Conferencing Buying Guide

1. Analogue or VoIP
The first step to buying a conference phone, is deciding whether you want a traditional analogue one that connects to a PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network), or a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) one that hosts calls over the internet.

2. What features do you need?
You also need to think about what features you want the phone to have. This might be a headset jack for private calls, or one that is compatible with platforms such as Skype for Business, Microsoft Lync, and Jabber etc.

3. Weight and portability
If you are looking for a portable conferencing solution for on-the-go meetings, then a lightweight and compact one that can connect to your device via USB or Bluetooth is recommended.

A VoIP conference phone uses an Internet connection to send and receive calls, rather than a traditional telephone network. One of the key benefits of VoIP conferencing is that you do not have to pay standard landline charges for making a call.

Full-duplex technology allows sound to travel in two-directions simultaneously, allowing both parties to speak at once creating a natural style of conversation.

An expandable conference phone is a phone that can be extended via expansion microphones in order to extend the audio coverage.

Video conferencing works on the same principle as standard conferencing, using either telephone or internet technologies. A video conference requires a camera and a microphone

Businesses often express concern over the security of video conferencing. It’s important to know that video services are encrypted by their host servers, especially with a subscription.
For more information, download our in-depth buying guide that will take you through the decision process.