2010 – Page 25 – Graves On SOHO Technology

Gigaset News: New Beta Firmware Release

February 13, 2010
Michael Graves
VoIP

Hereabouts we do love our Gigaset cordless phones. Actually, that’s overstating the case a bit. Recent firmware releases, notably the November & December issues, have proven to be troublesome for some users. It’s tempered our enthusiasm just a little. An earlier post about Gigaset firmware developed a most impressive comment trail.

Not long ago Tony Stankus, Product Manager for Developing Technologies at Gigaset Communications, passed me a note about a new beta firmware release.

A Tale Of Wonky Wifi Part 2: Some History & Seeking Advice

February 13, 2010
Michael Graves
Broadband, networking

This is part 2 in the continuing saga of my fight with replacing a dead Netgear WNR-2000 that had served a my wifi AP. Please recall that I just RMA’d the Cisco WAP4410N that was to be its replacement.

Firstly, I think that I was a very early adopter of both residential broadband and wifi. Linksys was the obvious leader in devices for this market. I bought a Linksys WAP-11 when they were brand new and fairly pricey. I wired it into my trusty Linksys BEFSR-41 4-port wired router. That device was fed by a Time-Warner Road Runner cable modem back in 1998.

A Tale Of Wonky Wifi Part 1: Netgear & Cisco

February 7, 2010
Michael Graves
Broadband, networking

One of the things that Santa brought over the holidays was a new Wifi access point. Back in November our Netgear router/AP just up and died. In fact, that was the third time in 18 months that the Netgear device has failed. It was twice replaced under warranty. On the occasion of this third failure it, and others of its kind, were not welcome to return….at any price.

Thinking Outside The Box: SIP Hard Phone + External Speakerphone

January 31, 2010
Michael Graves
Audio, VoIP

I find that I’m simply drawn to novel and innovative approaches to problems. In the VUC post-call ramble this past week Michael White of E4Technologies described something that’s stuck in my mind as being pretty cool.

He was working with a large-company-who-shall-remain-nameless on a very significant installation. It was going along well. They had selected a line of SIP hard phones from a large, well-known manufacturer, and were generally happy with the results. That is, happy with one exception; they didn’t like the performance of the speakerphone on their chosen model of desk phone.

Review: Yamaha PSG-01s Personal USB Speakerphone

January 30, 2010
Michael Graves
VoIP

A few months back I received a sample of a new USB attached personal speakerphone device made by Yamaha. It arrived about the same time that I started looking for a better solution for ad-hoc conference calls in small rooms, like hotel rooms. You may recall that I felt this need after the experience after hearing Zeeek trying to conduct a VUC call from the host hotel at Astricon 2009.

As is my usual strategy, I tossed the little PSG-01s into my suitcase thinking that I make use of it for a while and see how it handles the road. It’s been on the road quite a while now, and doesn’t seem to suffer the travel a bit. The device is a rugged little aluminum tube. It’s built to last.

Yamaha has a long and enviable history in pro audio products, many of which I’ve used in TV and recording studios over the years. The little PSG-01s is a more consumer oriented offering, but it seems like a well-considered design.

Pondering The Plantronics Savi Go…Further, Please.

January 27, 2010
Michael Graves
VoIP

Over the past few months I’ve unconsciously made a curious transition. You see, last summer all of my requirements for mobility around the office were met by the Gigaset S675IP that I have installed. When I had to work near a server at my workbench I just grabbed the S67H handset and went over there. Often I used the Gigaset handset with a wired headset for calls lasting a long time.