API for Websites

OK My turn to ask a quick question.

Q) Does anyone know of a simple, preferably open source, freeware or realistically priced API that can be installed on a website and able - if selected by a visitor to the site, to open a SIP session to a VOIPUSER address. Prefereably without installing anything permanent on the initiating PC - just a popup window that disapears when closed?

The purpose would be enquiring about a service or project advertised on the website - along the lines of 'Live Help' which is messaging only. Maybe this is a little dangerous as it assumes everyone has mic and speakers on their PC so perhaps it should have text messaging as a fall back?

Is it that there are just too many probs as regards overcoming Windoze Firewall + Ports Issues + NAT Issues + Other stuff ?

Any suggestions gratefully appreciated

J

Hi John,

Quote:

Does anyone know of a simple, preferably open source, freeware or realistically priced API that can be installed on a website and able - if selected by a visitor to the site, to open a SIP session to a SIP address.

Yes..... but

Quote:

Prefereably without installing anything permanent on the initiating PC - just a popup window that disapears when closed?

That's the tricky part

You can use the callto:// tag in a webpage, which will initiate (in Windows) whatever voice client is assigned to it. Skype can work in this way, as can netmeeting. It would be fairly trivial to build an application that pointed Windows to X-Lite for example, but you'd need to both install that app, and X-Lite, on the clients machine first.

You might be able to do something with an ActiveX or similar plug-in (a complete SIP phone in a web module effectively) but I don't know of one that exists.

Quote:

Maybe this is a little dangerous as it assumes everyone has mic and speakers on their PC so perhaps it should have text messaging as a fall back?

Text fall back would be a good idea.

Quote:

Is it that there are just too many probs as regards overcoming Windoze Firewall + Ports Issues + NAT Issues + Other stuff ?

No more than usual

About 5 - 10% of people would find it didn't work, and fall back to text mode. A quick STUN test is all you would need to perform to ascertain if it will work or not, and if not, launch the text client instead. That could be done in ActiveX.

It's an interesting idea, but I don't know of anything. A quick search on google for "ActiveX SIP phone" might bring up something. Or a look on sourceforge for something that could be compiled into ActiveX (I think anything in MS Visual Studio can be). Alternatively, drop a line to one of the SIP Foundry guys and ask them if they wanted to build something, if you see a commercial angle for them?

D

Xten used to have a X-Lite activeX component that they hosted.

you could download a tool to configure a special html button that would pop-up a window from their server which would install a simple version of X-Lite and you could preprogram the destination of the sip phone.

Can't seem to find it on their site any more though...

Tj

Hi

Quote:

Can't seem to find it on their site any more though...

If any one wants a copy i have it safely stashed away. its the last version before they pulled it.

PM me if you want a copy, the software seems to have no licence info at all,
So it must be free .

cheers Ian

Hi Ian,

Did you ever try it out? Did it work? Was it any good?

Thanks for your kind offer - would appreciate being able to take a look at it. Could you either set it up on a host somewhere as a download and give me a location or if its not too big, just email it.

All the best

John

Hi John

Yep its been on my website for some time, I get a couple of calls a week from it, Which generates business .

Give it a go

I will email you a copy if you want its only small

ian

hmmm Thanks Ian - Its not foolproof is it ! Saw the popup in my usual browser (firefox) but couldn't get to the same point in IE. Will check my settings and give it a better go after a good nights sleep - would it be a difficult code bashing job to make it multi browser? Surely a lot of people would then get some use out of it? It could be as ubiquitous as Live Help. I cant imagine why it was not updated and allowed to die

Hi John.

I too use firefox and no it doesnt work with it.
it should work with IE though It will need to download the applet though.

Its a shame there is no java version though as that would make it multi browser and multiplatform. Even the pulver one is XP only..

Perhaps theres a project here....

Ian

I think its a really nice project and I for one would certainly get some use out of it. Problem is who to ask to update it ?

Hi

I agree it would be usefull to many users and companies.
I might do a bit of research to see how cross platform applets would work.
and how easy softphones on Linux are. i know pulver has done a windows thing that puts a call back on for missed calls


I think putting the idea outthere might be good to see what response there is.

Ian

John, seen this?

http://www.thinkingvoice.com/

I haven't looked at it in much detail myself yet.

Dean

Excellent - Thanks Dean

Its quite clever in terms of what it offers but I can't help continuing to think that a simple and completely VOIP based API would do the same job.

Their system seems to be based on the model of VOIP to their switching centre and then PSTN back again to the recipient whereas I would have thought it much more useful if it was VOIP all the way. (It would also save having to pay them seven dollars a month and 15 cents a minute !)

OK they had some development costs but 15 cents a minute seems a tad high when you can get a 1800 or an 0800 for a fraction of that. The appeal is being able to put 'click here to contact me' buttons on websites, emails, blogs, auction items etc. Hopefully someone clever will tackle this sometime soon !

There's a new service call Gizmo Call.

Works right in the browser and is based on Flash. Unfortunately, it's not open source, not totally free, and requires a browser plug in download.

It works in Firefox and IE on Windows. They support Mac too I think. Not sure about Linux.

SIP to SIP calls are totally free. Service only works with open SIP services (no Skype, etc.) and it's own proprietary Gizmo/SIPPhone service.

For PSTN calls: right now, unregistered users get up to 5 minutes of calls free per week. If user registers with the service, they get up to 10 minutes per week free. Registered users can buy additional minutes/airtime to use after their free minutes expire.

I've tried their service and the performance is decent. I didn't try SIP to SIP calls but call to PSTN number works reasonably (like a cell phone call with some occassional static/noise and delays).

It is worth a try. Embedding in webpage is simply posting a link with URL of http://www.gizmocall.com/phoneNumber

Visit their website for more details and info on the phone number pattern to use.

I have to admit i got completely confused by Gizmo's offering so i'll write what i understood..

1. You need to download the plugin to make a call
to number X. You use your headset and the other party
a normal landline phone. Who pays for the call ?

2. You can put a link to your website and visitors can
call you on your landline (after they get the plugin i
suppose). Who pays for the call again ?

3. Is there any way i can have a link that calls my
sip address so that there is no cost involved anywhere ?
e.g. gizmocall.com/me@voipuser.org ?

Thanks for any info....

Lambros :

I have to admit i got completely confused by Gizmo's offering so i'll write what i understood.. 1. You need to download the plugin to make a call to number X. You use your headset and the other party a normal landline phone. Who pays for the call ? 2. You can put a link to your website and visitors can call you on your landline (after they get the plugin i suppose). Who pays for the call again ? 3. Is there any way i can have a link that calls my sip address so that there is no cost involved anywhere ? e.g. gizmocall.com/me@voipuser.org ? Thanks for any info....

1. Depending on how long the call is - you or Gizmocall. If you are unregistered or registered but have no additional minutes in your account, I assume Gizmocall will disconnect the call once you reach the free time limit. During free time limit, Gizmocall pays for the call. If you are registered and have purchased minutes in your account, Gizmocall bills you after you reach the free time limit (works like prepaid cell phone plans but with some free minutes). I've only experienced the latter case since I didn't want to be disconnected during my call.

2. Again, the visitor/caller or Gizmocall depending on call length.

3. Yes, I believe that should work. And it will be free. Whether you can really connect, I don't know. Haven't tested this feature yet. I did a quick test of GizmoCall and eyeBeam connected to my voipuser.org account (both from the same system) and it seemed to connect. But I couldn't verify voice path since both apps run on same system. I did notice that if I'm not logged in to voipuser.org via a SIP client, GizmoCall could not connect to my voipuser SIP address.