Graves On SOHO Technology

Wideband Voice Thread At Broadband Reports

May 8, 2009
Michael Graves
VoIP

polycom_ip650_256 I don’t generally hang around in public VoIP forums but I do monitor several using Google Reader. So it was that Tuesday evening I found a new thread about “HDVoice” at the VoIP Tech Chat forum on BroadbandReports.com. Someone had posted a question about the significance of HDVoice and a few braves souls were weighing in with their take on the matter.

There was some good information, but a little confusion about data rates and the possible use of ATAs with wideband voice. It looked like the start of a good conversation on the subject, in a potentially interesting crowd. I thought I’d offer my two cents…which kind of unexpectedly turned into more like half a dollar.

Dan Behringer On The Status Of FWD

May 5, 2009
Michael Graves
VoIP

Earlier today someone started a thread about FWD over at the VoIP Tech Chat forum on http://www.broadbandreports.com. Several forum regulars questioned the status of FWD, which is a fair question as not much has been heard from those involved. Certainly the web site has changed, and a lot of the old resource material seems to have gone away.

PhonerLite: A Free G.722 Capable Windows Soft Phone

May 4, 2009
Michael Graves
VoIP

If you make enough noise about looking for something eventually you’ll get some tips about where to find it. So it seems to be with my search for a wideband capable soft phone. Just in case you’re new around here, let me reiterate that by “wideband capable” I mean specifically G.722 capable allowing interoperability with my Polycom hard phones.

phonerlitelogo Not long ago I received tip about PhonerLite, a freeware soft phone for Windows that is in fact G.722 capable. The availability of a working, G.722 capable release of Eyebeam has taken the pressure of somewhat so it took a little time to get around to trying PhonerLite. I finally gave it a try this past weekend.

Review: Plantronics .Audio 615m USB Headset

May 1, 2009
Michael Graves
Audio, VoIP

So after months of badgering people about G.722 based wideband capabilities in soft phones I’ve settled on using Counterpath’s Eyebeam v1.5 as my principle soft phone. I have it installed on my laptop and netbook, both systems that travel with me all the time.

Having finally found a soft phone that I lets me take advantage of the wideband capabilities of our hosted IP-PBX installation I was left to consider the audio I/O requirement in support of Eyebeam. To address this need I’ve recently been experimenting with both wired headsets and USB speakerphone devices. I started with the Plantronics .Audio 480 analog headset as detailed previously.

David Isen: Broadband without Internet ain’t worth squat

April 30, 2009
Michael Graves
Broadband, Telco

Networking visionary David Isen delivered the keynote address at the Broadband Properties Summit on April 28th. He's just posted a transcript. It's a good read, and a very insightful video clip. Highly recommended.

The Day The Electrons Stood Still

April 29, 2009
Michael Graves
Broadband, VoIP

It started out an uneventful day, the third day in an entire week that I expected to spend in my home office. That’s something of a rarity in recent times. I was enjoying it, catching up on matters around here, and addressing tech support calls as they arose. I was on just such a call when, to my considerable surprise, the power went out.

The sudden loss of power is not enough to disrupt my phone call beyond my own expression of surprise. As I’ve documented elsewhere, I’ve taken steps to ensure that critical infrastructure around here is on a UPS. To paraphrase Frank Herbert, “The electrons must flow.” In fact, it occurred to me that this afternoon was an opportune time to ascertain just how sound my planning had been.