VoIP equipment manufacturers face the challenge of designing products that will work with a variety of different standards. Different VoIP protocols such as H.323, SIP and MGCP exist for the transmission of voice and multimedia over the Internet, and then there are the different telephony signaling standards such as ISDN PRI/BRI, T1/E1, FXS/FXO and Ethernet network interfaces. At Patton Electronics, we have designed a range of VoIP equipment that will work with just about any interface and telephone signaling system now in existence.

A key piece of equipment is the device that connects the IP network to the PBX system. Entry-level systems may require only a gateway at each location to encode and decode the voice signal for the PBX, while more complex systems would call for a router or IP-PBX to replace an existing analog PBX. Our range of SmartNode gateways, routers and SmartLink handsets and IP-PBX devices are able to meet the requirements of any system from a SOHO installation to a fully fledged ToIP, or Telephony-over-IP system.

The H.323 VoIP standard is most widely used but lacks the features necessary to completely replace existing telephone systems. Because it offers only basic telephony functions, handsets and other devices need more complex and expensive circuitry. The MGCP, or Media Gateway Control Protocol, was created to simplify standards and reduce the cost of these devices. SIP, or Session Initiation Protocol (recommended by the Internet Engineering Taskforce), is another standard now gaining a strong following.

VoIP Equipment in the Future
Given the range of possible applications and all the different standards, flexibility is the key to a successful VoIP product design. Evolving standards require that equipment can be updated easily. At Patton Electronics, our range of VoIP products meet this challenge and our free software updates ensure the future of an investment in our equipment.