Linphone is an open source SIP client for HD voice/video calls, 1-to-1 and group instant messaging, conference calls etc. Available for iOS, Android, Windows, macOS and GNU/Linux. Free VoIP Server for Windows OS. The Mizu SIP softswitch is available for free -no limits. The Mizu compact VoIP server is the first free unlocked softswitch for the Windows platform with business features and a comfortable graphical user interface, with all the goodies from the commercial softswitch edition. This is used for people who need to have two phone numbers but don’t want to pay for a second phone. You can get a 7 day free trial for their second phone number service. After that, it costs only $9.99 a month to maintain. Available on: iOS and Google Play; Try your first Flyp number free for 7-days, after that, it costs $7.99 a. ``Solid Softphone for SIP calls`` The largest benefit to this software is convenience and cost effectiveness. Bria is compatible with many third party applications and most SIP providers will offer configuration support. The combined softphone and USB headset cost is much less than a VOIP phone / headset combo and has no desktop footprint.
Installation instructions
Activating the Zoiper License: (Zoiper Business Edition Only)
If you are using Zoiper Business Edition, an activation screen will appear on the first startup. Please fill in the email address you used to purchase Zoiper as the 'username field'. You can find the password in the mail that was sent to you directly after your purchase.
Activate online
If your computer is connected to the Internet, you can activate your copy of Zoiper automatically by clicking on the Activate online button. Zoiper will contact our licensing server and download the needed license files.
If your computer requires the use of a manually configured http proxy server, zoiper will automatically use the proxy as configured in the mac os X preferences.
Activate offline
If your computer is not connected to the Internet or a firewall is blocking access to our licensing server, the “Activate offline” - button can be used. Clicking on the button will generate a file that contains some details that are unique for your computer and the version of Zoiper that you are trying to register. The filename contains the name of your computer. It will look like this:
Open your file browser (Finder);
Select Go -> Go to Location and open this location:
Send an email with the PCNAME.certificate file attached to register4@shop.zoiper.com;
Close the instructions window.
Our server will send you a file named certificate. Please place it next to the PCNAME.certificate file and start your Zoiper. Note that the certificate file needs no extension.
Silent installers for mass deployments.
If you would like to install Zoiper without the need for user interaction, but with a progress indicator, use these command line options to the zoiper installer. (You will need to adjust the name based on the installer you are using).
Activation errors
In case the username and or password is incorrect, an error message will be shown and the application will exit. Please restart the application and try again.
If all went fine, this notice should appear, you are now ready to use the application
Configure Microphone and Speaker
Zoiper comes with a built-in Audio Wizard for easy configuration of your microphone and Speaker.
You may access this Audio Wizard by:
- Clicking on the speaker icon on the bottom right
- Clicking on the Settings menu in Zoiper and selecting Audio Wizard
Zoiper will configure your Speakers first.
Click on the “start the test” – button.
If your speakers are configured and connected properly, you should hear a ringing sound. If you do, please click on the Yes button and move on to the Microphone step.
If no ringing sound was heard, please make sure your speakers are connected properly and powered on and if needed change the selected audio device on the bottom of the page to a different one and try again by clicking on the “no” – button.
Click on the “Test your microphone” – button to start recording your voice.
If the selected microphone is connected properly, you should see the volume meter move when speaking into the microphone. If the volume meter is not moving, please check your cabling and make sure the proper audio device is selected in the Device section on the bottom of the page.
Configuring a SIP, IAX or XMPP account
Now that the audio devices are configured, it is time to move on to the configuration of the server you want to use. This could be a VoIP provider, your office PBX or a public XMPP provider such as Facebook.
Click on the Settings menu and select “create a new account”.
Account Type
A new page will appear to select the type of account you want to make. This will usually be SIP, unless your VoIP provider or system administrator instructed you otherwise
Select the type of account you want to configure and click on the “Next” – button.
Credentials
Your provider or system administrator should have provided you with a username, password and possibly a hostname.
Fill in the username on the first line and the password on the second line.
If your administrator provider you with a domain, proxy, registrar, hostname, outbound proxy or server field, please fill enter it on the last line.
Fill in the username on the first line and the password on the second line. The username could look like:
or:
or:
or:
The password will typically be a random string, usually with a combination of lowercase and uppercase characters and some number like:
This field will typically look like:
or:
or in case of a PBX might look like:
Account name
Please enter a name to identify this account; you are free to give it any name of your liking.
When you are done, click on the “next” – button. Zoiper will now try to figure out the best way to connect to the VOIP server.
Troubleshooting
In case the account wizard is unable to automatically configure your account, this could be due to a variety of reasons.
Most common reasons are:
- The server hostname does not exist or is incorrect.
- The username or password is incorrect.
- The server is not responding or a firewall is blocking the access.
- The account needs additional configuration to register
Please verify the information you have entered and try again.
If you are sure the information are correct and want to save the information and want to complete the configuration manually, click on “I know what I am doing, save this information anyway”.
See also Preferences -> Accounts.
A SIP App can be installed on iPhone and Android devices and help bring mobility to your business or even your residential phone service.
In this guide you will learn why SIP applications on a smartphone can help you in your daily business life and we also list what we believe to be the best SIP Apps for iPhone and Android devices.
What is a SIP Application
A SIP application (also known as a SIP App) is simply an App that can be installed on to your smartphone so it can be used as a SIP client for your VoIP service. It is pretty much useless without a VoIP service but when connected to your VoIP provider it enables you to extend your business phone system to work wherever you are, whether that be the office, in the car or at home.
Why a SIP App can Help your Business
There are a lot of advantages to using a SIP client on your iPhone or Android phone, as detailed below:
- Business Extension: It essentially acts as an extension to your business phone service. If someone rings your business phone number it can ring your desk phone and also ring your SIP App at the same time so you can take business calls on the road with you.
- Outbound Caller ID: If you need to make a business call simply call from inside the SIP App and the phone call will show your business Caller ID rather than your personal cellphone caller ID. This is a huge benefit to most small and medium sized businesses where employees have a personal cell phone.
- 3-Digit Dialing: Call a work colleague using 3 digit dialing. Simply call their extension from the App and their phone will ring.
- Messaging and Presence: Send messages direct to colleague's Apps or desk phones. Also detect their presence before calling e.g. are they available or busy.
- Video Calling: 1-click video calling with work colleagues.
Are there any Disadvantages?
There are also a few disadvantages with SIP clients on your smartphone. For example:
- Reduced Battery Life: The App may reduce your battery life since it is regularly synchronizing with your VoIP provider's servers. Some of the Apps you will see below now include push notifications as a feature which fixes the battery concern since it uses 'push messages' as a way to wake up the App.
- Cellular Data Plan: It is utilizing data from your cellphone's data plan, though if you are mainly doing audio rather than video it is not much of a data hog. Besides, most cellular plans have been 2GB and Unlimited data each month nowadays. Also, keep in mind that all of the Apps work over WiFi too which is not using cellular data bandwidth.
- Cellular Signal Strength: You are relying on good cellular signal strength when away from your office or home and if the signal is poor or not 4G/LTE speeds the audio quality could suffer.
- No Place to Hide: Yes it is true, the problem with these productivity enhancing Apps is you have nowhere left to hide! Remember you have airplane mode folks!
Our Top Recommended SIP Apps
Let's now look at some of the top SIP Apps in the marketplace. All of these SIP clients are good but we have tried to prioritize them, starting with what we believe to be the best one, the Bria Mobile App.
#1: Bria Mobile
The Bria Mobile App is an award winning SIP client for both the iPhone and Android phones and tablets. There is also a soft phone available for PCs and MACs, though it is expensive. For additional information check out our Bria softphone setup example.
Bria Pricing
- Free to download, $0.99/mo or $9.99/yr subscription
- In-App purchases: None (all features covered in subscription)
Pros
- Bria Mobile is feature rich and all features are now included as part of the subscription, such as presence, encryption, instant messaging, video and the G.729 CODEC.
- Regular updates for bugs and features. This is important especially considering the amount of iOS and Android software updates that occur each year.
- It works really well on WiFi and cellular service and switches seamlessly between them.
- Good online support channels direct from Counterpath, the company that designed Bria Mobile.
- Select a VoIP provider from the App. There are hundreds of providers already populated in the App. The reason this is so important is it loads the Bria App with defaults for your VoIP service. This saves you time and potential headaches as this application has many configuration options.
- Bria Push notifications is a much needed new feature that SIP clients are promoting. Essentially what this does is it allows you to turn off the Bria Mobile App and when an incoming call is initiated the Bria servers will send push notifications to the App on your phone to wake it up. This feature reduces battery usage considerably and is highly recommended. When we tested this it was in Beta and still needed some work but we recommend enabling this feature once released.
Cons
- The cost is prohibitive for some people since it is a subscription plan. This is particularly true if you had the previous Bria version since it was a one-time cost of $7.99. However, to be fair to Counterpath, it takes a lot of resources to test each iOS and Android release and gone are the days when you could expect just one or two updates per year.
#2: Zoiper
Zoiper is one of the most popular SIP clients for iPhone and Android devices. In fact it has been installed over one million times according to iTunes.
Zoiper Pricing
- Pro version costs one-time fee of $4.99 in iTunes and $8.49 in the Google Play store. Free LITE version available.
- In-App purchases: H.264 video and G.729 CODECs available as in-App purchases.
Free Sip Phone Machines
Pros
- The one-time fee for the Pro version and the option to use a free LITE version is very appealing when compared to Bria.
- It has more or less the same feature set as Bria but at considerably less expense. The in-App purchasing makes sense since not everyone needs video or G.729 audio compression so why pay for it.
- Providers can white label Zoiper for their own look and feel.
- Pre-loaded configurations for many VoIP providers. One advantage over Bria is the QR code scanner which enables easy account configuration since you do not need to enter any account credentials, just scan the QR code given to you from your provider.
- The Zoiper softphone is also available for Windows, MAC and even Linux. Similar to the Bria softphone it is expensive for the premium version but for occasional use Zoiper also has a free softphone, something Bria does not have at this time.
Cons
- The main concern we have with Zoiper is its stability. Now to be fair, this may have been fixed in subsequent software releases but during our testing the Zoiper App froze a few times and crashed. We also had some issues with missed incoming calls with Zoiper. Often this can be NAT related but our Bria testing never failed and had the same settings.
- No push notification feature. No doubt this is being worked on but Zoiper is behind Bria here and this feature will save your battery life so it is important.
- Appears to be less software updates compared to Bria.
#3: Acrobits
The Acrobits App was designed by a team in the Czech Republic. It is not as popular as Zoiper and Bria but actually has an impressive feature set and at a similar price point to Zoiper. However, note there is no desktop softphone version available for PCs and MACs.
Acrobits Pricing
- One time fee of $6.99
- In-App purchases: G.729 CODEC available as in-App purchase.
Pros
- Very low cost SIP client for smartphones with no subscription fee.
- Most features included as standard including push notifications to save battery life. If you do not use Push, you can still use the options for strong back-grounding support on iOS and Android phones.
- Has call recording built into the App, which can be a handy feature to have.
- Multiple VoIP providers have been tested with the Acrobits App though it is a much smaller set of providers than Zoiper or Bria.
- Regular software updates for the Acrobit App (monthly).
Cons
- The Acrobits App worked quite well in general though we had some issues with Bluetooth headset support.
- Less popular than Zoiper and Bria and considerably less downloads. Also a smaller team designing and supporting this product though they do work with some major carriers in Europe.
Conclusions
If your business life requires you to be mobile, a SIP App could be just what you need. It allows you to take your business on the road and make and receive calls as though you were sitting at your desk using a regular desk phone.
Free Sip Video Client
In this article we highlighted some of the benefits of using a SIP client on your smartphone and provided some great options for SIP Apps that are available for iPhone and Android devices.
Sip Voip Client
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