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February 1999


Internet Telephony Peripherals

Every day, I get to see a wealth of new products and services that both promote and take advantage of today's climate of convergence. This month's roundup features a whole slew of products that we are lumping together under the term Internet Telephony Peripherals. These products encompass a broad range of categories, from PC video cameras and Internet telephony headsets and "earsets" for video conferencing solutions, to software products and industrial computers, which can be used as a base platform for creating your own Internet telephony gateways. Ah yes, gateways. We've included just a couple this time around - it seems that no matter what the category, you always seem to run across several gateways.

Browse these pages to see what's available to help you set up a complete Internet telephony solution for your corporate office or for branch-office connectivity. You'll find solutions geared specifically toward enabling traditional telephone sets to connect to IP networks. You'll find a great many of these solutions becoming more standards-compliant (to such standards as G.723.1, G.729A, H.245 TCP/IP, UDP, SNMP, and of course, H.323).

As always, this roundup should serve as a first-reference before you go out and purchase any products that may be out there. Check out the vendors' Web sites, place a call here or there, in effect do your homework. You'll be amazed at how much you'll learn once you set the wheels in motion. The technology changes every day, so don't be surprised if one of these vendors has already issued a new "rev" of their product by the time you read this.

- Greg Galitzine


IP Shuttle
Vienna Systems
400-555 Legget Dr.
Kanata, ON Canada K2K 2X3
613-591-3219

Vienna Systems offers this analog-to-Ethernet network peripheral, which enables telephones to connect to an IP network, a multifunction local area network (LAN) phone, or an IPCourier. The IP Shuttle is a plug-and-play device that features a DSP-based Embedded ClientSide Module (ECM) for providing analog inputs to two regular phones and 10BaseT Network Interface connections. It also supports caller ID and call waiting.

Easy to install, IPShuttle can be configured and upgraded remotely through a central administrative server with an intuitive browser interface. It supports standard protocols including TCP/IP, UDP, ARP, ICMP, Bootp, and tftp. For more information, visit Vienna's Web site at www.viennasys.com.


IP Exchange Systems
Lucent Technologies
600 Mountain Ave.
Murray Hill, NJ 07974
908-582-8500

Voice, fax, and data are joined over a single scalable network through Lucent's open architecture IP Exchange Systems. The IP ExchangeComm interoperates with existing routers to converge voice and data traffic over an IP network, supporting up to 96 phone stations, PCs, or fax machines. The system also uses the stackable IP ExchangeAdapter to convert end user devices like analog and multibutton feature phones and fax machines into IP clients. The adapter comes in 2, 4, and 8-port versions.

For additional expansion, Lucent offers the IP ExchangeLink system, which is interoperable with the ExchangeComm. The link connects small branch offices and telecommuters to a distributed voice network, allowing them to share the resources of the larger system. Both systems offer centralized mailboxes for voice, fax, and e-mail; a personal assistant for customizing communications; the ability to connect Internet services to traditional communications; and interactive voice response and automatic routing applications. For additional information, visit Lucent's Web site at www.lucent.com.


IPC-6908/615 Chassis
American Advantech
750 East Arques Ave.
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
800-800-6889
408-245-6678

Two new chassis from American Advantech promise to provide continuity for running telephony applications. The IPC-6908 is an 8-slot, fault-resilient chassis that comes with a 260-watt redundant power supply and can hold two 5.25" drives and one 3.5" disk drive in front, plus one 3.5" disk drive inside the chassis. The system can be set up on a desktop or by wallmount, and includes two front-mounted cooling fans, LEDs for notification of fan failure or overheating, and two hot-swappable air filters. The model comes with two passive backplane options for 8 ISA slots, or 1 PICMG, 3 ISA, and 4 PCI slots.

The 15-slot, 19" rackmounted IPC-615 also comes with two passive backplane options for up to 15 full-length ISA/PCI cards, as well as a 300-watt power supply. Features include a front-accessible, vibration dampened disk drive bay for one 3.5" drive and two half-height drives, an audio/visual alarm to warn of overheating, keyboard lock, and fan failure, and two 86 CFM cooling fans with a front-accessible filter. For more information visit Advantech's Web site at www.advantech.com.


MediaRing Talk '99
Mediacom Technologies
1891 N. Gaffey St.
San Pedro, CA 90731
310-732-4370

Mediacom has released the latest version of its MediaRing software, Talk '99, as a free beta. The software allows users to make PC-to-PC phone calls as long as they have Internet access. Off-the-Net technology (which the company is planning to patent) notifies users even when they are not logged on to the Internet that a call is incoming, and automatically dials out to the Internet to connect the call. Voice mail is included with the package.

Users must be running Windows 95/98 and have a minimum 75 MHz Pentium processor with 165 MB of RAM and 7 MB of free hard disk space. A minimum half-duplex sound card is required, as well as a microphone, and speakers or a headset. Users must have an Internet connection of at least 14.4 Kbps. For additional information, or to download the software, visit www.mediaring.com.


NDC SOHOware Fast Ethernet System
NDC Communications, Inc.
265 Santa Ana Ct.
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
800-632-1118 (ext. 805 for technical service)
408-730-0888

The Fast Ethernet System allows data to be transferred at 100 Mbps over a LAN, 10 times faster than on a traditional Ethernet network, and useful for speeding up database and graphics transfers, video conferencing, white boarding, and transfer of multimedia files. Users will need a Fast Ethernet Adapter for each desktop machine they put on the network, as well as a Fast Ethernet PC Card Adapter for portables. A Fast Ethernet Hub is also required for linking all networked computers, and a color-coded 25-foot UTP category 5 cable is included. The system does not support coaxial cable.

The new system can be used with old Ethernet hardware through a switch. NDC offers the SOHOware Plug-n-Switch with five to eight 10/100 auto-sensing ports for easy connectivity. For more information, visit the SOHOware Web site at www.sohoware.com.


NetBlazer 8500
Digi International
11001 Bren Rd. E.
Minnetonka, MN 55343
612-912-3444

Digi's NetBlazer 8500 is a voice-over-IP (VoIP) gateway that converts voice signals into TCP/IP and routes them over standard IP networks. Based on open standards, the gateway comes equipped to integrate with many telecommunications and Internet telephony networks directly out of the box. In addition to high scalability, the NetBlazer 8500 boasts excellent voice quality through an integrated high-performance switching architecture for connecting a DSP-based voice compression card to an ISDN PRI interface.

Scalable from 30 to 120 ports, the NetBlazer 8500 supports remote client dial-in through ISDN, modem, and GSM, as well as voice calls through analog lines. The gateway supports various standard protocols, including H.323, G.723.1, G.729A, and H.245, to ensure interoperability. For additional information, visit Digi's Web site at www.dgii.com.


QuickVideo DVC1
Alaris, Inc.
47338 Fremont Blvd.
Fremont, CA 9455538
510-770-5700

Alaris, Inc. offers a product that plugs directly into a PC parallel port to capture video and send it through video conferencing software or via e-mail. The QuickVideo DVC1 color digital video camera uses proprietary compression technology to compress video on the fly for full motion video with rates of up to 30 frames per second. The camera can also capture still pictures at 1600x1200 resolution.

The DVC1 comes with Videogram Creator software for compressing motion video with audio into multimedia files that can be sent through e-mail. Other features include a 3.5 mm lens with an f/1.9 aperture and 48-degree view, as well as a variable focus lens with a range of four inches to infinity; auto brightness and hue controls; and software control of saturation and white and black levels. For more information, visit Alaris at www.alaris.com.


CS500
Crystal Group, Inc.
850 Kacena Rd.
Hiawatha, IA 52233-1204
319-378-1636

This five-slot industrial computer from Crystal Group features a standard ISA/PCI passive backplane, adaptable to several slot configurations for ISA, PCI, and a CPU ranging from a Pentium 133 MHz to a Dual Pentium II 450 MHz. The open architecture of the CS500 allows it to work with processing from Intel, Cyrix, and AMD.

A new chassis design improves airflow and increases cooling from two ventilation fans, and the unit also features onboard system monitoring and alarm capabilities. The CS500 comes with a 3.5" hard drive or floppy drive bay and a 3.5" internal hard drive bay, as well as a 65, 100, or 150 watt AC or DC power supply. Up to 32 individual dual PII units can fit into a 19" standard rack system. For additional information, visit the Crystal Group Web site at www.crystalpc.com.


Praxon PDX
Praxon, Inc.
1700 Dell Ave.
Campbell, CA 95008
408-871-1600

The three-slot Praxon PDX combines voice, networking, Internet access, and messaging over the same telco lines for small to mid-sized businesses. The tower version supports up to 32 users, and can be custom-fitted for telephony, LAN, and wide area configurations. The Praxon combines the functionality of key systems, telephony integration products, routers, hubs, modems, voice mail, and e-mail in a small modular chassis.

By enabling voice and computer communications to share the same phone lines, businesses can save money spent on dedicated lines with the Praxon PDX. Easy installation utilizes a graphical browser setup that typically takes 10 minutes. Another nice feature is that the system works with any operating system, without requiring Windows NT Server. For more information, visit Praxon at www.praxon.com.


Industrial Headsets
SoftComm Products, Inc.
2310 S. Airport Blvd.
Chandler, AZ 85249
602-817-2328

SoftComm offers three noise-canceling headset models for quality and comfort. The SS-1020 features dual earphones and an Electret microphone for hands-free operation and superior voice reproduction. The SS-1030 model features a dynamic microphone. Both models are adjustable and have convenient volume and mute controls. They are powered through a battery supply or power adapter.

The PRINCE model C-45T headset has a four-way articulating fulcrum mike boom for positioning the microphone on either side of the head. It features a frequency response of 50-50,000 Hz as well as an RF Immune Electret Condenser Microphone. A silencer amplifier features power input of nine volts AC and AUX power of 115 volts AC. For additional information, visit the company Web site at www.softcommheadsets.com.


JABRA EarSet
JABRA Corporation
9171 Town Centre Dr., #500
San Diego, CA 92122
800-327-2230
619-622-9955

This unique headset features a microphone and speaker that fit directly into the user's ear for private monitoring of voice mail messages in full-duplex sound. The plug-and-play JABRA can be connected to a radio or computer and comes with soft EarGels that contort for a near custom fit in the outer ear.

The JABRA EarSet has 3.5-mm stereo jacks for speaker and microphone connectivity, and built-in noise reduction and a microphone insulator eliminate feedback from the speaker. The unit comes with six EarGels in varying sizes for left and right ears. For more information, visit JABRA at www.jabra.com.


Multiservice T1 Integrator
VINA Technologies
42709 Lawrence Pl.
Fremont, CA 94538
510-492-0800

This remotely-managed platform brings together voice, data, and Internet access over a single T1 line. Small to mid-sized businesses can enjoy affordable connectivity to branch offices by paying for a single T1 line with 24 voice/data channels. The Integrator allows easy software and bandwidth configuration, and additional channels may be added. The platform is also SNMP-capable for remote management and production of statistics reports and logs.

The Integrator performs the functions of a multiprotocol router, voice switch, firewall, fractional T1 multiplexer, channel bank, and DSU/CSU. It also features the Business OfficeXchange (BOX) for operation as a phone system. BOX has a full suite of software-based applications including key system functionality, integrated voice switching, and migration to TAPI-based applications. For more information, visit VINA at www.vina-tech.com.


CrystaLAN Voice Communication System
Shoreline Teleworks, Inc.
900 North Shoreline Blvd.
Mountain View, CA 94043
650-937-1300

Shoreline Teleworks offers this IP-based voice communication system as a cost-effective, scalable solution for advanced telephony. The CrystaLAN can be used to replace expensive PBX systems as well as key telephone systems and Centrex services. The system uses IP and Ethernet networking standards, client/server software, existing telephone cabling, and off-the-shelf analog telephones to create an easy to use interface.

The system is made up of the CrystaLAN IPBX dedicated switching platform - a stackable, IP-based PBX with 12 universal ports, each configurable for an analog phone or voice trunk. The CrystaLAN Server is a Windows NT Server application that supports integrated third-party voice applications and management. The CrystaLAN Director provides a Web-based management interface for remote access management and offline configuration. The system also comes with the CrystaLAN Voice Services application suite of PBX control, voice mail, and auto-attendant software, as well as the CrystaLAN Desktop Java-based application that allows users to control their telephone and voice mail through a point-and-click design. For more information, visit Shoreline's Web site at www.shoretel.com.


Interworking Call Control (ICC)
Trillium Digital Systems, Inc.
12100 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 1800
Los Angeles, CA 90025
310-442-9222

This software provides interworking and switching call control functions for SS7, ATM, V5, Frame Relay, ISDN, IP, and other technologies. The ICC maps the information elements of each respective layer of two protocols to the other, providing an interface for resource management, routing, and switching fabric functions. If a system requires extremely high performance, the ICC can be distributed across multiple processors.

The ICC has been released as source code software, which will allow manufacturers to develop and deploy multiple interworking solutions in one integrated product. It supports dynamic and static binding of resources, as well as distributed call processing and resource allocation and verification. For additional information, visit Trillium's Web site at www.trillium.com.


NetPhone IPBX
NetPhone, Inc.
313 Boston Post Rd.
Marlborough, MA 01752
508-787-1000

This fully integrated, scalable, Intranet-based PBX offers desktop call control, server-based automatic call distribution, accounting, security, and least-cost routing. The NetPhone IPBX can support up to 96 extensions, allowing easy expansion of the number of users by adding additional IPBXs or gateways to the network. The system also features intelligent PSTN fallback for routing calls through the PSTN during an Intranet failure.

The NetPhone IPBX also features the Always Up! Architecture which guarantees calls will continue being routed through a gateway even if the network or server fails. Other features include toll bypass applications, software management interfaces, and compliance with H.323-based software. The system also supports TAPI/TSAPI, and VoIP IA 1.0 standards. For more information, visit the NetPhone Web site at www.netphone.com.


IntegraX Series
Telekol Corporation
130 Third Ave.
Waltham, MA 02451
781-487-7100

This advanced call processing and messaging suite integrates with most LANs, phone systems, and the Internet through MAPI, TAPI, and IMAP4. Built on open standards and a scalable architecture, the series can be customized for unified messaging, interactive voice response, desktop call control, integration with Microsoft Exchange, and Internet message access.

The IntegraBusiness platform supports up to 12 ports and 200 users, while the IntegraEnterprise platform can accommodate up to 90 ports and 10,000 users. The series can be purchased as a complete solution package, or as software and telephony boards. Designed to work with Microsoft Exchange, the IntegraX provides opportunities for VARs and interconnects to sell and install Internet-integrated unified messaging, desktop call control, IVR, fax mail, and text-to-speech applications for Exchange servers and peer-to-peer LANs. Value added resellers can install the system into almost any PC network thanks to its modular structure. For additional information, visit Telekol at www.telekol.com.


DupliDisk Direct
ARCO Computer Products, Inc.
2750 North 29th Avenue, Ste. 316
Hollywood, FL 33020
954-925-2688

This compact real-time backup device can be plugged directly into a computer's onboard IDE controller, allowing PC users to duplicate their hard drives with minimum cost and equipment. The DupliDisk Direct is capable of mirroring up to two pairs of IDE, E-IDE, and U/DMA drives of any capacity without a PCI or ISA bus slot. It has been tested on Windows 3.x, 95, 98, and NT platforms, as well as DOS, OS/2, Unix, Linux, Solaris386, BSDI, and Novell Netware.

If hardware failure disables a mirrored drive, the DupliDisk Direct will alert users through an alarm and by changing the color of LEDs on the unit's panel. It will then automatically shift operations to the functioning drive. The unit requires no jumper settings, device drivers, or TSRs, making installation simple. For additional information, visit ARCO's Web site at www.arcoide.com.


MultiVoIP
Multi-Tech Systems
2205 Woodale Dr.
Mounds View, MN 55112
612-785-3500

This two-port VoIP gateway allows real-time toll-quality voice and fax capabilities over an existing data network, or through the Internet to another MultiVoIP. The system features two voice or fax ports as well as a 10BaseT Ethernet connection. It also supports legacy 10BaseT Ethernet LANs, routers, and WANs.

The MultiVoIP supports connections to phones, PBX extensions, key phones, and PBX-to-PBX trunking. The system compresses voice and fax communications to 6 Kbps per call with the G.723 standard. It comes with a universal power supply and a two-year warranty. For additional information, please visit Multi-Tech's Web site at www.multitech.com.


Audiotrix Phone Adapter II
Mediatrix Peripherals, Inc.
4229 Garlock St.
Sherbrooke, Quebec Canada J1L 2C8
819-829-8749

Mediatrix's telecommunications device connects a conventional phone to a LAN with access to an Intranet or the Internet, allowing full-duplex audio communications. The Audiotrix Phone Adapter II digitizes audio coming from the phone, compresses and packetizes it, and manages flow over a TCP/IP network. An open hardware design accommodates many standard compression algorithms.

The unit includes a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) with a 32-bit embedded x86 CPU, as well as on-board flash memory and 2 MB of RAM. The Audiotrix includes support for the H.323v2 standard protocol, as well as the G.729 compression algorithm. It also supports SNMP, FTP, Telnet, and Syslog. For additional information visit the Mediatrix Web site at www.mediatrix.com.







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