Meru Streamlines Wireless VoIP with VoIP Unplugged Program

Meru Networks, a provider of software and systems for wireless VoIP infrastructure, yesterady announced a new partner program, called VoIP Unplugged, that aims to ease the process and take the guesswork out of deploying wireless VoIP networks.

Members of the program will establish technology requirements and best practices, conduct interoperability testing and certification, create complete installation guides, and provide an ongoing support system for those deploying wireless VoIP.

The Meru VoIP Unplugged Program has certified the vendors in the following categories to define interoperable wireless VoIP solutions that provide dial-tone-quality voice service over wireless LANs

--Strategic IP Solutions (including IP PBXs, wired and wireless IP endpoints, SIP servers, call management software and security products): Avaya Inc., Juniper Networks Inc.

--VoIP infrastructure: Fujitsu Network Communications Inc., Hitachi Ltd., OKI Network Technologies Inc., ShoreTel Inc., Zultys Technologies

--Wireless VoIP devices: Hitachi Cable Ltd., Vocera Communications Ltd.

--Wireless VoIP management and planning: Roving Planet Inc., WildPackets Inc.

--Metro Broadband wireless solutions: Firetide Inc.

“We started with the most manageable group that we could, which was people that we had worked with before,” says Joel Vincent, director of product marketing for Meru Networks.

Emphasizing that any vendor can join, he says, “It was prompted by talking with customers who asked what works with what and where do we start. And our partners were getting the same questions. So customers can ask whatever vendor [in the partner program] and find out about voice over IP and how to do it.”

SpectraLink Corp., whose Wi-Fi phones are possibly the most widely deployed at this time along with the company’s software for wireless VoIP, is now in the testing phase with the VoIP Unplugged specs and likely will be certified soon, according to Meru. SpectraLink works with standard 802.11 access points.

Having worked with some of the vendors in the VoIP Unplugged program for more than two years, “We didn’t just come up with a bunch of people that wanted to co-market,” says Vincent. “We have been doing things together for a while.”

The program also includes a lab that will do interoperability testing for any additional vendors that wish to join.

In the future the VoIP Unplugged program will address new features and best practices, says Vincent, such as E911 and other “processes that take cooperation end to end on how do them,” he says. “These are parts of the value chain that we have to get in there.”

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