Philips VOIP 321 on Windows 2003
The VOIP 321 is a great phone in principle. It connects to your landline as a DECT (standard wireless telephone) handset and also to Skype - offering both completely wires free.
OK so we want to run Skype cordlessly. What computer system shall we connect it to? The one that's on the most would be ideal really wouldn't it. But that's the server and it runs Windows 2003 (aka W2K3)..
The VOIP 321 only works on XP or Windows 2000 according to the box, the help and the product sheet. And as we will see it actively tries to stop you running it on Windows 2003 at several points. But a bit of low cunning got us there in the end, so read on if you want to do the same...
We plugged the handsetbase into the server's USB and it was recognised as a Human Interface Device (HID) by windows itself. This seemed to go smoothly enough and the Microsoft drivers installed without problem. Always a worry here that I should have used some special Philips drivers instead of Windows just dowingits thing, but as it turns out later the Philip "driver" in question doesn't work quite like that and there is no conflict. You will probably be nagged to reboot. (Like all Microsoft products the HID driver wants a reboot if you so much as sneeze near it). We decided to ignore this for the time being and press on a little further first...
Trying to install the phone software instantly results in failure as we are told that we have the wrong operating system. No problem. Use windows explorer to look at the CD , right click on the setup EXE file, select properties, choose the compatability tab and set the mode to Windows 2000. The setup program then runs.
Next issue - should I update Skype or use the copy on the product disk? I chose to download the new copy despite dire warnings from Philips on screen about compatability. Actually I am more worried about Skype running on W2K3 than I am about the phone not working so I go for the upgrade. Post download it just works, despite also saying that it's for 2000 and XP only.
Unsuprisingly we don't have audio cards in our servers, so I rebooted the server at this point to allow the drivers to take effect. Then when it restarted I went via the control panel to audio devices and ensured VOIP 321 was the recording and playback device (as instructed by the Philips user guide and onscreeninstructions). Then I rebooted as the Microsoft driver install had been complaining about needing to do so.
When it came back Skype worked OK but he handset didn't. Bah!
We wondered what was wrong and read the manual where it talks of some sort of desktop icon. We simply did not have one under Windows 2003. Where there is a desktop icon there is a program. We looked in the windows Start Menu and the Program Files directory but could not see anything new or Philips branded at all.
This was a bit of mystery so we went to one of the desktop machines and installed the software there. The promised icon appeared after the install and chained itself into Skype as Philips had promised. We also had a little look at the start menu and the program files directory. There under Philips\voip321 was the new "driver" as they call it. Hmmm so it comes up on XP but not Windows 2003. Sounds like an installer problem.
We put the CD back in the Win 2K3 system and explored the disk. There we found a setup subdirectory and tried to run Setup1.exe in there by hand. Yes - it was the correct installer but it was having any of Windows 2003. We tried the compatability check again and the installer ran, but half way through it said "compatability check" in its progress bar and refused to go any further.
This really should be the end of the story - Failure! But I came up with a further bit of brute force.
We went back to the XP machine and copied the Philips\VOIP321 directory in its entirety from that machine to the same subdirectories under program files on the server. I clicked the EXE and of course it said we had the wrong operating system again. (Damn you Philips!). So I set the compatability mode to Windows 2000 and tried again.
Success!!
The so called driver ran and caused Skype to open - where we said it was OK for Skype to always trust the Philips program.
Hand set comes alive and on pressing the big red (S) it does now come up with contacts. We tried a call and it worked. Guess what? The computer that is on all the time now has the Skype phone that we want on all the time.
I think the only thing left is to set the Philips program to run automatically when Windows starts - and I'll leave that to you to sort out.
Oh and Philips if you read this: Yes your VOIP321 phone does work on Windows 2003 with no problems at all. I have no idea why you would want to put in program code that keeps saying it doesn't throughout the install process. Servers are on all day and are the ideal place to connect a VOIP phone in the middle of a small office - but they also often run Windows 2003. Is it just me or are you annoying your customers for no reason?
John
http://www.vivamex.co.uk
IT recruitment by people who know IT
OK so we want to run Skype cordlessly. What computer system shall we connect it to? The one that's on the most would be ideal really wouldn't it. But that's the server and it runs Windows 2003 (aka W2K3)..
The VOIP 321 only works on XP or Windows 2000 according to the box, the help and the product sheet. And as we will see it actively tries to stop you running it on Windows 2003 at several points. But a bit of low cunning got us there in the end, so read on if you want to do the same...
We plugged the handsetbase into the server's USB and it was recognised as a Human Interface Device (HID) by windows itself. This seemed to go smoothly enough and the Microsoft drivers installed without problem. Always a worry here that I should have used some special Philips drivers instead of Windows just dowingits thing, but as it turns out later the Philip "driver" in question doesn't work quite like that and there is no conflict. You will probably be nagged to reboot. (Like all Microsoft products the HID driver wants a reboot if you so much as sneeze near it). We decided to ignore this for the time being and press on a little further first...
Trying to install the phone software instantly results in failure as we are told that we have the wrong operating system. No problem. Use windows explorer to look at the CD , right click on the setup EXE file, select properties, choose the compatability tab and set the mode to Windows 2000. The setup program then runs.
Next issue - should I update Skype or use the copy on the product disk? I chose to download the new copy despite dire warnings from Philips on screen about compatability. Actually I am more worried about Skype running on W2K3 than I am about the phone not working so I go for the upgrade. Post download it just works, despite also saying that it's for 2000 and XP only.
Unsuprisingly we don't have audio cards in our servers, so I rebooted the server at this point to allow the drivers to take effect. Then when it restarted I went via the control panel to audio devices and ensured VOIP 321 was the recording and playback device (as instructed by the Philips user guide and onscreeninstructions). Then I rebooted as the Microsoft driver install had been complaining about needing to do so.
When it came back Skype worked OK but he handset didn't. Bah!
We wondered what was wrong and read the manual where it talks of some sort of desktop icon. We simply did not have one under Windows 2003. Where there is a desktop icon there is a program. We looked in the windows Start Menu and the Program Files directory but could not see anything new or Philips branded at all.
This was a bit of mystery so we went to one of the desktop machines and installed the software there. The promised icon appeared after the install and chained itself into Skype as Philips had promised. We also had a little look at the start menu and the program files directory. There under Philips\voip321 was the new "driver" as they call it. Hmmm so it comes up on XP but not Windows 2003. Sounds like an installer problem.
We put the CD back in the Win 2K3 system and explored the disk. There we found a setup subdirectory and tried to run Setup1.exe in there by hand. Yes - it was the correct installer but it was having any of Windows 2003. We tried the compatability check again and the installer ran, but half way through it said "compatability check" in its progress bar and refused to go any further.
This really should be the end of the story - Failure! But I came up with a further bit of brute force.
We went back to the XP machine and copied the Philips\VOIP321 directory in its entirety from that machine to the same subdirectories under program files on the server. I clicked the EXE and of course it said we had the wrong operating system again. (Damn you Philips!). So I set the compatability mode to Windows 2000 and tried again.
Success!!
The so called driver ran and caused Skype to open - where we said it was OK for Skype to always trust the Philips program.
Hand set comes alive and on pressing the big red (S) it does now come up with contacts. We tried a call and it worked. Guess what? The computer that is on all the time now has the Skype phone that we want on all the time.
I think the only thing left is to set the Philips program to run automatically when Windows starts - and I'll leave that to you to sort out.
Oh and Philips if you read this: Yes your VOIP321 phone does work on Windows 2003 with no problems at all. I have no idea why you would want to put in program code that keeps saying it doesn't throughout the install process. Servers are on all day and are the ideal place to connect a VOIP phone in the middle of a small office - but they also often run Windows 2003. Is it just me or are you annoying your customers for no reason?
John
http://www.vivamex.co.uk
IT recruitment by people who know IT
posted by Vivamex at 12:36 PM
3 Comments:
very nice, thanks.
One comment: you must login on the computer to choose the VOIP321 as sound device. Login with remote desktop doesn't work.
Hi John!
I followed your instructions and worked like magic, but now, for some reason the audio device is no longer available on the list.
I can place calls and receive them, but sound is dead.
Do you have any idea how to reinstall the USB sound driver?
Regards.
Hey frnd,
What is VoIP? Cud you tell me about Digital VoIp Converter?
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