Konftel Conference Phones - SoundStation Replacement!

Konftel is a European manufacturer of conference phones. They've got a very innovative line of quality conference phones and Telephone Magic is pleased to be featuring them now.

The Konftel KT100 model is a model designed to fill the void left when Polycom discontinued the SoundStation conference phone. Good looking and reasonably priced, this is a solid performer that you should consider when looking to acquire a new or replacement conference phone.

Other Konftel models feature Bluetooth connectivity to computers, cellphones etc. giving them unparalleled flexibility in connection options. Check out the Konftel line of conference phones on TelephoneMagic.com today!

TalkSwitch Unveils New Phone

The TalkSwitch VoIP-capable PBX is a great unit for small businesses as well as companies with multiple locations looking to cut down on long distance costs.

TalkSwitch has just released their much-awaited TS600 business phone - a great model which will look great on any executive's desk. Even "the Donald's".

Have a look today at the innovative TalkSwitch system. It's packed with features and very reasonably priced.

EnGenius Updates

For those of who've been considering an EnGenius long range cordless phone, just wanted to let you know the SN-920 and EP-490 long range phones have been discontinued and replaced by the DuraFon 1X and DuraFon 4X models, respectively.

Yes, somewhat old news, but we get a lot of requests for the SN-920 and EP-490 so obviously people are still looking for them.

Have a look at our revised long range cordless phone page for information on these new EnGenius models.

Nortel Re-Brands the CallPilot 100 & 150 (yawn...)

In case you missed it (like 99% of the rest of the world), Nortel Networks re-branded their popular CallPilot Voicemail systems. This re-branding took place on May 1, 2005 and was widely missed by pretty much everyone.

There have been no changes to the product, its functionality, looks or anything else like that. Just the name.

Are you ready for the big change? Here it is:

CallPilot 100 is now Nortel Messaging 100

CallPilot 150 is now Nortel Messaging 150

Very exciting changes that we thought we'd mention.

Of course, to keep things interesting, Nortel Networks has another CallPilot product, which is a unified messaging solution for large enterprise systems and has NOTHING TO DO with the Nortel Integrated Communications System platforms.

In case you're wondering, we still call these products by the "CallPilot" moniker as it's still the way the rest of the world knows them.

Mitel Ensemble Voice Mail Replacement

For those of you who have been using Mitel phone systems, this might apply to you.

The Mitel SX-50, SX-200 and SX-2000 phone systems often use the Mitel Ensemble Voicemail system. However, the Ensemble hasn't been produced for quite a while and is virutally impossible to find, despite the fact that it's very good voicemail system. Actually, that's probably why it's so hard to find - everyone's still using it!

The Ensemble has been replaced by the DuVoice DV4 or DV2000 series unified messaging solution which has the power to consolidate your voicemail, fax and e-mail communications and send them all to e-mail.

The DV4 is scalable to 8 ports and the DV2000 is scalable to 48 ports for enterprise applications. These systems build on the strengths of the Ensemble voicemail system and are worth a serious look if you're in the market for voicemail solutions.

The DV4 and DV2000 can integrate with most any phone system, including those from Avaya, Nortel, Mitel and Vodavi.

For more information, call us or visit the website. Thanks!

Nortel M7310 BLF Issues

The M7310 Busy Lamp Field (BLF) module is a great tool. However, Nortel M7310 users need to be aware that the BLF module doesn't work on all generations of ICS software.

The BLF module only works on KSU software versions 6.0 and LOWER. It will NOT work on versions 6.1 or 7.0.

This problem is also evident on older M7310 phones (1st generation), where adjusting the contrast on the BLF will only show 4 levels of adjustment versus the NINE levels of adjustment that are available on newer phones.

If your Nortel ICS phone system uses software revision 6.1 or 7.0, you'll need a T7316 phone and a KIM CAP module instead of the M7310 and a BLF module.

Thought you'd all like to know.

Important Avaya IP Office Tip

I'm back from a month away from the office, so thought I'd start this up again.

VERY important tip for those of you who have Avaya IP Office modules.

The power adapters must be attached in a very specific order, as follows:

First, with the power adapter disconnected from the power cord, plug the power adapter into the back of the module.

THEN, plug the power cord into the power adapter.

THEN, plug the power cord into your 120V power receptacle.

It is important because doing this in the wrong order can possibly blow the power connection in the module which Avaya does not warranty. In case you're wondering, Avaya technicians can tell that you didn't power it up properly, thanks to a little trip ciruit that's inside the machine.

Consider yourself warned.

Mitel Phone System Equipment Online

Well, as promised, Mitel SX-50 and SX-200 phone system equipment is now online.

We also have the Mitel 4000-series Supersets available at wholesale prices.

I was going to make some witty comment about how Mitel's stock price probably increased as a result of these additions, but since Mitel's a private company (nice to be a billionaire eh, Sir Terence?), no witticisms of that nature are forthcoming today.

Regardless, I hope you all enjoy your respective Thursdays.

Happy Monday!

Happy Monday!

We've been selling Mitel phones for years through our dedicated hospitality division Hotel Telecom. While we dominate the search engines when people are looking for hotel phones, we've been focusing on making our main Telephone Magic Inc. website work as effectively as possible.

We'll be adding Mitel's SX-200, SX-100, SX-50 and SX-20 information to our websites shortly.

As Rafiki said in the Lion King - "It is time."

I'll keep you up to date as it happens...

As a side note...

The customer mentioned in the previous post had 6 analog ports available on his PBX.

If he didn't, he wouldn't have been able to use the analog long range cordless phones as they would have been incompatible with the digital PBX.

Solution: digital-analog adapters. There are a couple of options.

Most phone systems have Analog Terminal Adapters (like Nortel's ATA2). These are a good option, but another option is the EnGenius digital to analog adapter.

Just another idea for everyone who needs to add analog equipment to a digital phone system. This will work for fax machines, answering machines etc.

Interesting long range phone application

An interesting application we came up with today.

Customer has two factory buildings about 1000 feet apart. Main building has a phone system, second building doesn't - and there is no phone service to the second building at all. Customer wants to have 8 phones installed in the second building that are extensions of his existing phone system.

Solution: Six Voyager long range cordless phones (Alpha CL-2200XP with Caller ID), two 11dB directional Yagi roof antennae and two 3-way antenna combiners.

Here's how this works:

The customer has a PBX system already with six analog ports available. The six Voyager Alpha base units plug into the analog ports, so there is one digital extension per long range phone system. Three base units are plugged into the 3-way antenna combiner and attached to one of the 11dB Yagi antenna. Each Yagi antenna is pointed in the direction of the second building.

The Voyager long range cordless phone handsets and chargers are located in the second building. The signal strength of the Voyager base units combined with the Yagi antenna is sufficient to reach each of the handsets in the second building, providing complete cordless mobility in the second building, while keeping each handset an extension of the main PBX.

This solution saves the customer money in the long run, because there is no need for a second PBX or monthly phone service in the second building.

Why did we select a Voyager solution instead of an EnGenius system? Primarily because of the Yagi antenna available with the Voyager system, as well as the option to add a signal booster to each antenna if the signal wasn't sufficient for some reason. However, since the second building's only 1000 feet away, the directional signal provided by the Yagi antenna should be just fine.

Wireless Headset Functions

Just a quick note - some people ask us whether they can use phone functions from their wireless headset (like a Plantronics CS10, CS50 or GN Netcom 9120).

The short answer? No.

If you're using a cordless headset, you can answer remotely (using an optional Handset Lifter like the Plantronics HL10 or GN 1000), but that's about it. You can't transfer calls to another extension or make a call because those are functions of the telephone, not of the headset.

If you're in a home office situation and only have a single line, you might consider getting a complete headset phone system like the Plantronics CT12, CT11 or CT10 . The CT12 provides call display and 2.4 GHz DSS (Digital Spread Spectrum) technology. The CT11 is a 2.4 GHz model and the CT10 is a 900 MHz model.

More on frequencies in a later post . . .

Panasonic phones and wireless headsets

We get asked every now and then if a particular wireless headset will work with their phone system. Simple answer: yes. However, it gets more complicated than that (of course).

You see, wireless headsets are often used with Handset Lifters. These devices pick up the handset for you when you press a button on your headset, allowing you to answer a call when you're away from your phone.

NOTE: you can not make a phone call, or transfer a call that you've answered from your cordless headset. That's a function of the phone. If you want to make a phone call or transfer a call, you have to go back to your phone to do so. That's true with ALL wireless headsets.

Now, interesting thing I learned today. Norstar phones work seamlessly with your wireless headset, but other phones, such as Panasonic, may require you to program the phone so that the wireless headset will work properly.

A Norstar phone rings "hot" (according to one of our technicians), which means that when a phone rings, no matter what line it rings on, when you pick up the handset, you pick up the line that's ringing.

A Panasonic phone doesn't automatically ring "hot". If the phone requires you to press a button as well as pick up the handset to answer a call, it's not ringing "hot" and will need to be reprogrammed if you want to use it with a wireless headset /handset lifter combination.

Just an interesting note I thought I'd pass along.

No, I don't know how to reprogram your Panasonic phone. Remember, I'm just a newbie!

Digital vs. Analog and Conference Phones

What can I say. I'm a newbie.

I got a request yesterday from a fellow who had a Nortel phone system who wanted to be able to use the Polycom SoundStation 2.

So I think - yeah - that's easy. Just unplug the meridian phone in the conference room and replace it with the SoundStation. Easy as pie, right?

Wrong!

PBX systems send a digital signal to the phones that connect to them. Most audio conferencing units are analog, and therefore incompatible with the PBX system.

So, whaddya do about it?

Easy - for Nortel and other digital PBXs, you can order the SoundStation Premier and get a great sounding conference phone that will actually work on your system.

Apparently there is another option where you can purchase a digital to analog phone line converter. Polycom makes what they call the SoundStation Intelligent Terminal Adapter which will allow you to connect your SoundStation to any digital PBX.

Of course, whenever possible, the better option is to purchase the right product which is designed to seamlessly integrate into your PBX system.

Just in case anyone was interested.

Long Range Wireless Phone Antenna

Interesting thing I learned today as a result of my little note about long range wireless phones and how the numbers stack up.

I heard from our Voyager long range wireless phone rep who had chanced to go through the article. He said that if you're looking to increase inside range, it's usually better to mount the base unit as high as possible. Or if you're going to use an external antenna indoors, you should still try to mount it in the proper orientation instead of upside down. He said that since the signal radiates out and down, you want to have the signal coming from as high as possible to maximize its strength. He also estimated that using an outdoor antenna can increase the range of a Voyager phone by 30~200%, depending on your specific applications.

Very important note - radio / wireless telecommunications products (including wireless Internet) are always affected by the environment they're installed in as well as HOW they're installed.

Anyway, interesting stuff to know. Thanks Ken! (He's probably cringing that I've paraphrased him here. . .)

I also learned a few things about 900 MHz vs 2.4 GHz DSS frequencies. Interesting stuff - for a later post.

The Amazing Avaya IP Office

I can't begin to believe the presentation we just had on Avaya's IP Office VoIP / Hybrid phone systems. Talk about convergence.

Yes - the "C" word. Some people argue that convergence never works. Take the combination VCR/TV units that represented "convergence" in that industry. Never really took off, did they? But the things Avaya's IP Office can do are simply amazing, considering how much the systems cost.

I can't even begin to go into it here, but what I learned today sent my head spinning from the possibilities. Really - it makes systems from Norstar and Mitel look like yesterday's products. It's THAT powerful. No matter whether you are using it even AT HOME, for a SOHO, small or medium enterprise or 500+ users, the hardware and software combined give you amazing abilities to manage how you communicate, improve your customer service and give you the flexibility to use VoIP services to truly provide convergence in your telecommunications requirements.

All that being said, now it's my job to sort it all out and start putting information onto the Telephone Magic website.

Now my head's really spinning . . .

Numbers Numbers - what do they really mean?

I'm not a numbers guy. (Just ask my bookkeeper.) Oh sure, I understand 2-for-1, 50% off and all that stuff, but when it comes to figuring out how far I can go with a cordless phone, that's another story.

Telephone Magic sells long range wireless phones from EnGenius and Voyager. With the Voyager long range wireless phones, they give you an idea how far you can go (i.e. 1 to 6 miles, up to 25 miles or up to 50 miles). Cool. That's easy - even for a kid who was brought up on the metric system in Canada and never had to work with miles, pounds etc.

But the EnGenius numbers were more confusing because they didn't spell things out in what I consider "plain English".

What do these numbers mean to you?

Up to 250,000 sq. ft. coverage in factories and buildings
Up to 12 floors penetration in office buildings
Up to 3,000 acres of coverage on ranches and farms

I don't know what that really means, because frankly, I have no idea how big 250,000 sq. ft. really is. I don't work in a place that's 250,000 sq. ft. in area. I get the 12 floors of penetration in office buildings, but since I don't work in a huge office building, that statistic isn't particularly helpful. How big is an acre, anyway?

Well, I got thinking about those numbers, so I thought I'd figure them out, because it was bothering me.

First of all, you have to think about this particular long range wireless phone - or any other long range wireless phone, for that matter.

Long range wireless phones can be hooked up to your office's PBX OR work on a regular analog line, making them suitable for home or office use. They have a base station and a handset and it's the distance away from the handset you can go that's important, in my opinion.

250,000 square feet is a square with sides 500 ft long. However, the signal from the base unit from a long range cordless phone is going to radiate outward, so a circle is a more representative way to think about the area of coverage. So, how far away from the base unit does 250,000 square feet represent?

Well, the area of a circle is calculated by pi r square (sorry, I haven't figured out how to do complex mathematical formulas in this format yet). Pi is usually represented by 3.14 and r is the radius - which is the number we're looking for.

So, the radius of the circle is equivalent to the square root of the area divided by pi.

With an area of 250,000 square feet, the radius works out to 282 ft.

So, in a factory or office building, you should be able to go 282 ft away from the base unit with an EnGenius long range cordless phone.

Now, this is confusing, because I've seen places online that report up to 1/2 mile range with the same phone in a city environment (2640 ft)...so which figure are we supposed to use? Maybe it's the farm figure.

Okay - second figure - up to 3,000 acres coverage on ranches or farms.

An acre is 43,560 sq. ft., so 3,000 acres is 130,680,000 sq. ft.

Doing the same math as above, the radius of a circle with an area of 3,000 acres is 6600 ft, or 1.25 miles.

Okay, so I got the numbers figured out, but I just wanted to make sure, so I called up EnGenius and spoke to a sales rep about the numbers, and learned a few interesting things.

The fellow's name (which sorry, I didn't catch), said that they get clients who can't get 50 feet out of their phones, and others who can get 14 km on them. Quite a variation.

The causes of variation are many. There could be a lot of electrical interference from other electronics in the area near the base unit. Trees, lots of metal in building frames and other factors work to decrease long range wireless phone range.

The EnGenius sales rep talked about how one client in Western Canada in the mountains gets around 14 km range (that's about 8.7 miles) with his SN-920 phone because he's in the middle of nowhere and he stays pretty much within line of sight of his base unit (or at least the building the antenna's located on).

So, in short, expect a lot of variation in range with a long range wireless phone.

Oh - speaking of antennas - the external EnGenius antenna increases range between 5~10% according to this rep. Some people even take the outdoor antenna, flip it over and mount it upside-down from the ceiling to increase the signal strength indoors. Interesting concept that I hadn't heard of before.

Now, Voyager phones (remember them from the beginning?) are marketed strictly in terms of range. 1~6 miles for their base model and up from there. You have to keep in mind though, that some of their models are not approved for use in North America.

So, there's my effort to educate myself about how far you can go with a long range wireless phone.

If you want, click here to learn more about the long range wireless phones we carry.