What is a VoIP Phone?

March 4, 2020 by Ying-Hui Chen

In the last post, we talked about what SIP is and how it works. Today, we are going to go one step further to discuss what a VoIP phone is and how to select your VoIP phones. Let’s get started! 

What is a VoIP Phone? 

A VoIP phone is a telephone with built-in IP technology and transport protocols that is used in conjunction with a VoIP phone system or VoIP service allowing you to send and receive calls. VoIP phones are similar to a traditional desktop telephone (landline) except it uses a different underlying technology (IP). 

VoIP phones come with many varieties including corded VoIP phones, wireless VoIP phones, USB phones, video phones, conference phones and more! Click here to see more types of VoIP phones!

How to select your VoIP Phones

There’s a VoIP phone for every role! Selecting your ideal VoIP phone doesn’t have to be complicated. You can start from answering a few questions:

1. What phone system or VoIP service provider are you using?

It’s important to make sure that your phone is compatible with your VoIP phone system or service provider! Many of our customers thought they could just plug in the phone and get it work with any provider. That’s not true! You can download our compatibility guide here to learn more about it. 

2. Who will be using these VoIP phones?

An executive probably needs several line appearances to accommodate multi-party conference calls; while a manager might need a VoIP phone that has the ability to pick up, transfer and juddle several calls at once. Determine the role first will help you narrow down your options quickly. From there, you can decide what features and functionalities are necessary for your user. 

3. What’s the typical call volume?

Your typical daily call volume will determine how many line appearances your VoIP phone should have. Usually 3 to 5 lines will be sufficient for an average office worker, however, for receptionists and operators, you will probably need more than 10 lines.

4. What’s your budget?

Believe it or not – a VoIP phone price can range from $40 to over $400! While price should never be the most important factor in selecting an IP Phone it is important that you have a budget set for your IP phones, since you don’t want to overspend. A budget will also force you to take a hard look at what features and functions are most important to you.

The easiest way to find an ideal VoIP phone? Call one of our VoIP consultants at 1-800-8647! We have an experienced team here to help you, why not take advantage of it?

Check out our FREE VoIP Phone Guide to learn more about VoIP Phones! This educational guide to VoIP phones covers the phone technology, features and functions, phone types, purchase instructions, user based phone recommendations and more!

Are You Compliant with Kari’s Law for 911 Communications?

March 3, 2020 by Ying-Hui Chen

Kari’s law and Ray Baum’s act went into effect earlier this month and many of our partners and customers are nervous about how this new law can affect their business. Let’s learn from the basics:

What are the requirements under Karis’s law and Ray Baum’s act?

Kari’s law and Ray Baum’s act are created to make it easy for people in distress to contact 911 for emergency events. Multi-line phone systems in the United States are now required to:

  • Enable direct dialing to 911 centers. 
  • Notify designated personnel when the call has been made
  • Transmit critical data directly to 911 centers

Note that every state has its own specific requirements so you will want to check with your lawyer to find out more details.

How to become compliant with Kari’s law with 3CX

3CX v16 Update 5 Alpha 2 introduced new features to further assist emergency response units. Now our partners are able to set rapid response emergency number options:

  • Custom Outbound Caller ID – You can now set a custom Caller ID for each of the emergency number’s defined routes. This ID represents an Emergency Location Identification Number (ELIN), that you can associate through your VoIP provider’s portal with an Emergency Response Location (ERL). 
  • Emergency Policy Name – The ā€œ%%EMERGENCYRULENAME%%ā€ parameter can be added to the message template to transmit more data to help in an emergency situation. 
  • Learn more about 3CX emergency number management here

To configure the new emergency number options, go to settings> general> emergency numbers and from there you can:

Are you all set for being compliant with this new law? What actions or strategies have you taken? Share with us!

VoIP Supply Announces their New Affiliate Program

February 28, 2020 by Ying-Hui Chen

Buffalo, NY – VoIP Supply, a leading VoIP provider in North America, is excited to announce their new affiliate program. VoIP Supply has emerged as the leading VoIP hardware and service supplier in the VoIP market space and this is one of the easiest programs to join and participate in.

By joining the VoIP Supply Affiliate Program, partners are able to work with an authorized partner to ensure their customer’s products are supported and provide their customers access to one of the largest VoIP hardware catalogs out there. 

Affiliates will track all referring traffic via a unique URL placed on their website and receive a commision payout when a transaction is made.  

ā€œ We are very excited to be able to offer this type of program to our partners. It saves them valuable time and ensures their customers will have a great customer experience.  At VoIP Supply we pride ourselves in delivering the best customer experience and having this program allows us to extend that to other partners in the industry. ” – Paula Griffo, Managing Director at VoIP Supply

Submit your application here and wait for approval emails within 48 hours. Learn more about VoIP Supply’s Affiliate Program here: https://www.voipsupply.com/affiliate-program

About VoIP Supply 

VoIP Supply, LLC is your trusted source for everything VoIP; from our large selection of name-brand hardware to our CloudSpan Marketplace. VoIP Supply provides you with a fully staffed inbound call center with licensed, certified and highly trained VoIP experts that can help you with any problem you might have. Whether you are a home user, business, reseller or service provider, VoIP Supply has the products, experience and expertise to make your deployment a success.

VoIP Supply is a three-time Inc. 500/5000 honoree, listed by Business First as one of WNY’s Most Admired Companies, as well as being consistently ranked one of Western New York’s Best Places to Work. VoIP Supply is also the first Certified B Corporation in Western New York.

Our dedicated Solution Specialists are here to help, so call us today at 1-800-398-VoIP or visit our website at https://www.voipsupply.com

What Hospitality Platforms Are Fanvil’s H Series IP Phones Certified On?

February 26, 2020 by Ying-Hui Chen

Our tech support team at VoIP Supply offers great pre- and post-sales support plus provisioning, consultations, configuration, and installation help. We get a lot of VoIP hardware and software questions and would like to share the solutions with everyone. 

In previous Mom’s calling Q&A series, we have discussed: Fanvil X6 IP Phone Failed to Transfer Calls via PBXs. Today, we have more new real questions and answers from VoIP users just like you.  

Are Fanvil’s H Series Hotel Phones Certified with 3CX?

Q: What Hospitality Platforms Are Fanvil’s H Series IP Phones Certified On?

A: As of now, Fanvil’s H Series hotel phones are certified with 3CX and 3CX has its own hotel modules.

The 3CX Hotel Module is an optional module for 3CX Phone System and turns it into a full featured Hotel PBX. The 3CX Hotel module is available with or without PMS (Property Management System) integration.  Learn more about 3CX hotel module here!

STAY TUNED

Come back for more VoIP questions and answers next time! If you have VoIP questions to ask us, please submit a technical support ticket or contact our VoIP experts today at (866) 582-8591

What is SIP and what is it used for?

IP….I’ve heard of that before. That’s right! Most of you must have heard of IP. IP stands for Internet Protocol. It’s a method of transporting packets across your local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN). But what about SIP?Ā 

What is SIP?

SIP stands for Session Initiation Protocol. It is a communication protocol used for initiating and integrating real-time multimedia communication sessions including video, voice, messaging and other applications.Ā 

What does SIP do? SIP bridges communication services between multiple endpoints. Basically, you need SIP to set up a call through the Internet and get two or more telephones to talk to each other.Ā 

Utilizing a combination of hardware, software, and voice protocols, your conversations are carried over the IP network to its intended destination. A VoIP system converts the analog audio signals (your voice) into digital data that can be understood by the VoIP devices and transmitted over the IP network to the other end of the call.Ā 

Now that you know what SIP is, how about we explore the types of SIP phones and the pros and cons of using a SIP phone?

If you are new to VoIP and don’t know where to start, be sure to check out our new to VoIP page!Ā 

Buying an IP Phone made easy with VoIP Supply’s Refresh line

February 25, 2020 by Youleidy Vega

When it comes to selecting an IP Phone there is a lot to consider. Do I need a color display? How many SIP accounts? Do I need it to support Bluetooth or WiFi? All great questions that play a big role in the ultimate decision. Thankfully, with VoIP Supply’s Refresh line of refurbished IP Phones, there is one major factor that does not have to be difficult- price. With Refresh, you get used quality phones for a fraction of the cost of new ones. So that you can be sure that you will not exceed your spending budget while still finding a phone that has the features you need for your work scenario.Ā 

Polycom VVX 300 $49.99

Take our Polycom VVX 300 for example. This is a robust entry-level device that has a clean and sleek appearance. It can handle up to 6 line appearances. This is a phone ideal for call center operators or cubicle workers that need high definition voice quality without the other bells and whistles. 

Polycom VVX 300 Features at a glance:

  • 6 Line appearances
  • Polycom HD Voice
  • 208×104 Backlit 8 Level Grayscale graphical LCD
  • Dual 10/100 RJ45 Ports
  • RJ9 headset port
  • Built-in auto sensing IEEE 802.3 af Power over Ethernet
  • Optional 48V DC power supply (not included)

Learn more about the VVX 300 by reading its datasheet here. 

Polycom VVX 411 $94.99

If what you’re needing is an IP phone with more features and a color display then the VVX 411 is a great option. The VVX 411 supports up to 12 line appearances and has a 3.5 backlit color display with a modern and sleek design. It easily integrates with third party applications making it a great fit for the professional user. Features such as managing calendars, receiving meeting reminders and alerts and accessing the instant messaging (IM) presence status can be done right on the phone’s display.Ā 

Polycom VVX 411 features at a glance:

  • 12 Line appearances
  • Polycom HD Voice
  • 3.5″ (320×240) Backlit Color LCD
  • Dual Gigabit RJ45 Ports
  • RJ9 headset port
  • Built-in auto sensing IEEE 802.3 af Power over Ethernet
  • Optional 48V DC power supply (not included)
  • Easy integration with Unified Communication platforms
  • VVX Expansion Module support
  • 4-way directional navigation key
  • 12 hard keys with basic icon keys included
  • Wired or Wireless Headset Support

Learn more about the VVX 411 by reading its datasheet here.

Yealink SIP-T46S  $124.99

Another great option for the professional user is the Yealink T46S IP phone. This model also offers an elegant and sleek design, but features a color touch-screen display and support for up to 16 SIP accounts. The T46S stands out with its Opus Support and enhanced speakerphone performance for calls that are clear regardless of whether you are on the handset or using the speakerphone.

Yealink T46S Features at a glance:

  • 4.3-inch 480 x 272-pixel color touch screen
  • USB2.0
  • Opus
  • Up to 16 SIP accounts
  • Paperless label design
  • Headset and EHS support
  • Wi-Fi via WF40
  • Bluetooth via BT40
  • USB recording
  • Support for expansion modules
  • Stand with two adjustable angles
  • Wall-mountable

Learn more about the Yealink T46S by reading its datasheet here

Refresh has a lot more IP phones options and conference phone models as well. If you have questions about our Refresh line or would like to learn more, don’t be shy, give us a call at 1-800-398-8647. 

How to Pair Multiple Grandstream GWN Access Points Under One Controller

February 24, 2020 by Ying-Hui Chen

Going wireless with Grandstream is easier than ever! Grandstream’s GWN Access Points (APs) are designed for small-to-mid-sized businesses and/or multiple floor offices. These access points provide dual-band network throughput and create a true wireless work environment.

As your business expands, you might need to add more GWN access points to your network to provide a wider WiFi coverage range. Today, we are going to walk you through the steps of pairing and managing multiple GWN APs under one GWN AP controller. Let’s get started!

How to Pair and Manage Multiple GWN APs Under One Controller

You can pair and manage up to 50 different GWN APs under one GWN AP controller. First of all, make sure the GWN access points you want to connect are not currently connected to another controller or acting as a controller before you start the pairing. 

Once you are clear, follow these steps:

  • Power on your APs and connect them to the same network as the controller
  • Log in to your GWN AP controller web interface 
  • Go to Access Points
  • The system will now automatically search the GWN APs available and display their basic information such as firmware, device type, Name, IP address, etc.
  • Click ā€œPairā€ next to the desired access point

That’s it! Your GWN AP will now be paired and available to be added to a Network Group. 

Have you successfully paired your GWN Access Points to your controller? Don’t forget to check out Grandstream’s newest GWN family members: the GWN7630LR Outdoor Access Points and the GWN7603 Access Points for small businesses!

Which Patton Cloud Service Plan is right for you? (Comparison Chart with Pricing)

Patton wants to help you simplify the process of managing your Patton devices and get your business onto the next level! 

Have you heard of Patton Cloud? Patton’s Cloud portal has been getting a lot of attention lately and that’s why we hosted a webinar with Patton this month to explain what it is and how our partners can benefit from it. Let’s do a quick recap and summarize what Sean has covered in the webinar: 

What is Patton Cloud for?

Patton Cloud is created to simplify Edge Services, Hosted Telephony, SIP Trunking, Security and IoT Cloud Connectivity. By using Patton’s Cloud services, our partners can now easily manage and deliver:

  • Multi-WAN & TDM Survivability
  • Hybrid TDM & SIP Trunking
  • Edge Routing
  • Security (TLS/SRTP, SIP Firewall)
  • NAT/DHCP, ALG/B2BUA
  • Voice Quality & QoS
  • Policy Routing & Traffic Shaping

Download our webinar presentation slides here to learn more!

Patton Cloud Key Benefits

If you are searching for a centralized single portal to provision, manage, and monitor your Patton devices, you have to try Patton Cloud! Check out some of the key benefits:

  • Automatic provisioning services
  • Troubleshoot, manage, upgrade devices with a few clicks
  • A variety of offerings range from FREE to a low annual price
  • Secured and managed OTT service demarcation
  • Simplifies subscriber onboarding and the delivery of support and SLA services
  • SmartNode CPE devices are certified for use with major platforms

Four Patton Cloud Service Plans Comparison 

Patton’s Cloud service comes with four plans, ranging from a free version to an annual plan. Take a look at the chart below to see what features you can get from each plan:

BASICSTANDARDADVANCEDPROFESSIONAL
DashboardDashboardDashboardDashboard
User/Role ManagementUser/Role ManagementUser/Role ManagementUser/Role Management
Device on-boardingDevice on-boardingDevice on-boardingDevice on-boarding
Max of 5 Managed Devices*Max of 5 Managed Devices*(includes 10)Max of 5 Managed Devices*(includes 50*)Max of 5 Managed Devices*(includes 500*)
Redirect ServiceRedirect ServiceRedirect ServiceRedirect Service
Status, Firmware, UptimeStatus, Firmware, UptimeStatus, Firmware, UptimeStatus, Firmware, Uptime
Quick-ToolsQuick-ToolsQuick-ToolsQuick-Tools
 Device CLI & Web Terminal AccessDevice CLI & Web Terminal AccessDevice CLI & Web Terminal Access
 License ServerLicense ServerLicense Server
  File Management,Backup & RestoreFile Management,Backup & Restore
  Firmware managementFirmware management
  ProvisioningProvisioning
   Multi-Tenant Operation
   API

Are you ready to give it a try? Why not apply for our 90-day free trial today? Click here to submit your application! 

Get Free Trial Now

3CX V16 Update 5 Alpha Adds 911 Emergency Response Options!

What’s your emergency? Check out 3CX’s v16 update 5 Alpha for their first response to the upcoming emergency service rules in the US and EU!Ā 

During our webinar this month with 3CX, Sean talked about the newly added emergency number options which ensure response centers automatically receive critical information. Download our webinar slides here to learn more details!

How to configure the new emergency number option

Configuring a new emergency number is quite easy. Simply go to Settings> General> Emergency Numbers section and from there you can:

  • Add Emergency Numbers – manage and add your local emergency numbers and set extension and group filtering criteria and SIP trunk routes.
  • Add Message Template – this can be used for chat and email notifications during emergency events
  • Set Notifications – notify your team when an emergency call is made

More 3CX V16 Updates

And that’s not all! Sean also introduced their new browser extension for Edge, Live Chat and Talk plugin and so much more updates:

  • Web Client now uses the latest ChatAPI, taking advantage of the relevant server-side performance optimizations and improvements
  • Enhanced Management Console security by setting session timeout to 1 hour of inactivity
  • The Live Chat and Talk plugin includes options for displaying a typing indicator and actual operator names

Don’t miss out on the latest news from 3CX! Join our next 3CX boot camp webinar on March 18th, 10am & 2pm!

[Solved] Fanvil X6 IP Phone Failed to Transfer Calls via PBXs

February 20, 2020 by Ying-Hui Chen

Our tech support team at VoIP Supply offers great pre- and post-sales support plus provisioning, consultations, configuration, and installation help. We get a lot of VoIP hardware and software questions and would like to share the solutions with everyone. 

In previous Mom’s calling Q&A series, we have discussed: How do you find your missing VVX D230. Today, we have more new questions and answers from VoIP users just like you.Ā Ā 

Fanvil X6 IP Phone Failed to Transfer Calls

Q: My Fanvil X6 IP phone has been having issues transferring calls via my PBX, how do I fix this?

A: The issue could be caused by PBX failure. Fanvil’s X6 IP phone SDP (Session Description Protocol) owns the video function and your PBX might not support its video capability, unfortunately. This will cause rejection to holds and/or transfers.

You will need to change your X6 IP phone video function to “Diable” to avoid the PBX failure.

STAY TUNED

Come back for more VoIP questions and answers next time! If you have VoIP questions to ask us, please submit a technical support ticket or contact our VoIP experts today at (866) 582-8591 

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