The new Stingray is here! And with it, we are excited to start a new blog series that will highlight all the different features of the Stingray. Each week we will pick one of the many unique Stingray features and post a brief blog about it. We hope to give you a deeper look at what makes it so special and how it can solve some of the typical problems we see in collaboration spaces. Obviously, we would love to hear your comments, so feel free to reach out to us directly here.
So, without further ado, here is the first feature we’d like to introduce:
SIP dialing, or to be more specific “different ways to dial a SIP call when the Stingray is running the (audio) show”.
Option #1
Use our free app – last year, Phoenix Audio introduced a one of a kind SIP dialing application. The app allows you to easily connect to the Stingray from either your personal device or a dedicated device that’s been placed in a room as a dedicated controller (such as a tablet). The app can detect Phoenix Audio devices on the LAN and will allow you to connect to them through the Wi-Fi.
But what if you have multiple rooms in your facility with Stingrays installed? No problem. You can easily toggle and choose the room you want to be connected to, through a list of product names on the application.
| Fun fact: The app is compatible with all Phoenix Audio SIP products including the Spider (MT505) and the Condor (MT600) and runs on both IOS as well as Android platforms. |
Software dialer for PC – everyone knows that in today’s UC collaboration space, the PC is king. More and more rooms are equipped with a dedicated PC that runs all the different collaboration software. In this type of setup, we frequently see an empty table with just a wireless keyboard and mouse to control and manage the computer. We often get asked the question, “how does someone dial a regular SIP call in this type of room?” Traditionally, the answer you usually get is that you need to do one of the following:
- Buy an additional controller for the room (Crestron, AMX, etc.).
- Buy a SIP phone and put it on the table.
- Buy an overpriced dial-out option from the video conferencing provider to replace the already existing phone line.
So, if none of these options make sense to you (as none of them do to us), then our PC dialer is ideal for you. The dialer software is a simple GUI keypad that runs on your desktop and allows you to control all the phone functions of your Phoenix device. It’s extremely easy to use and many users love the fact that there is a very small learning curve required for rooms that use this software.
Have a video call? Go to the PC. Have an audio only call? Go to the PC. It’s easy, simple, clean and will save you a few dollars over the alternatives.
| Fun fact: You don’t have to choose between having a SIP call or a video call with the Stingray. You can do both simultaneously! The Stingray will automatically bridge between the two to perform a three-way call with the different platforms. This feature is true to other Phoenix Audio SIP capable products as well (MT505 &MT600). Here’s a video so you can see this in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB39yGWUnK4&t=26s |
Stay tuned for next week’s Stingray post: What is the Stingray’s smart mixing?
