What is a SIP Phone & How Does It Work? - Nextiva

Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is a communication protocol that manages multimedia communication such as video and voice calls. To use SIP, ... Skiptocontent SubscribetotheNextivablognewsletterforthelatestcontentonCustomerService,Productivity,MarketingandVoIP. Comments byJulieBai PostedonMarch12,2020July19,2021 SIP,whichisshortforSessionInitiationProtocol,hasquicklybecomethemaintopicofdiscussionforbusinessesandITdepartmentslookingtoexpandtheircompany'sphoneservicebeyondonelocation. Businessleadersarerapidlyswitchingtocloudphoneserviceasawaytoequipstaffwithtoolsneededtocommunicateeffectively.Oneofthemorecost-effectiveoptionsistouseSIP-basedphonesystems. It'strue.Phoneservicestendtofalltothelowerendofexpenseswithonly6%ofthebudgetallocatedforcommunicationsaccordingtoarecentITspendinganalysis fromSpiceworks.ThissliceofthebudgetalsoincludesothertoolssuchasSlackorJira,whichlimitstheamountthatcanbespentonphonesthemselves. Let'sbreakdowneverythingyouneedtoknowaboutupgradingtothebestSIPtrunkprovider. WhatisSIP? Features&BenefitsofSIPPhones TopSIPPhonesfor2020 PhoneNumbersforSIP Recommendations WhatisSIP? SessionInitiationProtocol(SIP)isacommunicationprotocolthatmanagesmultimediacommunicationsuchasvideoandvoicecalls.TouseSIP,youneedaSIPphonethatestablishescommunicationovertheinternet.Unliketraditionalphonesystems,SIPphonesrelyoninternettechnologytomakesecureandreliablecalls. TheSIPprotocolenablesorganizationstohaveunifiedcommunicationsasitintegratesbasicphonecapabilitieswithvideo,email,instantmessagingandmore.OrganizationsuseaSIPphoneifthey’relookingforscalability,reliability,andnotlimitedvoicecalls.WithSIP,youcanexpandintovideoandinstantmessaging. SIPwascreatedinthe90sandlater standardizedbytheInternetEngineeringTaskForce(IETF).Itsdesignhadboldaspirationstoreshapethewaywecommunicate.Itaimedtoprovideasignalingprotocolthatwouldnotonlyenablephonecallsbutcouldalsobeusedforinitiatinganykindofcommunicationsessions. Itwasdesignedformorethanphonecalls,includingaudioandvideocalls,andevengamingsessionsorcontrollingacoffeemaker. ExamplesofSIPapplicationsarefoundinmanycommunicationproductstoday.Deskphones,software-basedphones,andevenonlinemeetingsoftwareuseSIP.SomeorganizationshavemovedtowardsupgradingtheirlegacysystemswithSIPtrunkprovidertolowercostsandaddcallingcapacity. Related: WhatIsSessionInitiationProtocol(SIP)? WhatarethefeaturesofaSIPphone? Visually,aSIPphonetypicallylookslikeyourcommonofficephone.Beneaththesurface,theyprovideevengreaterfunctionalitytomanagecalls.Inadditiontocompletingphonecalls,SIPphonescanplacecallersonholdandtransfercallerstodifferentextensions.SIPphonesoutperformtraditionalphonesforachievinghighercallquality,too. Thedifferencescomefromtheback-end,whichiswhysomanyITleadersaredrawntothistechnology. SIPphonesconnecttoaVoIPphoneservicewithoutextrahardwareorservers.BecauseSIPphonesdon’trequirethesameinstallationprocessastraditionalphonelines,theyarelessexpensivetomaintain. Itmakessensewhyorganizationsturntothistechnologyfortheirphoneservice.LoadedwithbusinessVoIPfeatureswithnoneofthehassles,it'sano-brainer. TopfeaturesofaSIPphone: Basicandadvancedcallforwarding Holdwithoptionalmusic Conferencecalling HDphonecalls Auto-attendant Callrecording Sharedcallappearance CustomcallerID Mobileanddesktopappintegration WhatisVoIP,andhowdoesitdifferfromSIP? AccordingtotheFCC,VoiceoverInternetProtocolisatechnologythatallowsyoutomakevoicecallsusingabroadbandInternetconnectioninsteadofaregular(oranalog)phoneline.SIPstandsoutfromVoIPbecauseit'soneofthewidelyacceptedstandardsusedtofacilitateVoIP. VoIPcanexistwithoutSIP,butSIPoffersthemostcompatibilityoverproprietaryonlinecallingsoftware. TypesofSIPphones SIPphonesgenerallyfallintotwocategories:hardphonesandsoftphones.Bothoftheseoffersuperiorperformanceoveranalogphones,buttheyaffordusersmanydistinctbenefits.SIPphonescanonlyworkwithcloud-basedphonesystems,unliketraditionalanalogphones. HardPhones(DeskphonesandSpeakerphones) Ahardphonelookslikearegulartelephoneandindeedbehaveslikeone. HardphonesconnectusingEthernetcablesandcancomeinacordlessform.PopularSIPhardphonesincludePoly,Cisco,Nextiva,andPanasonic.Mostofthesedeskphonesoffersimilarfeatureswithafewdifferencesbetweenthem. Notallhardphonesarethesame.Theyareclassifiedintobasic,intermediateandadvancedcategories. Basic:ConsideredasalmostastarterVoIPphone,theseSIPphonesarewhatyoumightseeusedbycallcenterorcontactcenterstaff.Thesephoneshaveadialpadandcancompleteinternalandexternalphonecalls.Thesehardphonesarebudget-friendlyandareveryeasytouse. Intermediate:Astepupfrombasic,intermediateSIPhardphonesprovidemorerobustfunctionality,oftenincludingabrowsabledirectorywithmultipleextensions.Physically,thesephonesmighthaveafewmorebuttonsforextraVoIPfeatures.Thesephonesareoftendeployedacrosstheworkforce,evensentwithemployeesiftheyworkfromhome. Advanced:AdvancedSIPhardphonescandoanythingabasicorintermediatephonecandoandoftenfeatureafull-colordisplay,multipleextensions,Wi-FiorBluetoothcompatibility.Visually,thesephoneslookmorerefinedandareenjoyedbycompanyexecutives.Theremaybefewerphysicalbuttonsonthesephonesbecauseapplicationscanbeaccessedthroughthedisplay. Onelimitationofhardphonesisthattheyarestationary.OverhalfoftheUnitedStatesworkforcepredictedtoworkremotelyoverthecomingyears,businessesarelookingintolow-costalternativesfordeskphones. Thisiswheresoftphonescomeintoplay. Softphones(VoIPapps&CallingSoftware) Softphonesareapplicationsthatprovideuserswithphoneserviceconnectivitythroughsoftwareinstalledonadesktop,laptop,orsmartphone.OnceyourVoIPapp isinstalled,useaheadsetandmicrophoneforthebestcallingexperience. Asoftphonemaybeinstalledbyadministratorsorbyusersinaself-serviceformat.ITleadersconsideringusingsoftphonetechnologyneedtothinkabouttheirnetworkutilization. SIPtrafficfromsoftphonescan'tbeeasilysingledoutascomparedtoothernetworkapplications.ForthosewithamandatoryVPN,youwillwanttocompletea VoIP speedtesttoevaluatethehealthofyourconnection. WithVoIP,callqualityadaptstochangingnetworkconditionsautomaticallysuchaslimitednetworkbandwidth.Forfrequentsoftphoneusers,theymightexperienceshorterbatterylifeontheircellphones.ThesefactorsmeanthatITleadershavetoplanaheadbeforedeployingsoftphoneappstotheiremployees. Related: VoIPBasics:TheBeginner’sGuidetoMasteringVoIP HowSIP-basedtelephonyworks Atatechnicallevel,SIPdevicesoperateusingrelativelystraightforwardcommands.Ifyoulistenedonthewire,thenetworktrafficwouldappearsimilartotypicalHTTPtraffictoaccesswebpages.Asareminder,everydayuserswould neverneedtomesswiththesecommands—theyhappenautomatically. WhenacallismadefromaSIPphone,thedevicenotifiestheSIPserverit'sconnectedto.Inthiscase,aSIPserverwouldbeyourbusinessVoIPservice. Fromthere,theSIPserverinitiatescontactwithanotherextensionorpatchesthecallovertothePublicSwitchedTelephoneNetwork(PSTN).Oncetheotherpartyanswersthephone,thecallisestablished. Duringthecall,theSIPserverandautomaticallyphonesnegotiatethecallqualityandstatusofthecallinreal-time. Here'sadiagramofwhatthisSIPinteractionwouldlooklike: BenefitsofSIPphones Itcanbeverycost-effectivetoupgradetoSIPphonesnomatterthesizeofyourcompany.Overall,thereareseveraladvantagestousingSIPphones. Youwon'tbedependantonyourlocaltelephonecompanyforcopperlines. Nearlynomaintenanceoradditionalconfigurationunlessyouwantto. Connectallemployeestogetherwithinthebusiness,includingremotestaff. Takeadvantageofencryptionforincreasedcallsecurity. Cloud-basedmanagementofyourphonesystemmeansinstantdeliveryoffeaturesanytime. YourmainuseforSIPphonesshouldbeidentifiedmorethanthebrandofSIPphoneyouselect.Thinkthroughthereal-worldexamplesofhowyouremployeesusetheirphonestocommunicate.Someemployeesneedmorepowerfulphoneslikeabusyreceptionistoraprominentbusinessexecutive. Evenforsmallbusinesses,there'sanaffordableSIPphonethatwillhelpyourteamcommunicatemoreeffectively.ForgetaboutfranticallylookingforachargingcableforyouriPhonewith3%ofbatteryremaining.Justpullthecalltoyourdeskphoneandbreatheeasier. TopBusinessSIPPhonesfor2020 Tohelpyouthroughyournexttelephonytechnologyinvestment,wehaveputtogetheraquickcomparisonguideofthetopSIPphonesavailableonthemarkettoday.Justafewnotestokeepinmind: Mixandmatchthemtoyouremployee'sneeds SupportandconfigurationareoftenincludedfromaSIPprovider Youhavetheoptionofpurchasingorleasing(renting) BasicSIPPhones PanasonicKX-HDV130 Asanentry-leveltwo-lineSIPphone,thePanasonicKX-HDV130istheidealchoiceforusersthatneedareliabledevicewithadvancedcallhandlingfeatures,butdon’tjugglemanycallsatthesametime. NumberofLines:2 DisplayType:Monochrome ScreenSize:2.3" PoEAvailable:Yes Warranty:3years PolyVVX150 Ahigh-quality,two-line,SIPphone,thePolyVVX150isidealforhomeofficesorshared/commonareas,suchaslobbies,hallwaysandbreakroomsorforanylocationthatneedssimpleandreliablevoiceconnectivity. NumberofLines:2 DisplayType:Monochrome ScreenSize:2.5" PoEAvailable:Yes Warranty:1year;lifetimewhenrented IntermediateSIPPhones NextivaX-815 TheNextivaX-815isasleek,six-line,color,SIPphoneidealforcall-centerorofficeworkers.Thephone'sinterfaceiscleanandwell-organizedsoyou'llhandlecallswithgreatereaseandconfidence. NumberofLines:6 DisplayType:ColorLCD ScreenSize:2.8" PoEAvailable:Yes GigEthernetPorts:Yes USBInput:1 ExpansionModuleConnectivity:Yes,upto3 Warranty:3years;lifetimewhenrented PolyVVX350 Ahigh-quality,six-line,color,mid-range,SIPphoneidealforcallcenteroperatorswhohandlemoderate/highvolumeofcallsandforsmallteamstoknowwhichteammembersareonthephone. NumberofLines:6nativelines(24withpagination) DisplayType:ColorLCD ScreenSize:3.5" PoEAvailable:Yes HeadsetInput:RJ-9 USBInput(s):2 Bluetooth/Wi-Fi:Yes,bothviadongle Warranty:1year;lifetimewhenrented AdvancedSIPPhones NextivaX-885 Asleek,twelve-line,color,SIPphoneidealforexecutivesandreceptionists.Ithasamulti-pageapproachtoprovidetwelveadditionalprogrammablekeys. NumberofLines:12 DisplayType:ColorLCD ScreenSize:4.3" PoEAvailable:Yes GigEthernetPorts:Yes USBInput:1 ExpansionModuleConnectivity:Yes,upto3 Warranty:3years;lifetimewhenrented Cisco8841 Cisco's8841business-class,ten-line,SIPphoneisidealforcompaniesthattakecallsonmultiplephonelines,aseachlinecanhandlemultiplecalls.Thispowerhouseofabusinessphoneislikenothingyou'veeverusedbefore.Itwon'tdisappoint. NumberofLines:10 DisplayType:ColorLCD ScreenSize:5" PoEAvailable:Yes GigEthernetPorts:Yes Warranty:1year;lifetimewhenrented Related: 10BestVoIPHeadsetsforYourBusinessfor2020 WhataboutCompanyPBXs? IfyourcompanyhasaPrivateBranchExchange(PBX),you'relikelyusingaspecializeddatalines,collectivelyknownasatrunk.Insteadofbeinglimitedbylegacytechnology,SIPprovidesasimpleandeasywaytovoiceservicesforyourexistingbusinessphonesystem.ThisisknownasSIPTrunkingora"SIPTrunk." OneoftheprimaryreasonswhybusinessesuseSIPtrunkingistohandlemoreoutboundandinboundcallingcapacityatamuchlowercost. Here'sadiagramshowingaSIPTrunkinactionalongsideahostedPBX: Howtogetabusinessphonenumber TheprocessofgettingaphonenumberforyourSIPphonebeginsbysigningupwithaVoIPprovider.Youhavetheoptionofusingyourexistingphonenumbersthroughaprocessknownas porting.Whileportingmaytakeacoupleofweekstocomplete,youcanusetemporarynumbersrightaway. SinceeverySIPphonehasahardwareIDassigned,itlookstotheserviceprovidertoknowwhichnumbersitcanuse.YouoryourphoneserviceprovidercanassociateSIPphoneswithanydesiredphonenumberthatyouauthorize. WithNextiva,yourSIPphonecomesconfiguredoutofthebox.Simplyplugitinandyoucanbegintakingcallsrightaway. RecommendationsforyourSIPPhones Asyoudecideontheequipmentyouneedforyourcompany'scommunicationsneeds,considerthesebestpractices. Evaluatetheserviceproviderfirst,thentheSIPphone.Yourcompany'sexperienceismostinfluencedshapedbytheserviceprovider. Researchthecompany'snetworkinfrastructure.Modern,cloudphonesystemshavemultiplepointsofpresence,knownasPOPs,aroundyourcontinentformaximumreliability. Planyourneeds18–24monthsout.Youmighthavemodestneedstoday,buttheywillsurelyexpandasyourcompanygrows.Createtheworkingenvironmentyouwantnowsoit'snotchaoslater. Last,butcertainlynotleast,isthequalityofsupportyouhaveavailable.Aretheyavailableat9p.m.atnight?Howfastdotheyanswerthephoneat10a.m.?Whenitcomestoyourbusiness,youcan'tletlifepassyoubywhilewaitingonhold. Nowthatyou'veresearchedeverythingaboutSIPphones,whynotcheckoutVoIPphoneswehaveavailable.Ourteamfullytestsandsupportseverydevicetoconfirmitmeetsyourbusinessneeds. Getamodernphonesystemloadedwithevery featureyourbusinessneeds.Getyourquotetoday! GetIt JulieBaiJulieBaiisaproductmanageratNextiva,UCaaSevangelist,no-bullcommunicatorandtranslatorforpeople,doglover,andmothertoanadorablyactiveboy. Abouttheauthor JulieBai JulieBaiisaproductmanageratNextiva,UCaaSevangelist,no-bullcommunicatorandtranslatorforpeople,doglover,andmothertoanadorablyactiveboy. Postnavigation AvoidThese13CommonPhoneScams(+HowtoFightBack)32WorkingfromHomeTipsYouCanDoRightNow(Updated)