ABP at ITEXPO

ABP Technologies is a distributor of IP Communications products and services. I stopped by the ABP booth at ITEXPO to speak with Robert Messer, president of the company, about the products and companies that were on display on the exhibit hall floor in Los Angeles this week.

 

Messer was very excited by the recent addition of the Mobotix SIP-based surveillance camera to the ABP stable. He described the IP endpoint as having “state-of-the-art monitoring software that interfaces with the new Asterisk-based appliance from Digium. The camera has audio capabilities, and can pick up audio signals, and can even use event-based triggers to start recording. One of the more exciting features according to Messer is the ability to use an IP videophone to monitor various situations. The cameras are deployable in unlimited scale, he told me.

 

Messer also showed me the Exinda bandwidth management solution. He explained that such tools allow users to determine which applications are going to affect bandwidth and subsequently affect quality. The Exinda device helps enterprise users allocate and manage their bandwidth, and can be used by hosted service providers managing businesses with 10 to 500 users.

 

Another company showcasing their solution in ABP's pavilion was Third Lane. Third Lane has developed a commercial graphical user interface for Asterisk-based PBX deployments. The solution is available on an ISO disk and can cover installations for up to 50-200 lines. The service is also available in a multi-tenant version.

 

Messer also pointed out the new phones from Aastra that were on display, including the 5i series high-end business phone. Among the interesting features is a paperless extension pad on the LCD. Messer also told me about the new DECT phones as well as a lower-end 51i series phone coming from Aastra.

 

ABP has carried snom phones for years. The newest addition to the line is the snom 370 with snomHQ, the company’s high-quality sound solution. The device comes with a high-resolution graphical screen, which would allow a user to view pictures or moving images, and can work in conjunction with the aforementioned Mobotix SIP-based surveillance camera.

 

Of note, the snom 370 will be available with power over Ethernet (PoE), which would essentially make the complete line of phones from snom available with PoE.

 

Messer believes in IP communications and understands that sometimes that means solutions that go beyond mere voice. Some of the other products on display in the ABP booth included Cyberdata’s IP-based public address and paging solution, Pirelli’s dual-mode WiFi phone that works on Windows Mobile, ClearOne’s conference room speaker/system as well as several other devices.