the sophisticated business telephone phone systems in kenya.
To experience a better communication, what your business need is quality office IP phones that can address all their market needs. Feel the power of communication with the Yealink IP phones, the Yealink IP phones are considered to be the most reliable phones in the industry.
With its high-end features and functionalities, the wide range of office phone solutions that we provide at dayari technologies VOIP phones comes with the power to transform your business fortune. It brings the communication closer, boosts productivity, made solutions faster and reliable.
To address the above goal, the phones infrastructure we provide has diverse capability, they comes with various types of IP phones including the Wireless IP phones, Desktop IP phones, and other conference phones. Complete your enterprise requirements with Yealink Desktop IP phones Kenya Desktop IP phones have been designed to cover almost all kind of business environments.
It includes T2 Series IP phones, T4 Series IP phones and Skype for business HD IP phones. These systems are embedded with rich telephony features and deliver quality sound to have a great interactive experience.
The Yealink T2 Series IP phones: Users having high expectations on IP phones can choose this eloquent IP phones. Delivering beyond excellence, Yealink T2 Series IP phones is undoubtedly a perfect choice for the business seeking communication perfectionism.
These phones are powered by high-end VOIP technology that helps business to ease communication over the internet. With the friendly user interface and amazing sound delivery, this IP product is a good bet for your evolving business.
Additionally, these systems are secured with security encryption standards. This series consists of models SIP-T29G IP Phone, SIP-T27P IP Phone, SIP-T23G IP Phone, SIP-T23P IP Phone, SIP-T21P E2 IP Phone, and SIP-T19P E2 IP Phone. Some of the features include
- Yealink Optimal high definition Voice quality
- Supports expansion modules
- Full-duplex speakerphones (hands-free)
- Conferencing facility
- Advanced calling features
Yealink T4 Series IP phones:
This series of phones are best suited for businesses looking for quality IP communications. It has the advanced telephony features that satisfy communication in a great way.
These phones are the perfect representation of today’s IP phone segment that takes your business to advanced levels. With the great sound delivery and embedded state of art technology, it extends many advantages to the business.
It’s purely a dependable solution for the business involving a good deal of communication over the internet. Its optimal HD voice system makes the T4 Series a great option for many enterprises.
It comprises of the models SIP VP-T49G video collaboration phone, SIP T48G IP Phone, SIP-T46G IP Phone, SIP-T42G IP Phone, SIP-T41P IP Phone and SIP-T40P IP Phone. The features include
- High definition voice
- 16 VOIP accounts
- Three way conferencing
- Advanced telephony features
- Easy to manage
- High-end security
Yealink Skype for business HD IP phones
These are the high-quality systems that give effortless interoperability with the Skype-personalized user interface. These phones have been developed for enhanced business productivity and management. To provide multiple options for the customers, these series have the models named T48G, T46G, T42G, T41P, and T40P.
Here are some of the features
- High definition voice
- Skype for business interface
- Wall mountable
- Sign in for Skype via phone web interface
- Multilingual user interface
- Call forwarding
- Good security
- and more
Yealink Wireless DECT IP phones Kenya
Yealink Wireless IP phone
solutions can meet the communication needs of the industries across wide domains. Yealink wireless DECT phones are perfect for environments involving the supervisory and managing roles.
Designed with the cutting edge technologies, Yealink wireless IP phones Kenya is a wonderful solution for the business. The models comprise of W52P and the W56P wireless IP phones. Some common features
- Brilliant High definition sound
- Advanced telephony features
- Full duplex speakerphone
- Multi-language support
- Good security
Yealink IP phones Nairobi, Kenya for greater flexible communication
Enterprises need sophisticated solutions to deliver brilliant results. It is particularly true in the communication set up since communication is key to the success.
As a trusted IP telephony provider in Kenya, we have the core experience to develop flawless solutions in a cost-effective way with the Yealink IP systems. Being the leading distributor and retailer of IP systems in Kenya, dayari Yealink office phone systems delivers exceptional performance in the most demanding conditions.
Due to which these systems can be trusted to a great extent. We have professionals who know the in and out of these systems they have profound capability of creating unmatched solutions around Kenya that satisfy user requirements.
YEALINK SIP IP PHONES at Best Prices in Nairobi, Kenya
When it comes to telecommunication technology, you should have a look at the diverse opportunities available. With the advent of VOIP technology, the business communication has become transparent, simple and refined.
It enables enterprises to achieve its communication goals by reducing the telephone expenses and increasing the employee productivity and proficiency.
Therefore to maintain a stable and reliable communication, it is worth to upgrade your business telephone systems with the IP based systems.
Once you have finalized to go for the IP telephony solutions, deciding upon the proper systems could be complex. Experienced IP telephony provider can design and implement reliable solutions that fit your needs and budget.
Getting scalable IP telephony solution for your communication need in Kenya.
Communication set up in the emerging markets need to be expanded. As a fast-growing economy in Africa, Kenya has immense opportunities. To stay competitive and productive the businesses in Kenya need advanced IP solutions.
Therefore, it is worth for the enterprises to move along with the latest communication technology. dayari technologies Kenya is an experienced telephony provider in Kenya that is instrumental in bringing latest IP solutions with the sophisticated business telephone phone systems. To experience a better communication, what your business need is the best IP phones on the market.
Feel the power of communication with the Yealink IP phones Kenya
Yealink IP phones are considered to be the most reliable phones in the industry. With its high-end features and functionalities, the wide range of Yealink IP phones has the power to transform your business fortune.
It brings the communication closer, boosts productivity, made solutions faster and reliable. To power the infrastructure, Yealink comes with various types of IP phones including the Wireless IP phones, Desktop IP phones, and other conference phones.
Complete your enterprise requirements with Yealink Desktop IP phones Kenya
Desktop IP phones have been designed to cover almost all kind of business environments. It includes T2 Series IP phones, T4 Series IP phones and Skype for business HD IP phones. These systems are embedded with rich telephony features and deliver quality sound to have a great interactive experience.
Yealink T2 Series IP phones: Users having high expectations on IP phones can choose this eloquent IP phones. Delivering beyond excellence, Yealink T2 Series IP phones is undoubtedly a perfect choice for the business seeking communication perfectionism. These phones are powered by high-end VOIP technology that helps business to ease communication over the internet.
With the friendly user interface and amazing sound delivery, this IP product is a good bet for your evolving business. Additionally, these systems are secured with security encryption standards. This series consists of models SIP-T29G IP Phone, SIP-T27P IP Phone, SIP-T23G IP Phone, SIP-T23P IP Phone, SIP-T21P E2 IP Phone, and SIP-T19P E2 IP Phone.
Some of the features include
Yealink Optimal high definition Voice quality Supports expansion modules Full-duplex speakerphones (hands-free) Conferencing facility Advanced calling features Yealink T4 Series IP phones: This series of phones are best suited for businesses looking for quality IP communications.
It has the advanced telephony features that satisfy communication in a great way. These phones are the perfect representation of today’s IP phone segment that takes your business to advanced levels.
With the great sound delivery and embedded state of art technology, it extends many advantages to the business. It’s purely a dependable solution for the business involving a good deal of communication over the internet.
Its optimal HD voice system makes the T4 Series a great option for many enterprises. It comprises of the models SIP VP-T49G video collaboration phone, SIP T48G IP Phone, SIP-T46G IP Phone, SIP-T42G IP Phone, SIP-T41P IP Phone and SIP-T40P IP Phone.
More features include
High definition voice 16 VOIP accounts Three way conferencing Advanced telephony features Easy to manage High-end security Yealink Skype for business HD IP phones: These are the high-quality systems that give effortless interoperability with the Skype-personalized user interface.
These phones have been developed for enhanced business productivity and management. To provide multiple options for the customers, these series have the models named T48G, T46G, T42G, T41P, and T40P.
High definition voice Skype for business interface Wall mountable Sign in for Skype via phone web interface Multilingual user interface Call forwarding Good security and more Yealink Wireless DECT IP phones Kenya Yealink Wireless IP phone solutions can meet the communication needs of the industries across wide domains.
Yealink wireless DECT phones are perfect for environments involving the supervisory and managing roles. Designed with the cutting edge technologies, Yealink wireless IP phones Kenya is a wonderful solution for the business. The models comprise of W52P and the W56P wireless IP phones.
Some common features
Brilliant High definition sound advanced telephony features Full duplex speakerphone Multi-language support Good security Yealink IP phones Nairobi, Kenya for greater flexible communication Enterprises need sophisticated solutions to deliver brilliant results.
It is particularly true in the communication set up since communication is key to the success. As a trusted IP telephony provider in Kenya, we have the core experience to develop flawless solutions in a cost-effective way with the Yealink IP systems.
Being a leading manufacturer of IP systems Yealink systems delivers exceptional performance in the most demanding conditions. Due to which these systems can be trusted to a great extent. We have professionals who know the in and out of these systems where they are profound to creating unmatched solutions around Kenya that satisfy user requirements.
The range of all yealink we is as shown below Yealink.
SIP-T58V IP Phone Kenya Yealink
Yealink SIP-T56A IP Phone Kenya Yealink
Yealink SIP-T58A IP Phone Kenya .
Yealink SIP-T52S IP Phone Kenya
Kenya Yealink T54S Kenya
Yealink SIP-T21P E2 Kenya
Kenya Yealink SIP-T23P Kenya
Yealink SIP-T27G Kenya
Yealink T27P Kenya
Yealink SIP-T19P E2 Kenya
Yealink EXP50 Kenya
Yealink EXP40 Kenya
Yealink SIP-T46S Kenya
Yealink W56H Dect Kenya.
Yealink W56P Dect Kenya
Yealink SIP-T46G Kenya
Yealink SIP-T42S Kenya
Yealink SIP-T41S Kenya
Yealink VP T49G Kenya
Yealink SIP-T48S Kenya
Yealink SIP-T41P Kenya
Yealink SIP-T40P Kenya
Yealink VP-530 SIP
Yealink SIP-T48G Kenya
vp-W52H Yealink Kenya
Dect Phone SIP-T32G Kenya Yealink
SIP-T38G Kenya Yealink
Panasonic IP phones in Kenya
IP Phones allows the transmission of voice over the internet, also known as VoIP also known as Voice over Internet Protocol. There are multiple types of IP Phones but highlighting the intrinsic ones, we here discuss a brief about Grand stream PBX. IP phones functions the best under high speed, non-fluctuating internet connectivity.
All IP phones functions the same. The only thing different is how they are marketed depending upon the brands. Importance of IP Phones The implementation of IP Phones or IP phone telephone system in any kind of business is a significant deployment as it eases the communication within the organization as well as outside the organization.
With technological development and up-gradations which IP Phones are best suited for a company, the choice becomes complicated. Since PBX are committed to delivering a complete communication solution in one easy deployment, we here present an overview.
Who should buy an IP phone: An IP phone/system can be purchased by a large corporate firm where telecommunication is an integral part of the business. It can also be bought by small establishments to enhance communication procedures.
Let’s dive into what exactly an IP PBX is, how it works, and why you might want to consider using this type of phone system for your company. We’ll go over the following areas:
- What is an IP PBX?
- How an IP PBX works with devices
- Advantages of an IP PBX
- What to look for in an IP PBX provider
- Challenges of transitioning to an IP PBX
What is an IP PBX? IP PBX, or Internet Protocol Private Branch Exchange, is a type of business phone system that uses VoIP to connect telephone calls to the public telephone network. IP PBX systems can be cloud based, or a hybrid of a cloud based phone system and an on premise PBX system.
On-premise IP PBX systems are installed on site, where the phone system’s functionality is programmed into the PBX hardware. Cloud based IP PBX systems, or hosted PBX systems, on the other hand, use software to store its functionality and require no hardware on-site.
In either case, telephone users are connected via the internet to the IP PBX system for calling. On-premise IP PBX = hardware Cloud based IP PBX = software Other common names for the IP PBX include VoIP PBX, hosted PBX, cloud PBX, and virtual PBX. Any way you spin it, they all refer to a phone system that’s powered through the internet.
To put it most simply, it’s an internet phone system. Speak directly to a cloud PBX expert. PBX, Then and Now Ages ago, PBX systems were limited to companies with a large number of employees (and capital) for their switchboard operations and other “complex” features.
This was done by running physical phone lines through a mix of different stations, and then through the PBX equipment, rather than purchasing individual landlines for each station. Incoming calls to a company used to be answered by an operator and then transferred to the appropriate department.
Eventually, human operators were replaced by automated attendants that managed the process of transferring calls to various extensions. Today, the PBX system has gone digital. All the “complex” features that were powered by the traditional PBX equipment are still available, but now as software service. This is what we call the IP PBX.
How an IP PBX Works with Devices An IP PBX connects a PBX server with VoIP phones, providing the benefits of both call distribution and multi-device integration. Calls on an IP PBX system can be routed to different locations and devices all at the same time, as long as those devices and VoIP users are registered in the VoIP server.
This is one of the main differences of an IP PBX versus the traditional phone system. The IP PBX has no physical boundaries, as it connects to devices via the internet. This provides the added functionality of being able to use mobile devices, which is crucial for employees today.
The Advantages of an IP PBX Let’s explore how an IP PBX benefits an organization in regards to cost, service, management, and functionality. Here are 11 of the advantages an IP PBX could bring to your company.
- Mobile Device Integration
- Simple Management
- Price Consolidation
- Scalability
- Upgraded Contact Center Features
With an IP PBX, you can use your cell phone to make and receive calls using the same phone number and extension as your desk phone. This is done by downloading a mobile app, which fully integrates with your company’s IP PBX system.
The ability to use cell phones is possible because the phone numbers aren’t tied to a landline. Telzio provides the ability to call from both your mobile device and your computer, with the included webphone and mobile app.
Not only can incoming calls be routed to employees on their mobile devices, they can also make outgoing calls from the app. With this capability, some companies forgo desk phones altogether. In addition, the mobile app provides a backup source in the case of a power or internet outage at the office. How to prevent downtime on your phone system during an outage.
You can manage an IP PBX via an online dashboard, where you can configure and update your phone system without any technical training. Any questions can be quickly resolved via chat, and you can be on your way. Traditional phone systems are difficult to maintain and update, and usually require the assistance of expensive consultants.
Our internal communications are now much more efficient and Telzio’s user-friendly interface is much easier to use and manage as needed. Whereas before it was necessary to contact a technician for any little change, I can now manage everything right through my browser, and it goes live instantly.
Nathan Endow, IT Manager at Versa Products How to set up a phone menu. With an IP PBX system you can consolidate multiple phone systems and services into a single solution. In addition to managing multiple locations under a single account, you can also drop additional costs like SIP trucking, user licenses, PBX equipment, and maintenance fees.
Dayari technologies provides an all-in-one solution for IP PBX systems with no user fees, no maintenance fees, and no hardware requirements. Since everything is maintained “in the cloud”, you don’t have to pay for services at every location. All your lines can be pooled into one plan for maximum volume savings. Even international numbers can be remotely managed under a unified system. Learn more about dayari technologies all-inclusive pricing.
Online management and elimination of user license fees means scalability for your business. As your user count grows and feature demands expand, there is no additional cost to add lines or features from a contractual, management, or cost standpoint.
Why you shouldn’t pay per user for a VoIP phone system. On-premise phone systems on the other hand, are extremely costly and time-consuming when it comes time to add a user or feature. Not only does it require extended contracts, it requires hiring telecom engineers or relying on the vendor to make the updates.
This poses a significant cost burden for the company and a major time-waster for IT managers. With an IP PBX, changes can be made instantly online, and there is no additional cost to add users. Most organizations who upgrade from on-premise to an IP PBX will also gain a lot more contact center features right off the bat. Dayari technologies includes several features out-of-the-box, including:
- Call queues
- Call analytics
- Call monitoring
- Live call reporting
- Webphone
- Hunt groups
Live Reporting from dayari technologies displays call activity in real-time, so you can monitor your call center calls, agents, and queues as they are happening.
In addition to these ready-to-go features, dayari technologies offers an API and integrations for further customization. Contrary to an on-premise PBX, the IP PBX enables you to integrate different business applications with your phone system, such as Slack, dayari technologies, Salesforce, Google Drive, etc. It has been incredibly helpful to integrate dayari technologies with Zendesk.
We’re now able to better track our customers’ buying experiences and optimize our customer service processes. – Nathan Endow, IT Manager at Versa Products Here are 5 ways to improve your customer support.
- Softphone Capabilities
- Hot Desking
- Easy Setup
- Enhanced Reliability
- Less Clutter
- Vendor Flexibility
With IP PBX systems you have the option of IP phones, mobile devices, and softphones. A softphone is a virtual phone that you can download onto your computer, enabling you to use your business phone number from anywhere you have internet.
Dayari technologies offers a web-based browser phone, which doesn’t require any installation at all. Users can simply log into Telzio.com to find the virtual dialpad to make and receive calls, texts, and faxes. Softphones are popular for call centers and sales teams that experience high volume calling.
It enables easier navigation between applications and faster dialing. By upgrading to an IP PBX, you can also give your teams the option of softphones. Among the abundance of features and flexibility the IP PBX adds to your business communications platform, hot desking is one of them that may come in handy for modern office setups.
Hot desking is the ability for one working station to be occupied by different users. With a hot desk, the desk phone is stationary but each different user can log into the phone and use their own extension on it. IP PBX systems easily allow for this.
What’s more, a user can even unplug their desk phone, physically move it to another location, plug it in, and continue to use it just the same. With a traditional PBX, this would just not be possible without a ton of work. It would require extensions to be completely rerouted and repatched to the new desk or office location. See a list of IP PBX features.
IT managers are especially thrilled by the easy setup of IP PBX systems. In terms of deployment, there’s no comparison. Whereas a traditional PBX requires extensive technical knowledge and experience with phone systems, an IP PBX can be deployed by even non-technical staff, such as an office manager or an administrative assistant. A traditional PBX system can take weeks or even months to configure. An IP PBX can be fully deployed within hours, even for large organizations.
Because the IP PBX is internet based, the setup process is also internet based. Creating hunt groups, adding extensions, and recording automated menu greetings are all done through an online interface. Dayari technologies user-friendly call flows enable anyone to customize PBX features in minutes.
Of course if you have special integrations or customization to implement, you’ll need a developer to work with the VoIP platform’s API. With a hosted PBX system, you assign the responsibility of maintaining your telephone infrastructure to experts whose main focus is the PBX.
Transitioning to an IP phone system takes your PBX from being a piece of hardware located in one location, to software that is backed up across multiple locations. By distributing your phone system over multiple redundant locations across the globe, the chances of downtime are not only much lower, but the ability to resolve the issues are also much faster.
Rather than employing an in-house or outsourced team to manage your phone system, you can rely on an entire organization of experts who are managing it 24/7. With automated monitoring systems and telecom engineers working around the clock, an IP PBX from dayari technologies is more reliable than an on-site PBX. Read about dayari technologies Commitment to Reliability.
Excess wiring – it’s a fire hazard, it’s confusing to deal with, and it just doesn’t look good. Luckily, tangled wires are a thing of the past with an IP PBX. For the minimalist, this is one of the most attractive things about IP PBX systems. An IP phone system lets you link desk phones to a computer network port, and a softphone can be used on any computer.
What’s more, most VoIP phones have a PoE feature, enabling them to pull power from the Ethernet connection. This means that extra phone cables are not required to power or connect different devices. What is the best VoIP phone for a small business?
With PBX hardware, you’re locked in with a vendor and don’t have the option to look elsewhere for maintenance and upgrades. This means that you are at the mercy of a vendor’s high prices and annual maintenance fees.
IP PBX systems are based entirely on an open SIP standard. You can choose and change up any SIP hardware or software device paired with any SIP-based IP PBX, VoIP service provider, or PSTN Gateway. A traditional phone system on the other hand, requires purchasing extension modules to add features; a pricey and ongoing cost with hardware.
Top 5 Reasons IT Directors Stay with an On-Premise Phone System What to Look For in an IP PBX Provider If you’re considering hopping aboard the IP PBX train, you’ll need to consider what an abundant, qualified VoIP provider looks like. When shopping for an IP PBX, here’s what you want, and don’t want to have in a provider:
- Proprietary infrastructure developed and managed by the provider in-house. You do not want to end up working with a VoIP provider who is licensing a system from a third party vendor and does not have full control of the platform. Look for a VoIP company that has an in-house development team and has built their VoIP platform from the ground up. Learn about the Proprietary VoIP Platform by dayari technologies
- Continuous enhancements and new features. You want to make sure the VoIP provider has been regularly adding new features to the system. Technology in the voice space is continuously improving, and if the provider is not focused on innovation – this is a huge red flag. Not only is security and reliability an issue here, but you also want to be sure you can easily take advantage of modern features as communication trends in the workplace continue to rapidly evolve.
- Transparent pricing. Far too often, telcos use manipulative sales tactics to bait customers. You don’t want to end up paying 30% more on your bill than you were quoted originally. This often happens when the sales rep you were initially speaking to closes the sale and then hands you off to a different department, and it no longer becomes their problem. Ask about contracts, termination, taxes, porting fees, user licenses, and fees for additional features like call recording, voicemail transcription, and on hold music and messages.
- In-house customer service. One of the most common reasons customers end up switching providers is due to poor customer service. If you’re a small business, you should make sure that there are no minimum requirements to get the level of customer support you need. Read customer reviews, but be aware of the difference between paid reviews and legitimate customer reviews.
- BYOD (bring your own devices) capabilities. Be sure that the provider you purchase your phones from do not lock your phones so that you cannot use them with a different provider. While you can usually flash the firmware and reset the phone back to factory settings, this is a hassle you don’t want to deal with, particularly if you have hundreds of phones. Look for a vendor that enables you to bring your own device, and provides auto provisioning on devices for easy setup and management.
The Challenges of Transitioning to an IP PBX Despite all the clear advantages, management still may be hesitant to do an overhaul of your phone system.
We get it. Large investments have been made on the old PBX, you’ve had it for years and some people don’t like change, and while it has its issues – it’s not completely out-of-service, yet. Let’s go over three common concerns, and how to address them.
- Transitioning Costs
If you’re currently running an on-site PBX system with analog phones, you’ll want to invest in new IP phones for the organization. While you could use ATA adaptors to keep the old phones running, it’s not recommended. You still have to purchase the adaptors, and you won’t get the full benefits of an IP PBX. Depending on the number of users you have, purchasing new IP phones for the entire organization could be quite high. There are a few main ways to mitigate this switching cost:
- Lease the phones
- Finance the phones
- Deploy softphones (or a combination of desk phones and softphones)
- Use the dayari technologies Web-phone and Mobile App, which is included at no extra cost
You have to think of it as investment. IP phones can easily last for more than 10 years. The beauty of IP phones is, the firmware (software of the phone) can be automatically updated and will continue to get upgrades over time from the phone manufacturer at no cost to you.
Besides the optional purchase of IP phones, there are no other hard costs associated with deploying an IP PBX. With dayari technologies, there are no setup fees, no porting fees, and no downtime on your phone numbers during the transition process. Sign up for a free 30 day trial with dayari technologies.
- Training Employees to Use a New System
- Developing Custom Integrations
In addition to easy deployment, no training is needed on the user end. The basic functionality of using a desk phone is the same. How to transfer a call, how to put someone on hold, how to conference in another person – these are all the same, if not easier.
The added benefit is the capability to do this all online with the use of a webphone. Those who want to stick to using a traditional-looking desk phone will not notice the difference. Those modern users who opt for the app, will have no problem navigating the dashboard and using the mobile app as easily as their native dialpad.
If you need to develop a custom integration that’s not already available out-of-the-box from the IP PBX provider, you will need a developer who can build the integration via APIs. The integration you need may be simple enough that you don’t need to do any custom development, and can use an application like Zapier to integrate your platforms.
The Final Choice Customers look for companies who are up-to-date with their technology. The technology you use (or don’t use) says everything about who your company is.
How many times have you researched vendors and immediately been turned off because their website looked like it was from the 90s? It’s a reflection of a business as a whole. Your communications platform is no different.
Choosing the right phone system is one of the most important decisions that you will have to make for your company. In this age of rapid digitization, failure to get on board with the latest communications technology can greatly compromise operations, and leave your company behind in the competitive business world.
Speak to one of our experts today to learn more about how an IP PBX could work for your business. How Does VoIP Work? The 2020 Guide to VoIP Phone Systems By now, you’ve heard about VoIP, which is short for Voice over Internet Protocol.
Originally launched on the internet in 1995, it’s an understatement to say that VoIP has changed the way we communicate. In this guide, we’ll explain how VoIP phone systems work, including all the ins and outs about making phone calls over the internet. Even if you consider yourself a beginner or a seasoned business leader, you’ll learn everything you need to know about internet phone service.
- What is VoIP?
- How Does a VoIP Phone System Work?
- Why Do Businesses Use VoIP?
- Top VoIP Phone System Features
- VoIP Phone System Requirements
- Selecting the Right VoIP Phone System
What is VoIP? Voice over Internet Protocol refers to the standards that facilitate voice-based phone calls using an internet connection instead of a local telephone company.
Voice over IP converts your voice into a digital signal, compresses it, and sends it over the internet. A VoIP service provider sets up the call between all participants. On the receiving end, the digital data is then uncompressed into the sound that you hear through your handset or speakerphone.
People opt for VoIP because they can make phone calls without any telephone service, which saves them on long-distance charges. If you have internet access, you don’t need to run any extra copper wires. To call someone using VoIP, you need a SIP-compatible desk phone or a VoIP calling app, which means it is assigned an IP address so that calls can be made from your network.
Unlike landline phones, they are capable of high-definition (HD) phone calls. However, you’re likely a little curious about the basics of VoIP. Let’s explain. How Does a VoIP Phone System Work? A VoIP phone system is a technology to make phone calls through your internet connection instead of a regular landline or a mobile network.
A VoIP system converts analog voice signals into digital signals over your broadband connection. A VoIP server is used to connect calls to other telephone networks. As long as you have a high-speed internet connection, which includes a router and modem, you are ready to use a VoIP.
You would configure a desk phone to establish to connect to a SIP server, which is typically a VoIP service provider. It works even better than your traditional landline phone because it offers many more features than what analog phone service could ever provide.
Since VoIP runs over the internet, your data is stored securely in the cloud. You can manage the VoIP system through an online dashboard. This dashboard allows users to adjust contacts, business phone numbers, call forwarding, and add new phone numbers.
You probably already pay for internet service regardless of which phone system you use. Cable and fiber broadband makes it possible to use internet phone service to cut out the costly telephone company. It’s also much easier to add new features that essential to your business needs. Related: 3 Easy Steps to Get a Business Phone Number Why Do Businesses use VoIP?
For a business application, VoIP is an ideal solution to provide employees reliable phone service, and it won’t cost you all that much. One of the top reasons VoIP has far outpaced traditional phone service is the flexibility and professional calling features for one low price. Instead of having a server room with an on-premises PBX (Private Branch Exchange), all you need are configured VoIP desk phones.
Don’t worry, if you have a PBX, you can still benefit from VoIP technology. We’ll get to that in a bit. Hosted VoIP for Business In the network diagram shown below, you can see that a hosted VoIP phone system consists of many devices, including smartphones, to provide unified business communication.
This approach is known as a cloud phone system or a “cloud PBX.” Administrators can manage the permissions and features for each employee along with more sophisticated VoIP features with an online interface. When an employee calls a customer, they pick up the handset and dial them just as they normally would.
The IP phone (or app) travels through your Local Area Network (LAN) switch and business router before reaching the VoIP service provider. From there, the VoIP provider establishes the call. If the network path to the called party supports a digital voice signal, then the call quality is upgraded to high definition. Otherwise, a VoIP provider connects the call over the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).
Using a hosted VoIP system in your business is that simple. However, for established businesses with a more sophisticated phone system, there are different needs. If the office uses a PBX, you probably also pay for trunked telephone lines.
These trunked lines handle voice calls from the PBX to the phone company—and they’re not cheap! Related: What Is Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) & How Does It Work? SIP Trunking for PBX Phone Systems In some cases, companies are locked into their hybrid phone system due to the costs to replace hardwired phone lines in every office.
Since a VoIP uses the Session Initiation Protocol, it can be used to establish multiple lines of calls through the internet. You’ll see in the diagram below SIP trunks accept calls from the VoIP provider. Inbound and outbound calls are funneled in much the same way until it reaches the business location and is hardwired into a PBX.
Like old school analog circuit-switches, the “trunk” acts as a switch to control and funnel data. The most significant benefit for large and small businesses alike is if they have a hardwired telephone system on site. SIP Trunking allows you to mix analog phone systems and new VoIP solutions to eliminate redundancy. SIP Trunking provides multiple channels of voice service on-demand for any IP-based PBX. A SIP Trunk can either be metered or unmetered for $15–$25 each month.
They aren’t too hard to set up, either. Simply provide the SIP username and password into your PBX. Mobile Devices & Wi-Fi Connectivity Thanks to the meteoric rise of mobile devices in the workplace, unified communication is a requirement. Employees are no longer tethered to their desks.
For road warriors and remote staff, they can take business calls using nothing more than a VoIP app for their smartphone. In some offices, Ethernet might not be a practical option. The speed of Wi-Fi has improved substantially, which has made way for Wi-Fi calling.
While a CAT 5e or CAT 6 connection is optimal, employees can go completely wireless and take calls around the office if you have a strong Wi-Fi signal throughout. Keep an eye on your network congestion bandwidth utilization.
You might need to adjust a few network settings for optimal performance. Visit our VoIP Troubleshooting Guide to address these issues once and for all. Can I Use My Existing Phone With VoIP? To use your existing analog phone with VoIP by using an Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA), which can retrofit existing phones with more features and capabilities.
In many cases, it may be more desirable to use a SIP phone because of its native functionality to work with VoIP services. Did you know that your fax machine may not work correctly on VoIP? It’s true. Since VoIP compresses and uncompressed the audio over the line into a digital format, the codecs clip little bits along the way for maximum reliability.
You can also use an ATA specifically designed for fax machines that can provide full functionality with VoIP. Pro tip: You might not even need a fax machine since you can send and receive faxes with dayari technologies business phone service.
If you must keep your analog phones and fax machines, then make sure you pick up a VoIP telephone adapter that works with your phone service. How Much Does a VoIP Phone System Cost? A VoIP phone system costs between $20 and $40 monthly per line. Depending on the number of users, commitment, and features, your costs could be less.
A decent IP phone starts at $70, but they can also be leased for as low as a few dollars each month. The total cost of a VoIP phone system should factor in phones, accessories, service, and any one-time setup costs.
Nextiva doesn’t charge any setup or activation fees and includes free porting and setup of your business phone number. Top VoIP Phone Features In addition to some serious cost savings, extensive phone features are another important motivation why so many companies switch to VoIP. Here are the top features offered in a VoIP phone system:
- Unlimited Calling – Call any phone in the United States and Canada as much as you want. No minutes to track. Instant savings.
- Online Faxing – Send and receive unlimited faxes, just like email. No hardware or wires. Faxing is finally easy and straightforward.
- Auto Attendant – Greet callers instantly when they call and direct them to the right person. Give your company an excellent first impression from the moment they call.
- Call Queues – Handle calls when your team is busy. Callers wait in line for the next agent. You and your customers will love it.
- HD Voice Quality – Get superior sounding phone calls. The g.722 codec is engineered to eliminate annoying static for vibrant conversations.
- Conference Lines – Use a dedicated conference line for meetings with up to nine participants. Meet, moderate, and record in HD.
- Voicemail-to-Email – Get voicemail messages delivered to your inbox. Listen to voicemails and respond through your email.
- Smartphone App – Answer business calls from on the go. Never miss an important call again. It’s available free for iOS and Android devices.
- Real-Time Presence – See who’s available to receive calls and chat messages. Live status updates are accurate and straightforward.
- Team Collaboration – Chat with your team on one system. Flawless video and screen sharing enables you to get work done faster.
- Text Messaging (SMS) – Send and receive text messages with customers. Perfect for quick updates and appointment reminders.
- CRM Integrations – Optional integration you can use with your current CRM. Boost productivity with a deeply integrated workflow.
These are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to our VoIP features. If your company has a contact center, you should focus on these call center features to achieve faster ROI.
VoIP Phone System Requirements Thinking about setting up a VoIP phone system in your business? How can you make sure your business is ready? Network Bandwidth You’ll need a reliable internet connection such as DSL, cable, or fiber from an Internet Service Provider (ISP).
The standard bandwidth required for VoIP is 100 Kbps per device. Depending on the type of data and features you’ll use, you might need more bandwidth than the standard. Check your connection quality with our free VoIP speed test.
Phones & Devices Another major factor is ensuring that you have the right devices in place. You must have a SIP phone, a softphone, or an Analog Telephone Adapter to complete calls over VoIP. Here’s a quick summary of each:
- SIP Phones – All VoIP phones are SIP phones and vice-versa. They establish calls by using a VoIP service provider. Nextiva offers a wide variety of VoIP desk phones that offer a ton of functionality for both small businesses and enterprises.
- Softphones – If you don’t need a traditional telephone, you can just download an app to make VoIP calls using your cellphone, laptop, or desktop. These VoIP applications keep your Caller ID separate because the voice data is handled directly through your VoIP provider.
- Analog Telephone Adapters – For the holdouts of analog phones, never fear. With an ATA, you can retrofit your phones, so they function correctly over VoIP. They might not have all the conferencing capabilities available, but they offer reliable service.
Related: 10 Best VoIP Headsets for Your Business Selecting the Right VoIP Phone System VoIP: The complete beginner’s guide VoIP – also known as internet telephony, IP telephony, or broadband phone – is a way of making phone calls that, believe it or not, doesn’t use a phone line. So how does it work? Read on and we’ll take you through the basics. In this article
- What is VoIP and how does it work?
- What equipment do I need?
- VoIP on smartphones
- Pros and cons of VoIP
- FAQ
What is VoIP and how does it work? VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. Put simply, it refers to making phone calls that are made through the internet, rather than through a regular landline or a mobile network. A VoIP system works by taking your analogue voice signals, converting them into digital signals, then sending them as data over your broadband line.
It’s a very useful way of making calls – for a start, once it’s set up it’s a lot cheaper than using normal phone lines. It means that, depending on your setup, you may not have to pay for your phone calls based on distance, which country you’re calling, or how much time you spend chatting. Your VoIP system could be:
- With a phone and a VoIP adapter – Using a special adapter, you can make VoIP calls from a regular old landline phone. These adapters plug into either a phone socket in the wall or into your router.
- With a computer – There are dozens of programs that let you make voice calls to anyone who also has it installed, including Skype, Google Talk, and Apple FaceTime. Some, such as Skype, can be used to call regular landline or mobile numbers too. Calling someone else who has the app is free, but calling an actual phone number will usually cost a little.
- With a smartphone – You can use your smartphone to make voice calls using certain apps. See below for more on how this works.
Some broadband and home phone providers offer VoIP as part of their services, so they may do things a little differently. It’s the standard form of phone line from a number of FTTP (fibre-to-the-premises) providers, for example, and VoIP is available as part of almost any business broadband or phone package.
Either way, your provider will give you all the info you need. What equipment do I need? The exact equipment you need depends on which method of VoIP you’re using. The first thing you’ll need is a broadband connection – a fibre optic one so it’s more reliable, and an unlimited one means you can talk as much as you want to.
You’ll get the absolute best VoIP experience possible with a full FTTP or an ethernet connection, which are available with some business broadband providers.
- For VoIP with an adapter, you’ll need… a VoIP adapter (of course), and a compatible phone. If it plugs into a router, you’ll need a compatible router too.
- For VoIP with a computer, you’ll need… a laptop or desktop computer with an internet connection, the right software, and either a headset or speakers and a microphone. Headsets are better for clarity and sound quality, but you can get by just fine without.
- For VoIP with a smartphone, you’ll need… a smartphone, connected to Wi-Fi and with your chosen app installed.
- Basic: Basic VoIP hard phones look like a traditional desk phone. The dialing pad is clearly distinguished. This type of phone is considered a basic, entry-level IP phone that delivers good VoIP telephony service. That is, it makes and receives telephone calls over the VoIP network (on-net) or the PSTN (off-net). You could find such a hard phone on the desk of a staff person or in common areas such as the lobby or hallway of any typical company.
- Intermediate: This type of VoIP phone has a large screen and many more hard buttons compared to the basic hard phone. Intermediate phones can do anything that the basic hard phone can do plus more. This phone can often do Web browsing and access the company phone directory.
- Advanced: Advanced models usually include color video displays and multiple telephony-related applications. These phones have fewer hard buttons than intermediate hard phones because the phone’s screen and software can enable many more functions than could be manufactured into the phone’s chassis.
- As a function of your VoIP hard phone
- Through the VoIP network to the phone from another device attached to the network, such as a server or a telephone controller
- The basic VoIP hard phone also provides at least two call appearances, the ability of the phone to bring up and maintain separate telephone calls as if you had separate physical lines. Call appearance buttons are usually located near the Hold button and are labeled 1 and 2.
- Intermediate phones usually include a flat screen. Some of the more expensive ones provide limited Web browsing. These hard phones also come with the ability to receive their electric power from the network. This means that the local area network (LAN) can provide the power the phone needs through its network connection. As a result, you don’t need to plug in a power cord at your desk.
- Some people refer to advanced hard phones as appliances because they do more than just allow you to carry on traditional voice conversations. For example, they usually provide Web-related features and may include other applications. Advanced VoIP hard phones include all the features found on basic and intermediate phones, plus the following:
Some VoIP providers may do things differently, and might require specific equipment. Contact your provider for more info on this – and don’t worry, they’ll provide you with everything you need to get started, and guide you through the setup when you sign up. VoIP on smartphones There are apps that you can use to call other people who have the same app.
There’s Skype, FaceTime, Viber, Line, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and dozens more. Some, like Skype and Viber, will even let you call a regular landline or mobile number – though bear in mind this will usually cost money. Other features include being able to call someone on any device (smartphone, tablet, laptop, and so on), free video calling, and sometimes even group calling – because who wouldn’t want a conference call with their Facebook friends?
The other kind of VoIP apps are ones from landline providers. These are pretty clever, as they let you make calls that use the calling minutes included in your home phone plan. So if you have inclusive weekend calls, or super cheap international calling, you can reap those benefits from your smartphone too – even when you’re not at home.
Generally, you’ll need to be connected to Wi-Fi for it to work. Phone calls over mobile broadband, also known as VoLTE, are a different beast entirely – and if you don’t have unlimited data, they’ll really eat into your allowance. Pros and cons of VoIP Pros: The main advantage of using a VoIP service is that it can be a lot cheaper than regular landlines, especially for calling overseas.
With certain setups, in fact – like using FaceTime – it’s completely free. It can also give you much clearer sound, especially on a high-speed fibre optic line. And, if a bunch of people in your household or office need to make calls at the same time, it’s a better option than splashing out on installing multiple phone lines.
Cons: On the other hand, your call quality on VoIP will be affected by the state of your broadband line – slow internet can mean rubbish phone calls. That said, so long as you’re using a fibre optic line, all should be okay.
There are also quite a few things available with a landline phone that are missing from VoIP. A lot of landline providers offer calling features, for instance – like voicemail or call waiting. And some numbers can’t always be called over VoIP, such as directory inquiries. FAQ Can I keep my old phone number? It depends on your VoIP setup.
Most specific VoIP providers let you port your old number over. Some, however, may require a new one. For most VoIP apps and software, you’ll need to register and sign into your own account, so a phone number isn’t always necessary. As long as you can sign in on the app, your contacts can call you. How much does it cost?
Again, it depends on your setup. VoIP calling app-to-app is almost always free; calling a landline or mobile number may cost a little; and other VoIP services, including those from Hyperoptic or business providers, require a monthly fee. Should I get rid of my landline? For the majority of providers, you need line rental to receive broadband anyway, so you may have no choice but to keep it.
If you rely on being able to make phone calls, ever have to call numbers not available through VoIP, or use features only available on landlines, it’s worth keeping a landline around as back-up. If you only make calls very occasionally, however, you could get away with having none at all.
Understanding VoIP Hard Phones If you can see it, feel it, and tether it with a network cable, and if it includes a traditional phone keypad, you have a VoIP hard phone. Because there are many makes, models, and manufacturers, competition helps lower the price.
Even though you find much diversity, two things should be common to every VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) hard phone: support of transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP) (mandatory for VoIP) and at least one RJ-45 connection port.
The RJ-45 connector on a hard phone is an Ethernet port used to connect the phone to your network. Through this port, your phone can communicate with any other IP-based device on the network.
These devices include servers that keep track of everybody’s telephone number and voice mail, other VoIP phones, the gateway to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) (for off-net calling), and the router that takes care of establishing a connection to other VoIP phones on the network (on-net calling). The RJ-45 port looks like a regular phone jack (RJ-11), but it’s a little wider.
In Figure 1, the jack on the left is an RJ-11 and the one on the right is an RJ-45. It is the jack on the right that you would use to connect this VoIP hard phone to the network. Figure 1: Connections on the back of a VoIP hard phone. Hard-phone categories The VoIP hard phone looks the most like a traditional desk phones.
Hard phones can be broadly categorized as basic, intermediate, and advanced phones, based on their capabilities. Focus on features Telephony features can be delivered in two ways: In the older world of telephony (pre-VoIP), features were known as call features, line features, or system features. You paid for these features each month, sometimes on a per-line basis.
This may not seem like much in the grand scheme of things, but if you or your company has multiple lines, feature costs can significantly increase your monthly phone bill. In the VoIP telephony world, all features are free. The VoIP hard phone itself plays a role in exactly what type of features you receive.
Its common features (like those on traditional phones) include call holding, conference call, transfer, redial, volume control, mute, and the other usual stuff.
Traditional features found on any basic VoIP hard phone are provided by buttons on the phone. The intermediate phone usually includes several buttons, but it also has many other features provided through its software and screen.
- Phone: Allows the advanced phone to use capabilities offered through a telephony server or other telephone system connected to the VoIP network.
- Directory: Provides access to the corporate LDAP (lightweight directory access protocol) server on the network. With this type of access, you don’t have to even dial the number. You can look up the name on the LDAP and press one button; the network takes care of the rest.
- Web access: Advanced hard phones have expanded access that is closer to what you might expect from the browser on your computer. Web access capability often includes support for Java applets (self-contained programs created in the Java language).
Companies that have worked with and mastered traditional networks (either telephony or data) often think that it’s just a small step to implement VoIP. Think again! If your business has multiple locations, don’t even consider implementing VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) on your own.
Working with a qualified VoIP partner who is well-versed in VoIP can help save you money, and the money you save from the conversion more than pays for the partner’s services. Your company can then gain the skills to gradually become experts in VoIP the same way it did with the key telephone system (KTS) or the private branch exchange (PBX) system — a little bit at a time.
Shed old-style thinking Many people, without realizing it, develop a plain old telephone service (POTS) mentality, thinking of communications problems in terms of old line-based solutions. To adapt to the VoIP model, you need to shed this old-style mentality and look for ways you can effectively converge your data and telecommunications networks.
If you can see that the POTS side of what your company needs is the “small potatoes” part of a VoIP project, congratulations! Your challenge now is to recognize that you don’t start any project — including VoIP — by focusing on small potatoes.
It’s much more important to figure out how you integrate VoIP into your multiplication computer network. When you move to VoIP, you’re putting your telephony systems onto your computer network. With all the new features VoIP brings to the table, it seems like you’re multiplying your telephony applications exponentially, similar to how computer applications seem to multiply on your data network. Don’t try to apply a traditional telephony design model to the implementation of VoIP.
The companies that do this end up failing or not doing as well as they could have. Evaluate existing networks If the VoIP partner you select can’t do a thorough analysis of your existing networks, including all monthly billings, you need to make an executive decision and select a partner that knows how to do it.
The result of the network evaluation should be a complete spreadsheet that lists each company location and all one-time and recurring charges that your company is paying. It’s amazing how many companies don’t know what they’re paying.
In their defense, evaluating the costs can be complicated if the company has multiple carriers and a plethora of calling services and in-house telephony systems. When you do your analysis, start with your monthly billings. The billings paint the picture of your costs.
With expert help from your VoIP partner, you can then design a new telephony solution, implement your plan, review initial results, and enjoy your cost savings.
VoIP phone
Flip VoIP phone A VoIP phone or IP phone uses voice over IP technologies for placing and transmitting telephone calls over an IP network, such as the Internet, instead of the traditional public switched telephone network (PSTN).
[1] Digital IP-based telephone service uses control protocols such as the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), Skinny Client Control Protocol (SCCP) or various other proprietary protocols.[2] VoIP phones can be simple software-based softphones or purpose-built hardware devices that appear much like an ordinary telephone or a cordless phone.
Traditional PSTN phones are used as VoIP phones with analog telephone adapters (ATA). A VoIP phone or application may have many features an analog phone doesn’t support, such as e-mail-like IDs for contacts that may be easier to remember than names or phone numbers, or easy sharing of contact lists among multiple accounts.
Generally the features of VoIP phones follow those of Skype and other PC-based phone services, which have richer feature sets but (because they rely on mainstream operating systems’ IP support) latency-related audio problems.
A competing view is that as mainstream operating systems become better at voice applications with appropriate Quality of Service (QoS) guarantees and 5G handoff (IEEE 802.21 etc.) becomes available from outdoor wireless carriers, netbooks and smartphones will simply become the dominant interfaces. iPhone, Android and the QNX OS used in 2012-and-later BlackBerry phones are generally capable of VoIP performance even on small battery-charged devices.
They also typically support the USB but not Ethernet or Power over Ethernet interfaces, at least as of late 2011. According to this view, the smartphone becomes the dominant VoIP phone because it works both indoors and outdoors and shifts base stations/protocols easily to trade off access costs and call clarity and other factors personal to the user, and the PoE/USB VoIP phone is thus the transitional device.
A VoIP telephone consist of the hardware and software components. The software requires standard networking components such as a TCP/IP network stack, client implementation for DHCP, and the Domain Name System (DNS).
In addition, a VoIP signalling protocol stack, such as for the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), H.323, Skinny Call Control Protocol (Cisco), and Skype, is needed. For media streams, the Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) is used in most VoIP systems. For voice and media encoding, a variety of coders are available, such as for audio: G.711, GSM, iLBC, Speex, G.729, G.722, G.722.2 (AMR-WB), other audio codecs, and for video H.263, H.263+, H.264.
User interface software controls the operation of the hardware components, and may respond to user actions with messages to a display screen. To enable the VoIP communications, the SIP/RTP packets should be utilised and STUN client would be the key component for VoIP communications with management of the SIP/RTP packets. A Session Traversal Utilities for NAT (STUN) client is used on some SIP-based VoIP phones as firewalls on network interface sometimes block SIP/RTP packets.
Some special mechanism is required in this case to enable routing of SIP packets from one network to other. STUN is used in some of the sip phones to enable the SIP/RTP packets to cross boundaries of two different IP networks. A packet becomes unroutable between two sip elements if one of the networks uses private IP address range and other is in public IP address range.
Stun is a mechanism to enable this border traversal. There are alternate mechanisms for traversal of NAT, STUN is just one of them. STUN or any other NAT traversal mechanism is not required when the two SIP phones connecting are routable from each other and no firewall exists in between.
DHCP client
DHCP client software simplifies connection of a device to an IP network. The software automatically configures the network and VoIP service parameters.
Hardware
Yealink T27G VoIP Telephone Avaya IP phone The overall hardware may look like a telephone or mobile phone. A VoIP phone has the following hardware components
- Speakerphone and a microphone
- Keypad or touchpad to enter phone number and text (not used for ATAs)
- Display hardware to feedback user input and show caller-id/messages (not used for ATAs)
- General-purpose macro processor (GPP) to process application messages
- A voice engine or a digital signal processor (DSP) to process RTP messages. Some IC manufacturers provides GPP and DSP in single chip
- AD and DA converters: To convert voice to digital data and vice versa
- Ethernet or wireless network hardware to send and receive messages on data network
- Power source – a battery or DC/AC source; some VoIP phones receive electricity from Power over Ethernet
- Some VoIP phones include an RJ-11 port to connect the phone to the PSTN
Other devices
There are several Wi-Fi enabled mobile phones and PDAs that have pre-installed SIP client software, or are capable of running IP telephony clients, including most smartphones. Analog telephone adapters provide an interface for traditional analog telephones to a voice-over-IP network.
They connect to the Internet or local area network using an Ethernet port and have jacks that provide a standard RJ11interface for an analog local loop. Another type of gateway device acts as a simple GSM base station and regular mobile phones can connect to this and make VoIP calls.
While a license is required to run one of these in most countries these can be useful on ships or remote areas where a low-powered gateway transmitting on unused frequencies is likely to go unnoticed. Some VoIP phones also support PSTN phone lines directly.
Common functionality and features
- Caller ID display
- Call transfer and call hold
- Dialing using name/ID (differs from speed dial in that no number is stored on the client)
- Locally stored and network-based directories
- Conference calling and multiparty calls
- Call park
- Call blocking feature.
- Support for multiple VoIP accounts – the phone may register with more than one VoIP server/provider.
- Accounts are usually set and memorized on the phone itself. A more sophisticated feature is dynamic download of account settings, also known as “extension mobility”.
- This feature allows settings stored on a server to be downloaded to the phone, based on user login. The user logs into the phone and that phone becomes the user’s extension. This feature requires both a client (phone) and a server, usually in the context of unif[3]ied communications systems.
- Secure encrypted communications
Technology problems
- Requires Internet access to make calls outside the local area network (LAN) unless a compatible local private branch exchange (PBX) is available to handle calls to and from outside lines.
- VoIP phones and the routers depend on mains electricity for power, unlike PSTN phones, which are supplied with power from the telephone exchange. However, this can be mitigated by installing a UPS. The Power over Ethernet interface simplifies this immensely since power can be “injected” at any connector (especially in passive mode where all devices are drawing the same voltage) or at the router. This is a major reason the dominant call center and PBX VoIP systems rely on PoE exclusively, but UPS and PoE are only helpful if the upstream Internet provider also has reliable backup power.
- IP networks, particularly residential Internet connections are easily congested. This can cause poorer voice quality or the call to be dropped completely.
- VoIP phones, like other network devices can be subjected to denial-of-service attacks as well as other attacks especially if the device is given a public IP address.[3] This is especially significant as a problem with wireless devices using 802.11 protocols.
- Due to the latency induced by protocol overhead and other factors they do not work as well on satellite Internet, analog cell (“edge” networks) and other high-latency Internet connections. Extremely latency sensitive applications (music, remote device control) as of 2012 simply cannot exploit VoIP protocols.
- Proprietary vendors such as Skype and Google Voice focus on improving call quality between their own users to grow their user base[citation needed], which to some degree competes and conflicts with the goal of better connections from Skype to Google Voice, or from either to the existing PSTN and cellular networks. The best codecs tend to be proprietary and not licensed to competitors, retarding the growth of the industry and causing incompatibility.
- Various schemes exist to allow one Internet telephony user to talk to another entirely via Internet and without incurring the cost of a PSTN call. Some are based on SIP addresses, some on proprietary protocol such as webcam or Internet chat applications. While it’s not uncommon for two clients of the same voice over IP provider to talk to each other online for free, the various Internet telephony applications often do not talk directly to each other – requiring calls be gated to PSTN and back at full toll rates.
- Some Internet-to-Internet calling schemes use non-numeric names for users, gateway or provider names. Any character which is valid in an e-mail address could be used in a SIP address, for instance, but a VoIP phone with a standard telephone keypad can only dial numbers. Various workarounds (such as e164.arpa or SIP Broker-like directories) exist to associate names to numbers.
PBX, IP PBX, VOIP: Understanding the Basics of Business Phone Systems If you have ever called a business and selected numbers for menu options or dialed a specific office extension, you have used a Private Bank Exchange (PBX) telephone system.
In the early years of telephone lines, calls went through public switchboards, where operators manually directed them to the correct receivers. In the mid-20th century, the demand grew, and multiple lines were installed to handle the growing number of phone calls.
Businesses began using separate lines for each internal department. However, they still had to pay for each expensive call, including calls made between departments, which cost just a much as a call made across town. As these costs grew, the need for a better solution was soon apparent.
This sparked a business telephone revolution that would continue to develop through the 21st century and into the digital revolution. A history of PBX systems The first PBX system was developed by lawyers in the 1960s and required a human operator to manually direct calls.
By hiring their own operators and purchasing or renting a small number of telephone lines and blocks of switchboards, companies were able to use a large number of phones for less. The fact remained; phone calls still required a human operator.
Automated switchboards had been used by public services for several decades, but private businesses were hesitant to use this often unreliable technology. In the 1970’s automated switchboards saw the addition of superconductors, making them faster and more trustworthy.
Without the need for a human operator, PBX systems became even more affordable and popular. As businesses moved from using public services, they discovered more perks offered by their new systems, including extension dialing, hunt groups, and call forwarding. As computers developed, an update to PBX appeared: the Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) system.
This system, which is still the telephone system most commonly used by corporations today, was built much like a desktop computer. It was designed as a large cabinet that housed a hard drive, central processing unit (CPU), random access memory (RAM), and operating system.
Businesses could easily add hold music or additional telephone lines by purchasing new boards to add to the cabinet, which was smaller than previous systems. Unfortunately, this new system could be a costly investment. To move from analog to digital, every phone needed a TDM-compatible replacement.
Those easily added boards were only available with 16 lines, which forced companies to buy more lines than they needed. Then came the internet, and with it, a new development to join the PBX and TDM systems. What is an IP PBX system? Before the internet, all phone calls went through the phone company’s network, which required analog phones on each end.
Then, beginning in the 1990s, developers created the ability to channel calls through the internet’s data network. This is known as Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP). VoIP works in the following sequence:
- Analog telephone calls are converted to digital signals. 2. The digital signals are translated into Internet Protocol (IP) packets. 3. The IP packets are converted back to telephone signals, and received by a telephone on the other end.
VoIP makes voice and data networks converge: users had access to the internet, analog phone calls, and VoIP phone calls all through the same line.
This new system was revolutionary for many businesses, but it was still an investment. Companies had to once again replace their equipment and software, this time with expensive IP systems and phones. Despite the expense, the IP PBX system was an advantageous option for many businesses.
Since it was less costly than a PBX system, an option only affordable to large corporations, any company could use an IP PBX system. The system wasn’t cheap, but it saved on overhead costs and provided certain features which made it a valuable investment for companies of all sizes.
The evolution of VoIP technology As the internet continued to develop, new possibilities arose. Instead of restricting calls to IP PBX equipment, VoIP systems allowed communication between computers, phones, and IP phones. This new system was cloud-based and hosted by an outside provider.
It functioned as an application, offering multiple channels of communication. Users could video chat, share data, instant message, and more. They could do so from anywhere, as long as they had on hand a device connected to the internet.
The VoIP system also allowed companies to integrate their communication with other applications. Salespeople could now track calls within CRM systems and use notes from previous conversations. Communication became connected and the possibilities endless.
Pros and Cons of PBX, IP PBX, and VoIP technology In today’s digital world, many would expect VoIP systems to be more popular than PBX and IP PBX systems, but that isn’t always the case. Each system has its advantages and disadvantages, which make them better suited for certain situations.
These pros and cons will help you understand which system would be best for your company. PBX Pros: Reliability: PBX systems still operate through phone lines, which can protect your communications from power outages and internet failures.
Some phone lines still operate during power outages, allowing you to keep your phone lines up. Accessibility: Companies that use PBX systems house their own equipment and employ their own IT staff to maintain and run the system.
This gives them full control and access to the equipment and software. Sound Quality: Calls travel through landlines, which makes for the best sound quality and reliability over time. Convenience: Because PBX systems existed for so long, many companies already have the equipment they need.
Instead of paying for and installing new hardware, these companies can continue to use what they have. For companies without internet access, a PBX system is the best option. PBX Cons: Availability: Though PBX systems still subsist, digital technology has almost completely replaced analog.
Unless a company already has a PBX system in place, this option isn’t available. Cost: The cabinets that house PBX systems are expensive, but necessary for operation. Even after paying for the equipment, companies also have to pay IT salaries and monthly charges.
Limitations: PBX systems have a limit of phone numbers and lines, and any additional ones can be costly. Moreover, calls can only go through specific devices within the system, instead of allowing for flexible call options.
IP PBX Pros: Usability: IP PBX systems require less technical knowledge to use and maintain. Companies won’t need dedicated IT departments or sophisticated training to use and update their systems. Cost: PBX systems can have high monthly subscription charges. IP PBX systems can lower monthly operating costs, even if there are a high number of users.
Support, upgrades, and maintenance are usually inexpensive and companies don’t have to sign contracts with a hosting company. Phone Mobility: IP PBX systems are IP based, which allows users to move phones to different connections without issue, much like PCs. Extensions: To add a remote or branch extension to a system, users just need another IP phone and internet connection.
This allows companies to have phone access from home and other locations. IP PBX Cons: Unreliability: An IP PBX system is only as reliable as the internet connection it uses. If a company loses power, has equipment malfunctions, or loses their internet connection, the telephone system can’t work.
Sound Quality: Similarly, if a company’s internet signal and broadband strength is low or faulty, calls will lose sound quality. If the internet network provider is unable to support a high quality of sound on the local network, communication will be unreliable.
Limited Options: An IP PBX system is hosted onsite. Though this gives the company more control, it also limits them to the resources they can access and afford.Equipment: Companies still have to use IP phones to operate this system. VoIP Pros: Cost: The lack of required equipment and maintenance reduces costs. Calls (even long-distance and international) don’t incur additional charges.
Fixed monthly subscription fees allow companies to budget appropriately. Flexibility: Receive calls from any location on any device. Calls can go to a cell phone or computer when the user is out or at home. Therefore, scheduling and communication become a simpler matter.
Disaster recovery: Calls won’t go through without internet, but the system can still operate in an emergency. Because of remote hosting, calls are accepted and sent to voicemail. Features: These include conference calling, caller identification, call waiting, voicemail options, call transfer, call queues, and interactive voice response.
Size: Bandwidth limits the maximum amount of numbers and users. Companies can also use multiple local and international numbers on the same system. Sound Quality: Though sound quality relies on a good internet connection, fiber optic cables eliminate any quality issues.
VoIP Cons: Instability: Like an IP PBX system, VoIP systems are dependent on the internet. In the case of an internet or power outage, calls won’t go out. Other factors to keep in mind when choosing between PBX, IP PBX, and VoIP systems What does this mean for you? If you are looking for a new phone system, whether for the first time or as an upgrade of your current installation, it is important to know your options.
To get an idea of which system is best for your company, use the tips below to evaluate your phone communication options. What is your current setup? If you are already using a PBX or IP PBX system and it’s affordable and working for your company, you may want to stick with it.
Your equipment and software were expensive and may be worth the use if it functions well with your company and location. If you don’t have a system, a VoIP or IP PBX system is your best option. Should you have the funds to purchase the IP equipment and software and want to host your own system, consider an IP PBX system?
If you want to avoid purchasing new equipment and you can afford monthly payments, look into a VoIP system. Do you have reliable internet access? Both the IP PBX and VoIP systems rely heavily on your internet access. Before integrating either system, make sure you have enough bandwidth and a strong enough signal to handle your calls.
If you don’t have reliable internet access, an IP PBX system is your best option. You’ll be able to use your system through gateways to your phone line, though a strong internet connection would probably be an asset. Does your professional activity require a lot of travel?
If you and your employees are often out of the office, traveling among customers and worksites, you will probably want a VoIP system. This system will allow you to receive calls on your computers and cell phones instead of office extensions.
Even if you are moving around town, your customers will be able to reach you when they need you. Hopefully you are now savvier about your choices in terms of business phone systems. Let us know what you thought! What is Voice over IP (VoIP) and How Does it Work? Simplify Your Connections Cisco Business Edition is the phone system you’ve always wanted, plus much more. (2:05 min)
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How Voice over IP (VoIP) works is a mystery to some small business owners and employees. But if you understand how it works, you can more easily use the technology to your company’s advantage. How VoIP Works: At a Glance
- With VoIP, analog voice calls are converted into packets of data. The packets travel like any other type of data, such as e-mail, over the public Internet and/or any private Internet Protocol (IP) network.
- Using a VoIP service, you can call landline or cell phones. You can also call computer-to-computer, with both parties speaking into a computer microphone and listening through computer speakers or headsets.
- When evaluating, it’s worth noting that you can make or receive calls using landline telephones. All you need is an analog telephone adapter connected to your network. Also, to ensure the best voice quality and security, consider using your VoIP or other communications system on a private IP network.
How VoIP Works for Your Business How VoIP works for your business is simple: By adding voice to a data network, you’ll reduce costs, improve productivity, and enhance collaboration.
- You’ll save money by having one network to manage instead of two. You can easily add, move, or change phone extensions and locations, which saves money and gives you more flexibility.
- Your workforce can use your communications system from home or on the road. Also, wireless IP phones connect users to your communications system and data resources, such as customer information, while they’re in the warehouse, on the sales floor, or anywhere they can access your data network wirelessly.
- Unified communications solutions for small businesses go beyond basic VoIP capabilities in enhancing collaboration. With a unified communications solution, workers can easily collaborate through voice, video chat, Web conference, and instant messaging. Employees can collaborate using each technology individually or all of them simultaneously, and from a single, easy-to-use interface.
Dayari technologies Beginner’s Guide to Understanding IP Phones in Nairobi Kenya and the rest of east Africa. As you switch your business phone system to a VoIP solution, some of your office staff may need a bit of educating on what it means to start using IP phones and why it’s important for your business.
This article will provide a beginner’s level overview of IP phones, how they’re different from landline phones, and why they’re better. In this article, we’ll answer the following questions:
- What is a IP phone?
- How do IP phones work?
- What are IP phone systems?
- How are IP phones different from landline phones?
- Why are IP phones better?
- Where can I use my IP phone?
- What can I expect with IP phones?
Before you deploy your new IP phones, share this post with your team so they can be educated on what’s coming and can be confident they don’t need to worry about the transition. Here we go! Related: What is the Best VoIP Phone for a Small Business? What is an IP phone?
First off, voice over internet protocol, or VoIP, is a technology that allows you to place phone calls over the internet. Hence VoIP phones, or more commonly called IP phones, are the physical office phones that you can use with a VoIP phone system. You have likely seen IP phones in many offices and not even realized they were VoIP.
IP phones connect to your phone service via the internet, using an ethernet cable or WiFi connection. IP phones include desk phones, cordless phones, and conference phones that resemble your everyday office phone, but use a different technology for powering calls.
Let’s learn more about how an IP phone differs from its predecessor, the analog phone, or better known as the landline phone. How do IP phones work? How do IP phones work? IP phones work by reading an individual’s analogue voice signals, and converting them into digital signals.
These converted digital signals are then sent over to a broad line, as data. In simpler words, IP phones work by taking telephone conversations and routing them through an IP phone system, also known as a VoIP system, over a network cable, into the network, and then out and into the internet.
Learn about the world’s leading VoIP phone service from dayari technologies Kenya VoIP takes the phone communication concept and moving it over to the network. The microphone and receiver of IP phone systems work similar to the way that an MP3 player might work; by taking the sound and converting it into digital signals and sending them over the network.
What an IP phone system does is that it receives these digital signals and plays them back to you. What are IP phone systems? IP phone systems work together with IP phones in order to send and receive digital signals. IP phone systems are composed of three essential parts that allow them to work and send and receive IP voice digital signals.
An IP phone system is comprised of an IP phone (also known as a VoIP phone), and an IP PBX, or a VoIP private branch exchange. The way that these systems work is that they are connected to a VoIP service provider through a Local Area Network (LAN).
IP Phone systems work by transmitting telephone calls over the Internet, in contrast to the way that traditional telephone systems work via circuit-switched telephony systems. How are IP phones different from landline phones? After you move over to a VoIP phone system, your old landline phones will no longer work and will need to have been replaced with IP phones (unless you decide to use ATA adaptors, which is usually not recommended).
Looks-wise, IP phones and analog phones are indistinguishable to the average person and provide the same functionality. From a user standpoint, IP phones work the same way as analog phones. The difference lies in the transmission.
So how is it different from landline phones? The difference lies in the transmission. IP phones transmit voice data digitally, whereas landline phones are limited to just that – landlines. The advantage of IP phones is that these digital signals can be transmitted anywhere across the internet by using nothing but your regular internet connection, thereby bypassing the trunks and cables, and therefore the charges, laid down by telephone companies.
Besides this major expense, let’s see what other advantages IP phones offer. Related: VoIP Softphones vs IP Phones Why are IP phones better? The demand for IP phones is ever-increasing, across large and small organizations.
The advantages are clear and quantifiable. A business owner’s vote for IP phones is justified by the following reasons: Same look and feel: The difference lies in the working, not the looks. IP phones look almost identical to their analog counterparts. While IP phones should naturally appear newer, they use the same amount of place on your desk, and come with a handset receiver, keypad, and buttons like transfer, hold, and conference.
More importantly, you don’t need to educate your employees on using it. The keypad, receiver, display screen, and buttons are all placed just like in landline phones. IP phones look almost identical to landline phones and don’t require any training. Cost-savings: If a business is looking to update their telephone system and save costs over the long term, a network of IP phones is the best bet.
IP phones use the internet to make and receive calls, which means you don’t have to invest in copper wires to carry analog signals all around the office. You can use the existing internet connection in your office to connect your IP phones.
What’s more, Users can make free calls to other IP phones in the organization. IP phones use your existing internet connection thus eliminating complex hardware and its expenses. Unlimited simultaneous calls: On a traditional landline phone, if you wished to make a call while already on another call on the same phone, you would need a different number to make the second call, also known as a ‘rollover line’. With a cloud phone system, the need for rollover lines (and its extra cost per line) is eliminated.
Cloud phone systems enable unlimited simultaneous calls and eliminate rollover lines. With IP phones powered by a VoIP provider like dayari, you’re only limited to the number of physical phones and people available to answer the calls, and are able to avoid busy signals completely. You can use a phone queue to avoid losing callers when all your phones are occupied.
Where can I use my IP phone? Another defining quality of IP phones is that you can use them in any location where you have internet connection. The IP phone itself does not rely on the physical location of the office.
You can unplug an IP phone, take it to another location, and plug it in again where your line (phone number/extension) and its settings (routing rules, hold music, etc.) will be unchanged. IP phones can be used in any location, making it easy for expanding and working remotely. This aspect makes IP phones flexible when moving offices and working remotely.
Employers can provide remote workers with an IP phone at the office and a second IP phone for home, where both phones would ring identically and can be answered from either location. What can I expect with IP phones?
Luckily for you – the end user, migrating the company phone system to a new VoIP service doesn’t mean you have to re-learn how to use a phone. An IP phone is still your standard office phone, with all the features you’re used to. The key is that an IP phone system gives your company the economic and long term benefits it needs to grow.
Ultimately, you’ll benefit from an IP phone because of its modern design, ease-of-use, lower maintenance, and ever-improving functionality. The IP phone system takes away a significant amount of on-site labor that goes into managing a phone system.
This means you don’t need to wait for a technician to come out and program a new extension, install updates, or perform a maintenance check on your hardware. With an IP phone, updates can be done remotely through the dayari technologies Dashboard.
So, have no fear! When your new IP phone arrives at your desk, all you have to do is log into the dashboard, enter the MAC address of the IP phone, assign it to a user, and our auto provisioning feature will configure all the other settings. It’s that easy! Need IP phone recommendations for your business? Reach out and speak to one of our VoIP experts today.
IP telephone system An IP telephone system uses packet-switched Voice over IP (VoIP), or Internet telephony, to transmit telephone calls over the Internet as opposed to the circuit-switched telephony used by the traditional Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).
Also known as VoIP phone systems, IP telephone systems typically comprise a VoIP private branch exchange (an IP PBX) and desktop VoIP phones (IP Phones) that connect to a VoIP service provider via a Local Area Network (LAN).
One of the key advantages to IP telephone systems is that whereas long-distance calls on a regular phone system can be cost prohibitive, the same calls on an IP phone system are free — there are no fees beyond the cost of Internet access
VoIP telephone
Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, telephone products connect to VoIP, or Internet telephony, systems, which use packet-switched telephony to transmit calls over the Internet as opposed to the circuit-switched telephony used by the traditional Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).
How it Works
VoIP telephones look and largely function like standard phones, but they have built-in IP technology and an RJ-45 Ethernet connector instead of the standard RJ-11 phone connector that enables the VoIP phone to connect directly to a router for making and receiving IP calls.
A standard phone can also function as a VoIP telephone when used with an analog-to-digital converter called an ATA, or analog telephone adaptor. Another option is to bypass the phone entirely and simply use a VoIP-capable computer to make and receive IP calls.
VoIP Phone VoIP phones utilize packet-switched Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), or Internet telephony, to transmit telephone calls over the Internet as opposed to the circuit-switched telephony used by the traditional Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).
The advantage to VoIP phone calls is that unlike regular long-distance calls, phone calls made through a VoIP phone service are free – there are no fees beyond the cost of your Internet access.
Also referred to as online phones or Internet phones, a VoIP phone can be a physical telephone with built-in IP technology and an RJ-45 Ethernet connector instead of the RJ-11 phone connector found in standard phones, or it can be a voice-capable computer that uses VoIP hardware such as Magic-Jack or VoIP software like Skype. This flexibility makes it possible for VoIP phone calls to function as Internet phone-to-phone, Internet phone-to-PC, PC-to-PC or PC-to-phone calls.
VoIP PBX A Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) private box exchange (PBX) is a business telephone system that provides services similar to a standard PBX, but does so over a company’s LAN or WAN data network rather than through the circuit-switched networks used by the traditional Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).
Also referred to as an IP PBX, VoIP PBX systems can typically switch calls between VoIP on local lines or between VoIP and traditional telephone users in the same way a PBX does. A VoIP PBX system can be hardware based or can function entirely as a software system.
VoIP call A Voice over IP call, or VoIP call, utilizes packet-switched Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) or Internet telephony as opposed to the circuit-switched telephony used by the traditional Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).
The advantage to VoIP phone calls is that unlike regular long-distance calls, calls made through a VoIP phone service are free – there are no fees beyond the cost of your Internet access.
Also referred to as online phones or Internet phones, a VoIP phone can be a physical telephone with built-in IP technology and an RJ-45 Ethernet connector instead of the RJ-11 phone connector found in standard phones, or it can be a voice-capable computer that uses VoIP hardware such as Magic-Jack or VoIP software like Skype.
This flexibility makes it possible for VoIP calls to function as Internet phone-to-phone, Internet phone-to-PC, PC-to-PC or PC-to-phone calls. VoIP Gateway A network device that converts voice and fax calls, in real time, between the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and an IP network.
The primary functions of a VoIP gateway include voice and fax compression/decompression, packetization, call routing, and control signaling. Additional features may include interfaces to external controllers, such as Gatekeepers or Softswitches, billing systems, and network management systems.
business VoIP Business VoIP services is commercial-class versions of residential VoIP services that provide small and medium-sized businesses with advanced features and functionality such as private branch exchange (PBX) capabilities, conference calling, desk-to-desk calling, music on hold and automated attendants.
Business VoIP Plans
While residential VoIP plans typically feature a flat-rate pricing structure and allow for only one call at a time, most business VoIP and enterprise VoIP providers offer tiered usage plans and support multiple simultaneous calls.
Packet-Switched Telephony
As with all VoIP (or Internet telephony) services, business VoIP uses packet-switched telephony to transmit calls over the Internet as opposed to the circuit-switched telephony used by the traditional Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).
Hosted VoIP A form of business VoIP services where the VoIP equipment, servers and services are hosted by the VoIP provider, which manages calls and routes them to and from the subscriber’s existing telephony system and equipment.
Hosted VoIP is also frequently referred to as managed VoIP and can save companies from the potentially expensive costs of having to invest in VoIP equipment and manage the system.
As with all VoIP (or Internet telephony) solutions, hosted VoIP services use-packet-switched telephony to transmit calls over the Internet as opposed to the circuit-switched telephony used by the traditional Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), although in some hosted VoIP cases calls from the subscriber are routed over the PSTN to the hosted VoIP PBX system.
Enterprise VoIP Enterprise VoIP services are enterprise-grade versions of residential VoIP and business VoIP solutions that provide large organizations with advanced features and functionality such as private branch exchange (PBX) capabilities, conference calling, desk-to-desk calling, music on hold and automated attendants.
Enterprise VoIP offerings may also offer an additional level of security such as IPSec encryption, Voice over Secure IP (VoSIP), Secure Voice over IP (SVoIP) or Secure Voice over Secure IP (SVoSIP) to help protect confidential VoIP communications.
As with all VoIP (or Internet telephony) solutions, enterprise VoIP utilizes packet-switched telephony to transmit calls over the Internet as opposed to the circuit-switched telephony used by the traditional Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).
VoIP service provider A voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service provider offers VoIP Internet telephony solutions to residential and commercial customers. Also known as an Internet phone service provider, a VoIP service provider generally provides the VoIP hardware and services to subscribers at a monthly rate, although hosted VoIP services are also quite common.
As with all VoIP solutions, VoIP service providers utilize packet-switched telephony to transmit calls over the Internet as opposed to the circuit-switched telephony used by the traditional Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).
VoIP calls are like regular phone calls but they’re made over a broadband high speed Internet connection rather than over a regular telephone line. The key advantage to VoIP phone calls is that unlike regular long-distance calls, calls made through a VoIP service provider are free – there are no fees beyond the cost of your Internet access. VoIP – Voice over Internet Protocol VoIP is short for Voice over Internet Protocol. Voice over Internet Protocol is a category of hardware and software that enables people to use the Internet as the transmission medium for telephone calls by sending voice data in packets using IP rather than by traditional circuit transmissions of the PSTN.
Advantages of VoIP One advantage of VoIP is that the telephone calls over the Internet do not incur a surcharge beyond what the user is paying for Internet access, much in the same way that the user doesn’t pay for sending individual emails over the Internet. 10 VoIP Problems: How to Fix Them Forever If you’re reading this, chances are you’re already an active user of VoIP phones, and you might be having some issues with placing calls over VoIP. Whether it’s choppy conversations, low-quality audio, or any of the other frustrating VoIP problems, we’ve heard them all.
In this guide, we’re diving deep into the top 10 VoIP problems and how you can solve them quickly. Save your IT person time and get your phones in tip-top shape by finding easy solutions to your most troubling VoIP problems! Top 10 VoIP Problems
- Choppy Audio
- Dropped Calls After 11 Minutes
- Echoes During VoIP Calls
- Unable To Make Calls
- Call Connects with No Sound
- Low-Quality Audio
- Calls Go To Voicemail Unexpectedly
- Delays In Interoffice Calls
- One Phone Works But Another Doesn’t
- VoIP Phone Doesn’t Turn On
Now let’s dive into real-world solutions to common VoIP problems that we’ve seen to get you back in action. 1) Choppy Audio We’ve all been there. Someone is saying something super important, and it cuts out in the middle of their sentence. We inevitably have to say, “Can you repeat that?” and the person on the other line has to repeat themselves.
This common VoIP problem is likely due to your bandwidth capacity. Bandwidth measures how much data can be sent over a connection in a given amount of time. If you are hearing someone else cut in and out, it’s a problem with your download bandwidth, and if they hear you cut in and out, it’s a problem with your upload bandwidth. When using an internet connection, whether it’s for VoIP or browsing, small units of data are sent in packets.
When these packets fail to reach their intended destination, packet loss occurs. The side effects are network disruption, slow service, and low call quality. And, it often impacts high-bandwidth services like audio and video first.
How to fix choppy voice First, you should verify your network stability. Nextiva offers a handy VoIP speed test, which enables you to see how your network is performing. There are more testing tools available, but your results will vary. When in doubt, take a sampling of three tests and average them together.
If your bandwidth is lower than what you pay for consistently, you should contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Perform a VoIP Speed Test. In this example, the network is perfect for handling thousands of simultaneous VoIP phone calls. If your network is running slow, you can:
- Reduce Network Congestion – Whether that’s turning off additional unused phone systems on a network or closing high-capacity applications like YouTube, Netflix, and other streaming services. You can also segment your network with a Virtual LAN (VLAN), so VoIP phones aren’t “seen” by other computers.
- Prioritize QoS for VoIP – If this is a continuous problem, you may want to check your router settings and make sure the Quality of Service (QoS) is set to prioritize VoIP service.
2) Dropped Calls After 11 Minutes This is a weird VoIP problem that some users may experience. Usually, this problem is reported happening on outbound calls on high-volume networks. The first culprit is not having the most up-to-date firmware on your device.
A quick call to your phone provider should confirm this. The second issue might be a UDP Timeout, which is the amount of time a UDP route stays open on a firewall or router. UDP network traffic is faster because it lacks the error-checking capabilities TCP offers. As a result, it’s susceptible to firewalls closing the connection and terminating the call unexpectedly.
How to fix this VoIP problem: To fix this common VoIP issue, you should adjust router settings to allow for longer UDP timeouts or switch devices to use TCP. By default, the UDP connection timeout is 30 seconds, and the TCP connection timeout is usually 15 minutes.
To increase the connection timeout, you can modify it from the firewall access rules. You will want first to try increasing the UDP timeout to 60 seconds.
If you’re not already using TCP, you can try switching your devices to use TCP, which is a connection-oriented protocol that specifies the format of data and acknowledgments used in data transfer. 3) Echoes during VoIP Calls If you’re experiencing echoes on your VoIP calls, there are three potential problems: the device, headset lag, or network latency.
To solve this common VoIP issue, you should test each one, starting with the device itself. Does it have the latest updates? Is everything plugged in properly? Is anything damaged? Have you done the old trick of unplugging and plugging it back in? Test your calls after you take a look at the device itself. Often, this allows the buffers to empty and can re-sync with the VoIP service of choice.
Depending on the kind of headset you have, you could just have an issue with it. Bluetooth is good, but not perfect. If you can isolate the delays to your headset and not the corded handset, you can fix the issue quickly. If you’re still experiencing echoes, you may need to improve your network stability.
Here are some ways to improve network stability. Related: How Much Data Does VoIP Use? Helpful Tips to Forecast Your Bandwidth Needs 4) Unable To Make Calls If you have a giant “X” on your screen or are unable to make outbound calls, chances are you have two routers that drop certain critical packets of data. This scenario has less to do with your router configuration, but more so the network layout.
Certain protocols are processed by the Application Layer Gateway (ALG) and rewritten for better flow through a firewall or NAT (Network Address Translation). However, it causes numerous problems for VoIP applications.
To solve this VoIP problem, you will want to disable SIP ALG and ensure you do not have a double NAT or two routers inhibiting your flow of packets. Placing your VoIP phones on a VLAN may also be a solution to this problem, too. 5) Call Connects with No Sound Hello, can you hear me?
If your calls start like this and you can’t seem to hear callers, we’ve got a solution for you! This usually occurs because a firewall is blocking the RTP packets from flowing. The SIP protocol often requires adjustments in routers that rewrite packets using RTP. To solve, check your firewalls.
You may need to open ports as it might not be allowing flowing traffic to pass. 6) Low-Quality Audio If you’re experiencing call quality issues, chances are your network’s bandwidth is full, or you have network instability.
Audio quality is going to fall back to the most-reliable, lower-bandwidth audio formats to not drop the call. However, this could be the other party’s VoIP network or device’s fault. While you don’t want to go around blaming other people, if you’ve checked out your network bandwidth and stability, you may want to ask them to explore the issue on their side. If the problem is on your end, you’ll want to make sure your network is running in tip-top shape.
You’ll also want to ensure you have quality network cables for all of your devices. Also, make sure you place your phones on a VLAN to segment them other network traffic. 7) Calls Go To Voicemail Unexpectedly It’s a big VoIP call quality problem when your phone doesn’t ring.
Whether your inbound calls are going straight to voicemail or even another phone, you’re letting your customers down. The good news is that it’s a pretty simple fix! A possible setting was likely forgotten, or your phone is no longer registered with the VoIP provider.
You’ll also want to check that your phone is not on Do Not Disturb (DND) mode. You’ll know that this is the problem if there is a circle with a horizontal line inside of it. Review your current configuration for call forwarding and verify that all of your phones are registered and active.
Related: Business Phone Line Not Working? Here’s How to Fix It 8) Delays in Interoffice Calls Trying to call a coworker and experiencing latency? Chances are you’re experiencing network congestion. You can try to reduce internal network congestion, although that may not always be possible.
Another option is to use QoS, which might require upgrading to a business-class router that gives higher priority to VoIP data. The final solution is to ensure you’re using properly terminated cables. Here are some helpful hints on how to ensure you’re following cable termination best practices.
Related: What Is Jitter? The Step-By-Step Guide to VoIP and Network Jitter 9) One Phone Works But Another Doesn’t If you’ve tested one phone and it isn’t working, but you try another device, and it is, chances are your VoIP Phone MAC address might not be registered.
The other option might be that the configuration itself needs updating. We recommend testing using a known working location and network port. If one phone works in both places and the other fails, it’s a problem with the phone. If both phones work successfully at one location, it could suggest that an Ethernet drop is not functioning.
Otherwise, you’ll have to contact your VoIP service provider support for possible firmware or configuration updates. If no updates are available and you’re still experiencing this common VoIP issue, you may need to replace your device. Related: How to Install VoIP Phones (in 5 Easy Steps) 10) VoIP Phone Doesn’t Turn On Is your phone simply not turning on?
You might not be using a Power over Ethernet (PoE) connection. PoE requires the proper network switch and quality wiring. It’s a pretty simple solution for this VoIP problem. Use a PoE network switch or plug in your AC adapter that’s supplied with the phone.
Network administrators seem to indicate that the T568-B wiring pattern is preferred. Related: 12 Best VoIP Adapters in 2020: Compare Features, Reviews & Costs Best Practices To Avoid VoIP Problems We all experience VoIP problems every once in a while. Hopefully, we’ve solved a few of your headaches. Whether it’s for your current VoIP phone system or a future one, here are a few best practices for long-term success:
- Segment VoIP phones on your network into their own VLAN for higher performance.
- Prioritize SIP traffic with QoS. Confirm that your router and switches prioritize VoIP traffic and devices.
- Use CAT5e/CAT6 cabling with the same media type (10BASE-T vs. 1000BASE-T). Poor wiring causes excess latency.
- Your ping should be less than 80 milliseconds and your jitter less than 30 milliseconds.
- Limit phone calls over Wi-Fi whenever possible. Use a dedicated Ethernet line instead.
- Choose a trustworthy, proven VoIP provider (like Nextiva!
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