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WiFi Phone Announced
igrp writes "Zyxel just announced its Prestige 2000W VoIP Wi-Fi Cordless Phone. It's designed to work with 802.11b networks, implements QoS and IP-to-IP call functionality and uses 128-bit WEP encryption. It also scans for 'available APs in [the] hand set's environment'. War driving just became a whole lot more interesting."
Does it run linux?
I don't know about the rest of you, but the war driving experience only provided about .5 hours of entertainment. After that I just wanted to go out and drink.
with everything going wireless, will we even need to wire houses of the future (well i guess power might be necessary)?
30% Troll, 50% Underrated, 10% Interesting
Score:5, Troll
Maybe my gf will come wardriving with me now...
The Cheese Stands Alone.
Cisco has had the 7920 WiFi VoIP phone out for a good while.. nothing new.
I'd be happy if I could buy VoIP hardware without having to pay 50-100% extra for shipping to Europe. Does anyone know a European retailer of Sipura VoIP adapters?
with the state of today's wireless network configurations, this is kinda like giving free untraceable phone service to anyone wanting to buy the phone initially...
I want one of these as a Pringles can with string
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
I bet these would be immediately useful on medium to large commercial, industrial and educational campus, for intracampus mobile communication. But to be of much use to the general public, the coverage by WiFi cells will have to become ubiquitous, at least in metropoliton areas.
Wow, it looks almost exactly like the WiSIP that Jeff Pulver, founder of Free World Dialup, has been selling on Pulver Innovations for about a year now.
"You keep cutting out."
"Yeah, I'm not sure why, but I have a strange feeling the guy outside in the beige '87 sedan, wearing a topcoat and no pants has something to do with it."
-Peter
Here's the Google Cache of the product page.
Are you Corn Fed?
How wise is it to stick a 802.11 transmitter right next to your brain for extended periods of time?
RF Safe
"According to Dr. Brown, the real danger is the proximity to the transmitter because the transmitter sends out the waves that could heat up human tissue if close enough to the antenna. "
"Moving from one inch away to only one foot away from the Wi-Fi antenna weakens the signal by a factor of 100. So unless you're hugging the antenna, or leaning against it, you're being exposed to very little radiation."
D'oh... Better have a "hands free" option so that I can place the transmitter next to my genitals instead of near to my head.
Now it's a matter of time before someone implements a software version of the Cryptophone for these wifi-phones.. I really wonder how LEA's will deal with this. Afterall, wiretapping a phone will be fairly impossible :-)
I'm not a complete idiot... Some parts are missing.
First few times I tried it was allready having SQL errors so here's the text:
Prestige 2000W
VoIP Wi-Fi Phone
The Prestige 2000W VoIP Wi-Fi phone, compatible with IEEE 802.11b wireless standard, is a perfect solution for Voice over IP applications. It allows users to make or receive phone calls as long as they are in the coverage of IEEE 802.11b or 11g wireless Access Points. By using the Prestige 2000W, users no longer have to pay expensive communication fees and can enjoy the convenience of wireless mobility.
The brand new application is developed to support open standard SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), which interoperates with major SIP-based call servers, IP-PBXs and various VoIP client devices. It is not only an ideal alternative for ITSPs (IP Telephony Service Providers) to deploy their VoIP services; it can also be the wireless handset, which is applied in corporate IP-PBX centric VoIP environment.
The Prestige 2000W is very easy to use and configure. It allows users to configure with LCD screen menu or web browser. Meanwhile, with the smart auto-provisioning mechanism, ITSPs can easily deploy and manage the VoIP services. Easy-to-use and convenient, the Prestige 2000W delivers high quality voice functionality in a cost-effective way.
Benefits
Open Standard SIP v2 Support
The call control protocol of the Prestige 2000W is based on SIP v2 (Session Initiation Protocol version 2, RFC 3261) open standard, which is interoperable with major SIP-based call servers, IP-PBXs, and other standard SIP-based client devices.
Mobility with IEEE 802.11b Wireless Standard Compliance
The Prestige 2000W is compliant with the IEEE 802.11b standard and interoperates with any existing 802.11b or 802.11g wireless AP and gateway. It may be used as a cordless handset for residential users or for business users in an office environment. The small form factor of the handset is easy to transport and allows users to place VoIP phone calls in public 802.11-based hot spots.
High Voice Quality with Low Communication Costs
The Prestige 2000W is capable of tagging features that support a service provider?s QoS (Quality of Service) planning, such ToS (Type of Service), and DiffServ. It allows gateways or central side equipment to identify and prioritize voice and data traffic. By supporting G.711 and G.729 voice compression technology, the Prestige 2000W effectively reduces bandwidth consumption caused by voice traffic.
Enhanced Power Saving Design for Extended Standby and Talk Time
With an improved power-saving design, the Prestige 2000W can be used for a relatively long period of standby and talk time. With an extended life for each recharge cycle, the Prestige 2000W is available where and when you need it.
Direct IP-to-IP Call and Ad-hoc Intercom Mode Support(Optional)
By configuring a remote IP address in the built-in phone book, the Prestige 2000W provides a direct IP-to-IP call feature when there is no intermediate SIP proxy server available in the network. The Prestige 2000W can also establish an 802.11 ad-hoc network (computer-to-computer network without Access Point), which allows users to use the handsets as wireless intercoms.
Features
Wireless
- IEEE 802.11b support
- Frequency band: 2.400 ~ 2.497 GHz
- Channel: FCC Ch1~11, ETSI Ch1~13, Japan Ch1~14
- Data Rate: 11 / 5.5 / 2 / 1 Mbps
- Output Power: 14 + 1dBm
- Sensitivity: -82 dBm@11Mbps
- Operating range: Out-door up to 300m, In-door up to 75m
- 64/128 bit WEP encryption
- Site Survey: Scan available APs in hand set?s environment
- Support infrastructure (public) mode and Ad-hoc mode (option)
Voice
- SIP (RFC 3261) version 2
- SDP (RFC2327)
- RTP (RFC1889)
- RTCP (RFC1890)
- CODEC: G711, G.729a
- DTMF detection and relay
- G.168 echo cancellation
- Silence Suppression
- Voice Activity Detection (VAD)
- Comfort Noise Generation (CNG)
- QoS support TOS / DiffServ
- Support outbond proxy for NAT Traversal
Can you hear me now?
'No honey! Did you unfilter the MAC address?'
Yes.
'Did you enable DHCP?'
Ah, thats it! Alright, got it!
Cisco has already developed an 802.11 wireless phone for their VoIP networks for businesses. They've developed fully VoIP phones that only need a certain server and a cat5 connection to the internet to function. They can also use TTS(Text to speech) and ASR(automatic speech recognition) commands for the blind people, and the phones read XML for menus. I think cisco's are cooler.
This would probably work well on a LAN, but would this really work well between networks at all Wi-fi hot spots? I'd be concerned about spotty coverage where the Internet connection is slow, such as at a coffee shop or hotel where every computer on the network is sharing one DSL connection.
Also, since Wi-fi coverage is still spotty, even inside of cities, traditional mobile service is probably still the best solution for most folks. Once Wi-fi becomes more widely deployed, then this kind of device could displace traditional mobile techs.
Ha, ha! Nobody ever says Italy.
There are several SIP proxies which provide a gateway to the plain old telephone system. Free ones offer incoming calls and calls to toll-free numbers only, but there are also paid gateways through which you can use VoIP phones both ways.
You are so right. I've used this device to call across a room. In fact, I found that it even works if you don't have the soup can.
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
Nokia recently announced the next version of the nokia communicator.
Triple band, edge, GPRS, bluetooth, infrared, wifi, qwerty keyboard,
browser, organiser, telnet, ssh, plays mp3s, 80MB memory, camera, 640x200 colour screen.
A highly desirably toy, though judging by previous communicators there will be a dozen firmware updates and you will need the extended warranty
because they often break.
I can't believe more people don't have more VoIP phones already... Something like Vonnage offers. I can have a local phone number, travel to Hong Kong, and still have a local number to my home town. Having a wireless option makes it that much better. Telephony service costs too much already, and this may help more people switch to VoIP phones, too... thus making it even more inexpensive. As timothy pointed out, this certainly does take wardriving to a whole new level. Sweet.
Hi there! What planet are you from?
Cisco has had wi-fi VoIP phones for a year. A friend uses them at work at they are rather nifty. I think there might be some handover issues since mobile IP isn't really fit for fight yet.
Here's the product page.
If you google for wi-fi phone you'll find there are some others as well, but coming from the PDA end of the spectrum.
Plus Nokia's latest phone/pda has wi-fi as well, but I don't think you they are available in stores yet.
When these phones can get around the need for a central server if both parties are behind NAT, things will get real exciting. As it is right now, though, if both parties are using NAT, there's no direct way for them to connect unless through a central server, which is not a good idea for numerous reasons. Maybe with the new IP protocol...
no, not that product - but how we have 100 comments even when that link is wrong/bad. this a slashdot specialty?
lol.
Obviously it's maximum throughput is limitted to 11Mbps, as indicated by the underlying tech (802.11b)
All of those pay-to-play Wi-Fi APs in coffee shops and airports need to talk to a browser to authenticate your NIC. It's not clear how you can do that with a phone.
I work in the engineering section of one of the leading cordless phone companies. A couple days ago, I asked why we weren't developing a voip cordless phone. He said that aside from the cost and complexity of implementing this, the battery life is also a huge issue.
I hope they can pull it off. I think it's a great idea because it means that your cordless phone has coverage over your whole wireless network rather than just when it is in close proximity to your base station.
This is not the VoIP equivalent of a cordless phone, not a mobile/cell phone. It's a nice side-benefit that you may be able to use it on networks other than your own.
I read this as a 2000W VoIP phone, not a model 2000W. At first, I was thinking, what, a range of about 20 miles on this baby, battery life of almost a minute. Not only that, but you turn it on, and you lose bladder control, and suddenly can't turn left. Free guide to microwave induced cancers included, get them all and you win a discount on the next model!
Seriously though, this looks like fun, I'll have to ask the Zyxel people for one, they make cool WiFi stuff.
-Charlie
The Skinny/SCCP protocol has some support in Asterisk 0.7.x now. I haven't had a chance to test it myself as there is no way I'm paying that much for a portable phone with very limited coverage at the moment :)
It's actually just a BCM WLAN600 (from a Taiwanese manufacturer) that's rebranded. ZyXEL develops very few of their products themselves.
But the 2.4GHz spot in the frequency spectrum in a typical household is so crudded up already. I mean, I already have these in use in that space:
o 802.11b network (2 APs, 4 clients)
o Cordless phone
o X10 video camera (for baby monitoring)
o Microwave oven
The X10 camera goes mostly unused nowadays due to interference from the APs. The telephone has some very annoying pops and clicks when the microwave is in use. I'd be hard-pressed to shell out many buckazoids for one of these until I was certain it worked better than my existing phone that's using that spectrum.
Assuming there's enough recovery for corrupted packets when interference is occurring (tried to read the article to get more info, but can't get to the site as usual), I can see where it might work better than my existing phone in the presence of such interference. But I won't be in a big hurry to go buy one just yet.
- Leo
You don't use science to show that you're right, you use science to become right.
It's called a Pocket PC, a WiFi adapter, and WiFive
Wifive can connect to other wifive users or netmeeting, and if you have an IP-PSTN service, you can place calls to regular phones as well.
Cool though that someone made an actual phone to make the process easier
no comment
If you wardrive and get on another network, the phone will send out packets tagged with 5 in the TOS field, but the network you got onto is almost certainly not going to honor the field, whether it be TOS in the packet or DSCP in the frame.
Also, QoS in wireless as a whole in an incomplete field. Cisco's AP still can't change the underlying "time on the air" algorithm of 802.11b and thus, you can get into a priority queue on the backside, but if there are too many people associated to the AP, you aren't getting any QoS over the airwaves. This problem is being worked on.