Ekiga

Ekiga

Ekiga is an open source VoIP and video conferencing application for Linux, allowing users to make audio and video calls over the internet. It supports common standards and protocols like SIP, H.323, RTP, STUN, TURN and ICE.
Ekiga image
voip video-conferencing sip h323 rtp open-source

Ekiga: Open Source VoIP & Video Conferencing for Linux

Free and open source VoIP and video conferencing software for Linux users, supporting SIP, H.323, RTP, STUN, TURN, and ICE standards.

What is Ekiga?

Ekiga (formerly known as GNOME Meeting) is a free and open source software application that enables voice over IP and video conferencing capabilities. It can be used to make audio and video calls to other Ekiga users as well as other SIP-based software and hardware.

Ekiga is built for the Linux operating system and integrates seamlessly into the GNOME desktop environment. It relies on various common VoIP, video conferencing and NAT traversal protocols and standards to establish and manage calls, including:

  • SIP - Session Initiation Protocol
  • H.323
  • RTP - Real-time Transport Protocol
  • STUN - Session Traversal Utilities for NAT
  • TURN - Traversal Using Relays around NAT
  • ICE - Interactive Connectivity Establishment

Notable features offered by Ekiga include HD video calling, call holding, call transfer, call forwarding, automatic NAT traversal and audio device auto detection. It also has address book integration, allows multiple accounts to be configured, provides instant messaging capabilities and enables calls to regular PSTN phones via gateways.

As an open source application, Ekiga is free to use and the source code is available for community contribution. It is updated regularly with new features and bug fixes. Major advantages of Ekiga are its seamless integration into Linux desktops, support for open standards and protocols for superior connectivity and its active development community ensuring continued improvement.

Ekiga Features

Features

  1. Voice over IP (VoIP) calling
  2. Video conferencing
  3. Instant messaging
  4. Presence detection
  5. Address book for managing contacts
  6. Call transfer and forwarding
  7. Call waiting
  8. Call holding
  9. Audio codecs like Speex, G.711, G.722, G.729
  10. Video codecs like H.261, H.263, H.264
  11. NAT traversal using protocols like STUN, TURN, ICE
  12. Encryption using SRTP and TLS
  13. Integration with LDAP directories

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Free and open source

Cross-platform availability

Supports common standards and protocols

Encrypted communication

Easy to use interface

Allows audio and video calling

Cons

Limited adoption and user base

Lacks some features of proprietary alternatives

Can have interoperability issues

Video quality depends on bandwidth


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