CI Gear Tech Blog: VoIP, UC, Response Point, Asterisk, 3CX

In tough economic times, many businesses are looking to cut or delay big ticket purchases like a new phone system. Enabling an older phone system to integrate with Skype can breathe new life into old technology by delivering new features and cost savings without an expensive forklift replacement. Skype gateways can do just that by seamlessly connecting your existing phone system to Skype - the world’s largest free VoIP network.

Some benefits:

Check out our Skype Gateways page.

Tags: Gateways, PBX, Phone System, Skype, VoiceGear, VoIP, VoSky

3CX Phone System recently announced their new Hotel Module, a solution aimed at hotels and hospitality environments. The hotel module was designed to perform the following functions:

• Check in and Check out of guests
• Setting of guest extensions to Do not Disturb
• Blocking of external calls
• Schedule wake up calls
• Allow housekeeping to set room status
• Track guest calls and list them upon check out for easy billing

The 3CX hotel module can be integrated with many Hotel property management systems (PMS) such as Micros Fidelio, Roommaster, Hilton and more. Alternatively the receptionist can use the system directly through the provided web interface.

The Front Desk Phone Control Application is a simple to use windows or web based application that allows the front desk clerk to perform the above operations. This application can be used separately from the PMS system, and thus requires no integration at all. For many smaller hotels this can be good enough.

Billing

The hotel module will track calls made by a guest and output the list upon checkout for easy billing. The list of calls or the total of the calls can be outputted to screen or printer. In addition the information can be sent to the PMS system via CDR or SMDR records. For each case, the exact format can be customized.

Integration options

The 3CX Phone System hotel module can integrate with PMS systems in the following ways:

1. Via the 3CX Protocol, which resembles the Mitel SX 2000 hotel API, such that you can select the Mitel SX 2000 PBX in your hotel software.
2. Via the Fidelio protocol
3. Via middleware software called Lodging Link. Lodging link integrates with numerous hotel software systems and provides transparent integration with the 3CX PBX hotel module. Supported hotel software systems included can be found here: http://www.comtrol.com/aboutus/partners/hospitality/pms
4. Exchange of data can also be done on a custom basis. In this scenario, documentation must be provided by the reseller.

Some Property/Hotel Management Systems supported by 3CX

• Agilysys
• Autoclerk
• Booking Center MyPMS
• Cenium
• Maestro for Northwind
• Fidelity Hotel Management System
• Micros Opera
• Choice Hotels International
• Brilliant Hotelsoftware
• CMS Hospitality Guestcentrix
• Fidelio-Opera
• Micros-Fidelio
• Fidelio
• ResortSuite
• Gracesoft
• Hotec Expert Hotelier Suite
• Hotel Concept
• WebPMS
• Atrium INN client server systems
• HSS Hotel Software Systems
• Innfinity software systems
• InnRoad
• MyHMS innpoints
• Full list at http://www.comtrol.com/aboutus/partners/hospitality/pms

For more information on 3CX products, visit our 3CX products page or our 3CX information site

Tags: 3CX, HMS, Hospitality, Hotel, PBX, Phone System, PMS, VoIP

The Sutus Business Central 200 or BC200 is way more than a phone system. It offers an integrated solution to small business IT and communications. The BC200 server includes: phone system, file server, email server, router, firewall, wireless access point, VPN remote access server, automated backups, VoIP and Standard phone line support and more. The BC200 is a complete IT and communication solution for up to 25 users.

Cost Savings: Compared to buying components separately, the BC200, being a single appliance, dramatically reduces the total cost of ownership including purchase, training, support, ongoing maintenance, and upgrade costs.

Simple and Easy to support: The BC200 delivers advanced management functionality for all the integrated applications in a single, workflow-based interface. The BC200 is secure and easy to support - with remote management and upgrades.

What’s required? The Business Central solution comes in a compact bundle consisting of the BC200 server/router and a PSTN gateway (The Gateway 310). The only other parts required are Polycom IP phones. The BC200 works with Windows, Mac and Linux environments. You can continue to use the email and file browsing applications you are familiar with.

Key Features

Here are some of the important features of the Business Central 200:

Phone Services

• Enterprise Class Telephone Support
• Voicemail to Email
• Auto Attendent
• Standard Phone Line Support
• VoIP Phone Line Support
• Shared Call Groups
• Custom Call Routing
• Hold, Transfer, Speed Dial, Conferencing
• Audio on Hold
• Program quick dial numbers for your Polycom phone through a web browser

Network Infrastructure

• WiFi Wireless Access Point 802.11 b/g
• 8 Port PoE 10/100 Router
• NAT + SPI Firewall
• VPN Remote Access
• Intelligent Fax Routing
• GigE 10/100/1000 Expansion Port
• Domain Controller
• Standards Based Infrastructure

Data Services

• File Server
• Email Server
• Robust, Journaled File System
• Secure file storage for users and groups
• Automated Backups
• RAID 1 (Disk Mirroring) Support
• 2 X 250Gb Hard Drives
• Intranet Server

Security

• NAT
• Stateful Packet Inspection Firewall
• Secure IMAP Client Support
• Secure SMTP Email Support
• Single Services Sign On
• Robust Reboot and Recovery

Here are some interesting product reviews to check out:

Dec 2008: ITBusinessEdge – Sutus Product Review

Nov 2008: GetConnected – Sutus Product Review

Nov 2008: ISP-Planet - A Small Business VoIP Box

Sutus Business Central BC200 is available through CI Gear. For more product information or to purchase a BC200, visit:

http://www.cigear.com/sutus-phonedatanetwork-system-c-156.html

Tags: Asterisk, Backup, BC200, Business Central, Email, File Server, Firewall, Gateway 310, PBX, Phone System, POE, Polycom, RAID, Router, Sutus, Switch, VoIP, VPN, Wi-Fi

I’m writing this in part with selfish motives since we get asked this question several times per week both by users of Aastra’s SIP standard IP Phones as well as by users of Aastra Response Point IP Phones. Hopefully, this information will make it easier for users to find a headset to work with their Aastra IP Phones.

The source of this list is Aastra Telecom Inc. The general headset requirement for Aastra IP Phones is that they require non-amplified headsets with an RJ22 connector. Aastra has been kind enough to test some popular models and provide us with a list to make life easier. The list starts with a disclaimer so here it goes:

USING THIRD-PARTY HEADSETS WITH AASTRA IP PHONES

While Aastra does perform basic functional testing of the third-party headsets listed below, it is ultimately
the customer’s responsibility to test these devices in their own environment to determine suitable
performance.

Due to the many inherent environmental and hardware inconsistencies in the locations where these
phones can be used, there is not a single “best” headset that is optimal for all environments.

Before customers begin deploying any headsets, Aastra recommends thorough testing at the customer
site to check for acceptable voice quality in the specific deployment environment.

Recommended headsets for use with Aastra IP Phones

GN Netcom GN2110ST (P/N:01-0241)
GN Netcom GN2120NC (P/N: 01-0243)
GN Netcom GN 2127 NC (P/N: 01-0331)
GN Netcom GN9120 (P/N: 9120-28-05)
GN Netcom GN2120NC (P/N: 01-0243)
GN Netcom GN9350  (P/N: 9326-607-105)
Wired headsets require a Modular to GN Netcom quick disconnect cable (P/N: 1003945). Please
check the manufacturer website for detailed information.

Plantronics H251N (P/N: 27190-01)
Plantronics HW251 (P/N: 73838-01)
Plantronics P251-U10P (P/N: 64392-01)
Plantronics CS70N (P/N: 70450-06 )
Plantronics 510SL (P/N: 72273-01)
Wired headsets require a Modular to Plantronics quick disconnect A10 cable (P/N 66268-01).
Please check the manufacturer website for a full cable compatibility list.

Sennheiser SH330 (P/N: 5354)
Requires a Sennheiser quick disconnect CSTD01 Cable (P/N:5362)

Notes:

Netcom GN2120NC:
• Users must use switch positions 1 or 7 for this headset.  Using position 7 will increase the
microphone sensitivity by 6dB (louder to the far end person).

Plantronics H251N:
• Recommend users set the IP Phone headset microphone gain to “High” via the Options menu.
• This headset has a high receiving volume and requires users to use lower volume settings on
their IP Phone.

Plantronics HW251:
• Recommend users set the IP Phone headset microphone gain to “High” via the Options menu.
• This headset has a high receiving volume and requires users to use lower volume settings on
their IP Phone.

Plantronics P251N-U10P
• This headset has a high receiving volume and requires users to use lower volume settings on
their IP Phone.

Plantronics CS70N:
• Recommend users switch the base to setting B or C with the IP phone headset microphone gain
set to “High” or “Low” respectively.
• Users should also set the switch at base back to position 4 and adjusting the headset volume as
desired.

Plantronics 510/SL:
• Recommend users switch the base to setting B or C with the IP phone headset microphone gain
set to “High” or “Low” respectively.
• Users should also set the switch at base back to position 4 and adjusting the headset volume as
desired.

If you are looking for where to buy, most of these models are available on our online store. Here’s a link:

http://www.cigear.com/accessories-headsets-c-173_102.html

Tags: Aastra, Bluetooth, DECT, GN, Headsets, IP Phone, Jabra, Netcom, Plantronics, Response Point, Sennheiser, VoIP, Wired, Wireless

For decades, a handful of giant manufacturers have maintained a virtual monopoly in the SMB phone systems market. This has resulted in expensive, proprietary technology that was difficult to manage and costly to maintain. By some estimates, only a third of small businesses have implemented phone systems for these reasons. This leaves the majority of this segment underserved!

Introducing the software pbx or phone system. A software phone system is an application designed to perform all the features of a purpose built pbx but built to run on standard computer hardware. Since software phone systems can be installed on commonly available computers, much of the cost associated with proprietary phone system hardware has been eliminated, which means software phone systems save you money!

Most phone system solutions available today are based on Voice over IP (VoIP). This does not mean that these systems will not connect with traditional phone services. In fact, the majority of phone systems available today support both traditional phone lines as well as VoIP.

Here are the 4 key ingredients required to build your own phone system.

1- Computer Hardware

2- Phone System Software

3- Phones

4- Gateways

Computer Hardware

Selecting suitable computer hardware is an important factor since your new phone system will depend on a reliable platform to run on. If your phone system project is for play, any reasonably equipped computer will do. If your phone system implementation is intended for business use, it would be wise to check with your software provider for recommended hardware products. For mission critical enterprise applications, a hardened server is highly recommended.

Software

Selection of software depends as much on personal preference as it does on features and capability. Some users are more comfortable working in a Windows environment while others are comfortable with Linux or Mac OS X. There are software based phone system solutions available for just about any platform. Most of these solutions are easy enough to install and manage and offer a plethora of features and functionality.
Since the defacto industry standard for voice communication these days is Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), software selected should support SIP.
Without delving into a detailed feature listing (We’ll save that for another article!), here are some of the more popular features that most people look for in a new phone system:

1-    Call Handling (Hold, Transfer, Conference, Forward, Park, Auto Attendant, Digital Receptionist, IVR, etc.)

2-    Unified Communication and Mobility (User Portal, Voicemail to Email, Unified Messaging, Single Number, Remote Access, Soft Phone, etc.)

3-    3rd Party Application Integration (Outlook, Salesforce / Web-based CRM, Exchange, Fax, etc.)

4-    Management (Web based Configuration, Backup/Restore, Call Logging/Reporting, etc.)

5-    SIP Trunk (VoIP) support to connect to one or more ITSPs (Internet Telephony Service Provider)

Windows based phone systems: 3CX, pbxnsip

Linux based phone systems: Asterisk, Elastix, Trixbox

Mac OS X based phone systems: pbxnsip

Phones

The phone is the interface between your end users and the system so factors such as ease of use, end user features, aesthetic appeal, call quality, ease of support should be considered when choosing phones. There are 3 major categories of end user devices that will work with your new system:
1-    Hardware IP Phone (Desk Phone, Wireless Phone, Conference Phone, etc.)
2-    Software IP Phone (PC/Mac Software Client, Smart Phone Mobile Client)
3-    Traditional Analog Phone via ATA (Analog Terminal Adapter)

There is no shortage of options when it comes to phone selection. Check with the software provider, your vendor and user forums for recommended models before deciding on what phones to order.

Gateway

A gateway is a device used to connect your VoIP based phone system to the public telephone network. Without a gateway, most SMB phone systems are still able to connect to the outside world using a SIP (VoIP) trunk. The SIP trunk connects your phone system to an ITSP (Internet Telephony Service Provider) who then relays your calls to and from the public telephone network. However, using only VoIP means that you are entirely dependant on your Internet connection to for phone access to the outside world.
The gateway enables you to connect analog POTS lines (Plain Old Telephone Service) or digital ISDN BRI and PRI (T1/E1) lines directly to your phone system. You can continue to take advantage of VoIP but also keep some direct connectivity to the public telephone network for reliability and failover.

Here are some of the options available when it comes to gateways.
1-    PCI Telephony Cards
2-    External Ethernet Gateways
3-    External USB Gateways

PCI Telephony Cards: There are PCI and PCIe based telephony cards available for a variety of platforms that will enable you to create your own gateway for your phone system. If you are comfortable installing hardware in your computer, this may be the simplest and most cost effective solution for you. If you’re not sure about getting under the hood of your system, this might not be the best solution for you.

External Ethernet Gateways: There are many external Ethernet based gateway devices on the market that will enable you to connect with a variety of telephony interfaces. These gateways are network devices that connect with all your phone lines and communicate with your phone system over Ethernet.

External USB Gateways: Some platforms support external USB based gateway devices that will enable you to connect with a variety of telephony interfaces. USB gateways are like peripherals that interface with your phone system on a USB port. These gateways also support a variety telephony interfaces for your phone lines and analog devices.

If you have a question or are just looking for help with planning your ideal software based phone system, feel free to comment on this post or call me at 1-866-924-4292.

Tags: 3CX, Asterisk, BRI, Elastix, FXO, FXS, Gateway, how to build, IP Phone, isdn, PBX, pbxnsip, PCI, PCIe, Phone System, PRI, SIP, software pbx, software phone system, T1, Trixbox, USB, VoIP