IP phone (SIP phone)
An IP phone is a physical telephone that connects to a phone system over a data network using VoIP, usually with the SIP protocol, instead of a traditional phone line.
How an IP phone works
An IP phone plugs into the office network or connects over Wi-Fi. It registers with the phone system using a SIP account — a username, password and server address — and then rings for that account's calls. Many IP phones offer extra buttons for transfer, hold and colleague status.
IP phone or softphone?
- An IP phone suits reception desks, shared phones and people who spend all day on calls.
- A softphone suits people who move between devices or work remotely.
Many businesses use both, with the same user reachable on each.
IP phones in phone.systems™
phone.systems™ works with any SIP-enabled IP phone. Each seat includes one SIP account, configured under Contact Methods. SIP accounts support the codecs OPUS, G722, PCMU, PCMA, G729 and GSM, the transports UDP, TCP, TLS and WSS, and SRTP encryption. You can restrict a SIP account to allowed IP addresses. In the Dial Plan, a number can ring a SIP device directly. See the business phone system.