DVG-1402S: The First Unlocked VoIP Router?
BY JOHANNE TORRES
SIPphone Inc., the VoIP-based calling service from MP3.com's founder
Michael Robertson, today announced the immediate availability of the
D-Link Broadband Phone Service VoIP Router DVG-1402S. The new router
created by D-Link-not intentionally restricted to a particular VoIP
service, can be configured for use with any SIP standards-based VoIP
service, with no fees or penalties to the customer.
The San Diego, CA-based company says the DVG-1402S router works in
seconds out of the box with the SIPphone's free service. According to
Robertson-SIPphone's CEO, in the VoIP industry, services like Vonage
and AT&T pay manufacturers to lock otherwise standards-based hardware
to their service. Robertson says that these payments come in many
forms including price subsidies, rebates and development funds.
"Take a look at any of the other VoIP adapters or routers on the shelf
in the store and you will see the word 'free' sprinkled across every
surface of the box, but this is misleading. The DVG-1402S is, the only
VoIP adapter or router from a major manufacturer you can use out of
the box without paying monthly fees," added Robertson. "Can you
imagine if AOL paid Dell to lock modems to their dialup service? It is
unthinkable, and yet that is just what VoIP providers like Vonage are
doing with voice adapters," says Robertson.
Last September, SIPphone filed suit against Vonage for allegedly
releasing misleading packaging and advertising on locked VoIP adapters
from Cisco's Linksys. In the suit, SIPphone demanded that Vonage
properly label boxes and advertisements to list the mandatory fees and
restrictions of their locked hardware. According to SIPphone, with the
availability of the DVG-1402S router, the company will enable
consumers to choose a feature rich, unlocked adapter.
The D-Link DVG-1402S enables standard phones to be used for placing
calls over the Internet while sharing the incoming Internet connection
across up to four different PCs. Using existing broadband connection,
the D-Link DVG-1402S connects directly to a cable or DSL modem in
place of a traditional router using a firewall protection. When users
connect up to two regular phones to the D-Link DVG-1402S, it enables
them to connect to SIPphone's Internet telephone service for free.
Compatible with SIPphone's free call features such as in-network
calling, caller ID, voicemail-to-email, conference calling, call
hunting, SMS notification, call waiting, and call blocking, the D-Link
DVG-1402S also acts like a router for a home or business network,
providing room to connect up to four computers to share an Internet
connection without affecting call quality.
The DVG-1402S fully supports SIPphone's leading auto-configuration
standard, Plug-N-Dial. With Plug-N-Dial, consumers get a working VoIP
phone just seconds after plugging in the DVG-1402S to a regular
telephone and a broadband connection. The router is currently
available for $99 at SIPphone's Web site.
SIPphone http://www.sipphone.com
Johanne Torres is contributing editor for TMCnet.com
and Internet Telephony magazine. Previously, she was assistant editor for
EContent magazine in Connecticut. She can be reached by e-mail at
jtorres@tmcnet.com.
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