VoIPtel Blog

Approaching our second anniversary working on the IPxx firmware we have started talking about specializing the firmware for various groups of professionals. Medical practitioners,  homes for the “Platinum Generation”, home-patients that need special attention and monitoring are just a few that come to mind. So when I heard about a post from Software Advice on the topic of IP-PBX and electronic health records, it immediately caught my interest. They have shared an introduction to the article for our blog. Here’s what they have to say:

With the recent addition of an IP-PBX in our office, we started thinking about ways electronic health records (EHR) could be integrated with IP-PBX phone systems. After our initial research, we were surprised to find that little has been developed so far in the way of medical-specific applications.

Asterisk-based Internet Protocol – Private Branch Exchange (IP-PBX) phone systems could help medical practices be more efficient and provide better patient care. It certainly has helped us reduce costs and become more efficient.

To spark interest in the Asterisk development community, we’ve decided to put together a list of seven ways IP-PBX and EHR technology can be combined. The ideas range from automatic dunning (i.e. collections) voicemails to vPrescribing.

To read the full post, visit: Seven Great Applications for IP-PBXs in the Medical Practice

Please follow the link for the entire article, it is definitely well worth the time spent reading it. We are going to seriously consider developing a firmware based on Houston’s article and ideas and sincerely hope that he will be available for future discussions.

It is official! We are now duly registered in the UK under the name VoIPtel Europe Ltd., and branch offices in no less than three countries on two continents are in the works. New websites  (.com and .eu) are under development. And I have good news for everybody who prefer to use VoIPtel SE; a new registration site will go online within the very near future. I will post the details as soon as everything are ready.

UPDATE: the site is online and available at http://voiptel-se.com

We recently signed a new contract with our dear friends at Atcom Technology Co. Ltd., the manufacturer of the famous IPxx series of PBX’s. They are now actively involved in the development and improvement of the VoIPtel firmware. There is no doubt that this will speed up the development of new features making the IPxx the preferred choice for a growing number of VoIP integrators.

And for those with special needs; there are no less than three new models almost ready for production:
IP-4B4A              Four BRI and 4 Analog ports IP PBX
IP-PRI                 Four digital ports (E1/T1) IP PBX
IP-4G                  Four GSM module IP PBX

For a complete list of all the avaiable models please take a look here:

It’s never easy to find a time where every member of an international team is able to make themselves available for several days. We have been planning this weekend since late February; an ever growing list of questions needed us to put our heads together. Since it was Job’s first trip to Norway and considering that Holland is as flat as a pancake we decided to spend some of the time sightseeing. After all it is absolutely possible to discuss technical issues in the car or enjoying a cup of coffee bundled with a large (and rare) dose of fresh air.

The first day was spent in the office discussing how we can improve and streamline our DC in Breda. Every item that arrive from our suppliers is visually inspected and tested before (if necessary) the latest firmware is installed. Several improvements, some suggested by our customers, was prepared for implementation.

The next day gave us a rare feeling of summer. Beautiful sunshine and 20+ degrees was good enough reason to transfer the venue out of the office. Preparing the car for a daytrip to Oystese in Hardanger we first took the scenic route via Os and Samnanger. Tall mountains to the left and the fjord deep below us to the right make it easy to forget problems and responsibilities. Or at least almost forget, the discussion between Job, Bruce and myself never stopped. New features for the firmware was suggested, complicated issues addressed. Online backup, G729 implementation, TFTP server, phone provisioning, online early warning system and a bunch of other features was addressed.

Most of the fruits grown in Norway originate in Oystese, Hardanger. Known for it’s mild winters and (relatively) stable weather it is one of the few places along the west coast of Norway where it is possible to do some serious farming. We found a small beach along the fjord and prepared the grill; bratwurst, chilli and bacon sausages together with potato-salad have never tasted better. While we did the grilling (and talking), my youngest son John Alexander experienced the beach for the very first time. The fact that the water was below 15 degrees apparently didn’t matter, he obviously loved every minute!

Back in the office a few hours later we prepared the lab for Videocalls. The initial testing was done using softphones, next step is to acquire some Video phones for further testing. The result was absolutely satisfactory, and this feature will be implemented in a future release of the firmware. Saturday ended around midnight with a mutual feeling of being on track in the right direction.

Sunday was every bit as beautiful as the day before, but there was simply no way that we could escape from the office. Most of the day was spent in the conference room hammering out the details in what had been discussed during the last two days. A new roadmap was created, all the new features was analyzed. And a deadline was set, every feature should be ready by August. I finally went home around 2:30 in the morning, convinced that VoIPtel CE and SE would be everything that we have been dreaming about.

Job’s scheduled flight back to Breda was around 4 in the afternoon, plenty of time to nail the last few details. Or at least that is what we thought. It is surprising how fast time passes when you are busy doing what you like, and this was really no exception. Way too early we had to bring him to the airport, trying to make sure that every minute counted.

This weekend is probably one of the toughest in my life, but it was fun, real fun! And we achieved great things during those few short days, I am sure you will agree with me when they are all revealed ;o)

has been around for some time now, and despite being proprietary and suffering from certain limitations it has become the chosen mode of communication for millions of people all over the world. It has grown to proportions that make it impossible to ignore even by diehard Asterisk geeks, and for more than a year we have been looking for a way to integrate it into the IPxx to the extent that we have given away units for free to developers. Sad to say those developers have failed to deliver.

But finally there appears to be light in the tunnel. The recent announcement of Skype for SIP Beta Program was simply too interesting to leave alone and yesterday I got a mail with the following content:

How is the beta program developing?
We have been testing the solution across different PBX vendors and some large partners to ensure any possible interoperability issues and potential bugs are resolved prior to the next phase of the beta program. In the next phase we will open up the program to all remaining applicants. We hope to have the next release out soon, at which time we will be contacting you again to provide instructions on setting up Skype for SIP. By providing your Skype Name at this stage you’ll be able to start using Skype for SIP as soon as the next release is available.

I can hardly wait for that next release; I believe that integrating Skype with open source SIP devices is a huge step in the right direction.

Ever heard about the French population who refuse to speak anything else than French? Sorry to disappoint you, but we never experienced anything else than a friendly and helpful population who did everything possible to make us feel welcome and at home. Paris is a beautiful and exciting city, and this family is definitely coming back! We spent a day exploring a very limited part of this magnificent place starting with the Eiffel tower and ending up on Champs- Élysées at Arc de Triomphe where we took the subway back to our hotel, the four star Vienna International DreamCastle just outside Disneyland. And yes, the hotel did live up to its name, both its facilities and staffs were excellent!

The following two days was dedicated Disney Studios and Disneyland. The conclusion after these two days is simple; we need more time, much more time! Disneyland is a time machine that wipes away all those years with hard work and responsibilities, a dreamland where we once more become kids! And that’s why we’ll be back this July and in the years to come.

It has really been long overdue, but including a propreitary codec like the G729 in open source firmware can be a bit tricky. The last thing we need is to provoke any of the big guys, so we had to move slowly and with the outmost care. But we are finally there, and the upcoming VoIPtel SE will have this very important codec integrated.

Ever since the very beginning we have been looking for a phone  or a software application designed with the Receptionist in mind. We have found quite a few, but unfortunately it seems that they are either too expensive, too many limitations or simply no good at all. Until now! I have been testing this little beauty for about a week or so, and I have informed my partners that it stays with me! I hope that we will have it available from our webshop in 2-3 weeks, but until then you just have to trust me when I tell you this is truly the phone I have been looking for! Crystal clear sound, 5 SIP and 1 IAX2 trunks, handsfree quality that you normally only get when you pay 5 times more! I’ll be posting complete details on our site in a while, in the mean time I hope you enjoy the picture.

Some time ago I got a request for a VoIP phone with analog backup capability. I have to admit that I questioned the sanity of the person asking, but the more I was thinking about it the more I saw the potential. To make a long story short, my accountant have had it plugged in at her desk for more than a week, and it really does the trick. It has 2 SIP and 1 analog trunks, support three SIP servers synchronously and are very easy to configure through it’s WEB based GUI. I miss the possibility to connect a headset, but hope it will be included in a later model.

And now I’m signing off for a few days, leaving for Paris and a much needed vacation together with my family. I have to admit that I am looking forward to be away from my PC’s for a few days, replacing my office with Mickey, Donald, Minnie, Goofy and the others at Disneyworld! Thought I was getting too old for this, but it is sort of nice to use my kids as an alibi to be a kid again! ;o)

Two years ago I bought Asterisk: The Future of Telephony . The book soon became a very important resource for me, and I strongly recommend it to everybody who want to learn the basics of Asterisk. Now you can check it out online, O’Reilly Media have published the entire book free of charge!

Another very good resource of Asterisk knowledge is the newly published trixbox CE 2.6 written by Kerry Garrison. As one of the reviewers I have spent a couple of hours with this book, and whether you are a dedicated trixbox fan or not, it’s well worth both the price and the time.  The book is written for those who want to learn how to install and configure either trixbox CE systems or Asterisk-based PBX systems, without struggling with confusing configuration files and cryptic scripts. It is ideal for any user wishing to set up a telephony system for small business usage. No previous knowledge of trixbox or networking is required, although some basic knowledge of PBX and Linux would be an advantage.

Since  the first version of Asterisk (1.2.0) was released in November 2005 we have been overwhelmed by all sorts of information about this incredible peace of software. There are constantly popping up new versions of the software, in some versions the only thing lacking is the kitchen sink. The installation has gone from pure agony to a no brainer, most installations come with a GUI that makes it a lot easier to configure and manage.  But there are moments when you need to understand what runs below that pretty GUI, and those are the times when this page can be quite handy. And best of all, it is constantly being updated! Thank you and please keep up the good work, Josiah Bryan!

Some time ago I published some thoughts about the british police and their right to brake into your PC whenever they have the slightest suspicion against you. Just a short time before I published my thoughts the Swedish parliament activated a law giving their intelligence services the right to monitor all internet traffic that passes through Sweden. That includes almost all traffic from Norway, Iceland, Finland, Russia and a few other countries. And this comes in addition to the “secret” equipment the intelligence services in every country in the world place on the premises of the ISP’s. Ever read about the AT&T-NSA joint snooping program? Or the story about VoIP Wiretapping Upheld in Court? Is this really for our own good, to protect us? Maybe you should take a closer look at NSA’s DIRTY LAUNDRY! Foreign investors in Russia are not only faced with criminal networks and corruption, eavesdropping is so common that it is not even worth mentioning. Former KGB agents, highly trained in every aspect of IT either sell information or their skills to get whatever you want. Maybe it’s time to secure your network better than you do today, find ways to make eavesdropping your conversations more difficult?

I am one of those (very few) people who are not hooked on the iPhone. Don’t get me wrong, it looks like a very nice “toy”, and it has more features than a Swiss army knife. But like everything else it is far from perfect, and like almost everything from Apple it carries a rather high price. And you can’t use it as a VoIP client. Or???

In a recent blogpost called  Jailbroken iPhone + SipPhone = Asterisk Goodness Corey jailbrakes his iPhone (twice), install a few applications and voila, the iPhone has a SIP client and is ready to work as an Asterisk extension. Cool! Maybe it’s time to reconsider. Or maybe not, it’s still possible to brick it. And I am not very fond of bricks, at least not in the Apple price range.