Ekiga Interoperability
From Ekiga
Please, report any error or comments using the Ekiga users mailling list or join us on IRC : irc.gnome.org/6667 channel #ekiga
Install Ekiga for GNU/Linux and other Unixes and Windows
Contents |
Softphones (VoIP)
Linux
- Green: Works gracefully with Ekiga version 2 and 3
- Orange: Need Ekiga version 3* OR require third party software OR don't work as expected
| Software name | Free Software | Protocol |  Text messages
(protocols) |  Audio
(codecs) |  Video
(codecs) | Privacy
(protocol) | Presence
(protocol) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ekiga 3.0 | Yes | SIP, H323 | Yes
(SIMPLE) | Yes
(Speex narrow&wide band, G.711A/U aka PCMA/PCMU, iLBC, GSM and G.726 16 24 32 or 40 kbps) | Yes
(H.261, H.263*, H.263+, MPEG 4 Part 2, H.264, theora) | No (ZRTP planned) | Yes
(SIP SIMPLE) |
| Linphone 1.5 | Yes | SIP | Yes
(SIMPLE) | Yes
(Speex narrow&wide band, G.711U/A, iLBC, and GSM) | Yes
(H.263+, MPEG 4 Part 2 and theora | No | (SIP SIMPLE) |
| Wengophone 2.1 | Yes | SIP | Yes
(SIP SIMPLE, MSN, Yahoo, AIM, Jabber and Google Talk) (Wengophone is somewhat flooding Ekiga chat window with some non-standard MESSAGE in SIP and add HTML to the text) | Yes
(G.711, iLBC, Speex and GSM) | No | No | Yes*
(SIP SIMPLE) |
| Twinkle 1.0 | Yes | SIP | No | Yes
(G.711A/U, iLBC, GSM and G.726 16, 24, 32 or 40 kbps. Speex narrow&wide band don't work properly) | No | No (ZRTP/SRTP) | No |
| Gizmo | No | SIP | No Pidgin or other third party software. (Jabber) | Yes
(G.711U/A, iLBC and GSM) | No | No | No
(Jabber) |
| X-Lite 2 | No | SIP | ? | Yes
(G.711U/A, iLBC, Speex, GSM) | No | No | No |
| Pidgin 2.1.0 (ex-Gaim) | Yes | SIP | Yes
You must disable composing feature: | No | No | Yes* On the Pidgin side, you'll only know if Ekiga is online or offline.
(SIP SIMPLE) | |
| telepathy-sofiasip (Empathy 0.23.1) | Yes | SIP | Yes (with ekiga 3.0)
| Yes (speex was tested one way: empathy->ekiga 2.9, and PCMA both way empathy<->ekiga 2.9)
| Yes
(H.263+) | No | No |
* Ekiga version 3 only. Then you may install the h263 plugin.
Mac OS
- Green: Works gracefully with Ekiga version 2
- Orange: Need Ekiga version 3* OR require third party software OR don't work as expected
| Software name | Free Software | Protocol | Text messages
(protocols) | Audio
(codecs) | Video
(codecs) | Privacy | Presence
(protocol) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XMeeting | Yes | SIP, H323 | No | Yes
(G.711U/A) | Yes
(H.261, H.263*, H.263+ (being implemented for SIP), H.264 (being implemented for SIP) | No | No |
| X-Lite 3.0 | No | SIP | Unknow
(SIP SIMPLE) | Yes
(G.711U/A, iLBC and GSM) | Yes
(H.263*, H.263+) | No |
(SIP SIMPLE) |
| Wengophone 2.1 | Yes | SIP | Yes
(SIP SIMPLE, MSN, Yahoo, AIM, Jabber and Google Talk) (Wengophone is somewhat flooding Ekiga chat window with some non-standard MESSAGE in SIP to tell stuff like "has changed his icon", "is typing", ... and add HTML to the text like "<font color="#000000"><font face="Helvetica">Hello</font></font>") | Yes
(G.711, iLBC and Speex) | No | No | Yes*
(SIP SIMPLE) |
| Gizmo | No | SIP | Pidgin or other third party software.
(Jabber) | Yes
(G.711U/A, iLBC, GSM) | No | No | No
(Jabber) |
| SIP communicator | YES | SIP | SIMPLE | Yes
(G.711U/A, speex) | H.263 ? JPEG ? | ? | ? |
* Ekiga version 3 only. Then you may install the h263 plugin.
Windows
| Software name | Free Software | Protocol | Text messages
(protocols) | Audio
(codecs) | Video
(codecs) | Privacy | Presence
(protocol) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ekiga 3.0.1-BETA | Yes | SIP, H323 | Yes
(SIMPLE) | Yes
(Speex narrow&wide band, G.711A/U aka PCMA/PCMU, iLBC, GSM, LPC10 and G.726 16 24 32 or 40 kbps) | Yes
(H.261, H.263*, H.263+, MPEG 4 Part 2, H.264, theora) | No (SRTP/ZRTP planned) | Yes
(SIP/SIMPLE) |
| Windows Messenger 5.1 (Messenger is not MSN) Tutorial for configuration | No | SIP | Yes
| Yes
(G.711 and GSM6.10) | Yes
(H.261, H.263*) | No | Unknow (See MS Website) |
| X-Lite 3.0 Download Latest 3.0 | No | SIP | No | Yes
(Speex narrow&wide band, G.711U/A, iLBC and GSM) | Yes
(H.263*, H.263+) | No |
(SIP SIMPLE) |
| eyeBeam 1.5.7 | No | SIP | No | Yes
(Speex narrow&wide band, G.711U/A, iLBC and GSM) | Yes
(H.263*, H.263+, H.264) | No Signaling: TLS Media:ZRTP/SRTP |
(SIP SIMPLE) |
| Kapanga | No | SIP | Unknow
(SIP SIMPLE) | Yes
(G.711, iLBC, Speex, GSM, G.726) | Yes
(H.263*, H.263+, theora(need testing), MPEG 1/2, MPEG 4 Part 2*(need testing), H.264*(need testing) | No Signaling: TLS Media: ? /SRTP |
(SIP SIMPLE) |
| Netmeeting | No | H323 | No | Yes
Install Speex 8000 bps or GSM codec first. | Yes
(H.261) | No | |
| Wengophone 2.1 | Yes | SIP | Yes
(SIP SIMPLE, MSN, Yahoo, AIM, Jabber and Google Talk) (Wengophone is somewhat flooding Ekiga chat window with some non-standard MESSAGE in SIP to tell stuff like "has changed his icon", "is typing", ... and add HTML to the text like "<font color="#000000"><font face="Helvetica">Hello</font></font>") | Yes
(G.711, iLBC and Speex) | No | No | Yes*
(SIP SIMPLE) |
| Gizmo | No | SIP | Pidgin or other third party software.
(Jabber) | Yes
(G.711U/A, iLBC, GSM) | No (Non Standard Video) | No | No
(Jabber) |
| Pidgin 2.1.0 (ex-Gaim) | Yes | SIP | Yes
You must disable composing feature: | No | No | Yes* On the Pidgin side, you'll only know if Ekiga is online or offline.
(SIP SIMPLE) | |
| PacPhone | No | H323 | Unknow | Unknow (G.711,iLBC,GSM,Speex,LPC-10) | Unknow (H.261,H.263, H264) | ||
| Express Talk Basic | No | SIP | No | Unknow (GSM, uLaw, ALaw, PCM and G726) Record, Conference | No | No (has support...) | No |
| IBM Lotus Sametime | No | SIP | Unknow | Unknow (Audio codec: G.711 or G.723) | Unknow (Video codec H.263+) | No SSL/TLS | Unknow (SIMPLE) |
| Microsoft Office Communicator | No | SIP | No, incompatible | Unknow RTAudio, G.711 | Unknow | No SRTP | Unknow |
| Viable Vvision | ? | ? | ? | Unknow | Unknow | ? | Unknow |
* Ekiga version 3 only. Then you may install the h263 plugin.
PBX (telephony platform)
Asterisk
"Applications such as voicemail, hosted conferencing, call queuing and agents, music on hold, and call parking are all standard features built right into the software." Asterisk: The Future of Telephony
If you want to use your Ekiga as a client to Asterisk, see this page: Ekiga as an Asterisk client
Another note (Connecting Asterisk to ekiga.net) tells how to set Asterisk up so that you can call - and receive calls from - your friends on ekiga.net.
FIXME: More documentation.
CallWeaver
CallWeaver (ex-OpenPBX) is a fork of Asterisk. It has "built-in STUN support for SIP NAT traversal", "full T.38 fax over IP support".
FreeSWITCH
FIXME : test and document... http://www.freeswitch.org/
Service discovery
Avahi (Plug'n Play)
Avahi is a system which facilitates service discovery on a local network. This means that you can plug your laptop or computer into a network and instantly be able to view other people who you can chat with, find printers to print to or find files being shared.
How to reach contacts on a LAN with Avahi ?
Which programs don't work with Ekiga ?
Skype, MSN, Google talk
- Google talk has a "plan to support SIP"...
- Ekiga is not compatible with Skype or MSN and will never be compatible for direct phone calls as long as their protocols stay proprietary. We do not think using closed protocols for communications is a good thing.
Can I connect to a SIP server with Skype?
In short: no.
Ekiga users and Skype users can communicate by calling each other over the regular phone network. Skype has a service called "SkypeOut" which allows users to call the public switched telephone network or PSTN. Skype also has a "SkypeIn" service that provides their users with a regular phone number. As Ekiga can also connect to the regular phone network when you use one of the right providers, Skype and Ekiga users can talk each other, but it will cost.
FAX
Ekiga can't deal with fax ([T.38]). You may try OpenPBX.
Web
Web Button
We implemented a small script displaying the status information on Ekiga.net.
In order to use it, simply add this to your web page:
<script src=”http://www.ekiga.net/status/presence.php?user=YOUR_ID_ON_EKIGA.NET”></script>
where YOUR_ID_ON_EKIGA.NET is simply your username.
You can be either online:
Or Offline:
If you click on the button while the user is online, it should ask Ekiga to call the correct SIP address. This has been tested with Firefox, and it works well.
Vinicius Depizzol designed the button (reusing well-known GNOME icons).
Click-to-dial Addon (GNU/Linux)
- This GNU/Linux addon will turn any phone number in a web page into a clickable link.
- Ekiga will be used to place the call.
Unfortunately, most "real" phone numbers are not given in the standard, international form. This addon use a simple form to configure countrycodes and stuff.
The scripts are available as rpm and tar.gz packages at ftp://mumin.dnsalias.net/pub/ekiga-callto/ .
The README covers how to use the addon.
If anyone think it's worth the effort, please consider providing new localisations. Just grab the po/en_GB.po file, fill in the 12 lines and upload them to ftp://mumin.dnsalias.net/pub/upload.
This addon is written using python and javascript.
Further discussion about phone format API.
