Recommend a Gateway, please!

[MACC the AVCOtek]

Can someone recommend a gateway, preferably low cost-high value, that is current and can support H.239 and H.264?

Mahalo!

[trapehzoid]

Currently that would be none :)

I would assume RAD will update their software soon, since the MCU claims to do both.

I would assume tandberg will update theirs as well for the same reason.

The Accord should do it as soon as polycom figures it out. I'm sure they're already selling it tho :)

[trapehzoid]

what endpoints do you currently have?

[Entropy3XD]

Are you looking for a PRI gateway or a serial gateway?

Radvision has an excellent line of gateways, MCUs, and a great Gatekeeper. They also make data collaboration, scheduling, and management packages. They make a stand alone MCUs and gateways (PRI & serial) as well as a blade models which fit into their four slot chassis.

For you folks in the secure world, Radvision make a four port serial gateway which is also available as a stand alone or a blade and supports a variety of interfaces (530, 449, V.35, KIV-7, and more). The form factor of the units also make them extremely portable for deployment.

I have worked with Radvision quite a bit and find their products to be easy to configure and use. Please ask if you have any specific questions.

www.radvision.com (http://www.radvision.com)

[Entropy3XD]

Currently that would be none :)

I would assume RAD will update their software soon, since the MCU claims to do both.

I would assume tandberg will update theirs as well for the same reason.

The Accord should do it as soon as polycom figures it out. I'm sure they're already selling it tho :)
The Radvision MCU does not act as a gateway. Radvision actually manufacturers a standalone gateway which works with the stand alone MCU. They have a four slot chassis as well which can house any mixture of GWs and MCUs. Although the blades in the chassis share the back plane for power, they are basically the same hardware as the stand alone models, so you should consider each blade to be its own separate entity. You can have any number of GWs and MCUs in your network and they will all work together (with a proper dial plan & GK). This makes it very easy to add components as you need them, where you need them.

I know Tandberg is in development for PRI and serial functionality on their new bridge, but I have not heard about a stand alone GW.

I am not sure what Polycom planning, if anything.

[trapehzoid]

The Radvision MCU does not act as a gateway


I know this. But only the MCU has been released with H.239 and H.264 (voice switched). Which is why I said, I figure they'll update the gateway soon enough.

I know Tandberg is in development for PRI and serial functionality on their new bridge, but I have not heard about a stand alone GW.

tandberg has had a standalone gateway for some time. But its PRI only. They have some savvy ways of making it serial though. they have already stated the new MCU will do serial and PRI this year... but its not a gateway either. will have to wait for tandberg to update their gateway product's software.

I am not sure what Polycom planning, if anything.

I'm sure the same thing they have now. They have gateway services already in the MGC family.. all they need to do is update to support H239 and H264 which they will have to do anyways.

Personally I find the Rad's the weakest of all the gateways in terms of real-world performance. Rad has simplicity to purchase and configure.. but the quality isn't there, the functionality isn't there, etc. At least now with the 'auto' prefix you can get away from most of the stupid service prefixes.. but its protocal support is so weak, and the way it handles lossy networks is pretty poor.

[Entropy3XD]

You are correct. I forgot about the Tandberg GW. Sorry Tandberg.



I'm talking to Radvision tomorrow, so I will see what I can find out about H.239 and H.264. As far as quality goes, I have spent most of my time with the S40 serial gateway and the quality has been fantastic. I will admit that the MCUs have been trouble in the past but the latest versions of code they have come out with seem to have smoothed things out. Switch port settings have also been troublesome to lock down, with some card preferring certain settings, but once set correctly it makes a huge difference in quality.



I recently did an installation with ECS-50, a ViaIP 100 MCU-15E, and two S40-GWs. This site had endpoints coming through the GW at 64k & 128k (on flaky connections), with IP sites at 384k and the quality actually blew me away. The video was better than I had anticipated for only 64k and 128k, and I did not expect to see such smooth video from those poor links. The audio was exceptional.



As far as secure networks go, the S40 is really the only good GW out there right now. Although unique, the Tandberg solution for serial support on their PRI GW is just too troublesome. I am really excited about the possibility of serial support from Tandberg in the future.

[MACC the AVCOtek]

what endpoints do you currently have?

Tandberg endpoints - 880's and 3000's (well, when they're available)

Also using the Codian MC4210 which, as I understand, doesn't support H.239 now but those smart guys over there are working on it - that's what they tell me anyway.


Are you looking for a PRI gateway or a serial gateway?

Sorry, I guess I should've mentioned this too! For this particular job, we need a PRI gateway.

I had also forgotten about the Tandberg GW. I may have to look in to that one. Anybody had any experience with it?

BTW, thanks for all your responses.

[Entropy3XD]

If you just need a standalone PRI GW then either the Tandberg or the Radvision should work for you just fine. Both companies are very easy to deal with, so you should try to get yourself a demo from both of them for comparison.

[Glen Sykes]

Hi All,

I have it on good authority (i.e. Radvision) that all Radvision Gateways will support H.264 by the end of 2004 (Q4 was the cited timescale). Although it doesn't apply to this thread, for info, the MVP module will also support H.264 within this timescale too.

Tandbergs GW already supports H.264 but not H.239. I would expect an update fairly soon though, given that it should not be too difficult to port the h.239 code seen now in the codecs.

[panzer]

I would definitly take a look at the Tandberg Gateway, Rad just never have impressed me with their video quality.

As far as Polycom the MGC 25 is their cheapest solution.

Why is it so hard for a company to come out with a single PRI low cost gateway. ust like how Polycom changed the industry when they released the first ViewStation. :P

Cya

[WIZBANG]

We have pretty much decided on the 4 PRI Tandberg Gateway for our next purchase. Pricing and options fit our needs nicely. It would be paired with the Tandberg Gatekeeper to keep things simple. As a side note, of the 75+ CODECs we have in use, all are Polycom.