This article is to provide an overview of audio conferencing systems, their features, cell phone connectivity, integration with video conference, content sharing on an audio conference and audio conference systems over IP.

What is an audio conferencing system?

An audio conferencing unit is generally a triangle shaped phone unit which has three microphones and one speaker and connects to a telephone line or PBX trunk line to make and receive external calls. The users can sit around the audio conference system and talk to the other end. It is like a sophisticated speaker phone and can do much more than a speaker phone including providing a higher distance coverage and better quality.

Features of an audio conferencing system:

Entry level models have a coverage of up to 10 feet from the audio conference system – meaning multiple users from one side can talk to multiple users in remote side through a phone line and talk to them as long as they are within a 10 feet radius from the audio conference unit. Generally they provide full duplex speech capabilities. Some of them also come with a back-lit display to display the phone numbers, caller ID, call duration etc. They have most of the normal buttons found on the phones like redial, mute, transfer, hold etc. Some systems allow the connection of additional microphones for covering more area. Some advanced models also cover up to 20 feet, support HD voice and even support an optional sub-woofer to amplify the low level sounds for good clarity.

Cell phone connectivity to an audio conferencing system:

Some audio conferencing units allow to dial out or receive calls for having an audio conference through a cell phone. You need to connect the audio conference unit to the headset jack of the cell phone. This provides two functionalities: The use of the audio conference unit as a hands free unit for individual calls, and also conducting audio conferences using the cell phone network instead of the POTS trunk line as some conference rooms may not have a telephone trunk line coming in. The voice in such systems are generally encrypted for safety and an optional RJ-11 connectivity is also present to connect the analog trunk line. They may also come with a battery charger so that the whole system can be used in a wireless way and anywhere a cellphone network coverage is present.

Connectivity to a Video Conference:

Most of the video conference systems allow taking audio users as a part of the video conference session. So, the users of the video conference can talk to a remote site using only audio or both video and audio (if a VC system is present). Even a single cell phone user can be added to such a video conference session but an audio conferencing system enables a group of people to be added to it. Some advanced models integrate with the video conferencing units and allow the video conference users to dial to other video conferencing systems using the buttons of the audio conference users. It also becomes an additional microphone for the video conference users, in that case.

Content Sharing and Collaboration:

There are certain systems which allow users to share their content along with the audio conference session. There are certain specialized units that allow the users to connect the audio conferencing unit, LCD projector, Computer and internet connectivity to allow the collaboration of the audio conference session with content. Users connect their computers to this device using a VGA cable, dial the conference number and allow content sharing mode to share their presentations live while on the audio conference. The content can be displayed over the projector or a web browser. They actually set up a H.323 content sharing channel over the internet to transfer the content to remote site, live.

Audio Conferencing over IP:

There are certain IP Conference devices which gives most of the basic functions of an audio conferencing units discussed above but doesn’t connect over the analog telephone line. In fact, it connects over IP network to an IP PBX. Such phones are essentially SIP enabled for connecting to multi-vendor IP PBX. So, they register to the SIP enabled PBX as an IP device and an IP address gets assigned to them. So, in the future, there is no need to take a separate analog line in to your conference room to connect an audio conference unit.

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