VoIP Insider

In my last two posts I discussed the features and highlights of the Polycom video conferencing units HDX 4000 and HDX 6004.

Now it’s time to take a look at the Polycom video phone, VVX1500.

Polycom VVX1500 Multimedia Phone

While this offering from Polycom can accurately be called a video phone, as it is a phone that has video capabilities, Polycom calls it a “Business Media Phone.”  Call it what you will, it measures up to Polycom’s usual high standards of excellence while combining audio and video in one desktop unit.

The VVX1500 is a SIP video phone with great audio and video quality that uses relatively low bandwidth and is becoming very popular in the small business space.   It has a high resolution 7 inch wide-screen color TFT touch screen LCD display that makes set up and use a breeze.

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Many businesses are looking to upgrade their phone systems to VoIP for the added features, flexibility and cost savings on long distance.

With the added burden of VoIP on the network, companies need to guard against Packet loss, delay and jitter in their networks.  As such the requirements to make sure that you have everything you need are becoming more advanced. And network technology is advancing and changing more than ever these days.

So before you make that move to VoIP you need to make sure your network is ready to handle the additional traffic.

Evaluate your network infrastructure

The first thing you need to do is take an inventory of what equipment you currently have. Hopefully you have a good amount of equipment that is solid and up to date. Here are the most important things to evaluate.

• Cabling – Do you have up to date cat 5 or cat 6 cabling wired up in your office. Do you have enough network drops to handle the new ip phone handset?
• Wireless – Are you looking to add wireless VoIP handsets in the office? If you are going to be using Wi-Fi handsets you will need to make sure you have some good wireless switches and ample access point coverage throughout the usage area.
• Switching – Many of the new ip phones available are gigabit Ethernet ready and Poe compliant. If you are looking to take advantage of these areas then you may need to invest in some new switches. Also if you do not have at least 10/100 managed switches in the office it is probably a good time to upgrade too.
• Routers – QOS or Quality of Service is a big component of an efficient VoIP System. One of the biggest issues with VoIP is understanding how QOS is specified and delivered across your network infrastructure. Voice quality is directly related to network latency and packet delays that can cause drop-outs and degrade overall audio. You also might want to segregate voice traffic on its own virtual LAN (VLAN). It’s worth doing a couple of pilot tests before you make any upgrade decisions and redraw your network architecture.

Make sure you have the right pipe

Just like you can’t be too rich or too thin, you can never have enough Internet bandwidth.

• What’s your current bandwidth limits – A good place to start is a free service with TestYourVOIP.com. But you’ll also want to examine your existing ISP contracts too.
• Get an SLA – You need to make sure you have a good SLA or service level agreement. Make sure your providers give you performance guarantees in their contracts. They are a lot of great service providers out there.  If they are one of the good ones they will have no problem with this.
• Be ready to need more bandwidth – You may be interested in upgrading your existing ISP connection because you have maxed it out. You probably need a dedicated T-1 or better if you are going to have more than a dozen VOIP users, so it might be worthwhile to investigate having a separate ISP connection just for voice. This is a very important part of the network. Do some research via the Internet or feel free to contact me directly. I can make some recommendations on service and hardware.

Ensuring that your network is ready for VoIP is an important factor determining the success of a VoIP deployment. Following the advice and steps above you should be well on your way to ensuring that your network is ready to handle your new VoIP system.

I love rumors. At least when they’re not about me.

Earlier today TechCrunch posted that Cisco is rumored to be poking around Skype. It’s unconfirmed (as most rumors are) and with Skype pre-IPO it could simply be savvy PR work to increase the news centered around the company so that potential investors are aware of the pending offering.

But since I love rumors, I thought I add to the fire.

In thinking about the possibility of Cisco purchasing Skype it makes sense since there are a number of synergies between the two companies.

Target Growth Markets

Skype’s biggest revenue growth plays are in video and business (small business). This is where Cisco has been buying companies and strategically focusing for the last two years.

Skype would get Cisco deeper into the small business (think agencies) video conferencing space ( and give them a video conferencing offering from individual to enterprise). It also gives them a low cost and suitable unified communications product which could get integrated into WebEx (free calls into WebEx via Skype or maybe a WebEx light for very small organizations) as well as call manager all powered at the desktop by Cisco handsets (which means selling more hardware).

Technology Dependent Customers

Skype has over 500m register users. That’s a nice customer list of people using the Internet.

Since Cisco owns 85% of the worlds network, almost all of those registered users are those that “could benefit from using Cisco hardware.” This could be a Linksys wireless switch, the Cisco Valet or catalyst switches.

And let’s not forget device such as the Flip. Imagine a wireless Flip that allowed for mobile Skype video calling.

Proprietary Technology

A lot of people bitch about Skype using proprietary technology and not actually owning it. These same people probably don’t like the fact that everything Cisco does in the voice space (SCCP) is proprietary.

(Yes, I know they support SIP, but it’s cost prohibitive in most cases.)

Point is that Cisco knows the proprietary game, is comfortable with it and obviously has done a great job pushing proprietary technologies into the hands of customers in a world that “demands openness.”

Consumer Brand

Cisco desperately wants to get more consumer friendly. Skype is a world wide brand that is well known by consumers (sometimes a downfall as they try to get into more businesses).

It’s considered to be hip and cool. That’s priceless in the consumer space.

The purchase of Skype would give them their best consumer brand name since Linksys.

Your Thoughts?

You’ve heard my thoughts. Now what are yours?

(Told you I love rumors)

The Polycom HDX 6004 series is an entry-level model of Polycom’s premier products in their room telepresence lineup, which is designed for small group environments.  The system, which does not include a monitor, delivers Polycom’s UltlimateHD experience with HD video, voice and content sharing capabilities.

HDX 6004 Series Overview

The HDX 6004 is a plug-and-play system that is easy to install and use, while only requiring simple connectivity.  HDMI output allows for quick and seamless integration with high definition displays via a single cable, and the standards-based Polycom People+Content (which was discussed in an earlier posting about the HDX 4000) allows users to easily share high quality documents, spreadsheets and multimedia content.

The high quality audio is delivered by top of the line Polycom Siren 22 and Polycom StereoSurround sound technologies.

The HDX 6004 series seamlessly integrates with all components of the Polycom Visual Communication portfolio, including the Polycom RealPresence Experience (RPX), Polycom Telepresence Experience (TPX), Polycom HDX telepresence solutions, Polycom RMX series conference platforms, and Polycom Converged Management Application (CMA).

The HDX 6004 supports Polycom’s Lost Packet Recovery (LPR) technology as well, which maintains a high quality user experience on any network.

HDX 6004 Key Features

Now let’s take a look at some of the technical specs of the HDX 6004 series:

• Camera: Polycom EagleEye (1280×720p CCD imager, 12x optical zoom) or EagleEye View (1920×1080 EPTZ camera, 4x digital zoom, internal stereo microphones).
• Video Standards: H.264, H.26++, H.261, H.239 (Polycom People +Content), H.263 & h.264 (Video Error Concealment)
• Video Input: 1X Polycom EagleEye HD Camera,  1X DVI-I
• Video Output: 1X HDMI
• Audio Standards: Polycom StereoSurround, 22kHz bandwidth with Polycom Siren 22, 14kHz bandwidth with Polycom Siren 14, 7kHz bandwidth with G.722 or G.722.1, 3.4kHz bandwidth with G.711, G.728 or G.729A,  Automatic gain control and noise suppression, Audio Error Concealment.
• User Interface: Directory services, CDR, 17 International languages, wildcard language tool, USB Software update.
• System Management: Web-based, SNMP, Polycom Converged Management Application (CMA)
• Options: IP 7000 speakerphone integration, HDX Media Center options.

As anyone who has used Polycom products in the past has come to expect, the HDX 6000 series has a host of excellent features and they are implemented with quality and style.  The quality of both the video and audio is excellent, and the devices are easy to use and configure.

If you would like more information on this particular series, or any of the other Polycom video options, please contact me at VoIP Supply.  716-250-3873 or jshanahan@voipsupply.com.

Telephony services are perhaps the most important service to any business. What would happen to your business if the telephone system stopped working? This makes selecting a reliable telephony service provider one of the most important IT decisions.

As with any IT purchase, it is important to wade through the marketing information and dig down to the get the answer to questions that matter.  It truly does pays to do your homework!

By asking the right questions up front, you can avoid signing with a risky provider — or one that doesn’t offer what you need. Most VoIP service providers offer basic capabilities such as voice mail or call hold but may not give you the advanced features, service options or scalability that your organization needs.

Here are some useful guidelines on selecting a hosted provider

Evaluate the service provider and system integrators capabilities in terms of breadth of services and flexibility of offerings
There is real value to a business when it selects a range of services from one provider.  IP Telephony services will require an IP connection.  It is also sensible to use the same circuits/network to provide other services.  Remember, the cost of managing separate suppliers is much higher than dealing with one.

Ensure that the vendor is financially stable and committed to the business over the long haul
There are a large number of providers in this market. Some have significant venture capital funding that has to be repaid, often by selling the business.  A large proportion of the rest are operating on a shoe string and some fail every year.  Both of these situations leave you exposed to the risk of no telephony services or one that is altered and not fit for purpose.

Determine what infrastructure needs to be replaced and when
It is not always necessary to replace existing infrastructure; for example, it may be possible to connect the PBX to the IP telephony provider using a gateway.  This will ensure that the PBX is not replaced before it is end of live but it also allows new users to be added to the hosted IP telephony service.  The right provider will make this transition simple.

Look for an IP Telephony provider that has a clear roadmap
This shows a clear commitment to continue to improve the services and add new features.  Technology doesn’t stand still and your provider must be moving with the market.  Unlike a legacy PBX, selecting a hosted telephony solution protects you from the need to buy expensive hardware upgrades to add new products and/or features.

Identify the scope and scale of service provider responsibility
One of the great advantages of selecting a hosted IP telephony service is that it can be a totally managed service.  This reduces your IT resources needed to deliver the solution to the end users.  Other service providers will simply ensure that the voice network is available and the customer will do all the administration.  Select the option that best suits you now and in the future.

Tour the company’s network management facility and meet the people who will monitor the network
When you buy a hosted telephony service, typically the only thing on site are the phones.  Take advantage of any offers to visit the service provider’s data center and/or network management center. Some companies will be proud of their facilities because they know that the investments they have made are about servicing the customer.

Understand the cost models and total cost of ownership
Total cost of ownership (TCO) can be confusing.  Everyone has a way to show that they offer a reduced TCO. However, take an objective view of this and challenge the service provider.  Always make sure that you have added your personnel resource costs and necessary training, both end user and administrator. Remember to include the expected costs of upgrades and adding new services in 2-3 years time.

Select a service provider that has business continuity and disaster recover capabilities
Some providers cut corners, especially when they are in a setup or rapid growth phase.  They don’t have the resources to deploy services at two or more data centers. They have single points of failure in their hardware, software or network. Building resilience into the platform adds cost initially but it is vital to ensure that the service is always available. If an entire data center is lost, what happens to the customer data, call recordings, voicemails?  If these are important to you, they should be important to the service provider.

Obtain fully documented service resolution procedures
Perhaps the heart of a hosted telephony service is the Service Level Agreement (SLA). Make sure you read this before you sign.  Understand what will happen if things go wrong.  You need to be happy with the timescales it could take to get things running again in the event of a problem.  Read the small print, it is there for a reason.

Go for a service provider that has made considerable investments in the technology and support services
Ask the provider how much has been invested in the telephony infrastructure. Some will have invested very little and some may have invested vast sums.  If it is too little the service is likely to be poor.  If it is very high the price is likely to be high, or they need to add huge numbers quickly which will probably mean a poor service as well.  Having the privilege of working with numerous providers I see the effort and support some of the hosted providers we work with put into their business model.   Just because someone has a great website or have flashy commercials doesn’t mean they truly invest in their service.

Ultimately the decision is yours to make but if you need some additional support feel free to give me a call and we can discuss this.  Hopefully I can help clear the muddy waters and help you make the right decision.

If you are researching into deploying a VoIP Telephony System on your own for the first time, you are probably seeing FXS and FXO acronyms all over the place.  If you haven’t figured it out yet, this can be very frustrating.  It took me about 2 months to “get it”. Maybe I can help you make sense of it all.

FXS – According to Wikipedia, FXS stands for foreign exchange station.  Since that is so clear and makes so much sense I can stop there right? Not! So clearly the actual meaning of these words isn’t going to help us remember or understand what they mean.  FXS is an RJ11 port that connects internally to an analog office phone or fax machine.  Think of the S as meaning a station or a cubicle.  Any FXS port is going to connect to an analog DEVICE and the cable from the port to the device will never leave the building.

FXO – According to Wikipedia, foreign exchange office designates a telephone signaling interface that receives POTS (plain old telephone service).  Um… ok. Let’s put it this way, FXO is a port that will connect a device to an outside telephone line.  Think “O” for “Outside”.  Picture an RJ11 wall jack that connects to a box in your basement which is connected to the line from your house to the nearest telephone pole on your street.  Any RJ11 port on an device that is headed towards that wall jack is an FXO port. It connects your device to the “outside” world or your local area telephone “office”.

FXS ports are often used on ATA (Analog Telephone Adapters) such as the Linksys PAP2T or Grandstream HT502.  The FXS port connects the analog telephone to the ATA which connects to the internet via a Router or modem.  Some ATA’s also have an FXO port. This connects to the wall jack by the computer to provide failover. In this case, in the event of internet failure, you can still make telephone calls via the POTS line.  Also, you can use the FXO port to make free local calls on your POTS line.

FXO ports are most often used on Gateways and PBX’s to support Failover or Fallback as mentioned above.  Most critical phone systems should have a failover feature so phone calls or faxes may continue in the event of internet failure.

So you see, FXS and FXO are super easy, as long as you don’t rely on their given names for an explanation!