A year ago, nobody would have imagined that working from home and the home office would be such a topical subject, but the last few months have caused us to rethink and re-evaluate how our businesses are run and what is essential. What has become very clear, is that businesses need to continue being operational and efficient with a substantial percentage of the workforce offsite. Even with the relaxing of lockdown restrictions, many employees continue to work from home. Thus, a clear and concise work from home strategy is vital.

Effective communication is key to this work from home strategy. Cloud hosted PABX solutions (such as 3CX) are on the rise, while Microsoft Teams is ideally suited to enabling collaboration amongst colleagues and business partners. Getting the full value of these solutions is fundamental to a sustainable work from home strategy, and this is where Yealink’s work from home products can really benefit your business.

Working from home typically means that a large amount of time is spent on voice and video calls. In fact, web meeting usage has increased more than 300% since the start of the year. Headsets play a critical role in maximising productivity and ensuring that workers are communicating professionally while not sacrificing productivity. The Yealink UH36 USB headsets were launched earlier this year, just as the headset market boom set in. Not only are the Yealink headsets certified and fully integrated with Microsoft Teams, but they also have a 3.5mm jack for use with most mobile phone brands, should you be using a mobile application as your preferred softphone client. The Yealink headsets offer unparalleled audio and voice quality, with dynamic equalisation which adapts to the audio stream (ideal for switching between voice and music) and noise suppression to cancel out that pesky background interference.

For personal voice conferencing, the Yealink Bluetooth Speakerphones are a must have. The built-in Bluetooth will connect directly to your Bluetooth enabled mobile phone or laptop, creating a mini conferencing solution for your home office or huddle room. The Yealink CP700 makes use of two omni-directional microphones, while the Yealink CP900 has a 6-microphone beamforming array, for every meeting space requirement. The Lithium Polymer battery with extended battery life ensures you are never left wanting, even in the event of a power outage. Support for Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business, as well as other leading softphone and virtual meeting services, means you will only need a single device for any service you choose.

Cloud based PABX solutions make setting up a home office increasingly simple and eliminate the need for complicated VPN solutions to have access to the company PABX and getting your extension in your home office. The choice of handset for your home office is also crucially important for convenience and practicality. The Yealink DECT phone series provides an ideal solution, allowing you to move freely in your space without compromising on voice quality.

Video conferencing between colleagues working from home and those in the office is essential for collaboration. Yealink has a solution for every situation, whether you are using standard (H.323 or SIP) video conferencing, Teams or Zoom. For personal video conferencing, such as individuals working or executives calling from their office, the Yealink VP59 Smart Video Phone cannot be matched. With an 8-inch colour touch screen, 2 mega-pixel camera and running on an Android based operating system, the Yealink VP59 is your all-in-one VC solution.

For your boardroom solutions, Yealink has a range of video conferencing products to meet any requirement. The MVC range has been specifically developed with Microsoft Teams in mind and is fully interoperable. For your Zoom Rooms solutions, Yealink offers the ZVC range. Both variations provide an all-in-one solution, with a mini-PC to run your platform of choice. The Yealink video conferencing product range has a solution for any size boardroom, from medium to extra-large, including multiple cameras and microphones.

With no end in sight, today is the time to finalise your work from home strategy. Let Yealink help you in enabling your workforce.

For more product information or where to buy contact Nology, the Platinum Distributor of Yealink in Southern Africa. Click HERE to visit the Yealink South Africa website

About Yealink:

Founded in 2001, Yealink is a leading global provider of enterprise unified communication systems and collaboration solutions, with best-in-class quality, innovative technology and user-friendly experience. As one of the best providers in more than 140 countries and regions, Yealink ranks No.1 in the global market share of SIP phone shipments (Global IP Desktop Phone Growth Excellence Leadership Award Report, Frost & Sullivan, 2018).

Yealink has been available in South Africa through their Platinum Distributor, Nology, since 2009. Together, Yealink and Nology, has established Yealink as the preferred IP phone brand for South African Service Providers, Operators and Resellers. This has been achieved through outstanding technical expertise and dedicated local support. Yealink and Nology aim to empower their partners through local training and marketing support.

About Nology:

Founded in 2001, Nology combines trusted business fundamentals, technical expertise and over 19 years' experience to provide quality Broadband, Wireless, Networking and VoIP solutions to leading service providers, network operators and systems integrators across Southern Africa.

Nology represents, distributes and supports leading international brands and we are continually expanding our product offering. We have a strong reputation and proven track record in our industry and are trusted by the largest ISPs, network operators and South Africa’s broadband community in general.

For more information contact us on +27 (0)10 824 0040. Alternatively, send any enquiries to sales@nology.co.za.

Streaming services have become increasingly popular over recent years, providing users with loads of video and music content such as Netflix, Showmax and Spotify. Many customers, having purchased a smart TV, believe that they do not need a dedicated streaming device since their TV should be sufficient for streaming content.

While this may technically be correct, it is important to note that not all smart TVs are created equal. Performance, reliability, updates, available apps and functions can differ according to brand, age and even the operating system (OS) installed. Another important factor to keep in mind is that not all apps can be run on a Smart TV, only the apps that are pre-installed or available for download by the Smart TV manufacturer can be used. Most of the TV brands do not support Android TV, therefore severely limiting the number of apps available on the TV.

“Just because you have a smart TV in your home, doesn’t necessarily mean you are getting the best streaming experience,” said Grant Robertson, Ematic Product Manager at Nology. “TV manufactures focus primarily on picture quality first and smart functions as secondary. This often means subpar performance with a slow user interface and limited features. Worst still, updates are often scarce, leaving customers stuck with non-working or outdated versions of their favourite apps.”

This is why a dedicated Android TV box like the Ematic AGT419 makes sense – it’s basically a small computer with Android TV OS that plugs into any TV and gives the user the ability to stream online content, surf the Internet and install almost any app from the Google Play Store.

Smart TVs can also lack some important features found on an Android TV box, such as voice search via Google Assistant, Chromecast and access to almost every app on Google Play Store. “Google Assistant is a powerful feature found on newer Android TV boxes. With Google Assistant built into the Bluetooth remote, not only can you pull up the weather or get the answers to all your questions, but even control your smart home devices and lights by using only your voice”.

A dedicated Android TV box allows you to watch TV shows, movies and viral videos, or play games and listen to music from thousands of options on streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, DSTV Now, Showmax, YouTube, and more. This means that even with a smart TV sitting in your lounge, having a separate Android TV box will almost certainly elevate your home entertainment experience and transform any TV into a full-featured, content-rich smart TV.

The Ematic Android TV Box uses the latest Android TV OS and has specifically been designed for viewing and easy navigation on a TV screen. It is one of only a few Android TV boxes on the market that has an Ethernet port and Wi-Fi connectivity, as well as official Google and Netflix certification, ensuring that all your apps are running at their optimum performance and resolution. Additionally, this also means that the device will receive continuous firmware and app updates to make it future-proof.

Features of the Ematic Android TV Box include the following:

Visit www.ematic.co.za for more information and where to buy.

About Nology:

Founded in 2001, Nology combines trusted business fundamentals, technical expertise and over 19 years' experience to provide quality Broadband, Wireless, Networking and VoIP solutions to leading service providers, network operators and systems integrators across Southern Africa.

Nology represents, distributes and supports leading international brands and we are continually expanding our product offering. We have a strong reputation and proven track record in our industry and are trusted by the largest ISPs, network operators and South Africa’s broadband community in general.

For more information contact us on +27 (0) 010 824 0040. Alternatively, send any enquiries to sales@nology.co.za.

November, 2020 -- Nology, a leading supplier of converged IP solutions has announced its appointment as the official distributor of Shelly smart home products in South Africa. This new relationship paves the way for delivering smart home devices at an affordable price point that is within reach to the average consumer.

Shelly is a reliable, yet affordable smart home automation solution that allows you to intelligently control and manage your home through an Internet connection and intuitive mobile app.

Shelly uses standard Wi-Fi and will work on your existing Wi-Fi network. No need for a specific or dedicated Hub or Controller.

With the focus being on making life easier, the Shelly solution allows you to control your home appliances and office equipment, as well as monitor the power consumption of your appliances from anywhere with your smartphone or sensors placed around the home or office, which can be used as triggers.

For example, you can set Shelly to automatically switch on your outdoor lights at sunset and automatically switch off at sunrise. Your Shelly 1 can automatically trigger your heater when the temperature drops below a certain value and Shelly Flood can instantly notify you of a burst geyser before costly damage is caused. Additionally, Shelly devices can also be set to perform multiple tasks with a single click or voice command (via Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa), such as drop the projector screen, dim the relevant lights and switch on the popcorn maker when you’re about to watch a movie.

Shelly products are designed to offer maximum comfort, safety, and ease of installation. With their compact size, they offer some of the smallest designs in the world and have no issue fitting behind a light switch, out of sight.

The only thing needed to use Shelly products is Wi-Fi, an Internet connection and the free, user friendly Shelly Cloud mobile app which is available for both Android and iOS devices. The Shelly Cloud mobile app has a host of features, such as scheduling, timers, countdown, grouping or creating of scenes that can activate multiple actions with just one tap.

All the Shelly products distributed by Nology have the required regulatory approvals and certifications, and are sold through authorised resellers, retailers and installers throughout South Africa.

Shelly Solutuin Features

For more information and details on the products and where to buy them, please visit the Shelly website at https://shellysa.co.za/

About Allterco / Shelly:

ALLTERCO is a holding group company consolidating 7 companies in IoT and telecommunications. After more than 20 years of experience in offering mobile value-added products and services, the company is leaving its telecommunication business behind, and focusing on the development and distribution of IoT products and solutions.

In 2015 the affiliated company Allterco Robotics introduced its first GPS/GSM watch for kids, called MyKi Watch, and after that started the development of the home automation devices series – Shelly. Since then, Allterco Robotics has built a whole new trend in the Home Automation systems, Wearables, and Health Care segments, and has grown into one of the world’s leading manufacturers that sells its products in more than 120 countries.

About Nology:

Founded in 2001, Nology combines trusted business fundamentals, technical expertise and over 19 years' experience to provide quality Broadband, Wireless, Networking and VoIP solutions to leading service providers, network operators and systems integrators across Southern Africa.

Nology represents, distributes and supports leading international brands and we are continually expanding our product offering. We have a strong reputation and proven track record in our industry and are trusted by the largest ISPs, network operators and South Africa’s broadband community in general.

For more information contact us on +27 (0) 010 824 0040. Alternatively, send any enquiries to sales@nology.co.za.