·       For more information about this and other MierConsulting product compendia, click here.

 

·       For information to vendors about getting your product included, or updated, click here.

 

VoIP Field Testing Products

 

The VoIP Field Testing product category includes:

Devices, applications and packages – ranging from handheld devices or portable unit/appliances, to software deployed on laptops, perhaps augmented by a separate tap or probe – that enable and perform passive VoIP monitoring, testing and/or measurement, and may also perform active testing, typically for monitoring a single site/location and/or a single link; designed and marketed mainly for portable and/or temporary VoIP-monitoring/testing and VoIP-problem-diagnosis environments.

 

This product compendium last updated 3/3/2010

 

Vendor,

HQ location,

Web site

Product(s), version, URL

logosl1c

Verified?

Product orientation

Product description

Platform(s), software, hardware

Network connection

Primary product roles, capabilities

VoIP call monitoring capacity, codecs

Signaling, call-control monitoring

Impairments measured

Active (synthetic traffic) testing

Pricing

BroadSoft Ltd.

Gaithersburg, MD

www.broadsoft.com

 

BroadSoft

 

VoIPPro and PacketPro

v5.x

http://www.broadsoft. com/products/ packetsmart/voippro/

http://www.broadsoft. com/products/ packetsmart/ packetpro/

 

•  No

Info shown here is based solely on data provided by the vendor

Oriented to service providers and multi-site enterprises

VoIP monitoring and active-testing service package; vendor's server-based apps collect and analyze data from "micro-appliances" deployed by customer, controlled via Java app on customer laptop

Server, apps & remote responders are hosted by vendor; customer deploys micro-appliance(s); monitoring & testing is controlled, and reports viewed, from customer's laptop via downloadable Java client

Micro-appliance inserts in-line on 10/100 Ethernet link, or connects on 10/100 mirrored switch port

• Monitors all active SIP calls (& some SCCP and MGCP versions)

• Long-term tracking; 30 days VoIP data kept for trend analysis

• Call-quality rating – based on proprietary " MOS estimation"

• Measures/reports impairments affecting VoIP quality

• Per-call details; CDR and summary reporting available

• Enables analysis of call-control and signaling (SIP)

• Tracks VoIP bandwidth consumption

• Also performs active (synthetic) test-call generation/rating

• Same pkg can also do video quality testing (via upgrade option)

• SLA (service level agreement) monitoring

• VoIP pre-deployment network assessment

• Analyzes all network traffic – shows how other apps impact VoIP

• Can track all VoIP calls on a 10/100 Ethernet link

• Low-end appliance monitors 20 concurrent calls

• High-end appliance monitors 200 concurrent calls

• Decodes/measures/ assesses: G.711, G.723.1, G.729 & G.722.1 wideband

• Primarily SIP; SIP signaling is collected & archived for 30 days

• Signaling ladder graphs shown at end of each call;

• Call success-rate stats

• Some versions of SCCP and MGCP are also supported

• Real-time jitter (inbound and outbound),

• Packet loss (inbound and outbound), per sec

• Out-of-sequence,

• Worst WAN round-trip time (ping-based),

• MOS (inbound and outbound),

• others

User-schedulable VoIP calls, used to determine IP network impair-ments; selectable codecs, up to 25 concurrent synthetic calls with small appliance

$500 for kit with two micro-appliances, plus $250 or $500 per month, per kit, for service ($250 for base VoIPPro service; $500 for higher-end PacketPro service)

 

Vendor,

HQ location,

Web site

 Product(s), version, URL

logosl1c

Verified?

Product orientation

Product description

Platform(s), software, hardware

 Network connection

Primary product roles, capabilities

VoIP call monitoring capacity, codecs

Signaling, call-control monitoring

Impairments measured

Active (synthetic traffic) testing

Pricing

Clarus Systems, Inc.

Redwood City, CA

www.clarussystems. com

 

Clarus Systems

ClarusIPC Plus+

v2.6.2

http://www.clarus systems.com /products/ clarusipc.php

• No

Info shown here is based solely on data provided by the vendor

Equally useful in Cisco-based service-provider or enterprise environments

Software for VoIP testing and management of Cisco Unified Comm Manager (CUCM)-based IP-telephony deployments; package does Cisco-based performance monitoring, config management and reports

Software runs on Windows 2003/2008 Server, 32- and 64-bit servers supported; accessed via Web interface

VoIP is tracked via Cisco CDRs and CMRs (call management records); package does not directly monitor VoIP signaling or RTP streams

• Monitors/alerts/reports on all active VoIP calls by Route Group/List

• Long-term tracking of voice-quality metrics, based on phone MOS

• Collects and processes MLQK (MOS) scores from Cisco CDR and call management records (CMR) for on- & off-net calls

• Can monitor/alert/report on VoIP quality over WAN

• User-configurable threshold monitoring, based on CDR/CMR data

• Per-call details; CDR and summary reporting available

• Tracks VoIP bandwidth consumption of on-net calls, by location

• Also performs active (synthetic) test-call generation/rating

• SLA reports by measuring voice quality compared to thresholds

• Can monitor/alert based on call-failure code (from Cisco CDR)

• Cisco-specific configuration and change mgt and reports

• Troubleshooting and remote-phone apps for Tier-1 help desk

This software tracks VoIP calls by collecting CDR/CMR data from the CUCM server. With this info the software can report:

• Voice/VoIP quality in both directions, on a per-RTP-stream basis

• Various other VoIP-oriented reports

• Cisco SIP and older SCCP ("Skinny") call-control environments are supported.

• Reports call success-rate, failure reason, and related statistics

Cisco CUCM CDR and CMR data collected and processed by this package include per-call details on:

• Jitter

• Packet loss

• Latency (one-way)

Active testing exercises functionality using actual Cisco IP phones; automated; used to determine availability to end users during deployment, upgrades and daily

Complete Clarus software for a 1,000-phone CallManager installation lists for $25,000 to $30,000, including 1st year maint and support

 

Vendor,

HQ location,

Web site

 Product(s), version, URL

logosl1c

Verified?

Product orientation

Product description

Platform(s), software, hardware

 Network connection

Primary product roles, capabilities

VoIP call monitoring capacity, codecs

Signaling, call-control monitoring

Impairments measured

Active (synthetic traffic) testing

Pricing

Codenomicon Ltd

Cupertino, CA

(US office; company is based in Finland)

http://www.codenomicon. com

 

codenomicon logo

Defensics for VoIP,

Traffic Capture Fuzzer

vD2/D3

http://www. codenomicon.com/ products/test-suites.shtml#voip

• No

Info shown here is based solely on data provided by the vendor

Equally useful in service-provider or enterprise environments

Software that does infrastructure and device testing for all VoIP protocols; generates test cases, for development, pre-deployment, field tests and security assessments/audits

Software is offered in versions for Windows, Linux and any Java-enabled platform (including Java-supporting netbooks and PDAs); accepts data in PCAP (packet capture) format from 3rd party probes, taps, databases or network analyzers

Depends on underlying platform's IP connectivity; bridged port or in-line; monitors 10/100 or gigabit Ethernet, T1, ATM, even wireless links

• Software for testing robustness of VoIP infrastructure and devices

• With optional Traffic Capture Fuzzer, can automatically generate test cases from any captured VoIP protocol traffic sequence

• Can generate impairment tests and then monitor VoIP products for quality, reliability and security weaknesses

• VoIP pre-deployment testing of network bottlenecks & vulnerabilities

• Protocol testing of video devices and transmission infrastructure

• User-settable threshold/triggers on measured parameters & metrics

• Offers a full monitoring API (application programming interface)

VoIP traffic can be captured, and then used as the basis of generated tests. Software is not designed, however, for ongoing or diagnostic monitoring of VoIP

Tests can be generated employing most standard VoIP signaling protocols, including:

• SIP, MGCP, STUN/TURN, RTCP, H.248, H.323 and others

Devices and infrastructure can be measured as impairment tests are run

Active testing exercises VoIP infrastructure and devices; can consist of VoIP streams of any captured traffic and protocols

Defensics for VoIP costs from $11,500 to $120,000; Traffic Capture Fuzzer costs $26,400

 

Vendor,

HQ location,

Web site

 Product(s), version, URL

logosl1c

Verified?

Product orientation

Product description

Platform(s), software, hardware

 Network connection

Primary product roles, capabilities

VoIP call monitoring capacity, codecs

Signaling, call-control monitoring

Impairments measured

Active (synthetic traffic) testing

Pricing

Codima Inc.

Denver, PA

http://www.codimatech. com

 

codima logo

Codima Toolbox (autoVoIP family of software modules and options)

v7.0

http://www. codimatech.com/ products.php

• No

Info shown here is based solely on data provided by the vendor

Equally useful in service-provider or enterprise environments

Integrated software package with many modules and options, which collectively address: VoIP pre-deployment assessment, and post-deployment monitoring, active testing and VoIP troubleshooting

All modules run on Windows XP, Vista, 2003 Server or Windows 7 on users' laptop, desktop PC or server; Windows-style user interface; any Toolbox software can be configured as a probe, all remotely controlled

Underlying Windows platform can connect via bridged port or in-line; monitors 10/100 or gigabit Ethernet

• Monitors all VoIP calls or specific call(s) via bridged/spanned port

• Historically tracks all displayed data for long-term and trend analysis

• Can capture and replay VoIP calls (with Call Playback module)

• VoIP pre-deployment testing

• VoIP call quality, via R factor and MOS, for each RTP direction

• Automatically tries to correlate VoIP impairments with possible cause

• Detailed long-term call data records (with SQL Call-Logging add-on)

• Tracks VoIP bandwidth consumption

• User-settable thresholds, alerts (SNMP, email) on any measured data

• Monitoring, threshold alerting based on user-defined SLA values

• Active (synthetic) call testing over specified time periods

• SIP and Cisco SCCP call-control monitoring; SIP and Cisco IP-telephony system monitoring

• Tracks up to 10,000 concurrent VoIP calls (signaling and RTCP for quality) or up to 1,000 (including RTP)

• Supports (decodes, assesses) most standard narrowband and wideband codecs

• Can capture, save (as Quicktime files) and replay VoIP calls (with optional module)

• Can track and decipher SIP and Cisco SCCP signaling and call control

• Can decipher, use RTCP data

• Tracks, analyzes & assesses failed calls

• Tracks and reports call success rates & call set-up times

• Jitter

• Packet loss

• One-way latency and round-trip delay, including between remote locations

• R factor-based MOS, for each RTP direction

With AutoVoIP Simulator module, can generate and measure synthetic VoIP traffic quality (full-duplex RTP streams), to monitor and track call quality to specific destinations

Entire Toolbox scales from $3,000 (for 1,000 managed devices) to $40,000 (5,000 devices); VoIP simulator starts at $2,000; about $30 per phone for full monitoring and troubleshooting

 

Vendor,

HQ location,

Web site

 Product(s), version, URL

logosl1c

Verified?

Product orientation

Product description

Platform(s), software, hardware

 Network connection

Primary product roles, capabilities

VoIP call monitoring capacity, codecs

Signaling, call-control monitoring

Impairments measured

Active (synthetic traffic) testing

Pricing

JDSU

Milpitas, CA

http://www.jdsu.com

 

jdsu logo

T-BERD/

MTS-4000

 

http://www.jdsu.com/ product-literature/ tbmts4000_ ds_fop_tm_ae.pdf

• No

Info shown here is based solely on data provided by the vendor

Primarily oriented to service providers' field technicians

Handheld device supporting several connectivity options; does multi-layer tests, enabling technician to turn-up and maintain various copper/DSL, fiber (FTTx) and triple-play networks

Base software plus additional, optional software for: VoIP testing, Cisco SCCP and/or Nortel Unistim protocol support; various accessories supported; typical Windows and Web (IE) user interfaces

10/100/gig Ethernet is standard; optional DSL, copper, and OTDR or PON fiber/ optical modules; also support USB, WiFi & Bluetooth

• Monitors specific/specified VoIP stream in real-time

• VoIP call-quality MOS rating, per R factor, for each RTP direction

• Measures impairments that affect VoIP quality

• VoIP pre-deployment testing of network segments

• Can capture VoIP streams of supported codecs

• User-settable thresholds/alerts on measured parameters & metrics

• Deciphers/analyzes most leading call-control/signaling protocols

• Can operate remotely, unattended, controlled via IP link

• Same package can also monitor/test video traffic

• On-board Web browser, email and html, xml, PDF and txt readers and report export

Supports (decodes, assesses) G.711, G.723.1, G.726, G.729 and wideband (G.722 and G.722.1) codecs; can capture VoIP streams

Standard support for: • SIP, H.323, H.248 and MGCP VoIP signaling and call-control protocols

• Cisco SCCP and Nortel Unistim protocol support optional

• Jitter

• Packet loss

• One-way latency and round-trip delay

• R factor-based MOS, for each RTP direction

 

Accessories, including microphone/ headset, let user place VoIP calls

Street price: From $9,500 depending on interface modules, per MierConsulting research; vendor declined to provide official price info; 1-year warranty

JDSU

Milpitas, CA

http://www.jdsu.com

 

jdsu logo

DA-3400

v4.2

http://www.jdsu.com/ products/ communications- test-measurement/ products/a-z- product-list/da-3400.html

• No

Info shown here is based solely on data provided by the vendor

Equally useful in service-provider or medium-to-large enterprise environments

Modular appliance that, with software options, performs high-call-capacity VoIP monitoring, analysis of VoIP quality and signaling problems

Supports a single interface module at a time; software options add VoIP monitoring and playback; a Windows client on user's PC/ laptop controls one or more units; alternate package for voice-over-ATM monitoring (not VoIP)

10/100/gig Ethernet module connects unit to spanned port or in-line; alternate package for ATM/ WAN-link connectivity & monitoring

• Monitors/measures thousands of concurrent VoIP calls in real-time

• Tracks specific calls by IP address, phone number, other criteria

• VoIP call-quality MOS ratings & R factor, for each RTP direction

• Measures impairments that affect VoIP quality

• Long-term data storage; summary reports; includes report generator

• VoIP pre-deployment testing of network segments

• Capture and (with option) replay of supported-codec VoIP streams

• User-settable threshold/triggers on quality & measured parameters

• Deciphers/analyzes most leading call-control/signaling protocols

• Multiple units can operate unattended, controlled by single user  

• Tracks VoIP bandwidth consumption (by RTP streams)

• Also general data/protocol analysis, application response times

Supports (decodes, assesses) G.711, G.723.1, G.726 & G.729; can capture these and, with software option, can replay

• User chooses whether to incorporate RTCP info into call quality

Can track & decipher

• SIP, MGCP/NCS and Cisco SCCP VoIP signaling and call-control protocols

• All are supported with call-by-call ladder diagrams & full decodes

• Can also decode (only) H.323 & H.264

• Jitter, for each call direction

• Packet loss, for each call direction

• One-way latency and round-trip delay, based on RTCP, if enabled by user

• R factor and both listening and call-based MOS, with min, max & average

None; passive monitoring only; active testing is not supported on the DA-3400

Street price: About $20,000 configured for VoIP, per MierConsulting research; vendor declined to provide official price info; 1-year warranty

JDSU

Milpitas, CA

http://www.jdsu.com

 

jdsu logo

PVA-1000

v2.0

http://www.jdsu.com/ products/ communications- test-measurement/ products/a-z- product-list/pva-1000.html

• No

Info shown here is based solely on data provided by the vendor

Designed for standalone use in enterprise and call-center applications

Windows software for the capture and analysis of VoIP calls; options include Capture Agents, which run on Windows PCs in remote locations, capture calls based on MOS, and FTP them to central server 

The base software, as well as the Capture Agent option, run on Windows XP or Windows Vista

Typically connects to a spanned port (10/100 or gig Ethernet); signaling must be present on the link along with RTP streams to capture calls

• Software can capture calls that fall below a user-defined MOS

• Report generator; creates summary & poor-call-quality reports

• VoIP call-quality MOS & R factor rating on all captured calls, for each RTP direction

• Measures impairments that affect VoIP quality

• Can replay captured VoIP stream with user-settable jitter buffer

• Full decode and per-call ladder diagrams for supported signaling/call-control protocols

• Consolidated call-per-page detail reports, Word and PDF formats

• Full capture file analysis with audio playback

Supports (decodes, assesses) G.711, G.723.1, G.726 & G.729; optional Capture Agent needed to capture VoIP calls

• RTCP data is used with other data for call-quality assessment

• Can track up to about 500 concurrent calls

Can track & decipher

• SIP, MGCP/NCS and Cisco SCCP VoIP signaling protocols

• All are supported with call-by-call ladder diagrams & full decodes

• Jitter, for each call direction, measured and RTCP-reported

• Packet loss, for each call direction

• One-way latency and round-trip delay, based on RTCP

• R factor and both listening and call-based MOS, with min, max & average

None; passive monitoring only

About $8,000 (software only); 1-year warranty; options include remote capture agent software, and expanded codec and signaling-protocol support

JDSU

Milpitas, CA

http://www.jdsu.com

 

jdsu logo

SmartClass Triple Play Services (TPS) Tester

http://www.jdsu.com/ products/ communications- test-measurement/ products/a-z- product-list/ smartclass-tps.html

• No

Info shown here is based solely on data provided by the vendor

Oriented mainly to service-provider field technicians

Multifunction handheld device for field testing VoIP, video and Internet access/performance (triple-play service), as well copper-loop and ADSL service maintenance, testing

The unit is fixed configuration;  provides user a typical Windows interface and integral Web browser

Can assess VoIP over integral 10/100 Ethernet port or copper/ ADSL port (RJ-11)

• Assesses VoIP quality, based on R factor,per RTP direction

• VoIP call capture

• Configurations are input and results downloaded via USB flash drive

• Same unit also performs advanced IP video analysis

• Can observe/track all calls on the 10/100 Ethernet interface

• Integral Web browser for Internet access and connectivity testing

• Voice and video quality rating based on user-settable thresholds

Supports (decodes, assesses) G.711, G.723.1, G.726, G.729a and wideband (G.722, G.722.1 & G.729.1); reports conversational, call and listener MOS

Can track and decipher SIP, MGCP, H.323, H.248 and (optionally) Cisco SCCP VoIP signaling and call-control

• Jitter

• Packet loss

• One-way and round-trip latency

• Call- and line-quality R factor

• Current, min, max & average on most impairments measured

Unit can generate a VoIP call using SIP or H.323 signaling, and G.711 or G.722 codec; VLAN tag is also user-settable

Price starts at $3,000, depending on options (the "silver package" includes VoIP and MOS); 1-year warranty

JDSU

Milpitas, CA

http://www.jdsu.com

 

jdsu logo

DSAM-6300

http://www.jdsu.com/ product-literature/ DSAM_Family_ Brochure.pdf

• No

Info shown here is based solely on data provided by the vendor

Oriented to field technicians, primarily in HFC (hybrid fiber/cable), cable environments

Battery-powered handheld device for testing cable-based triple-play (VoIP, digital video and data-over-cable, per DOCSIS specs) services, as well as extensive RF-signal measurement

Apps run on a Windows environment; remote units can be centrally managed via IP; various software options; user runs software client on PC to remotely access this device

Supports 10/100/gig Ethernet; also includes built-in cable modem (works on all current DOCSIS versions)

• Testing can separate VoIP-quality issues between IP and cable/RF

• Tests in-home for suitability for cable-based VoIP service, as well as RF and data-over-cable performance

• VoIP quality assessment based on R factor, per RTP direction

• User-settable threshold monitoring/alerting on impairments & MOS

• Same unit also performs video quality assessment

• Same unit also performs extensive RF-performance measurement

• Canned and user-definable reports; PDF, Excel and HTML formats

• Reports, remote management accessible via Web client interface

Supports (decodes, assesses) G.711, G.728 and G.729; reports MOS on a per-call direction; legacy software option incorporates RTCP data

Can track and decipher MGCP/NCS (cable VoIP environments)

• Jitter

• Packet loss

• Round-trip delay

• R factor/E-model-based MOS, per each RTP direction

Passive (non-intrusive) testing only

$4,000 to $8,000, depending on model, software options and configuration; 1-year warranty standard

 

Vendor,

HQ location,

Web site

 Product(s), version, URL

logosl1c

Verified?

Product orientation

Product description

Platform(s), software, hardware

 Network connection

Primary product roles, capabilities

VoIP call monitoring capacity, codecs

Signaling, call-control monitoring

Impairments measured

Active (synthetic traffic) testing

Pricing

NetHawk Oyj

Oulu, Finland

http://www.nethawk.fi/

 

nethawk logo

NetHawk M5

v3.1

https://www.nethawk. fi/products/ nethawk_analyser/

• No

Info shown here is based solely on data provided by the vendor

Equally useful in service-provider or enterprise environments

Windows Software that enables VoIP-signaling and VoIP-quality analysis; remote platforms can be controlled via IP link and Web interface

Software runs on Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7 environments; various software modules/options include: SIP/IMS signaling analysis; speech playback and MOS assessment;

Observes 10/100 or gig Ethernet link via spanned port or user-supplied tap; hardware options offered for ATM and T1 connectivity

• Can observe/track up to 1,000 concurrent VoIP calls (single link)

• VoIP capture and replay (in .wav file format)

• Real-time monitoring of all VoIP calls, or focus on specific call(s)

• Can display signaling-state ladder diagrams in real-time

• Reports MOS, via proprietary algorithm, for each RTP direction

• User-configurable threshold monitoring, based on measured data

• Per-call VoIP activity details; CDR, call length, etc.

• Special features for cellular support (i.e., GSM decode/playback)

• Analyzes/decodes most popular call-control/signaling protocols

• Useful for VoIP pre-deployment assessment of network performance

• Can filter on specific call details or measurements & create reports

Up to 1,000 concurrent calls can be fully tracked and assessed

• Supports (decodes, and assesses) G.711, GSM (FR and EFR) and narrowband AMR codecs

Can decipher/track:

• SIP, H.248, MGCP and Cisco SCCP

• Displays signaling state diagrams in real-time

• Can decipher and use RTCP and XR report data

• Jitter

• Packet loss

• Call noise

• DTMF performance

Passive (non-intrusive) testing is supported only

$25,000 and up includes most VoIP options; includes 3-year warranty

 

Vendor,

HQ location,

Web site

 Product(s), version, URL

logosl1c

Verified?

Product orientation

Product description

Platform(s), software, hardware

 Network connection

Primary product roles, capabilities

VoIP call monitoring capacity, codecs

Signaling, call-control monitoring

Impairments measured

Active (synthetic traffic) testing

Pricing

NetIQ Corp

Houston, TX

http://www.netiq.com/

 

netiq logo

NetIQ AppManager Suite, VoIP (including Vivinet Assessor and Vivinet Diagnostics)

v7.0

http://www.netiq.com/ products/am/ modules/voip.asp

• No

Info shown here is based solely on data provided by the vendor

Equally useful in service-provider or enterprise environments

Assortment of Windows software, which collectively addresses network assessment for VoIP, end-to-end VoIP and QoS monitoring, reporting, VoIP capacity planning and VoIP problem diagnosis

Software runs on various Windows platforms including: "agent" PCs and user's laptop; a dedicated back-end Microsoft SQL Server 2005 database, Windows Server 200x, and IIS Web components

Typically 10/100 and/or gig Ethernet; also, QoS and SLA data can be collected from Cisco routers

• Real-time monitoring of all VoIP calls, or focus on specific call(s)

• VoIP capture and replay (with Vivinet Diagnostics)

• Long-term/historical tracking of VoIP activity/quality/impairments

• VoIP quality assessment, per R factor/E model, on a per-call basis

• Can obtain and report SLA and QoS data from Cisco routers

• User-configurable call-quality threshold monitoring, alerting

• Tracking per-call VoIP activity details; CDR, MOS, etc.

• Features for diagnosing poor-quality calls and isolating causes

• Tracks VoIP bandwidth consumption

• Useful for VoIP pre-deployment assessment of network performance

• Extensive report features, plus single dashboard interface

• Extensive capabilities for monitoring with active/synthetic VoIP calls

• Supports (decodes, assesses, saves, replays) G.711, G.723.1, G.726, G.729 & most other common codecs, including wideband (G.722.1, etc)

• Call-monitoring capacity limited only by back-end hardware and bandwidth

• Separate module offered for analyzing Cisco calls and traffic

• Can track and report call set-up time and call success-rate stats

• Can decipher and use RTCP & XR report data

• Jitter

• Packet loss

• One-way latency and round-trip delay

• Call noise

Extensive and configurable active VoIP call generation, including mixed streams of most common codecs, and support for Cisco SAA VoIP stream testing

From $600/mo for base App-Manager agent; $10 to $30 per AppManager-for-VoIP agent; $1,300 for 2-week Vivinet Assessor use; $5,000 for Vivinet Diagnostics

 

Vendor,

HQ location,

Web site

 Product(s), version, URL

logosl1c

Verified?

Product orientation

Product description

Platform(s), software, hardware

 Network connection

Primary product roles, capabilities

VoIP call monitoring capacity, codecs

Signaling, call-control monitoring

Impairments measured

Active (synthetic traffic) testing

Pricing

NetScout Systems, Inc.

Westford, MA

http://www.netscout.com/

 

netscout

nGenius Service Assurance Solution

Release detailed here is due out 1Q 2010

http://www.netscout. com/products/ service_assurance. asp

• No

Info shown here is based solely on data provided by the vendor

Package can be specifically optimized for service-provider or enterprise environments

Set of tightly integrated software modules and hardware appliance(s) (called InfiniStream), which collectively provide scalable, server-based VoIP service-delivery management

Core software runs on security-hardened Linux or Windows servers (vendor or user supplied); data-collection appliances are supplied by vendor; "remote console" access is via Web browser, thin or thick client

Appliances connect in-line, via taps or on mirrored switch ports, typically 10/100 or gig Ethernet; options support T1, ATM wireless & IMS (carrier) links

• Real-time monitoring of all VoIP calls, or focus on specific call(s)

• Can capture, save and replay VoIP streams of supported codecs

• Long-term/historical tracking of VoIP activity/quality/impairments

• VoIP quality, per R factor and proprietary MOS, per RTP direction

• User-configurable threshold monitoring, alerting on measured metrics

• Tracking per-call VoIP activity details; CDR, MOS, etc.

• Same package tracks video, assesses impact on VoIP of other traffic and applications

• Tracks VoIP bandwidth consumption

• VoIP pre-deployment assessment of network performance

• Rich signaling-protocol support, and special features for managing Avaya and Cisco VoIP deployments

• Supports (decodes, assesses, saves, replays) G.711, G.723.1, G.726, G.729 & most other common codecs, including wideband (G.722, etc)

• Automatic capture, storage and playback of G.711, GSM and other media streams

Can decipher/track:

• SIP, H.323, H.248, MGCP & Cisco SCCP

• Uses RTCP data

• Can accept Cisco NetFlow & SLA data

• Can track and report call set-up time and call-success-rate stats

• Jitter

• Packet loss

• One-way latency and round-trip delay

• Audio loss

None.

System is based on passive monitoring of actual VoIP packets

Total package can be deployed starting from $50,000; 3-mo software warranty, 1-yr hardware

NetScout Systems, Inc.

Westford, MA

http://www.netscout.com/

 

netscout

Sniffer Analysis

v4.7

http://www.netscout. com/products/ sniffer_analysis.asp

• No

Info shown here is based solely on data provided by the vendor

Oriented to use in enterprise environments

Same hardware appliance as with vendor's nGenius package (see above), but uses Sniffer Analysis client software for direct access and user interface; for analysis of VoIP and other applications

Appliance has own integral database; software runs on user's Microsoft-based laptop/PC, employs typical Windows interface

Appliance connects in-line, via tap, or on mirrored switch port, 10/100 or gig Ethernet; monitors traffic on a single link

• Can capture, save and replay Cisco (only) VoIP streams

• Useful for VoIP pre-deployment assessment of network performance

• Tracks VoIP bandwidth consumption

• Rich signaling-protocol support, decode and analysis

• Supports Cisco/IOS-based NetFlow/SLA/QoS link/traffic data

• Measures, reports impairments affecting VoIP quality

• Captures call and performance info & creates per-call CDR records

 

• Supports (decodes, assesses) G.711, G.723.1, G.726, G.729 and wideband G.722 codecs

• Can observe/track up to 1,500 to 2,000 concurrent VoIP calls

Can decipher/track:

• SIP, H.323, H.248, Cisco SCCP & MGCP

• Can accept Cisco NetFlow & SLA data

• Jitter

• Packet loss

• One-way latency and round-trip delay

• Audio loss

None.

System is based on passive monitoring of actual VoIP packets

Starts at $20,000 per appliance; Windows software included at no charge; 3-mo software warranty, 1-yr hardware

 

Vendor,

HQ location,

Web site

 Product(s), version, URL

logosl1c

Verified?

Product orientation

Product description

Platform(s), software, hardware

 Network connection

Primary product roles, capabilities

VoIP call monitoring capacity, codecs

Signaling, call-control monitoring

Impairments measured

Active (synthetic traffic) testing

Pricing

OPNET Technologies, Inc.

Bethesda, MD

http://www.opnet.com/

 

opnet logo

ACE Live VoIP Monitoring Module

v7.2

http://www.opnet. com/solutions/ application_  performance/ acelive/voip.html

• No

Info shown here is based solely on data provided by the vendor

Oriented to use in enterprise environments

Modular appliance, accessed from user laptop/PC, that provides real-time and historical VoIP data about network performance and call quality

Appliance contains integrated operating software; accessed and controlled from any user laptop/PC with Web browser and running Java 1.5.0_10 or later

Observes one or more 10/100 or gig Ethernet links, via spanned port or in-line via tap

• Can observe/track up to 500 concurrent VoIP calls, create CDRs

• Monitors all active VoIP calls or specific VoIP calls/RTP streams

• VoIP quality rating, using R-factor & PSQM, for each RTP direction

• Can display signaling-state ladder diagrams in real-time

• User-configurable threshold monitoring, based on MOS scores

• Long-term/SLA tracking of VoIP activity, quality, impairments

• Supports Cisco/IOS-based NetFlow/SLA/QoS link/traffic data

• VoIP pre-deployment assessment of network performance

• Can track VoIP bandwidth consumption

• Can filter on specific call details or measurements and create reports

Up to 500 concurrent calls can be fully tracked and assessed

• Supports (decodes, and assesses) G.711, G.726, G.729 and most other common codecs, including wideband (G.722, G.729.1, etc)

• Can decipher and use RTCP & XR data

Can decipher/track:

• SIP, H.248, MGCP and Cisco SCCP

• Displays real-time signaling-state graphs

• Tracks/reports call set-up time and success-rate stats

• Jitter

• One-way latency

• Packet loss

• Alerts via email, SNMP, syslog when user-settable thresholds exceeded

Passive (non-intrusive) testing only is supported

$35,000 to $70,000 for ACE Live, plus $8,000 to $30,000 for VoIP Monitoring Module, depending on no. concurrent calls; 1-yr warranty

 

Vendor,

HQ location,

Web site

 Product(s), version, URL

logosl1c

Verified?

Product orientation

Product description

Platform(s), software, hardware

 Network connection

Primary product roles, capabilities

VoIP call monitoring capacity, codecs

Signaling, call-control monitoring

Impairments measured

Active (synthetic traffic) testing

Pricing

PathSolutions, Inc.

Santa Clara, CA

http://www. pathsolutions.com/

 

pathsolutions logo

PathSolutions VoIP Monitor

v4.0

http://www. pathsolutions.com/ products/ voip_monitor.asp

• No

Info shown here is based solely on data provided by the vendor

Equally useful in service-provider or enterprise environments

Windows software that performs mainly single-sided, active (synthetic-VoIP) testing of network devices; collects data from devices' SNMP agents, Cisco NetFlow data and other sources

Software runs on a single, dedicated Windows server; Windows XP, Server 2000, 2003, 2008 all supported; accessed via Web; typical Windows interface

Server connects on a spanned switch port, typically 10/100 or gig Ethernet

• R factor-based MOS rating to/from each monitored network device

• All device interfaces involved in VoIP are monitored for bandwidth use, packet loss, configuration and status

• Plain-English explanation of detected problems, likely root causes

• User-settable thresholds, alerts, based on MOS, packet loss

• Supports Cisco/IOS-based NetFlow/SLA/QoS link/traffic data

• VoIP pre-deployment assessment of network performance

• Ships with over 60 canned reports, exportable in XML to Excel

• Partial-path VoIP testing isolates problems to local or WAN network

• Phone-locator report shows physical location of any VoIP phone

Up to 30,000 network interfaces can be continually monitored via a single server; product does not passively monitor user's VoIP traffic or signaling; can also collect Cisco NetFlow/QoS/SLA data

None, not supported

• Jitter

• Round-trip delay (ping-based)

• Packet loss

• User-settable alerts, including via email, based on MOS, packet loss, network utilization and status change

Primary mode of this product; up to 100 concurrent VoIP test calls can be issued to any IP endpoint; user-schedulable and user-settable codec, QoS

$990 to $96,000, based on network size, for PathSolutions VoIP Monitor (software only); $1,000 for Cisco Net-Flow support option

 

Vendor,

HQ location,

Web site

 Product(s), version, URL

logosl1c

Verified?

Product orientation

Product description

Platform(s), software, hardware

 Network connection

Primary product roles, capabilities

VoIP call monitoring capacity, codecs

Signaling, call-control monitoring

Impairments measured

Active (synthetic traffic) testing

Pricing

SolarWinds, Inc.

Austin, TX

http://www. solarwinds.com/

 

solarwinds logo

Orion IP SLA Manager

v3.0

http://www. solarwinds.com/ products/orion/ ip_sla_ monitoring/

• No

Info shown here is based solely on data provided by the vendor

Equally useful in service-provider or enterprise environments

Family of Windows software modules that collectively monitor WAN and VoIP performance between remote sites, based mainly on Cisco IP SLA/Netflow/QoS data

Software runs on Windows server platforms (not specified); accessed via Web; typical Windows interface; Cisco IOS routers supporting SLA and test-traffic gen serve as remote probes

Remote probes and responders (i.e., Cisco routers) connect on links to WAN, typically 10/100 or gig Ethernet, or T1 IP WAN

• Intuitive point-and-click interface to results and reports, says vendor

• Long-term/historical tracking of VoIP activity/quality/impairments

• User-settable thresholds, alerts, based on performance data

• Supports Cisco/IOS-based NetFlow/SLA/QoS link/traffic data

• Data can also be collected from other (than Cisco) network devices

• VoIP pre-deployment assessment of network performance

• Monitoring and reporting SLA of voice call quality

• Tool for diagnosing VoIP call-quality problems

Collects Cisco NetFlow/QoS/SLA data; pertinent data also collected from other, unspecified, remote network "probe" and "responder" devices

Not supported

• Jitter

• One-way latency

• Call noise

• User-settable thresholds and alerts based on measured data and metrics

Yes; network devices, such as Cisco IOS routers, are configured by vendor's software to place test calls and then results are retrieved and processed

$1,495 to $9,995 for 5 to unlimited SLA source devices (i.e., Cisco routers); from $2,475 for net performance monitor; and from $1,795 for network traffic analyzer

 

Vendor,

HQ location,

Web site

 Product(s), version, URL

logosl1c

Verified?

Product orientation

Product description

Platform(s), software, hardware

 Network connection

Primary product roles, capabilities

VoIP call monitoring capacity, codecs

Signaling, call-control monitoring

Impairments measured

Active (synthetic traffic) testing

Pricing

TamoSoft, Ltd.

Christchurch,

New Zealand

http://www.tamos.com/

tamosoft logo

CommView

v6.1

http://www.tamos. com/products/ commview

• No

Info shown here is based solely on data provided by the vendor

Oriented to use in enterprise environ-ments

Windows software for network monitoring and protocol decode, which includes a VoIP analyzer for analysis, recording and playback of SIP and H.323 VoIP communications

Software runs on Windows XP, 2003, Vista, 2008 and Windows 7; a "remote agent" version can capture packets and send them back for analysis; typical Windows user interface

Connects via a spanned/ bridged switch port, 10/100 or gig Ethernet; special WiFi edition requires 802.11 adapter on PC

• Monitors all active VoIP calls or specific calls in real-time

• VoIP quality assessment, using R-factor, in each RTP direction

• A special version monitors VoIP calls over WiFi (802.11 a/b/g/n)

• Can capture, save & playback VoIP streams of supported codecs

• Tracks VoIP bandwidth consumption

• Analyzes call-control; shows real-time signaling-state ladder diagram

• Can realistically track up to 500 concurrent VoIP calls

• Can track/measure/ rate RTP streams of most standard codecs, including wideband (G.722.1), plus GSM and others

Can decipher/track:

• SIP and H.323

• Displays signaling state diagrams in real-time

• Tracks/reports call success-rate stats

R-factor metrics, including:

• Jitter

• Packet loss

None. Passive (non-intrusive) testing only is supported

$999 for CommView VoIP; 1-yr free software upgrades; $399 per year software upgrades thereafter

 

Vendor,

HQ location,

Web site

 Product(s), version, URL

logosl1c

Verified?

Product orientation

 Product description

Platform(s), software, hardware

 Network connection

Primary product roles, capabilities

VoIP call monitoring capacity, codecs

Signaling, call-control monitoring

Impairments measured

Active (synthetic traffic) testing

Pricing

Touchstone Technologies, Inc.

Hatboro, PA

www.touchstone-inc.com

 

Touchstone Technologies

WinEyeQ,

WinSIP (traffic generation)

v1.7.1

www.touchstone-inc.com/ wineyeq.php

 

• Yes:

Info shown here has been independently verified. 

Click here for free PDF-down-loadable product report

Equally useful in service-provider or enterprise environments

Windows-based IP communications monitoring software that performs monitoring and diagnosis of VoIP and video-conferencing networks; WinSIP is separate VoIP test-traffic-generation software

Software runs on laptop, desktop or server running Windows XP or Server 2000, 2003; "Windows" GUI. Processor, speed & RAM determine max concurrent calls that can be fully monitored and generated (separate nodes)

Observes a single 10/100 or gigabit Ethernet connection, via a spanned/ bridged port or in-line insertion (user provides hub or external tap for in-line insertion)

• Monitors all active VoIP calls or specific VoIP calls/RTP streams

• VoIP quality assessment, using R-factor & proprietary "SQI MOS"

• Data stored in MySQL DBS; can export in CSV format

• Complete per-call CDR files, can filter/sort on any data

• Capture, replay of G.711 calls

• Capture, analysis of VoIP call control & signaling

• With WinSIP, also performs active test-call generation

• Tracks VoIP bandwidth consumption

• Measures, reports, and alerts on impairments affecting VoIP

• Same package can monitor/test video

• VoIP pre-deployment analysis

• User-settable thresholds/triggers, alerts, alarms & SNMP traps

• Fully tracks up to 1,000 simultaneous VoIP calls

• Measures/reports VoIP quality in each RTP-stream direction

• Can capture, save & replay G.711 streams

• Tracks/measures/ rates RTP streams of most standard codecs, including wideband

Can decipher/track:

• SIP, H.323

• Cisco SCCP added in latest version

• Shows real-time signaling state diagrams

• Tracks/reports call set-up time and success-rate stats

• R-factor metrics:

• Jitter

• Packet loss

• Latency (one-way and round-trip delay)

• RTCP messages and XR (extended reports) data

• User-settable alarms on measured parameters/metrics

Accomplished via separate WinSIP call-generation software. Test calls are very user-configurable (number calls, codec, duration, frequency, etc)

$895 to $8,000 for WinEyeQ; $695 to $8,000 for WinSIP (call generation), depending on license terms; includes 1-yr warranty; add'l software maint is 15% of cost annually

 

Vendor,

HQ location,

Web site

 Product(s), version, URL

logosl1c

Verified?

Product orientation

Product description

Platform(s), software, hardware

 Network connection

Primary product roles, capabilities

VoIP call monitoring capacity, codecs

Signaling, call-control monitoring

Impairments measured

Active (synthetic traffic) testing

Pricing

VOIPFUTURE Ltd.

Hamburg, Germany

http://www. voipfuture.com/

 

voipfuture logo

Smart RTP Monitoring Probe

v2.0

http://www.voipfuture. com/index.php/ products-and-solutions/ vfslamonitoring  and

vftroubleshootingtool

• No

Info shown here is based solely on data provided by the vendor

Equally useful in service-provider or enterprise environments

Hardware probes and server package; does high-capacity VoIP quality monitoring and identifies root causes of problems; long-term SLA (service level agreement) monitoring

Software runs on dedicated Linux server; hardware probes in the network can run independently or send measurement results back to server; Web access, interface

Probes and server connect via taps (preferred) or on mirrored 10/100 or gig Ethernet links (also supports 10-gig interface)

• Monitors all active VoIP calls, rates quality in each RTP direction

• High-capacity VoIP-quality monitoring; probe handles 8 gigabit links

• Supports 10-gigabit backbone Ethernet connection

• VoIP quality ratings based on R factor and proprietary MOS

• User-settable thresholds, alerts sent via email & SNMP traps

• Tracking VoIP bandwidth consumption

• Provides a real-time call-quality record every 5 sec for every call

• Long-term voice call-quality & SLA monitoring and reporting

• Tool for diagnosing VoIP call-quality problems

• Tracks VoIP call quality on up to 10,500 simultaneous calls

• Measures/reports VoIP quality in each RTP-stream direction

• Can track/measure/ rate G.711, G.726, G.729 and G.722 (wideband) streams

Not supported

• R-factor metrics:

• Jitter

• Packet loss

• Call noise

• User-settable thresholds and alerts based on measured data and metrics

None. Passive (non-intrusive) testing only is supported

Price varies widely with network size; licensing is based on number of concurrent VoIP streams supported

 

Vendor,

HQ location,

Web site

 Product(s), version, URL

logosl1c

Verified?

Product orientation

Product description

Platform(s), software, hardware

 Network connection

Primary product roles, capabilities

VoIP call monitoring capacity, codecs

Signaling, call-control monitoring

Impairments measured

Active (synthetic traffic) testing

Pricing

WildPackets, Inc.

Walnut Creek, CA

http://www. wildpackets.com/

 

OmniPeek Voice Distributed

v6.0

http://www.wildpackets. com/products/ portable_analysis/ omnipeek_software

 

• No

Info shown here is based solely on data provided by the vendor

Oriented to use in enterprise environments

Windows software (main OmniPeek Enterprise app), with optional probe(s) (sold as software or appliances), and optional "network recorder" storage server; for passive monitoring of VoIP & data protocols

Software runs on Windows – XP Pro, Vista or Server 2003; appliances from vendor can be Linux-based; 1U and 3U rack-mount servers from vendor; typical Windows user interface

Probe appliances and servers connect in-line via taps (user- or vendor-supplied) or on mirrored 10/100, gig or 10-gig Ethernet ports

• Monitors all active VoIP calls, rates quality in each RTP direction

• Provides a broad spectrum of VoIP quality assessments per call – R factor and PESQ (conversational and listener for both)

• VoIP call capture and replay of supported codecs

• Can capture, save and replay VoIP streams of supported codecs

• Supports 10-gigabit backbone Ethernet connection

• Captures call details into extensive per-call CDR records

• User-settable thresholds, alerts sent via email, SNMP, syslog

• Tracks VoIP bandwidth, alongside all network bandwidth utilized

• Same product also monitors video traffic

• Long-term voice call-quality; VoIP dashboard & summary stats

• Tracks up to 1,000 concurrent VoIP calls

• Can track, rate, save and/or replay G.711, G.726, G.723.1, G.729, G.722 (wideband), GSM & other codecs

• Can decipher and use RTCP data

Can decipher/track:

• SIP, H.323, Cisco SCCP and MGCP

• Shows real-time signaling state diagrams

• Tracks/reports call set-up time and success-rate stats

• Special features for monitoring Cisco & Avaya environments

• R-factor metrics:

• Jitter

• Packet loss

• One-way latency

• User-settable thresholds and alerts based on impairments and call quality

None. Passive (non-intrusive) testing only is supported

$4,995 for OmniPeek Enterprise app; $4,995 for optional probe software; $12,495 to $69,995 for  optional data-storage server (h/w & s/w)

 

Copyright © 2010 MierConsulting, LLC, 104 Windsor Road, Kunkletown, PA  18058.  Telephone 610-295-5132.  The information in this report can be distributed in hardcopy or in electronic form, without restriction, provided: 1) no change or alteration is made to information content, 2) that the "last updated" date at the top of the compendium is prominently shown, and 3) that this copyright notice is included in any copy or distribution.

 

Copyrights and product trademarks are acknowledged for their respective holders.