The SIP Phone Report

It's been said time and time again. The future is VoIP. As the numbers of the last half of  2011 come in, it is apparent that we are getting there and there is no stopping VoIP's takeover of how we communicate.

What the Numbers Say

Traditional phone services have continued to suffer from declining patronage. AT&T lost 10.5% of its wireline subscriptions during 2011's third quarter. Verizon suffered a 7.6% decline while Century Link's profits declined by 6.8%.

Comparatively, the increase enjoyed by VoIP companies, including cable operators that offer voice services separately or as part of bundles, has slowed down, perhaps owing to greater market competition.  There are also the "cord cutters," who shift from cable to wireless services, affecting the increase in VoIP service subscriptions of cable companies. Of course, the economy has been in the dumps of late, which would always slow growth.

Still, the shift to VoIP is undeniable. Cable operator Comcast has about 9.2 million VoIP lines in its fold. That's more than a 17% penetration rate for 2011's third quarter.  Time Warner Cable has 4.6 million while Charter has 5.4 million. Charter now has a 16.3% home penetration rate, up by .3% against the same quarter in 2010.

It is telling that Time Warner Cable's VoIP subscription increase is boosted by a 13,000 increase in business lines. Even when they lost about 5,000 of their residential customers, the rally of business subscribers makes up for it.

There is also an impressive increase in the demand for consumer VoIP services. Just take the case of AT&T's U-Verse Voice. It enjoyed a 648,000 subscription increase in the span of a year.

Where VoIP is Headed

There is steady growth in consumer VoIP and a decreased growth in cable VoIP services. Still, growth is growth, and it is not likely to stop in the immediate future. VoIP has come out strong despite "cord cutters" and economic decline.

Add to this, businesses are shifting towards VoIP, which may also be a result of current the economic situation. VoIP has always been the more practical choice, especially for businesses reliant on consistent telecommunication. As VoIP technology improves, and there is pressing need for businesses to cut cost, the digital shift becomes necessary, especially for enterprise and midsize businesses.

The VoIP industry is not oblivious to this trend. One of its biggest players, Charter Communications, Inc., has recently announced its SIP Trunking service, a VoIP voice service geared towards mid-to-large scale businesses. This service enables optimal communications convergence through scalable data fiber networks, and maximizes a business' IP capabilities. There are other VoIP companies, such as Alliance Solutions, that offer expanded business VoIP options.

Overall, it looks like VoIp is gearing up for a greater year in 2012, and the future is looking good.

Sources: Consumer VoIP services grow in Q3But cable operators' success with VoIP may have peaked By Larry Hettick, Network World http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/converg/2011/112811convergence1.html
Charter Business SIP Trunking to Expand Improved Communications with Cost-Effective Voice Offering for Medium and Large Business http://www.fierceenterprisecommunications.com/press-releases/charter-business-sip-trunking-expand-improved-communications-cost-effective?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal

When they say a SIP phone is the “SIP phone of the year”, the “best buy,” you expect a lot: value for money, for one, and exceptional functionality. I took these to heart when I first got the Nortel IP 1535 for our small office. True or not, I can risk my $50 (or around $60 with some retailers).

The Verdict:
Now, let’s just get this out of the way already. The Nortel IP 1535 is awesome! It is the best phone for its price range; and, yes, the SIP phone to buy this year.

A few of its impressive features:
SIP-compatible; and can be configured to use Asterisk, sip2sip.info, and the rest
H.263-compatible Color videophone
Easy to configure wired and 802.11 b/g WiFi
U.S. and European power cords out of the box support
Integrated applications, such as browser, email and calendar, and multimedia capabilities
SD/MMC storage cards
English, French, Spanish, German (among others) language support,
Reliable STUN and proxy support

Why the Nortel IP 1535 Rocks:
For a $50 SIP phone, the Nortel IP 1535 packs in a lot. I didn’t expect to find almost all the high-end features our office required in this phone.

One of the best features of the Nortel IP 1535 is its SIP connectivity options. The phone is compatible with many services, such as Vitelity, Asterisk, sip2sip.info, Future Nine, and Axvoice. In my case, the most important is the Asterisk compatibility. Setting up for Asterisks needs a little more than button-pushing though. Configuration entries need to be added. You may need a PBX expert here.

The rest of the required configuration to get started is done mainly through the two top buttons, which works like the phone’s Enter and Back keys. Using the user manual as guide, you just add a *, #, or the number keys. This will set up your Wifi, Voicemail, web browser, email, address book, calendar, among the other features.

Admittedly, the Nortel IP 1535’s web browser leaves much to be desired. It is, however, still a great and useful add-on.

For help in setting up the Nortel IP 1535, there’s the user’s manual, which can be downloaded from the company’s website.

Related Articles:
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SIP Phone Review: The CISCO Unified IP Phone 7940
SIP Phone Review: Grandstream GXV 3006 IP Video Phone

One of the best things about the digital times is that easier access to the internet offers boundless opportunities which can help through the economic crunch. You can find reseller programs that fit your lifestyle and where you can actually earn from.

There are different types of reseller programs to choose from; depending on the time you can put in, your investment capabilities, and technical knowhow. You also have a choice of industry. Online, the popular choices are in web hosting, ISP, and VoIP. Of these, the VoIP industry is proving to be where it’s lucrative.

According to an Infonetics Research report, the demand for VoIP services is up in the last two quarters of the year. Along with a decrease call tariff rates and VoIP equipment prices, there is so much room to push the service to a much bigger market.

This is where the types of VoIP reseller programs come in. Many VoIP companies, such as Alliance Solutions and Vonage, offer VoIP reseller program options. Joining a VoIP reseller program is an investment in time and capital so choosing the right fit is important.

Types of VoIP Reseller Programs

1. Affiliate Programs: Technically, affiliate programs are not the same as VoIP reseller programs. However, these do offer a legitimate channel for marketing VoIP services by giving members commission (in cash or service) for each referred client. Some affiliate programs offer good commission schemes without requiring capital investment. With these programs, time and some SEO knowledge is crucial. An affiliateneeds to market VoIP services via links and dedicated web pages. Signups are done through the affiliate’s referrer link.


2. Non-branded VoIP Reseller Programs: A non-branded reseller is like a ‘dealer’ online. The VoIP’s brand is retained. The VoIP service is just marketed via other channels, besides the company’s website and other sales/ signup landing pages. In a way, the non-branded reseller “relies” on the good name of the VoIP service but is using his/her own sales channel. Profits are usually in the form of commissions or allowed mark-ups. Some non-branded VoIP reseller programs provide signup, billing and hosting facilities. Others require for the reseller to invest on these on their own.


3. Branded Reseller Programs: Branded Reseller Programs have a unique advantage over the other reseller programs; that is, the reseller gets to build his/her own brand. This way, the reseller’s VoIP services are identified as their own. Add good support and after-sales service into the mix, the reseller can package his/her company as a full-fledged technology services company. Like non-branded reseller programs, branded VoIP reseller programs come with different features and profit schemes. Some offer backend software for signup, billing and hosting. Others may even include support services.

Related Articles:
An Easy Guide to Getting the Right VoIP Service
VoIP Service Myths to Watch Out For
What I Want in a VoIP Service Provider

From one of CISCO’s most exciting and feature-packed phones, we turn it a notch down with the CISCO Unified SIP Phone 3911. But then again, this one ain’t so bad, really.

Many consider the CISCO SIP 3911 as an entry level SIP phone – it is. The features here are basic but, if you don’t really need much from a SIP phone, this will do. The CISCO SIP 3911 is perfect for office lobbies, hallways, production floors, laboratories, or any work space that does not need much in terms of visual interface and phone features. It’s a single-line only phone, and has an internal microphone and speakerphone.

Like A Traditional Phone

What I really like about this phone is its having no frills at all. It’s a straightforward “phone,” which you can easily configure and use.

The CISCO SIP 3911 has the prerequisite features. There are one-touch buttons for call transfers, redials, line selection, mute, voicemail, speakerphone and conference calls. Likewise, there’s call history and caller ID, which both pop up on the small screen that comes with the phone. (This screen proves to be really helpful during configuration.)

Anyone used to handling traditional analog phones won’t need to take a quantum leap towards learning the ins and outs of the CISCO SIP 3911. Thus, switching and usage are easy.

Alternative Power Source

The plus with the CISCO SIP 3911 is that you can choose your power source, whichever’s more convenient for you. You can use the phone’s IEEE 802.3af Power over Ethernet (PoE) feature or opt for the power adaptor. The adaptor is sold separately.

Related Articles:
SIP Phone Review: The Nortel IP 1535
SIP Phone Review: The CISCO Unified IP Phone 7940
SIP Phone Review: Grandstream GXV 3006 IP Video Phone

If I were in advertising and this product fell on my lap, I’d easily come out with this cheesy one-liner: the SIP Phone that Means Business. I’m sure I’m not the only one admiring one of the prized phones from the CISCO Unified IP Phone 7900 series. Many, especially those with small to medium scale businesses, absolutely love this phone.

Introducing the CISCO Unified IP Phone 7940G

CISCO’s 7900 Series is touted as the ideal SIP phone for businesses. It is able to fuse voice and data networks, allowing collaboration, convenience and better organization. The SIP phone’s feature-packed, as expected; yet, it is able to retain its user-friendliness.

The basic features of the 7940G, as well as the other SIP phones in this series, include:

Liquid Crystal Display screen

Dynamic soft keys for its different features and function

XML-based services and support

Inline power support over Ethernet

The XML feature is really cool as it enables web content right on your phone. At the same time, it gives you business-relevant content, such as employee directories, stock quotes and more.

The Basics

One of the first things that you’d notice with the 7940G is its LCD display – it’s huge. And this seems just about right for the extensive graphic features of the phone. On this screen, you get to configure the date and time, as well as integrate with a directory to display the calling party number, calling party name, and number called. The monitor also displays XML features like stock quotes, websites and more.

Of course, one has to mention the 7940G’s multi-protocol capability. This SIP phone is enabled for Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP), Skinny Client Control Protocol (SCCP), and Session Initiated Protocol (SIP). Now, that’s thrice what the other SIP phones can offer.

The CISCO 7940G has two programmable lines and dynamic soft keys. Likewise, the phone comes with an integrated Ethernet switch, headset and headset port, full duplex speakerphone, and handset.

Special Features

The integration of directories in the CISCO 7940G is one of the best features of the phone. This allows easy caller categorization and direct dial-back capability. Information (as well as actually calling the other party) can be had with a few soft key punches. (This is also great for filtering calls that you’d rather send to voicemail.)

The configurations of the CISCO 7940G can also be easily adjusted. The color contrast, text size, ringer type and volume, and other settings can be configured. Likewise, more information is possible through network configuration, which is automatically or manually set for Trivial File Transfer Protocol, Dynamic Host Control Protocol, and normal and backup CallManagers.

A huge plus with the 7940G is its “no hands configuration.” This pertains to the feature where you can move the phone elsewhere on your network – no need to reconfiguration.

Actual Usage

At first, I was a bit ill-at-ease with the 7940G. It’s not the phone’s fault. I was just overwhelmed by so many cool things about it – most of which needed to be configured. As soon as I am able to make calls, however, I just breezed through it with no trouble. I love the directory feature. It suited my one-man office as I am able to screen who I talk to and who I’d rather send to voicemail. The different menus were also logical and easy to follow.

Related Articles:
SIP Phone Review: The Nortel IP 1535
SIP Phone Review: The CISCO Unified SIP Phone 3911
SIP Phone Review: Grandstream GXV 3006 IP Video Phone

The Grandstream GXV-30XX series of SIP phones is probably the “image model” of SIP telephony with its cool video monitor and sleek design. Take a quick scan of VoIP sites and you’ll most likely see these phones on display.

Looks and Features
The Grandstream GXV-3006 successfully merges design with function. This SIP phone comes in elegant black or white, and features a thin 5.6 inch color LCD display that can be angled for better video viewing. The phone’s interface is well laid out and intuitive. It was easy for me to figure things out, even though this was the first time I’ve set up a Grandstream SIP phone.

Grandstream GXV-3006’s main draw is its video calling feature and, clearly, there are awesome reasons why this is so. First off, video quality is reliable even at low 64kbps bandwidth (it can handle up to 1 Mbps). Images are crisp and you can make adjustments where necessary through its advanced VGA resolution camera. The camera has auto-focus, auto exposure, and optical/digital zoom functions. Of course, to fully enjoy this the party you are calling should also have a Grandstream phone or something with similar features. But in any case, it’s still good a good buy. I’d have some friends use softphones to call me just so we can do video. (Lucky, I don’t have to turn on my computer for this...)

The Welcome Addition
The Grandstream GXV-3006 differs from the rest of the series because of its FXS RJ-11 port. The FXS port enables the GXV3006 to connect with traditional phones and faxes. This is a great add-on for businesses and home offices that use VoIP. Going from what’s been generally cutting-edge and “high-tech,” the GXV-3006 is also now one of the more flexible SIP phones in the market.

The Rest
Surely you can’t keep a good phone from the “usuals” in SIP phone technology. The Grandstream GXV-3006 has all the prereqs of a great home-office phone, such as 3-way conferencing and custom ringtones.

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SIP Phone Review: Locktec WP04 IP SIP Phone
SIP Phone Review: X-Lite Softphone
SIP Phone Review: Linksys SPA 942

Many SIP phone enthusiasts consider the Locktec WP04 WiFi IP SIP phone a major advancement in SIP phone technology. Honestly, this SIP phone makes the rest look like ancient technology.

Looks That Matter
The phone display, for me, is one of the more important aspects of any phone. I’ve got to face it – I’m not getting any younger and my eyes are the first to give out.  Luckily, the Locktec WP04 has a TFT clear color display, plus screen and keypad dimming. This makes a big difference, I tell you.

Aside from this, the Locktec WP04 is light, weighing in at only 3 ounces, and comes in basic white and black cover design.

The Perks
The basic perk of this phone is its long standby time and decent talk time. Standby is at 140 hours, while talk time is at 7.5 hours. These, by far, are some of the more impressive battery power stats I’ve come across when it comes to SIP phones.

A great feature of the Locktec WP04 is its ability to dial SIP accounts, regular phone numbers, and even IP addresses. Thus, two Locktec SIP phones in one network can call each other without using any SIP account credits. This multi-dialing feature also makes WiFi hotspots great hangout places when I just need to check my voicemail or call people within my network – all for free.

Other notable features of the Locktec WP04 are its anonymous call capability, missed call, caller ID, hands-free, mute modes, and HD audio. There’s also a WiFi search function, which goes perfectly with its multi-dialing feature.

SIP Phone Accounts
Now, this really got me swooning – with the Locktec WP04 SIP phone you can have up to 4 SIP accounts configured in just one phone. This is a sweet deal for all those with multi-accounts for US-Canada calls and international calling. In my case, I just love that my phone can do all these things. (I don’t need this feature now because I have an ENN account.)

Features:
LCD display: color TFT 128x128, 65K colors. Adjustable contrast.
Standby time: 140 hours.
Talk time: 7.5 hours.
Easy Multi Dial: IP address, SIP number and URL address.
Phonebook / call logs
Call Reject / Redial
Caller ID / Anonymous call
Missed Call indicator
Call Vibrating Alert
Language support: English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Dutch, Simplified and Traditional Chinese.
Hands Free / Mute / Earphone support
Volume Control buttons
5 ways navigation paddle
Key Lock function
Keypad Backlight
Time / Date: 30 minutes backup while the battery is removed.
Supports 802.11b/ g, IEEE 802.1x, 802.11i, standard SIP2.0
Auto Wi-Fi ( Wireless Fidelity ) Hotspot Scan, Net Search
Security Settings: WEP 64 / 128 bit encryption/ WPA / MD5 Authorization
Supports WPS registration
Supports up to 4 SIP profiles
Supported codec: G711a/ u-law, G722, { iLBC, G729a/ b ( TBA) } .
Supports DTMF RFC2833 and RFC3261
Comfort Noise Generation ( CNG)
Voice Activity Detection ( VAD)
Acoustic Echo Cancellation ( AEC)
Supports Stun server
Supports Proxy
Direct IP call without SIP registration
USB charging and firmware upgrade.
Light & breast pocket smart style design

Related Articles:
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SIP Phone Review: Grandstream GXV 3006 IP Video Phone

When I tried out a VoIP digital phone service for the first time -- an account other than the usual free ones like Skype's -- the first phone I used was a softphone.  It was my way of minimizing my costs since, back then, I was doubtful about paying for digital phone services (was I so wrong about this one). It so happened it was CounterPath's X-Lite. (I checked with my provider ENN about this first, of course.)

Looks Matter

I've heard people talk highly of X-Lite. And I've to admit, its interface is eye-candy to a technophile like me. It's sleek and classy silver, with a docked or undocked video screen. The keypad's in the center and the contact list's on the right. So sure, I gave this a shot and got a free demo copy of the software.

Installation and Interface

Installation was quick. It actually took me longer to download the installer. It bugged me a bit that I needed to restart my computer after setting up. But, that's really a small issue.

Once I was up and running again, I was able to make my first phone call -- to my office buddy, just two seats away. The user interface was pretty simple. We figured it out in a jiff.

Audio Quality

My office experiment was followed up by a call to my cousin in the East coast, then another call to a contractor in Asia. The audio quality was pretty good. It was like talking within the same network, as what happened in my office experiment.

Partly, this was because of my VoIP service provider. But, it also owes to one of X-Lite's key features; that it, the user's ability to use his/her preferred codec. If you don't know anything about codecs, then just experiment. There are distinguishable differences, which can help you select a codec. Ask your VoIP service provider too what's the optimal codec for their service.

Extras

The little extras that come with my free X-Lite softphone's great too. I like that I was able to import CSV and Outlook contacts. The chat feature's pretty cool too as I don't always want to talk.

There are points for improvement here though. Since I used to be a Skype user, it would have been nice to be able to import my Skype contacts. Same goes for my Yahoo! Messenger contacts.

Live Accounts

The downside of the X-Lite free softphone is that you can only set it up for one VoIP phone account. This was okay for me, at the start. Later on, as I took on additional numbers -- for work, mostly -- I needed a softphone that can handle multiple accounts.

In all, the X-Lite's still worth a look-see. It's not considered one of the best softphones available for nothing. For the single-number user, the X-Lite is more than enough.

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SIP Phone Review: Grandstream GXV 3006 IP Video Phone
SIP Phone Review: Locktec WP04 IP SIP Phone

A Sip Phone review for the Linksys SPA 942 The Linksys SPA 942 is one of the more attractive and "business-like" SIP phones I've encountered. It kind of looks like a regular phone. The only give-away is the  "IP Phone" tag on the handset. Nevertheless, this SIP phone is great for the office. It has all the requisite features of an office phone. And, its stylings fit a typical work desk.

Voice Quality: The audio quality when using this phone is great. Everything seems loud and clear. Even during typically high-traffic hours, everything's audible between me and my caller. It comes with a full duplex speakerphone, which is a plus.

Display: The SIP phone's display window is wide enough with its four-line display.It has backlighting, and offers high-resolution display.

Installation and Configuration:The Linksys SPA 942 IP phone makes use of 2 100BaseT Ethernet ports, and supports the G177u, G711a, G726, G729a, and G723 codecs. Likewise, it is fully SIP compatible. You can even configure it to be interoperable with Asterix and other similar products. Having said all this, installation and configuration is easy. While there seems to be too many choices, at the basic level, a SIP phone newbie can make it work. The downsides are the "advanced" choices that may only confuse someone new to the whole system.

But then again, since remote configuraion is possible, it may not be so bad. You can always get someone who's more "techie" to configure the phone for you through HTTP, HTTPs or TFTP.

Power: This is one of the best advantages with a Linksys SPA 942. When you unpack your SIP phone, you'd find that it doesn't come with an AC adaptor. This is because it has Power over Ethernet (PoE) Capability. This means that is sucks its power off the Ethernet cable. This saves you from adding more wirings on your workspace.

Related Articles:
SIP Phone Review: The Nortel IP 1535
SIP Phone Review: The CISCO Unified SIP Phone 3911
SIP Phone Review: The CISCO Unified IP Phone 7940