Home | About Us | Background to VoIP | What is VoIP? | Featured Equipment | Shop On-line | FAQ |Client Comment | ContactBackground to VoIP? (Voice over Internet Protocol)What is it?Internet telephony or Voice Over IP (Internet Protocol) is where you use your data channels - frequently broadband connections - for voice communications. Why?VoIP is very cost-effective. There are two charges made for traditional phone calls. First you pay for the exchange line rental and secondly for the actual call. Compare this with data charges. Normally you pay for Internet access at a flat monthly rate irrespective of the time that you use. Hence VoIP calls are effectively ‘free’. Free VoIP calls are typically restricted to users who make ‘calls’ to other users who have PCs connected to broadband. If you need to make calls to people who are not on broadband then you can use one of the many ‘breakout’ services such as ‘SkypeOut’. This means that you can cross the globe on a data network,, ‘break out’ locally at the remote end and make a call to a traditional landline telephone or a mobile phone at a much reduced cost. Companies like Skype operate on the basis that you pay into a credit fund very much like the mobile phone pre-paid card principle. Business travellers can also use services such as Skype via the internet access offered in hotel rooms, airports and other wireless hotspots. Again this is an extremely cost-effective way to make long distance calls without incurring expensive telephony call charges. In fact most telephony features are being reproduced on these VOIP services, anything from conferencing to voicemail. Is this too good to be true?There are a number of issues surrounding VoIP. Here we will touch on two major ones:
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Are all PC headsets the same?No, they certainly are not. Irrespective of which brand of headset you are looking at, you need to consider carefully what safety protection they offer. The old adage that you ‘get what you pay for’ has never been more true. How can a PC headset at £15.00 be the same as a headset and USB adaptor at £100.00? The short answer is they are not. Let’s take a look at the background to PC headsets. Traditionally a dedicated PC headset was intended for gaming in a 'self-contained environment'. You, the user, inter-reacted with your own PC. You were in control of the environment and noise levels that you exposed yourself to. This was never the case for telephony headsets that traditionally had to be approved by BABT and went through rigorous testing. Telephone headsets still are subject to testing and CE approval and as such must comply with the acoustic shock regulations. So what? You might say. Once you start to use VoIP and leave the confines of your PC you are again liable to the spurious noises that can be generated by the ‘communications infrastructure’. This risk is increased if you use services like ‘SkypeOut’ where you break out from the data network to make a local call at the remote end on the public telephone network. So, back to where we started! Manufacturers do not always advertise their safety compliance but it is a very pertinent question to ask your headset supplier. As a commercial organisation you need to be able to assess the risk of ill-equipping your staff and be ready for the litigation if you make the wrong decision. One final factor to consider from a health and safety perspective is that headset consumables such as ear cushions and microphone windscreens need to be replaced on a regular basis. The standard, inexpensive PC headset is a ‘disposable’ item. There are no replacement consumables available for them.
Here at Communications
Solutions UK we are ready to offer advice Let’s look at some of the headset solutions on offerThe first question to ask is whether you are using a hard or soft phone? A hard phone looks like a traditional telephone handset. The only difference is that the telephone is connected back to the IP infrastructure. A ‘soft’ phone is a piece of software on your PC. Frequently it will appear in a window on your screen showing a dial key pad. To make a call you simply click on the keypad with your mouse or input the number from the keyboard. Whichever type of phone you have, the next question to ask is what type of headset interface do you have? If it is a hard phone it is likely to be the traditional RJ11 plug. Whereas if it is a soft phone you may be using either 2 x 3.5mm plugs, or increasingly popular, a USB interface. Do remember that although all these solutions are VOIP solutions, they can also be used very successfully with speech recognition software. Most of the headsets that we are going to look at are of infinitely superior quality to the standard free speech recognition unit provided with many software packages. This means that voice training is kept to a minimum and subsequent dictation is speeded up.
The difference between USB offerings tends to be whether they have software ‘bundled’ or ‘downloadable’ for them. Typically the software will provide extra functionality. The ‘Avaya version’ of the GN8120 provides softphone call controls for the most common call handling functions such as
Some good examples are the GN8110 and the GN8120. The GN8110 is a simple USB Adapter with no software. It is a ‘plug and play’ device. Great if you wish to ‘keep it simple’. By comparison the GN8120 can be used without software, but the software available provides functionality to the buttons on the adapter. The software download is governed by the ‘system’ that you are using so that the button functionality can vary from system to system. Currently there is proprietary software available for the GN8120 for both Avaya and Cisco systems. (Avaya PDF) Plantronics also offer the USB adapters. There are two readily available, the DA55 and the DA60. The DA55 is ‘plug and play’ without any proprietary software, whereas the DA60 is supplied with a CD to load the Persona software that enables call centre managers to measure and track compliance with European legislation on employee sound exposure. When cordless headsets are becoming a much more widely accepted business tools to boost productivity, it is unfortunate that most USB adapters today are hard wired and ‘again require you to be ‘chained to your desk’. There are however one or two exceptions to the rule. The CS60 USB is currently unique. This is a product which plugs into your PC USB and is completely cordless. The headset has a battery life of up to 9 hours and will then need re-charging. This is great if you need mobility as well as VoIP. One other solution to the need to ‘walk and talk’ for VoIP or ‘dictation software’, is to use a cordless headset together with a USB adapter such as the GN8110 or the Plantronics DA55. With one extra cable we can connect a GN9120, GN Ellipse or Plantronics CS60 to a PC. With the GN9120 this gives you the option of two headsets on one cordless base unit and the opportunity for VoIP conference calls or ‘listening in’ training for new starters. Gaming USB HeadsetsHow can you quickly identify a headset intended for gaming rather than VoIP, despite what it might say about Internet chat on the packaging? There are some significant differences between dedicated gaming headsets and USB adaptors with a traditional headset.
Gaming headsets are primarily designed for individuals to use at home. You need to make an informed decision whether you are prepared to run the risk of acoustic shock. Businesses should certainly never expose their staff. GN Netcom has recently launched two gaming USB headsets that will ‘cut off ‘ at 118db providing acoustic shock protection. These are the GN502 and GN503. (PDF) However, it is worth noting that the Plantronics range of DSP headsets offer NO acoustic shock protection despite being advertised for internet telephony. Gaming Headsets with 2 x 3.5mm plugsThere are many such budget headsets around including the GN501 and the well established Plantronics .audio range. However none of these have any acoustic shock protection. All of these headsets are inexpensive gaming headsets intended for use in a ‘self-contained’ environment. They are NOT subject to any legislative or safety constraints. Other nifty gadgets for users with 2x3.5mm plug PC connections that you may not have heard of:
If you have an application that you would like to discuss, please call our sales team who will be happy to offer help and advice on the most cost-effective solution for you. Call Communications Solutions UK
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