Phone Amego currently supports the Linksys/Sipura family of VoIP adaptors including the PAP2T, SPA-2100, SPA-2102, SPA-3000, and SPA-3102. [I use the SPA-2102 with CallCentric for testing.]
The first step is to select a VoIP device as shown below.
Next, press Attach Device to configure how Phone Amego will contact your adaptor.
You will need to know the IP address of your VoIP Telephone Adaptor (if Phone Amego doesn't find it).
If your device requires a password to login, you would enter it above with the username "user" or "admin", otherwise leave these fields blank. If no IP address is specified, pressing Login will scan for your VoIP adaptor and fill in the IP address it finds if any. Once an IP address is specified, pressing Login will attempt to open your web browser to the device status page verifying your login credentials were accepted.
Some adaptors provide a built-in router and 2nd Ethernet port, so you may be connected to the LAN port, while other configurations place the adaptor behind your existing router so you will be connected to the WAN or Internet port. For Linksys/Sipura adaptors, you can ask it to announce the IP address as follows:
Many Internet Telephone Service Providers (ITSPs) will supply a pre-configured VoIP adaptor locked to their service. This is generally preferred by those new to VoIP service since no configuration is required. The "user" password (if needed) is often available upon request to fine tune your configuration. The "admin" password that allows you to unlock the device to work with another provider may be closely guarded, or available to long time customers depending on your circumstances.
Other ISPs allow you to supply your own adaptor. This is often preferred by experienced VoIP users and professionals since it allows you to pick the best equipment and customize it to meet your needs. Your adaptor will be unlocked and you are free to set your own "user" and "admin" passwords as desired. The Linksys/Sipura VoIP adaptors are popular among the BYOD crowd earning high marks for call quality and flexible configuration.
By default, Phone Amego will poll your VoIP adaptor every 5 seconds to retreive the call status. On a switched Ethernet LAN, the overhead is modest and responsiveness is comparable to landline caller ID which is sent between the first and second ring.
If you have administrator access to your VoIP adaptor, you can configure it to notify Phone Amego when the call status changes. This eliminates the overhead of polling, and allows caller ID to appear on screen as soon as a call arrives before the phone rings.
To use notification, check the "Recieve Notification On" box, and then enter the corresponding IP address and Port as the "Debug Server" on your VoIP adaptor as shown below.
The steps are as follows.
Your VoIP adaptor will now notify Phone Amego when its call status changes. When Phone Amego receives the first such notification (such as when your VoIP adaptor re-registers), it will stop polling to retrieve the call status. You will notice call status reporting is faster and more responsive.
If you have the Mac OS X built-in firewall enabled, you may need to authorize Phone Amego to "accept incoming network connections." See System Preferences -> Security -> Firewall.
In order to read the call status from your VoIP adaptor, Phone Amego needs to remember the IP address of your adaptor. In order to use notification, your VoIP adaptor needs to remember the IP address of the host running Phone Amego. Many LANs are configured using DHCP which means devices may be assigned IP addresses on a first come first served basis. Your configuration will be more stable if the local IP address of your VoIP adaptor and the host computer running Phone Amego do not change. Many DHCP servers provide a mechanism to assign a static or fixed IP address to a specific device which you can use.
Even if you cannot configure a static IP address, your VoIP adaptor will normally be left on all the time (24 x 7), so the DHCP lease should be renewed (keeping the same IP address) before it expires. In the event of a power disruption, DHCP Servers are designed to remember your previous IP address assignment and give it back to you unless it's not available. Finally, Phone Amego can scan the first 255 addresses of the assigned IP subnet to look for your adaptor and fill in the IP address automatically. If you notice your VoIP adaptor is no longer "connected and ready", simply press the Attach Device button and Phone Amego will try to find it.
Q: How does Phone Amego compare with VonaLink ScreenPop?
A: Both products provide VoIP Caller ID, but they use different approaches.
VonaLink ScreenPop monitors VoIP (SIP) traffic on your LAN, so is compatible with most SIP based VoIP services. In order to monitor SIP traffic, you must use an Ethernet hub (not a switch) to connect the WAN side of your VoIP adapter to the Ethernet port of the computer running the VonaLink software. Wireless connections are not supported.
Phone Amego connects directly with Linksys/Sipura VoIP telephone adaptors to read call status. There are no restrictions on your network topology, but you must use one of the supported telephone adapters.
VonaLink ScreenPop can block calls based on the calling number. Google Voice and other VoIP services now provide call blocking as well. VonaLink SoloRecord can record your VoIP calls. Google Voice provides call recording as well (for incoming calls).
Q: How can I verify whether my VoIP adaptor is compatible with Phone Amego?
A: Use your web browser to login to your VoIP adaptor and open the Voice status page as shown below. On my network, the voice status page is available at this URL <http://192.168.17.17/voice/>
Scan down to find these fields:
These are the fields Phone Amego examines to confirm the product name and obtain caller ID information.
