snom UC Edition Firmware Update Released: 8.8.2.21 Lync Qualified

 

Fixes since 8.8.2.21:

• provisioning with DHCP Option 67 fixed
• RGS improvements
• audio stack improvements
• Call list handling improvements
• presence hardening

• UCS support
• logging improvements

Get the new firmware here: (login required)

http://www.snom.com/en/your-personal-menu/snom-uc-edition-firmware-center/snom-uc-edition-front-desk/snom-uc-edition-88221-ucs/

First Sighting: snom 7EM 7xx Series Expansion Module

snom showed the snom 7EM for the first time at CEBIT 2014.

Photo posted by snom click here. In this picture we can see “Tile View” and USB connector plugged into the side of the snom 715.

Better Photo via https://twitter.com/Luca_Vitali/status/443862997732433920

Another Photo by https://twitter.com/ogerling/status/442965422334558208

“The modules extensions for snom 715, 720 and 760 presented at Cebit. Up to 3 modules positions, USB connection”

Shows that buttons can be assigned any of snom’s functions (contact search, contact list, etc), USB connection and backlit LCD.

Details from twitter photos and snom blogs:

• has a range of buttons (“…large number of self-labeling keys…” click here)
• 18 buttons, (9 per side) photo above  (compared to older snom Vision’s 8 buttons on a side plus 2 buttons buttons at the bottom)
• automatic button labeling
• Tile or Line View shows Contact Name full width or 2 Line format click here
• displays contacts & call status
• USB connection to snom phones 715,720 & 760.
• I think it can be presumed the tilt can match snom 7xx devices
• Up to 3 7EM’s can be “daisy chained” with USB click here
• will work with the $139USD MSRP snom 715 (see recent review), 720, and 760
• No ETA given

Summary

Considering this unit works with the new snom 715 (not Lync Qualified as of this posting), this will likely be the lowest cost “console” setup available for Lync at this time.

Lync Qualified/Comptabile and Optimized IP Phone Features Compared: Which Devices are More “Advanced”?

I am getting more and more questions on which class of Lync devices is more “advanced”. As Lync Qualified (aka Lync Compatible/ 3PIP) devices get more and more features this question is getting less and less clear. Will Lync Qualified devices become more “Optimized” than LPE devices? This is a real possibility.

At one time I would have said Optimized devices are the information worker device while Qualified/Compatible are for those that want a more PBX-like experience. Qualified/Compatible/3PIP devices certainly remain the devices that provide the most PBX-like experience, but with the addition of Better Together over Ethernet, USB/Bluetooth headset support and video right from the devices (Polycom VVX 500/600), this line has become blurred. I still think that (at this moment) the information worker is best served by LPE devices, but this is becoming more subjective and will likely to change in the future.

Some things that still weigh in favor of LPE in my mind:

• Less initial setup /provisioning “fiddling”
• Better Lync Monitoring server Media Quality reporting (basically there is non on Qualifed/Compatible devices)
• LPE firmware is more “settled”,hardened & bug free.

NOTE: This article is in progress. Also, if you see any errors/omissions, please comment. Please verify and do your own testing.

	snom UC Edition	Polycom UCS 5.0.0	Audiocodes 4xxHD	LPE “Aries”
	Qualified	Qualified	Qualified(8)	Optimized
Boss/Admin	X	X
BToE (Ethernet Better Together)	Beta	X
USB Better Together				X
Call Park	X	X		X
1 Button Call Park	X	X
Parked Call Timer		X
Lync Server FW Updates	X	X		X
Lync Address Book Search	X	X		X
Lync Address Book	X			X
See Contact’s Lync Note	X			X
ABS Other Contacts Methods	X
Lync Contact Photos	(10)			X
Monitoring Server Media Details				X
Lync Server Setting Provision	X(5)
Device MOH	X			X
Change Device MOH	X(6)
Transfer Directly to VM	X
1 Touch Contact Buttons	X	X
Safe Transfer via 1 Touch Button	X
Visual Voicemail				X
Video from phone		X(1)
Supports Video Call Escalation				X
Safe Transfer	X
2 Button transfer	X	X
Expansion Module	X	X(2)
DESI Less BLF Buttons	some(7)	X
Define buttons from handset	X		X
Phone “In a Call” on handset lift	X	X	X
Dedicated “My Presence” Light				X
Support for USB/BT Headset	X(3)	X(3)
PC Port deliver non-default VLAN	X	X
Intercom – Auto pickup, 2 way	X(4)
Skype Federation audio calls	X
Disable 2nd Call  audio alert	X
Adaptable RTAudio codec Narrow	X			X
RTAudio Wideband	X			X
View Outlook Calendar	(10)	X		X
1 Click Meeting Join	(10)			X
Lync Meeting Roster Display	(10)			X
Initiate Lync Meeting from phone	(10)			X
DR Pool Failover without Reboot	X			X
SBC + WAN Loss Scenario	(9)			X

1) VVX 500/600 with optional camera, to Lync 2010 client only.
2) Announced, but not here.
3) Some models
4) Works, but not certified feature. Click Here
5) Snom marketing: Click Here; Technical Details Click Here
6) Possible, but not manageable from Lync Click Here
7) snom 760 and 821 have 4 DESI-Less Buttons
8) Only Audiocodes 420HD Lync Qualified as of this article: Click Here
9) as of 3/14 snom has addressed scenario, but FW to be released.
10) as of 3/14  snom UC Edition has demo’d but not yet released this feature: Click Here

More on Lync Phone Edition:
http://windowspbx.blogspot.com/2012/07/feedback-from-field-challenges.html

Another Device Comparison:
http://masteringlync.com/2012/10/25/lync-device-showdown/

Contributions/Credits/Assistance:
https://twitter.com/JonathanSteeman

snom UC Edition to Get Lync Server Centralized Device Setting Provisioning

 

According to a recent video created by snom, it appears that snom UC Edition (Lync Qualified) will get another new feature: centralized phone setting provisioning. The video references (but not necessarily limited to) the below settings:

• Language settings
• Key assignments
• Phone user interface customization

The video does not elaborate but considering it notes that “all you need to do is type in your login credentials” it would almost sound like this will somehow leverage native Lync Server functionality.

This is a quite interesting development considering that even Lync Phone Edition devices currently have no way of mass provisioning device and user settings centrally.

Is this the new feature snom has noted it will unveil at IT Expo? I guess we’ll wait and see.

My First Look At snom UC Edition “Enhanced Better Together” Over IP: This Will Be One Very Welcome Feature

Was glad to chat with Paul Jamieson on the World Wide Partner Conference expo floor and get a demo of the coming “enhanced better together” (better together functionality over IP). I’ve reported before that various manufacturers are mentioning “enhanced better together” in brochures and websites, but it appears snom is the first to demo this feature. (NOTE: At this time there is no indication Lync Phone Edition devices will get this functionality, vendors have only mentioned EBT related to Lync Qualified devices).

snom estimates end of year 2013 availability for this feature.

Better Together Functionality Deliver Over IP

The snom “Enhanced Better Together” (aka/being called EBT by snom folks) is enabled over TCP/IP without any USB cable between the snom desk phone and computer running the Lync client. The control and interaction of the snom 760 and Lync client was similar to what you would expect from a Lync Phone Edition device and the follow features were demo’d to me:

• Click to Dial
• Call Hold
• Call Transfer
• Drag and Drop Conferencing
• Instant Message and Screen Sharing on PC with Audio on IP Phone (source: click here see video about)

There appears to be no special user interface plug-ins in the Lync client to control the snom phone, just standard Lync experience. Also the control is bi-directional just like on Lync Phone Edition. For example: You can place or take a call on/off Hold from either snom phone or Lync client and it is reflected on the other endpoint.

Can Audio Calls Be Bumped Up to a Video Call?

On LPE devices if you start a video while making a call from the phone, the phone will switch to acting like a USB audio device for the video coming from the PC attatched. snom did not demonstrated how, or if, this works with snom EBT.

How to Pair the Phone and Lync Client?

The snom personnel demonstrating EBT did not have technical details of how EBT works, although they did show that the snom phone was included in the Lync Devices in the Lync client just like Lync Phone Edition, headsets, etc as shown below. When I asked what the initial “pairing” experience would be like it was noted that in the final product it will be “plug and play and no extra software”.

And on the Lync 2010 client (Picture via @Alxlvanov)

Which Versions Of Lync Client and snom Firmware Will Be Required?

According to snom folks both Lync 2010 and Lync 2013 client for Windows will support EBT. According to snom PR a new snom firmware will enable EBT but it does not communicate any version numbers at this time. A snom spokesman noted that the 8xx and 7xx series are slated to support EBT.

Summary

While I have not yet seen the pairing process, what I have seen seems to be implemented quite nicely from a UI perspective. It is interesting to see the snom UC Edition devices getting features not available for Lync Phone Edition devices. (Actually a quite highly requested feature: click here) Enhanced Better Together will add quite a bit of value to existing snom device installations and I suspect will bring snom to the table when previously only Lync Phone Edition devices were able to fill this requirement. 

<end>

If you want to watch the demo (in spite of expo restricted bandwidth :-) you are welcome to below:

snom PDF Demo of functionality Below:

http://windowspbx.blogspot.com/2013/05/enhanced-better-together-lync-client-to.html

snom Doc on EBT:
http://www.snom-uc-edition.com/fileadmin/00_snom_UC_edition/06_Documentation/snom_presentation_EnhancedBetterTogether_2013.pdf

[NEWS] snom 760 and 720 Now Support Select USB Headsets

 

It appears that the the days of the “headset lifter” are finally starting to come to a close! (thankfully!) snom 760 and 720 now also support select USB headsets. (See our previous article/video on Polycom VVX500 supporting USB headsets)

We are using he snom 720 with the UC Edition firmware 8.8.2.8. Using the supported Plantronics Voyager PRO UC Bluetooth device, we just plug the device into the USB port on the side of our snom 720 and it the device worked. (there is no onscreen indication the phone detected the headset, but it seems to work)

There were several issues we noticed with the integration:

• it seems like pressing the button on the UC Voyager Pro does not hang-up a call if you did not answer a call using the button on the UC Voyager Pro (switched from desk phone handset to blue tooth headset mid-call)
• using the Mute button on the 760 is not working correct sometimes it mutes, sometimes it puts the volume at half, sometime it goes Mute then immediately unmutes again, the mute led is not always on when muted. It looks like snom has some work here.

Currently Supported USB Headsets for snom 720/760

snom HS BT

Plantronics Blackwire C620

Plantronics Savi W430 (Dect D100)

Plantronics CS540a (plus APU-70)

Plantronics Voyager PRO UC BlueTooth

Note: I tested a Plantronics BlackWire 720 (a relatively new device) and it did not work with snom 720, so supported devices appears to be an important list.

snom wiki on supported headsets:
http://wiki.snom.com/Settings/soundcard_event_map

snom forum thread on USB headsets for snom 7xx:
http://forum.snom.com/index.php?showtopic=10892

First Impression Review: snom 710 IP Deskphone

 

The snom 710 is an entry level phone from snom. (which will presumably eventually supercede the snom 300). My first impression is that this device does not feel like an entry level device by size, button layout, button feel/feedback, speakerphone quality and fit and finish. The only place “entry level” shines through is in LCD resolution and 10/100 switch. I think the 710 will be very welcome to the snom lineup.

Here are some quick observations:

• Hard but grippy buttons
• dedicated voicemail, dial and hang up buttons
• 5 freely definable buttons (green / red lights)
• Transfer soft button
• no rubber handset cradle like 720/760
• very compact
• sits very solidly on a surface
• buttons size and placement is exactly same as executive versions
• no USB expansion like 720/760
• has a UC Edition logo on the box and snom has noted this will be the first 7xx series to be Lync Qualified
• screen is identical to snom 720
• very professional looking device
• HD handset
• Wall mountable with no extra bracket

Cons

• Screen resolution is less than I would have expected. (128x48/backlit/black/white)
• 10/100 switch
• I’ve heard some feedback that the angle is not steep enough

Photos

Below: Closeup of the LCD (128x48/backlit/black/white)

Below: Very close-up of LCD.

Below: 10/100 Ethernet switch and power jack. The 710 is POE enabled.

Below: High angle

Below: Low angle

Below: Wall Mount. Just remove the two base catches and you can mount this on a wall with no additional mounts.

Below: Keypad are hard plastic buttons that have a grippy texture. That are big and feel solid.The 5 defineable buttons on the right also have 1 color LEDs (green) in each button. (This is UNLIKE the snom 720/760 that have bi-color leds) With future UC Edition firmware (not here yet, but noted on the box), these buttons can indicate a Lync Contact’s presence. The Speaker/Headset have green LED to indicate toggle and MUTE red led.

Below: There is no dedicated Transfer button, but there is a context soft button for blind transfer. (You can also use one of the definable buttons for Transfer if this is important)

Below: Speakerphone is below the receiver and seems to work well.

Summary

Once again, the snom 710 is a solid unit with a design and pricepoint that I think will be very welcome.

snom 360 Not Supported on Latest Lync UC Edition Firmware

The snom 360 is no longer a supported snom model on the “Apollo” UC Edition firmware (8.8.1.11) because of hardware limitations. In all fairness the snom 360 was never Lync Qualified and with a quite low screen resolution it makes sense to promote the snom 370 for UC instead.

Please note that UC Edition FW 8.7.2.16 is available for the snom 360 but is not Lync Qualified.

And, In all fairness, Polycom is taking a similar tack with the Polycom Soundpoint IP 670 (Unqualified device). It is supported by Polycom in UCS 4.0.2 but will not be in future releases.

Source:
http://forum.snom.com/index.php?showtopic=10337

Quick First Impression snom 720 Video Review

NOTE: While the 720 box says UC Edition, this device currently is NOT Lync Qualified.

Below is my quick video review of the snom 720.

snom ONE Mini IP PBX First Impression Review

 

snom is starting to accumulate a bit of a history producing solid state mini PBX hardware: the CS410, Sheeva Plug PBX and now the snom ONE Mini.

Some unique things about this device that I noticed: The unit is, well, mini. The unit can be powered by Power Over Ethernet. (snom says a 60Kwh per year) The snom ONE mini hardware can handle 20 extensions and has quite a few features. The device support IPV6.

An interesting possible use for the device to be a failover PBX server in case the primary communication system fails. A separate and intersting use: This device is not Lync Certified, but it is possible to integrate snom ONE to Microsoft Lync, so by extension snom ONE mini should have no problem. (see guide here)

Some quick Specs

• Runs snom ONE software
• Entirely solid state
• Supports 20 extensions
• According to snom uses less than 60kWh per year (compared to 876kWh for a PC)
• Power it with POE
• IPv6
• This unit can act as a backup SIP registrar for cloud services failover
  • Also, using snom phones it can act as Voice backup server

Some Interesting Specs

• 1.4GHZ ARM Processor (running Linux)
• 512MB NAND/512MB RAM
• 1GB Ethernet
• USB 2.0 port

Cons

• No analogue pstn connectivity ports (FXO/FXS)
• Unit can handle 20 extensions, but device includes free extension 10 license (it appears you need to pay for a 20 User snom ONE Yellow license)
• There is no LED to indicate the system is up and running?

Some of my notes:

• Includes no PSTN Ports connectivity, only SIP trunks supported (I supposed Ethernet PSTN gateway will work)
• No Audio In/Out for Music On Hold and Page Out. You will need to use a MOH file and the snom PA for paging
• 1 NIC means no 2 NIC for creative stuff
• Appears to be using the same enclosure as snom m9 DECT phone! (just interesting note)
• The snom ONE Mini has gold trim (to differentiate it from snom m9 enclosure I suppose.)

Photos

Below: side view: reset button, power, POE/1GB NIC, 2 unused places, USB 2.0, Another Unused place.

Below: LEDs

Below: back side

Of interest to our Lync audience may be our How to Integrate snom ONE and Microsoft Lync blog:
http://windowspbx.blogspot.com/2011/09/using-snom-one-as-sip-trunk-gateway-for.html

http://www.snom.com/en/products/ip-pbx/snom-one-mini/

snom Introduces snom ONE Mini PBX Appliance

 

• Runs snom ONE software
• Entirely solid state
• Supports 20 extensions
• According to snom uses less than 60kWh per year (compared to 876kWh for a PC)
• Power it with POE!
• IPv6
• This unit can act as a backup SIP registrar for cloud services failover
  • Also, using snom phones it can act as Voice backup server

 

Of interest to our Lync audience may be our How to Integrate snom ONE and Microsoft Lync blog:
http://windowspbx.blogspot.com/2011/09/using-snom-one-as-sip-trunk-gateway-for.html

http://www.snom.com/en/products/ip-pbx/snom-one-mini/

snom 821 UC Edition (Lync) Firmware 8.8.1.11 “Apollo” Officially Released and Approved By Microsoft

snom has been working on their “Apollo” Lync UC Edition firmware and it is has been released out of Beta and approved by Microsoft.

New Features in the latest firmware 8.8.1.11:

• Feature: Show Caller Picture (web only)
• Feature: Hardware Loadbalancer Support

Here are some more articles to bring you up to date on snom UC Edition latest features:

• Why does snom add value to Lync Voice Deployment? See this set of videos!
• My blog summarizing some new “Apollo” firmware features: in this blog article
• snom Brings Presence to Physical DeskPhone Buttons!: Click Here for detailed explanation

Some of my testing notes for FW 8.8.1.11

• Response Group Answer Delay Report (SIP Trunk > Lync RGS > snom UC Edition)
• on snom821 a mere 1.5-2 second delay, (compared to LPE 6sec?)
• on snom370 a 3.5 second delay. This is almost unusable because its too long and there is no tone to let answering person know when they can talk.
• Park context sensitive soft button is very handy (only on snom 821)
• web UI (https) is now faster and reasonably responsive (on snom 821 at least)
  • if snom 370 is too slow, just turn off https
• Contact List retrieval is much faster than the Beta version
• Safe transfer is now useable

Things that don’t work as expected/Bugs?

• No way to Safe Transfer using a Contact Button (Using a Contact Assigned to a Key). (For example Transfer, Contact-AssignedTo-Button/BLF Button, Safe Transfer)
• on snom 370 model, when a user tries to pickup a parked call by dialing #500 (for example) the # changes to a period randomly? (see: http://forum.snom.com/index.php?showtopic=10295)
• On snom 821, the Button Labels/Descriptions disappear?  this works fine, just make sure you reset phone before upgrading firmware.
• snom 821, Press a Button Assigned to a contact (that is only in a distro group), then decide not to dial and press X. Instead of going back to Home screen you are dropped into the Distribution List? No way to exit but lift handset and hangup again?

Things that need enhancement

• Ability to change the music on hold from the Web GUI or provision MOH file from Lync Client or Lync Server
• The Response Group answer is enough delay (for sure on 3xx devices) there should be some kind of indication to user when they talk. Lync Phone Edition beepbeeps till user can start talking.
• Ability to change the myriad of phone settings (which its GREAT we have these settings, but a little bit of a management quandry if quantity of phones) from Lync Server Control Panel/Some way centrally would make the device settings much more manageable. (but frankly, LPE can’t do this either.)

 

Source:
http://forum.snom.com/index.php?showtopic=10090&#entry30242

Get The Firmware:
http://www.snom.com/en/your-personal-menu/snom-uc-edition-firmware-center/snom-uc-edition-88111/

snomPhone for Mac: Mac Utility for Interacting with snom Phones

snom has a small tray app for Windows and just today I noticed that DanielHa has written a small Mac utility to interact with snom phones.

Some features noted:

• be notified of incoming call
• see missed call
• return calls from deskop

Opensource:
http://code.google.com/p/snomphone/

snom Releases Windows UC Client That Does Presence, Instant Message and Visual Voicemail

 

snom has released a UC Client for the snom ONE IP PBX to add Unified Communication features. Below is a look and video review of some of the features.

Some features on this first iteration

• Presence (or perhaps more accurately extension state?)
• Instant Message
• Complete VoIP Client (Softphone)
• Visual Voicemail
• Contact List
• Unified Call History
• Set your user picture and note
• Debugging: SIP logging and view

Missing Features (at the moment)

• Click to transfer
• Click to call VoiceMail or transfer to Voicemail
• No tone/sound on incoming IM
• No incoming call to the softphone/client

Bugs noticed

• If you change users you need to close and reopen program
• DTMF pad didn’t seem to work for me?
• clicking on a missed call crashes the client

Review Notes

• snom has noted this product is BETA: So bugs are to be reported, not complained about. ;-)
• Very snappy UI that responds nicely
• Right clicking on a Contact gives an extra, unnecessary “jump/flicker” but it works.
• This client does not automate/control the desk phone, but is a complete SIP softphone
• But in some ways feels unified: missed/dialed calls from any endpoint show up in client
• Missed versus Dialed  calls not very clearly marked
• Very definitely a BETA (perhaps Alpha?) release

See the Video First Impression Review Here:

 

Get it here:
http://wiki.snomone.com/index.php?title=Installing_the_Attendant_Console
http://wiki.snomone.com/index.php?title=The_snom_Attendant_Console

Video Review of snom Vision Expansion Module for SIP and Lync

 

 

Pros:

• One of the first physical Lync Qualifed expansion module/attendant consoles for Microsoft Lync (snom 370 expansion module is another, Polycom has one but NOT qualified.)
• Solid look and feel, nice build quality
• Connects to phone via IP address (No USB needed)
• Can be powered via POE (not 100% sure if this is pro or con. should it be USB?)

Cons:

• Bit slow paging between screens of extensions
• Screen could show text-based Lync presence (ie: In a Call, In a Meeting, Inactive, etc)
• Marketing show screen displaying Presence colors—you won’t find this in the live version

Some more points:

• Red/Orange/Green colored BLF
• full color, touch screen
• 16 x 3 extension monitoring
• connects to snom 8xx device via IP
• Works with a variety SIP pbx's and Microsoft Lync
• 2 USB ports (for future use?)
• 2 bracket angles

Screen shot of configuration of the Vision

• To associate the Vision with a snom 8xx phone goto the Web UI, Click on Extension Module | define the 8xx IP address and username/password and click “Re-establish phone connection”
• To setup an extension

Buttons can be defined as:

More details on Microsoft Lync using snom BLF buttons for presence:
http://windowspbx.blogspot.com/2012/02/snom-brings-lync-presence-to-desk-phone.html

More details on snom Vision firmware version 1.2.4 Update:
http://windowspbx.blogspot.com/2012/04/snom-vision-sip-or-lync-attendant.html

snom Phone .NET Library Makes Automating Deskphone a Little Easier

 

A codeplex project aimed at making automating your snom phone has been released. What does this simple class library do?

• press any key on the phone
• dial numbers
• mute and unmute
• and more…

http://snom.codeplex.com/

snom 370 UC Edition Becomes Lync Qualified: First Attendant Console Lync Device

 

Some interesting features snom 370 brings to the Microsoft Lync eco system:

• 12 freely programmable buttons (typically 2 or so are used for “Lines”/”Calls”)
• Greyscale, tilt able display
  • (I’ve heard some complaints about Lync Phone Edition tilt angles)
• Attendant console functionality using Expansion Module available so your receptionist can have up to 138 buttons.
  • The math above is that there are 12 buttons built in the phone plus 3 Expansion Modules with 42 buttons on each.

Some features that all snom UC Edition devices bring to Lync:

• Ability to set your presence from the desk phone device
• Physical buttons & lights that display other Lync user’s presence Click Here

Below is a snom 370 with 3 Expansion Modules:

Note: The snom 370 does NOT integrate via USB to the Microsoft Lync 2010 Attendant client. The presumption is that you are selecting a desk phone attendant scenario if using this phone.

Source: http://www.snom.com/en/products/unified-communications/microsoft-ocs-qualified-products/
snom 370 Specs: http://downloads.snom.net/documentation/data_snom370_en.pdf

UPDATE 3/22/2012 : The snom 370 is now on the Lync Official IP Deskphone page:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/lync/gg278172

snom Brings Lync Presence to Desk Phone Definable Indicator Lights

Note: While the snom 300 and snom 821 are Lync Qualified devices, the features noted in this article may not be included in the Lync Qualified certification process. I am still awaiting clarification on this point.

I know I am not necessarily in the majority when it comes to being interested in physical buttons on Lync phones but I stick to my guns: some scenarios require buttons for maximum efficiency.

snom is doing some very interesting work in bringing Microsoft Lync presence to phone buttons and indicator lights on their snom 300 and 821 Lync Qualified devices. With the snom UC Edition firmware you can have a button/indicator assigned to show a Lync user’s presence.

Steps to Have snom Lights Show Lync User Presence:

1. Install snom UC Edition (version 8.7.x) and configure a Lync user (snomLyncUser) on the phone
2. Make SURE all the Lync users you want to watch/monitor using snom indicator lights are added are in snomLyncUser’s contact list.
   1. You will need to use the Lync Client to do this, so log into Lync client using “snomLyncUser” and add the contacts you want to watch.
   2. Note that the contacts cannot merely be in the Lync contact list via a Distribution Group, you need to specifically add that Lync User.
3. Now login to snom device to define the buttons/indicator lamps
   1. Click on “Function Keys”
   2. Change the button type to “Presence” and type the Lync user URI in the next field. (example: lyncuser01@lyncdomain.com) For this exercise we’ll assign lyncuser01 to P4.
   3. Repeat this for each Lync user you want to assign to a light/button.
   4. Click “Apply”
   5. At the top of the screen (not shown) you will need to click a final “Save”
   6. That’s it.

Now lets look at the snom 300 we just configured. The red arrow show the light (P4) we assigned to LyncUser01 and it is working! Since it is lit we know that lyncuser01 is either Busy, DND, Off Work, Appear Away or In Call status. This bring up the weakness of a boolean (light on or off) to show presence, but it is much better than nothing.

Here is a how Lync presence states map to the default snom 300 light states:

• Available = Off
• Busy = On
• DND = On
• Be Right Back = Off
• Off Work = On
• Appear Away = On
• In Call = On

If you don’t like how snom mapped the lights, don’t get too upset—they’ve also given us a way to map/configure how they work as well! But first, let’s look at snom 821.

While the snom 300 series only has 1 color light, the 821 has 3 colors, which is very very helpful when trying to convey presence. In the picture below P3 Lync user is Away/Inactive and P4 is DND/Busy/In Call.

The default snom 821 Lync presence to light map is something like:

• Available = Green*
• Busy = Red
• DND = Red
• Be Right Back = Orange*
• Off Work = Orange*
• Appear Away = Orange*
• In Call = Red
• Inactive = Orange
• Away = Orange

[Note: If the asterisked items above do not light as shown, it is likely because you did not do a Factory Reset on the snom device prior to upgrading from a previous firmware. To correct this you can either do a factory reset or add the state to led_on! as shown below. ]

How to change the default Lync Presence to light color or state mapping?

In the snom web interface, click “Settings”. Find the spot where the below text is and you will see the settings you need to change to change the light mapping.

• led_on!: ON BUSY IN_A_CALL IN_A_MEETING HOLDING DND UNAVAILABLE ACTIVE INACTIVE AWAY PhoneHasMissedCalls
• led_blink_slow!:  CurrentIdentityHasVoiceMessages
• led_blink_medium!:
• led_blink_fast!: RINGING PhoneHasCallInStateRinging PhoneHasMonitoringLineKeyInStateRinging
• led_red!: BUSY IN_A_CALL IN_A_MEETING HOLDING DND
• led_green!: AVAILABLE
• led_orange!: AWAY INACTIVE
• led_blue!:
• led_red_green!:
• led_red_orange!:
• led_green_orange!:
• led_message_usage!: PhoneHasCallInStateRinging PhoneHasMonitoringLineKeyInStateRinging CurrentIdentityHasVoiceMessages PhoneHasMissedCall

If you want to quickly change one of the above settings, just plug something like this into a browser:
http://192.168.1.65/dummy.htm?led_red_green=DND&settings=save

What Do snom Buttons Do In Microsoft Lync Environment?

• Light shows Presence
• One button call
• 2 Button Call Transfer to Lync User*

* - I’ve noticed when doing a 2 button transfer the experience is a little different than I normally expect: while the user you just transferred is being transferred, you will hear hold music, which will stop when the call is connected.

snom Vision Notes:

UPDATE: snom Vision seems to work fine with Lync presence. Upgrading snom Vision to FW 1.2.4 adds several major updates.

snom 821 with FW 8.8.1.1 BETA (above)

 

snom Vision FW 1.2.4 User Interface (above)

Notes about snom Vision:

• Is snom Vision Lync Qualified? I don’t know if there is even a protocol around certification for devices that connect to Lync Qualified devices.
• snom Vision does not pull Lync photos from Lync Server. You need to manually configure them on the Vision or from XML provisioning.
• snom 821 FW 8.8.1.1 now shows presence as text under the Lync Contact’s name only on the snom  821, not on the snom Vision. As of snom Vision firmware 1.2.4.
• How do I connect the snom Vision to a snom 821 Lync Qualified phone? In the snom Vision web interface goto Modules | Extension Module. Type the IP address, User and Password of the snom 821 and click “Reestablish phone connection”. This pairs the snom Vision and 821.
• How do I assign a Lync user to a snom Vision button? Follow the instructions above for snom 821 with the follow note: For the 821 when you type in the sip URI of lyncuser@lyncdomain.com it changes it for you to <sip:lyncuser@lyncdomain.com>. Since the snom Vision does not do this for you you need type the lync user SIP URI as: <sip:lyncuser@lyncdomain.com>.

snom ONE IP PBX Forum Community Grows Over 400% in 1 Year

I was doing a bit of reminiscing tonight and decided to checkup on how the snom ONE forum “community” has grown since pbxnsip became snom ONE. I did a post back in Feb 2011 just after snom took in pbxnsip and compared that to today’s forum members to get an idea of the growth:

• Feb 2011 = 3,356 members
• Jan 2012 = 13,032 members

I’d say not too bad. snom has been doing quite a bit of work in the last year in the PBX area and desk phone area:

• snom 7xx Series
• Microsoft Lync Qualification
• snom ONE PBX Appliance
• snom 300 UC (Lync Optimized device)

snom ONE remains a good PBX solution for SMB’s and hosted scenarios where UC is not a focus.

• Very stable software based PBX
• Cross platform: Windows/Linux/Mac software IP PBX
• Largest feature set among Windows PBX’s
• can hook into Microsoft Lync and Exchange UM (although not certified or qualified)

Source:
http://windowspbx.blogspot.com/2011/02/big-interest-in-snom-one-phone-system.html

My First Peek at the New snom 760: Comments, Photos and Opinions

The new snom 7xx series phones (snom 720 and 760) have not quite hit distribution as I write this. But a couple of weeks ago at the D&H Hershey show I caught up with Paul Jameison of snom and got a quick glance at the snom 760. Since the demo unit wasn’t plugged in, no pictures of the display.

Quick Summary

• using a snom bluetooth dongle you can directly use bluetooth headset
• 12 or 18 2 color definable buttons
• Dual gigabit ethernet ports (1 is power over ethernet)
• “Silent” handset return to cradle feature

Below are some pictures and comments.

The snom 760 layout is a lot like the snom 821 with an extra set of definable buttons between 3.5” QVGA color display and numeric keys. When you return the handset of the 760 back in the cradle it has a very soft feel: Intentionally to avoid the “bang/Clunk” when returning it after a page or intercom. A nice touch.

The button layout around the display is similar to the snom 821 as shown above. There are 12 buttons/2-color indicators on the 760 and 18 buttons/2-color indicators on the 720. The screen is color.

The base of this unit is plastic compared to 8xx metal base. It requires no tools to install or change orientation (tilt level) which will be a welcome change from 8xx series phones.

The back of the 760 is shown above. Notice the USB which can be used for a snom WIFI or Bluetooth dongle. (click here to see snom bluetooth dongle) Also the dual 1GB ethernet plugs include LED’s to indicate the network status. Also the power plug port is shown. The unit can also be Power over ethernet.

The snom 760 keypad above: Once again similar to the 8xx. The mute, speaker and headset button have back light indicators.

Final Opinions/Observations:

• I think there is room for a modern, key deskphone
• Bluetooth capability fits the BYOD generation
• Compared to 8xx, it is more “plastic”
• Considering other new snom models have “Lync Qualified” designation I expect this unit will eventually go that direction as well and with “key system” features, could be interesting combination
• I’m looking forward to trying out this model

Nice Video-Its marketing but shows phone nicely: click here
More detailed specs of 720/760: click here