VoIP Equipment and Solution Vendors

Whether you are a corporate or residential VoIP user, at one time or another, you have to give some attention to what equipment you are using, since they have a bearing on your VoIP experience. As the VoIP market has grown over the last decade, so has the number of vendors. There are dozens of these hardware manufacturers and solution vendors around, meaning better prices through competition, but also better quality and features. We have shortlisted some of the most popular and most evaluated vendors below.

Avaya

Avaya is the leader in the VoIP market. It has a vast variety of equipment and solutions including IP phones, media gateways, routers, communication servers, PBXs, wireless phones, voice application etc. Its hottest product is the IP Office platform and communications system.

What We Like

Superior for call centers.
Well-known name in the industry.
Good documentation.

What We Don't Like

Requires use of only Avaya brand phones.
Difficult technical support.
Poor customer service.

Cisco

Before VoIP, Cisco has been around as a networking vendor giant. Now, it is a leading player in the VoIP equipment arena, with good IP Phones, routers, and other devices and solutions. Cisco owns Linksys, which is also well known on the market.

What We Like

Reliable VoIP system.
Easy to setup.
Easy to use interface.

What We Don't Like

Pricier VoIP system than most.
May require certified technician to set up.

Shoretel

Shoretel is a fast-growing vendor providing complete IP telephony solutions and PBXs. ShoreTel's strong points are performance and ease of installation and use.

What We Like

Less expensive than other vendors.
Excellent call quality on smaller systems.
Includes mobile integration.

What We Don't Like

Customers report occasional unreliable systems.
Poor customer support.
System is not intuitive.

Siemens

Siemens is another giant in technology which has extended its reach to VoIP and unified communications. It provides phones, PBXs and ... just anything concerning communication.

What We Like

Reliable service.
Stable VoIP system.
Excellent call quality.

What We Don't Like

Basic user interface.
Slow web interface.
Phones lack headset jack.

Mitel

Mitel is a global provider of communications solutions for enterprises and small business. It aims at blending good human interface with powerful infrastructure. Mitel brands include SX and ICP series.

What We Like

Good variety of phones.
Scalable for any sized business.

What We Don't Like

Poor customer service.
Complicated setup.
More expensive than many other vendors.
Unreliable systems.

Asterisk

Asterisk is not hardware, but a software PBX that can run on Linux, Unix, MacOS and some other operating systems. It is open source (meaning free) and is extremely flexible and very robust.

What We Like

Integrates with computer systems.
Stable VoIP system.
Less expensive solution.

What We Don't Like

Difficult to troubleshoot.
Outdated web interface.

Taridium

Taridium is a fast growing open standards VoIP solution provider. Taridium's offering ranges from managed VoIP services for small and medium-sized businesses through to high capacity telephony solutions for large enterprises and service providers.