Intercom function in ExpressTalk softphone and hardware IP-Phones

vanDivX

Hi there, I have tested the intercom feature in Express Talk and works nicely, however the software phone has some serious shortcoming when it comes to intercom feature because it doesn't have 'inbuilt speaker', typically if you have it connected to your USB phone, you won't hear it if somebody places intercom call to you since those phones are not too loud to be heard from couple feet away or even less and you loose convenience if you key it to your loudspeakers and then want to make a call and have to switch it to use your USB phone

so my question is, which hardware ip phones out there have intercom function and work with Axon and don't cost arm and leg? what feature description do you have to look out for in their technical description to make sure they are 'intercom capable'? I am not sure when it says that a phone has 'full-duplex speakerphone' that it implies it can work as intercom, also I am not clear on what the 'duplex' here means, does that mean that the speaker also functions as microphone or that there is microphone on the phone (I don't mean the one in the handset)?

is intercom feature something that has to be inbuilt into the phones or does Axon take care of it as long as the phones have the built in speaker and a button to press?

I want to buy some hardware IP phones and would definitely want the intercom ability, preferably hands free (or handset free) intercom which probably means the phone has to have microphone as well as speaker on its body (appart from the handset), so far only expensive IP phones seem to have such feature, like $200+ Cisco phones

I would like the phone to have also some preset buttons for one push calling, dual ethernet ports besides the intercom (ideally hands-free intercom)

vanDivX

pythonpoole

As far as I know the intercom feature in Express Talk is unique to that softphone. There is no standard for how this intercom feature works.. I'm taking an educated guess here, but I'm assuming Express Talk's intercom feature only works when communicating with another Express Talk softphone. What it most likely does is initiates a normal SIP call to the other softphone but some how includes a tag to say its an intercom call. Then the other Express Talk client recieving the SIP calls recognizes the intercom tag, and immediately answers the call allowing voice to be broadcasted and played over the receving party's speakers. When the person calling over the intercom releases the intercom button the call gets disconnected. So basically in answer to your question, I know of no other SIP hardware or software that has such an intercom feature and if there was such a thing, you can bet it wouldn't be compatible with the Express Talk software and may work entirely differently.

vanDivX

so you are saying if you connect to somebody via intercom on this phone, that person has the chance to answer you only as long as you hold the intercom button pressed? that doesn't seem right (but you may be right) I will test it maybe tomorrow with my brother and see (if I will get him to install another phone still :blink:

pythonpoole wrote:

I know of no other SIP hardware or software that has such an intercom feature and if there was such a thing, you can bet it wouldn't be compatible with the Express Talk software and may work entirely differently.

well, its like this, I work in this big mansion where they have some 15 phones around the house hooked up to Nortel key pbx and they have house intercom, you either can speak to one room (any you choose) or you talk to all, like when you call everybody to dinner :rolleyes:

now, this IP telephony with IP SIP or IAX PBX (Astrisk etc) is supposed to do everything those old legacy systems could do, so that's why I wonder about intercom here, I didn't put my paws on any hardware IP phone yet but I did on quite a few soft phones and this one is the first with intercom, so now I am curious about hardware IP phones, some get advertised with 'full-duplex hands free speakerphone' but I suspect that means making normal calls but not having to lift your handset, right? if that was intercom, they would have said that, wouldn't they?

IP telephony is supposed to have everything and lo and behold one of the first features I get really intrested in which legacy analog phones have seems to be missing here, what a downer

I hope I am wrong about this

I got an idea, I will sell those people in that big mansion on IP telephony new technology of the future that is said to have everything the old phone systems had and then some, more than you can shake your stick at... :unsure: and I will offer to take their old ancient Nortel Key PBX off their hands for free and won't even charge them for carrying it away then I will install it at home and will be laughing at all those Astrisk/Axon people who will be amazed what amazing capability I got on my phone network :rolleyes:

vanDivX