Designing and Implementing an IP Paging System – How to Intercom with VoIP (4 of 4)

March 24, 2011 by Garrett Smith

Note: This is the 4th and final installment of a four part series detailing the design and implementation of an IP paging (paging over VoIP) system: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

What is an intercom call?

Intercom differs from paging because in an intercom call, a single user will intercom another user or endpoint and essentially setup a point-to-point SIP call only, when the recipient gets an intercom call the phone does not ring but rather goes off-hook to speaker and audio is transmitted between the two parties. A single beep tone can also be configured to play to the user receiving the intercom before audio is transmitted to let them know that they are being alerted via intercom.

In today’s VoIP world, most IP PBX’s have the ability to setup intercom between two endpoints. This can be achieved in a few ways.

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Digium vs. Sangoma: Which PCI Cards Are Better?

March 23, 2011 by Garrett Smith

I was given the dubious task of comparing Digium vs. Sangoma PCI cards. I probably would have been better off if I’d been tasked with “Who’s the bigger train wreck, Linsday Lohan or Charlie Sheen?”

In both cases, it’s like comparing green apples to red ones. Both have their good points and both have not so good points.

With that said, instead of giving my opinion on which is better, Digium or Sangoma (Not Lohan or Sheen!); I decided to list the pros and cons of each card manufacturer and you can derive your opinion from that.

Read on for the the Pros and Cons.

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Need VoIP Service?

March 16, 2011 by Nathan Miloszewski

VoIP Supply is now offering VoIP Service Quotes in just minutes.

Looking for VoIP service or to switch from your current VoIP service provider? Simply fill out our VoIP service quote form and within minutes you will be contacted by a VoIP service representative.

From hosted VoIP to SIP trunking and even Internet access, VoIP Supply works with the best VoIP service providers to give you competitive service quotes that can help you save BIG. Best of all there’s no obligation and getting started takes less than a minute.

Benefits include:

Savings of 80% or more on your current phone bill.
Up to (5) VoIP service quotes from industry leading providers.
No obligation.

Benefits of Cisco Small Business Phones

by Brian Hyrek

Cisco is certainly the most recognized name in the VoIP/networking hardware game. Cisco has now introduced their “Small Business” line of which, as you may have gathered from the name, focuses on the small to medium sized businesses.

The Cisco Small Business line offers several categories of hardware including:

In short, the Cisco line has you covered for anything your business may need for VoIP/Network/Surveillance hardware.

Alright, so what are the benefits of Cisco Small Business? Let’s take a look!

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VoIP Security – Secure or Too Secure?

March 14, 2011 by Nathan Miloszewski

As a brief followup to my previous post about VoIP security, I came across a couple articles that offer an interesting point / counterpoint to the questions regarding VoIP reliance and peace of mind.

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VoIP Security – Simulated Hacker Attack

March 11, 2011 by Nathan Miloszewski

Great video from dataviz Australia depicting, graphically, what a hacker attack on a VoIP system would look like.

Visualizing a cyber attack on a VOIP server from Ben Reardon, Dataviz Australia on Vimeo.

With the use of VoIP becoming more and more prevalent, businesses are at risk to lose real money from hacker attacks as pointed out by the Honeynet Project’s mention of this article where an attack cost a business over $120,000.

The good news was that the article does mention that “VoIP systems from companies such as Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco and Avaya were quite good…but were unlikely to be found in very small businesses due to the cost.”

Cisco Security appliances are definately a go-to line to ward against intruders, spam, phishing, spyware, and corrupt websites. But, have you found them to be out of reach financially or is the added cost worth the protection?

The number of scams are on the rise and the affordability (read: cheap) of international phone calls through VoIP is playing a role in the growth of phone scams.

Consumers can use services like NumberInvestigator.com to protect themselves from suspicious calls, including calls from VoIP systems, but what are you doing to protect your business and have you noticed any uptick in attacks?

New Video Surveillance Calculator

by Nathan Miloszewski

Whether you’re calculating IP camera bandwidth and storage or customizing an IP camera lens selection to meet the challenges of your application, you’d like to know what the end result is going to look like first before making a decision on the products and hardware you’ll be using.

Now, thanks to Gish Technology’s vsCalc you can “instantly calculate Field of View, Angle of View and Focal Length based on the Object of Interest, Visual Acuity Index and Target Distance” for your video surveillance project.

Available for $9.95 from the Apple App Store, the vsCalc™ is capable of determining how sharp the cameras images from a desired scene will be based on objects of interest such as face, license plate, or vehicle.

It provides a reference for identifying usable or unusable image quality based on detection, recognition, and identification.

From Deborah L. O’Mara’s article at SecurityInfoWatch.com:

Want to avoid that glazed-over look when trying to explain pixels per foot on target to potential customers? A new software application offers hope.

End users need to know exactly what they will be getting, aka, what the specification will ‘look’ like, with their camera installation but explaining it can be a challenge. A new visual acuity software application from Gish Technology Inc., Indianapolis, a video surveillance consulting and software company, has been about 12 months in the making and now just released.

World’s Smallest PTZ IP Camera From Axis

March 10, 2011 by Nathan Miloszewski

Axis M50 PTZ

Axis Communications, via BusinessWire.com, is rolling out the world’s smallest PTZ IP Camera for discreet surveillance:

With a sleek and compact design, AXIS M50 cameras are only 5.1″ wide and 2.2″ high, enabling high-quality 360° surveillance (±180˚ pan, 90° tilt and 3x digital zoom) with HDTV 720p resolution in a package smaller than the average hand (see video). As a complement to its intelligent motion detection capabilities, a built-in microphone also enables audio detection that monitors for unusual noises during off-hours to trigger a security alarm that is sent to the business owner and/or security personnel.

The mini PTZ dome cameras are easy to install on soft and hard ceilings as well as on walls, and can cover an area of up to 4,300 sq. ft. With an IP51 rating, the cameras are dustproof and protected from dripping water, enabling video to be taken even when a sprinkler system is activated. The cameras are powered using Power over Ethernet (PoE IEEE 802.3af), which simplifies installation since a standard network cable – when connected to a switch with PoE support – will carry power, video and PTZ controls.

Youtube Clip
Axis M50 PTZ Resources

World’s Smallest PTZ IP Camera From Axis

by Nathan Miloszewski

Axis M50 PTZ

Axis Communications, via BusinessWire.com, is rolling out the world’s smallest PTZ IP Camera for discreet surveillance:

Youtube Clip

Axis M50 PTZ Resources

Designing and Implementing an IP Paging System – Legacy Paging Systems (3 of 4)

by Garrett Smith

Note: This is the 3rd installment of a four part series detailing the design and implementation of an IP paging (paging over VoIP) system. Click here for Part 1, Part 2, and Part 4.

More often than not, a customer will say to me, Chris we are implementing this brand new IP PBX and IP phones and we currently have an existing analog based paging system in place we wish to incorporate into the new VoIP solution, how can we accomplish this?

The costs of replacing this equipment may be high (since IP paging equipment is somewhat costly) and the overhead of installing this new equipment may require:

New cable runs
New mounting hardware
Possible modifications to electrical runs

These additions and modifications may not be possible so incorporating existing paging systems into new IP Based solutions is a must.

Lucky for you, Cyberdata offers a few legacy-based paging devices that will help address this need.

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Designing and Implementing an IP Paging System – How to Intercom with VoIP (4 of 4)

Digium vs. Sangoma: Which PCI Cards Are Better?

Need VoIP Service?

Benefits of Cisco Small Business Phones

VoIP Security – Secure or Too Secure?

VoIP Security – Simulated Hacker Attack

New Video Surveillance Calculator

World’s Smallest PTZ IP Camera From Axis

World’s Smallest PTZ IP Camera From Axis

Designing and Implementing an IP Paging System – Legacy Paging Systems (3 of 4)

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