Editor Profile - Tim O’Neill is an independent technology consultant. He has over 30 years experience working in the WAN, Analog, ISDN, ATM and LAN test market. Tim has worked with companies like Navtel, Network General, Ganymede and ClearSight Networks and is now helping companies get lab recognition and technology verification. Tim is also the Chief Contributing Editor for LoveMyTool.com, a website designed to help network managers gain access to valuable information and real solution stories from other customers. Tim is a patent holding, published and degreed engineer, who has seen this technology grow from Teletype (current loop) data analysis to today’s 10 Gigabit LAN’s focused on business applications with heavy compliance demands. Tim can be reached at oldcommguy (at) bellsouth (dot) net.
If VoIP is your focus, then a new product that looks like a SNICKER’S bar might bring a song to your heart!
As we all know, testing VoIP deployments can be very painful. Most deployment and success testing is done from the host end and seldom if ever is there any representation of the end user experience. It has always been difficult to easily test across the PSTN through VoIP gateways where the analog-to-digital conversion is frequently problematic.
The problem has always been that it is too costly to send a technician to the user’s site and do the testing. Someone has been working on this and they have come up with a unique solution. The NetSymphony solution has two parts: Part one - the Endpoint and Part two - the Testing server. And they can solve this remote technical representation issue by simply sending the remote user the appropriate Endpoint which they simply plug in and the testing begins automatically.
NetSymphony has a VoIP Test and Management Solution that will answer the important question, "It sounds good here, but what is it like for my users?”
Yes, I have found a very versatile solution for those charged with VoIP support and assessment. Whether your focus is a Private network or the PSTN this product will support interoperability Testing, Fault Isolation, End-to-end Testing and Analysis. In other words, this technology solution from NetSymphony, can give you everything you need to know to make sure that your users are getting a quality VoIP deployment whether you are using your own private network, you are using an ISP or you are the ISP!
The NetSymphony Maestro product has two main pieces – The remote endpoint that looks like a SNICKER’S Bar, which comes in two (2) flavors – Analog (A little bigger than the IP SNICKER’S version) and Digital (IP) and the Maestro Server device that is usually centralized for the responsible Team.
The current product supports SIP call procedures and can provide full voice quality testing capability and impairment analysis. The testing can be handled from one end of the call to the other through firewalls, gateways, session border controllers, etc.
Once the Endpoints are plugged in, they “Phone Home” to the Maestro Server and then the testing begins without a costly on-site visit from a technician.
The NetSymphony Maestro tests include:
- The SIP call setup process and efficiency
- The Analog through IP Gateway Call Setup Testing
- Testing Voice quality from end to end
This very cool technology can give you many results from simple Pass Fail to Voice Quality Scores using MOS scores with a valid comparison methodology. The solution can do much more for you than I have represented herein, so if VoIP quality is in your management arena, you must try the new NetSymphony solution, it is Very Cool and a Very Cost efficient Solution.
This is a new and exciting technology that will end the question as to how is the user experiencing the VoIP and let you know of impairments without any assistance from the user.
Tim Martin, President of Neoscope, LLC, a managed service provider in New England says the following,
“We are very excited to implement the latest technology. We will be able to assure high quality voice conversations whether they terminate on the customers LAN or terminate to the analog Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). The convenience of the “SNICKER’S-sized” endpoint from NetSymphony, allows for quick and easy monitoring of the customer’s voice quality experience within and among customer sites and from any customer site to the PSTN.”
In summary, the NetSymphony Maestro product is a unique active testing and monitoring solution for VoIP. Maestro’s innovative architecture and endpoints enable VoIP Service Providers, IP Telephony Manufacturers, Enterprises and System Integrators to Assess, Monitor and Troubleshoot VoIP networks remotely, cost effectively and with non-expert technicians. The Maestro solution covers the entire life cycle from pre-deployment through day-two management of VoIP services. Leveraging the super small test endpoints placed on IP and PSTN networks to measure call setup and voice quality performance allows visibility into the end-user’s quality of experience. Test and measurements include both on and off-net segments for both Packet (IP) and Analog networks.
This is a new and exciting technology that will answer the question, “It sounds good here, but what is it like for my users?”
Thanks to Dave Thompson and NetSymphony for the drawings and support with this article.
I wish everyone Great Success with Less Stress – Oldcommguy!
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