Snom IP phones and systems have been around for a long time. They have become so popular and can easily be able to scale to tens of thousands of units in dozens if not hundreds of locations. There are a lot of advantages in using IP phone systems.

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Advantages

Some of the IP phone systems today are hybrid. This means that they can handle traditional phone lines such as analogue trunks, ISDN, T1, E1 and PRI to Multiple T1 and PRIs as well as Voice Over IP (VoIP) phone lines. So they provide the best of both worlds. VoIP phone lines are also called Session Initiated Protocol (SIP). They are typically provided by an ITSP Internet Telephony Service Provider (ITSP) and these types of phone lines can replace or augment your traditional phone lines. Each phone line needs about 84 Kilobit of uncompressed bandwidth when a conversation is in session. That means that a data T1 can handle about 17 or so conversations simultaneously.

Use a PBX switchboard and manage your telephony efficiently.

Many companies find that SIP is the way to go because they cost far less than traditional phone lines, as well as provide extremely competitive rates for long distance, and some providers have plans which include unlimited long distance. And if you make calls overseas, some of these plans can provide very cheap rates. Lots of people are buying IP phone systems these days and still using traditional phone lines. This is because they either don’t trust the internet or don’t understand SIP Technology that well or don’t have the upload bandwidth it takes to sustain these types of phone lines. However, they like the idea of buying an IP phone system because it gives them the flexibility to use traditional phone lines or VOIP Lines or both. But the appeal of IP systems goes beyond the fact that you can do IP trunking.

IP phone systems are going to be around for a long time. SIP is the only ratified standard of telephony today. IP Phone systems save you money by providing less expensive alternatives for local and long distance lines as well as 0 Toll when using them between each other. It also decreases cost of cabling as well as the need to dispatch a phone guy since they use a graphical user’s interface. This gives each person the flexibility to manage their own end points and the ability to move their system as much as they want without calling a phone guy. Moving an IP phone system is as easy as unplugging 3 connections. No more 66 Blocks and the confusing and unattractive wire closets you sometimes see. They are often a 2 or 3U Rack Mounted appliance that EASILY travel and here again, reduce cost if you ever have to move the system. IP phone systems provide ease of use, flexibility, mobility, compliance, scalability, and a drastic overall reduction of price.

In order to make VoIP calls you need to be able to connect snom IP phones. It is also known as a VoIP Phone or an Analogue Telephone Adapter (ATA) to your broadband internet connection. When you sign up with a VoIP Service provider they may supply you with IP phones or ATAs as part of the package, otherwise you may have to purchase this equipment separately.

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What Is An IP Phone?

An ATA is different to a VoIP Phone in that it allows you to use a traditional analogue phone with VoIP. Instead of plugging your phone into the usual telephone adapter in the wall, you plug it into the ATA. The ATA also connects to a broadband modem. The purpose of an ATA is to convert the analogue signal, your voice, into digital data, ready to be sent over the internet. Once everything is connected and working, you can make and receive telephone calls as you usually do; the only difference being that the calls are routed through the internet. The biggest advantage of using an ATA is that you can continue using your existing phone equipment and won’t have to buy new phones – just plug in the phone you are currently using, either wired or wireless.

Use a PBX switchboard and manage your telephony efficiently.

IP Phones are different to ATA’s in that they plug directly into your Broadband modem. They already contain the relevant circuitry to convert your voice into digital data. An IP/VoIP phone is more convenient for taking advantage of many of the extra features that are included free with your VoIP account – call display, call waiting, call forwarding, voicemail plus many other others. You may still be able to use these features with an ATA, but you might need to configure your VoIP account at the service provider’s web site.

Variety

There are a variety of IP Phones currently available on the market. They range from simple handsets for residential use, to much more complex phone systems designed for business use. Most basic models will have an LCD display for configuring the phone, Caller ID, and other display information. More complex phones will have extra features like speakerphones, interfaces for attaching headsets, customisable ring-tones, and programmable buttons. If you want to go wireless with VoIP, you won’t yet get the freedom of a cellular phone, but you can still use wireless phones within an IEEE 802.11b wireless network.

When you sign up with a VoIP Service provider, included in the basic service package are things like call waiting, caller display, and call forwarding. You can take advantage of all of these features with an IP Phone. When your phone rings, the LCD screen will display the caller information. You can choose to accept the call or redirect it to voicemail or to an error message. Calls can also be forwarded to an outside number. If you want to keep your calls anonymous you can block your caller ID. This way, when you are calling somebody who has caller ID display, your name or phone number will not be shown. You can set this feature for all of your calls or just for selected ones.

There are so many ways that IP phone systems can save you money. You can easily move your phone by simply unplugging it and plugging anywhere on your network where you have Ethernet. You will easily do all this without having to reprogram anything. You have just saved the money you would have spent on a dispatch guy.

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How They Save You Money

Snom IP phones systems cut cost of wiring in half. If you are moving to a new place where you normally have to provide a voice and data cable, you won’t have to do that anymore. Most IP Phones have a 2 port switch on them allowing you to plug your phone into the Ethernet Wall Plate and your PC into the back of the phone. You therefore only require one cable to the desk instead of two. This cuts cost of cabling by 50%. IP systems are easy to use as they come with a software interface on your PC so you can have full dial from Outlook capability, Chat, and much more. You are also able to use your laptop or your desktop as phone. You can simply plug your laptop into any internet connection and get connected to the office even when travelling. Add a headset for better sound quality and then it is the perfect communication device.

Use a PBX switchboard and manage your telephony efficiently.

Call detail reporting is often built-in to many of these systems. The ability to find out just about anything you want about incoming or outgoing calls. You can also produce reports that can translate into time billing and providing important information on where your callers are finding you or how about tracking what your call centre is doing. Of course these reports can easily be exported into a multitude of formats making them easy to manipulate for many reasons.

Cell phone twinning is the ability to have your cell phone function as a remote extension of your PBX and then be able to transfer that call back to any extension in your office. You can receive calls from clients while at home and transfer their call to another department by simply using your computer to initiate that transfer. Most IP phone systems these days integrate or have an option to include Webinar facility like WebEx. Unlike recurring costs like WebEx and Gotomeeting, these are appliances that easily add to your phone system and DEFER these recurring costs. There is also application interface that allows you to call anyone in your contact list from Outlook.