HOMER

Overview

HOMER brings capture, search and analysis together for SIP and related RTC environments. Advanced search, end-to-end analysis and packet drill-down let operators move from a broad issue to captured traffic detail. That makes it a strong fit for troubleshooting teams that need to inspect call flows, but operating a self-hosted framework is a different proposition from buying a turnkey service.

HOMER 11 is described as an all-in-one HEP capture and API server for the Homer 11.x data lake. Its documented architecture includes ingest, DuckLake storage, a Node with FlightSQL, and a Coordinator with a REST API. Docker and release packages provide deployment paths; the AGPL-3.0 license is relevant for organizations planning to modify or use the project in their own stack.

Key features

The capture server combines call-flow and PCAP capabilities with statistics, analytics, widgets and a REST API. Together with end-to-end analysis and packet drill-down, this supports investigations that require more than a summary of call activity.

Capture agents support HEP3 encapsulation, payload encryption and compression, and TLS. Core protocol coverage includes SIP, RTCP, RTCP-XR, WebRTC signaling and log collection. The project also supports MOS scoring, jitter tracking and packet-loss tracking, giving operations teams several useful measures of call quality alongside signaling and packet inspection.

HEP/EEP integrations cover Kamailio, OpenSIPS, Captagent, Asterisk, FreeSWITCH, RTPEngine, sipgrep, sngrep and hepipe. That breadth is useful for teams already using those components; it does not remove the need to plan how capture agents and server components fit their deployment.

Multi-user LDAP and Radius support help align access with existing identity systems. VQRTCP collection and SIPREC support are optional and disabled by default, so teams that require either should account for enabling and integrating those capabilities rather than assume they are active out of the box.

Pricing

HOMER Open Source is free and is 100% open-source. It is the natural starting point for teams able to deploy and maintain the framework themselves. Commercial support is available with custom pricing, including development support, 24/7 SLA production support and advanced training; organizations that need a contractual support relationship should request a quote.

Platforms

HOMER is listed for API, Linux, macOS, self-hosted and web environments. Docker support and release packages give operators deployment choices, while the self-hosted model suits teams that want capture infrastructure within their own environment.

Who it's for

HOMER is aimed at ITSPs, VoIP providers and trunk suppliers, and it also suits engineering and operations teams responsible for SIP infrastructure. Its packet drill-down, call-flow views and protocol coverage are most valuable when staff need to investigate traffic directly. Teams wanting a hosted product with minimal operational ownership should look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Packet drill-down, end-to-end analysis and PCAP capabilities support detailed incident investigation rather than only high-level monitoring.
• Pros: The REST API, broad HEP/EEP integration set, LDAP and Radius support make it adaptable to provider stacks and access-control practices.
• Pros: The free, open-source plan avoids a software charge for teams prepared to run the system themselves.
• Cons: Self-hosting puts deployment and operation on the team, making HOMER a weaker fit for buyers seeking an out-of-the-box managed service.
• Cons: VQRTCP and SIPREC are disabled by default, requiring extra attention from teams that depend on either.
• Cons: Organizations needing commercial development, production SLA support or training must pursue custom pricing.

Alternatives

VoIP Monitoring Software is a useful category starting point for comparing monitoring approaches.

Obkio is worth considering for teams that want a freemium option, a 14-day Premium trial capped at 10 agents, and support across mobile and desktop platforms.

CallMeter may suit buyers seeking a paid API, self-hosted and web offering with monthly or annual plans whose features, usage limits and service levels vary.

MultiDSLA is an option for teams that want a controller-plus-node deployment designed to control 100 or more nodes.

Pico Corvil Analytics may suit high-capacity deployments, with a stated configuration of up to 20,000 concurrent calls per appliance and 200Gbps per Corvil 12000 appliance.

Telchemy SQmediator offers paid editions for teams evaluating service-provider monitoring, including a small-provider single-server edition with optional Web Services API and passive and active capabilities at additional cost.

VoIP Spear is a paid alternative with a Lite plan at 14.95 USD per month, including one endpoint, one-minute test frequency, two servers per test and one week of past results.

VoIPmonitor may fit teams looking for a paid cloud or on-premise monitoring route; its Cloud 3 channels plan costs 22.00 USD per month and includes full features, 21-day CDR retention and PCAP storage on the customer's server.

sip-exporter is a narrower open-source alternative for teams seeking a Linux, self-hosted option under AGPL-3.0, with commercial use subject to license conditions.

Verdict

Choose HOMER if your team operates SIP infrastructure and needs a free, self-hosted framework for capture, API access and detailed traffic analysis. Its strongest reason to choose is the depth from call-flow and PCAP views through packet drill-down, backed by broad integrations. Look elsewhere if you need managed monitoring or do not want to own deployment and support planning.