Archive for the ‘HD Voice’ Category

Panasonic Introduces DECT Wireless SIP Handsets

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

Panasonic KX-TPA50

Panasonic recently introduced a couple of new DECT 6.0 Wireless SIP products that I’ve been able to play with for the past few weeks before they were released. And now that they’re shipping, let me show you what I’m impressed with, here’s the short list:

  • G722 Wideband Support
  • Provisioning Simplicity
  • Price

The support of G722 wideband codec, often referred to as “HD Voice” to use Polycom’s marketing term, is not very prevalent within the DECT wireless product portfolios of SIP telephone manufacturers. Nobody that I know supports it yet, not Polycom, not Aastra, so correct me if I’m wrong on this. But from my perspective this is the first DECT handset that I’ve used that supports the codec. And because I received my test units before the official product release, I didn’t have spec sheets or install guides to tell me that there was support for G722. So when I first provisioned it to my Switchvox SMB server and made a test call, I was very pleasantly surprised. Speaking of provisioning the handsets, it couldn’t be more easy. Simply enter a few bits of information in the easy to use web GUI and away you go.

And last but certainly not least is Price. The base-station and one handset MSRP is $199.95. The Panasonic KX-TGP500 and KX-TGP550 systems can be expanded up to a total of 6 cordless handsets by adding additional KX-TPA50 cordless handsets at $99. Each handset comes with charger and belt clip. Panasonic has made wireless SIP communications very affordable, while maintaining a robust feature set.

From now until June 30th, for every 2 additional handsets you purchase, you get 1 absolutely free! Use the promo code “DECT” during checkout at the Chromis.com store or contact us at 602.357.8070 for more details.

Panasonic KX-TGP500

KX-TGP500 – The system features a wall-mountable base unit and one cordless handset.  It is expandable up to 6 DECT 6.0 cordless handsets and supports up to 8 phone numbers and 3 simultaneous calls. It boasts Wide Band Audio (G.722) and 5 hours Talk Time, 5 days Standby. Its elegant design features a white backlit large LCD on the handset and a handset Call Button on the base unit. It also has a handset speakerphone, 2.5mm headset jack and belt clip.

Panasonic KX-TGP550

Also available is the KX-TGP550 – This unit has all the features and benefits of the KX-TGP500 and adds a corded base unit with a large white backlit LCD and 5 hours Talk Time, 5 days Standby, plus a Hands-Free Speaker phone, Handset Call Button on the base unit, and one-touch call transfer with Busy Lamp Indication.  MSRP $329.95

Click here to download a Data Sheet PDF of the KX-TGP500

Click here to download a Data Sheet PDF of the KX-TGP550

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Posted in Asterisk, HD Voice, On Sale, Product Review, Switchvox, Testing, digium | No Comments »

Polycom Introduces SoundStation IP 5000 Conference Phone

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

Polycom SoundStation IP5000

This morning at VoiceCon Orlando, Polycom introduced a phone that I’ve had the pleasure of beta testing for the past few weeks, the SoundStation IP 5000 Conference Phone. After I was done with my analysis, I gave it to a good customer of mine to check it out and use on their Switchvox 4.5 Server. He was impressed. So impressed that his quote about the product even made the official press release. (Which can be read here.)

“We have been using Polycom SoundStation IP conference phones in our larger conference rooms, and their clarity and ease of use have delivered tangible benefits during our conference calls,” said Michael Smith of Maricopa Property Development. “The SoundStation IP 5000 is a great fit for our smaller meeting rooms and private offices. It offers the great voice quality I expect from Polycom at a price that is affordable, and being able to conduct high-quality conference calls from our offices and other smaller rooms is improving our productivity.”

Not too bad… So here are the details of the SoundStation IP 5000:

  • 7 kHz Polycom HD Voice for remarkable clarity and intelligibility
  • 7-foot (2.1-meter) microphone pickup range
  • Resists interference from mobile phones and other wireless devices
  • High resolution backlit display
  • Multi-language support
  • Integrated Power over Ethernet (PoE) connectivity
  • Small footprint is ideal for executive offices and small conference tables
  • Entry level price point, only $599 MSRP!

In my humble opinion, this new phone completes the Polycom SoundStation Conference phone lineup. There is now a small office or conference phone solution in the IP 5000, a small to medium size conference solution in the IP 6000, and a large conference room solution in the IP 7000.  Click here to download a PDF of the Polycom SoundStation IP Conference Phones Product Reference Guide for a full comparison of the IP 5000, IP 6000, and IP 7000. Stay tuned to this site for a more detailed review of the new IP 5000 conference solution.

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Posted in HD Voice, Polycom, Soundstation IP, VoiceCon, chromis | No Comments »

Polycom Releases a new entry level phone: Introducing the SoundPoint IP 335

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

Polycom-soundpoint-ip-335Polycom introduced another phone to round out their entry-level line up this past weekend: The SoundPoint IP 335. I’ve been beta testing this phone for the past 6 weeks and have put it through the paces. And now that it’s been formally introduced, I can tell you my thoughts. (Spoiler Alert: This phone is spot on… They took the IP330/331, and made it right.)

The IP 335 contains all the features of the Polycom SoundPoint IP family that we’ve come to know and love: Polycom quality and looks, Integrated Power over Ethernet (PoE) support, interoperability with leading IP PBX (i.e. Switchvox) and Softswitch platforms, etc, all in an easy to configure package. But wait there’s more…

The IP 335 looks identical to the IP 330/331 but there are some very distinct differences. The first very noticeable difference is the high-resolution backlit display. It’s still not very big (102 x 33 pixels) but for the price (est. $199 MSRP) it’s respectable. The back lighting makes for a display that is much easier to read.

The second thing you’ll notice is the headset port. I have always had a huge hangup about the 2.5mm jacks that come on the IP 320/321/330/331. It really annoyed me that I could outfit an organization with IP450’s, 550’s, and 650’s and if we paired them with a headset, we would have to sell a completely different headset for the low end phones. IT managers hated it as well. Problem solved with the IP 335, it comes with a dedicated RJ-9 headset port with Electronic Hook Switch (EHS) support. To accommodate the smaller form factor the headset and EHS connections are made towards the top of the chassis as seen in the image below.

The back of the Polycom IP 335

And lastly, Polycom has made the barrier of entry into the HD Voice arena very low. At the $199 estimated MSRP, there is very little reason not to future proof your telephones on the low end with the IP 335’s support of the G.722 wideband codec commonly known as High Definition Voice.

To really beta test a new piece of hardware like this, I knew I needed to go all the way, so I temporarily retired my IP 650 and replaced it with the IP 335. At first I was a little nervous to lose all my “buttons”. But that quickly subsided once I really started making and receiving calls on the smaller phone. I have a Jabra GN9350e with EHS which I also used to connect to the IP 335. It worked like a gem. EHS connectivity was Polycom/Jabra flawless. HD Voice calls were crisp and clear on our Switchvox server. The only thing I missed was my real time buddy status that I get with my IP 650. But bottom line here is this: I could use this phone everyday. And with a low price tag, a lot of people will do just that.

Here are the highlights of the Polycom SoundPoint IP 335:

  • High-resolution backlit, graphical display
  • Two-line entry-level phone
  • Easy to configure and use
  • Integrated Power over Ethernet (PoE) support
  • Interoperability with leading IP PBX and Softswitch platforms
  • HD Voice support
  • XML microbrowser
  • Backlit 102 x 33-pixel, grayscale graphical LCD
  • Two port 10/100 Ethernet Switch
  • Dedicated RJ-9 headset port

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Posted in HD Voice, Polycom, Product Review, Soundpoint IP | 3 Comments »

Voice Over the Grand Canyon: A Switchvox Case Study

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

Grand Canyon Resort Corp (GCR) is the company that oversees Grand Canyon West. Grand Canyon West comprises the Western part of the Grand Canyon in Arizona and is contained within the Hualapai Nation. GCR chose Chromis Technology to install Digium’s Turnkey Asterisk PBX, Switchvox SMB, to create a VoIP solution to connect to remote locations that do not have traditional telephone facilities.

Grand Canyon West is an amazing canyon land that is very close to Laughlin, NV; Kingman, AZ; and Flagstaff, AZ. It is also a reasonably short drive from Las Vegas, NV; Sedona, AZ; and Phoenix, AZ. GCR has multiple attractions in Grand Canyon West including the increasingly famous Skywalk that takes you 70 feet from the rim of the Canyon and suspends you 4,000 feet above the Canyon floor! (Click on any of the images below for the high resolution version in a new window.)

Grand Canyon West Skywalk.

GCR has one Digium AA350 server at their headquarters in Peach Springs, AZ and three AA60 servers at three remote locations. The AA350 has a TE122 card that connects to a local PRI circuit. A satellite connection to each of the remote locations connects each site back to headquarters via IAX trunks and provides a connection to the public telephone network. The G.729 compression codec is used for calls between the servers and G.722 (HD Voice) and G.711 is used for calls internal to each server. In addition to the Digium Switchvox servers, GCR chose Polycom SoundPoint IP telephones.

A big challenge for GCR was connecting those remote facilities. A recently installed a satellite data network from HughesNet is serving up data and voice services to the remote locations. As is common with Satellite data links, excessive latency can wreak havoc on VoIP and make it difficult to have a normal, duplex conversation. GCR appreciates this fact and primarily focuses on providing telephone service to the edge of the Grand Canyon where there is no terrestrial connection to the rest of the world.

View of the Guano Cafe at Guano Point.

Indeed, latency proved to be high, but was often as low as 600ms. Unfortunately the latency results still cause over-talking (when one caller talks before the other caller is finished). The greater problem with the satellite link is jitter, or variation in the delay. During one test the latency varied from 600ms to 1100ms. GCR installed accelerators from Expand Networks to improve the performance over the satellite links.

Helicopter preparing to fly over Grand Canyon West

A beautiful view of Grand Canyon West

The latency and jitter fall just outside the range of acceptable, and the delivery of calls is certainly not what we’re used to back in civilization, but by using Digium’s VoIP technology, calls are now being made in and out of Grand Canyon West like they never have before. For more information on how Chromis Technology can help your business leap canyons, give us a call at 602.357.8070 or email us at info@chromis.com.

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Posted in Asterisk, HD Voice, Polycom, Switchvox, chromis, digium | 1 Comment »

Polycom VVX1500 gets hacked for Switchvox

Friday, April 17th, 2009

smith-300x225

The boys in Buffalo over at VoIP Supply have figured out a way to get the “quietly unsupported” Polycom VVX1500 “business media phone” working with their Switchvox 4.0 server. I say quietly because I haven’t seen either Polycom nor Switchvox publicly come out and admit that the device is unsupported. I’ve talked to both Polycom and Digium about it and in typical fashion they both blame each other for the incompatibility.

The VoIP Supply setup makes sense if you know Asterisk at all and also the way Polycom provisions their phones. The VoIP Supply provisioning method provides caveats that they’ve worked through which could save a lot of time and frustration. Here’s a link to the workaround courtesy of VoIPSupply.

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Posted in Asterisk, HD Voice, How to, Polycom, digium | No Comments »

Polycom Experience HD Voice Rebate Offer

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

hdvoice_rebateapr909Do you remember the first time you listened to a CD player? The difference in clarity and the overall listening experience was truly amazing. Chromis Technology, together with Switchvox and Polycom, are bringing this same dramatic shift in clarity and experience to VoIP telephony. Polycom’s SoundPoint IP phones with HD Voice Technology significantly increase call clarity and enable much more natural conversations. It’s like being in the same room with the other participants on the call. You can hear every word without repeating, which saves time and cuts down on misunderstandings, significantly boosts recognition and enhances productivity. Leverage this rebate program to give HD Voice a try and hear the difference HD Voice can make to your productivity.

Click here for an audio sample of a Standard Voice Call vs. an HD Voice Call.

hdvoice_logoFor a limited time, End User customers can receive a rebate of up to $150 for a SINGLE purchase of TWO new HD Voice equipped SoundPoint IP telephones from Chromis.com. This offer is valid on new qualified SoundPoint IP products purchased from April 13, 2009 through September 30, 2009. Customers are limited to one rebate claim during the rebate period. Click here to download the rebate form.

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Posted in HD Voice, On Sale, Polycom, Switchvox | No Comments »