VOIP Tech Chat → [General] Why don't BYOD providers offer provisioning?

Looking though a couple of other threads today, I see a big difference between high-cost providers and the lower cost providers is typically the high-cost folks offer provisioning.

I'd bet 90% of the devices connected to BYOD providers are the same small group of ATAs -- linksys, OBiHai, etc. Maybe I'm wrong.

Perhaps some of the provider guys on here could speak to this?

I would think you do not have to resell ATAs in order to offer provisioning.. why not just have a simple BYOD instruction that tells the end user the provisioning URL and instructions on how to set it once the account is opened? I would think their would be much less hassle in configuration.

Voip.ms wiki- »wiki.voip.ms/article/Devices

Those are config instructions. I think what the OP is asking for is some kind of form where you could enter your ATA's MAC address and IP address and it will configure the ATA for you.
A couple of the providers I know who have this feature are 3Web and Ring Central.
The Voxilla web site used to have a tool like that for several providers, I am not sure if they still do.

Right, Toro. I know how to configure stuff manually.

But, wouldn't it be cool to go pick up an IP phone, pick a BYOD provider, read a web page that tells me WHERE to put my provisioning URL, and go.

BTW, there's no need, typically, for the MAC or the IP address -- that is determined when the phone connects.. Typically the provisioning URL has a macro like $(MAC) in it (but the end user does not need to know that.)

I'm just trying to understand why the BYOD providers don't offer this. It would seem to open the market to a much wider audience. Those of us who know how to set up a phone -- we enjoy the benefits of BYOD, but it seems to limit the market for others.

I'm wondering if this makes them a "phone company" and opens them up to paying more taxes and fees?

It's possible, but the user would have to provide Serial Number, MAC address, their time zone, and their internal IP address of the adapter. In other words it's almost the same effort to just configure a few fields themselves. Having said that, it's a good point- no real reason not to do it (that I can think of).

As far as services that provide pre-provisioned adapters being more expensive- that has less to do with the provisioning and more to do with the fact they provide a plug-and-play experience. BYOD users have a lot more options (competition) than plug-and-play folks.

Emphasis mine.

Bingo. I cannot ship hardware out to my customers that requires them to configure it; it must be plug and play. This means any products that AcroVoice considers offering must have a provisioning system, and it must be fully implemented on this side.

Customers who like to tinker with their settings, or mix and match multiple providers, do not want one provider managing their settings. It creates conflicts and removes the user's ability to control all aspects, as many BYOD users would like.

BTW, Obihai does provide a portal that pretty much takes care of autoconfiguration for many BYOD providers. You can choose your provider, enter your SIP credentials, and be done.

No, I think it's much broader.

And within each manufacturer, many different models.

Also, what about IP phones?

I think there's also a feeling that people smart enough to know about ATA/IP phones, and to purchase them, can follow good programming instructions....

»www.callcentric.com/supp ··· /device/

I think your thinking of many phone types, but few manufacturers.
The provisioning for different phone types among the same manufacturers is not all that different.

Yes, with good instructions just about anyone should be able to do BYOD. For lots of people, though, it's understanding the rest of how it all works that gets them confused. It just sucks that this biz goes to Vonange, et al, and the customers get totally ripped off.

PIAF has an awesome provisioning platform, and that is free.
Netsapiens has an entire platform that will provide provision for almost any ATA/IP Phone out there (though it's a commercial product). All you need to do in there UI is pick the phone type and set the time zone... no IPs, nor MACs required.

I've provisioned lots of on-the-internet phones, and lots of linksys ATA adaptors.. the only thing I needed was the time zone, and then setting the provisioning URL -- even for phones behind NAT.

No wrong answer here, just interesting talk.

OnSIP is fundamentally BYOD and provides a provisioning server that handles several different makes of end-points.