[Asterisk-Users] What business IP phone to use

[mustardman29]

Thanks Michael,

That sounds like good advice.  

I am surprised that some customers like the GXP2000.  Cheap looking, cheap
sounding, high failure rates.  What sort of customers are we talking about
within the context of business users if you don't mind me asking?  Not home
users.  Business users in office environments.

I have been gravitating towards the Aastra's because I like the
features/price points the 3 flavors hit.  I also really like the support I
have been get from the manufacturer of the phones and firmware.  I have been
patiently waiting for the firmware to improve and I think it is just about
there now.  I do have concerns about Polycom's arms length attitude towards
the end user but knowing they now sort of support Asterisk is a good thing.
I can see why you would advise to find a good reseller for Polycom's.  I
guess I will have to fly out to a VoIP trade show somewhere where I can
touch and use a bunch of different phones without having to buy them.

Anyone have any opinions on the Linksys 941/942?  It sounds like the
firmware is ok but my main concern is always the hardware which won't really
improve over time like firmware.  What are the handset/speakerphone/buttons
like compared to GXP2000, Aastra480, Aastra9133i, Polycom 501 etc.  Any info
would be greatly appreciated.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: The VoIP Connection [mailto:asterisk-biz at thevoipconnection.com] 
> Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 12:55 PM
> To: 'Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion'
> Subject: RE: [Asterisk-Users] What business IP phone to use
> 
> I have used every phone and talk to customers using different 
> devices all day long and I can tell you there is no single IP 
> phone that is perfect for everyone.  You will not find the 
> answer on a newsgroup or a wiki, you need to judge for 
> yourself. For example, while I may love the decidedly "euro"
> ergonomics of the snom, you may find it impossibly unconventional. 
> 
> We have lots of customers who are very happy with their 
> GXP-2000's as well as a number who are not.  It depends on 
> how they are being used (especially LAN or WAN) as well as 
> the firmware version and networking environment.
> 
> We also have many customers who love their Polycoms and there 
> is no doubt that they build a quality product. They aren't 
> cheap but they don't disappoint. By the way, Polycom 
> officially supports Asterisk through certified resellers as 
> of October 2005.
> 
> Snoms are great also but they seem to be having some trouble 
> getting the version 5.0 firmware stable.  If you can live 
> with the features in V4.x for a while, these phones are 
> terrific.  Probably the best overall integration with 
> Asterisk of any IP phone currently available.
> 
> Aastra seems to be getting it together at last and also are 
> worthy of consideration. 
> 
> I sell phones for a living and here's what I recommend: 
> First, select a reliable and competent vendor who will work 
> with you (shameless plug for The VoIP Connection). Talk to 
> them and narrow the field to a sampling of the phones you 
> think will work for your organization.  Set up a test 
> scenario that simulates the network environment you will have 
> and learn how to set the phones up with Asterisk (and 
> vice-versa) so that they work the way they should.  Learn how 
> to use the features well enough to teach them (if you can't 
> explain the basic operation of the phone in 5 minutes forget 
> it), and then put them in front of a sampling of the people 
> who will use them every day. Pay special attention to your 
> receptionist and office manager since they will be the ones 
> you will hear from the most. There really is no shortcut if 
> you want your users to be happy.
> 
> Michael Crown
> Managing Partner
> www.thevoipconnection.com
> 321.989.6728 ext. 611
> sip:611 at voiceserver.thevoipconnection.com
> 
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: mustardman29 [mailto:mustardman29 at hotmail.com]
> > Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 12:58 PM
> > To: asterisk-users at lists.digium.com
> > Subject: [Asterisk-Users] What business IP phone to use
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > I have been struggling with this issue for about a year now.  
> > There were just too many IP phones to choose from at all sorts of 
> > price points and not enough information about any of them.  
> Now I am 
> > looking at the situation again and if anything it has 
> gotten worse.  
> > There are even more phones and all sorts of opinions.  For every 
> > person that says phone x is great there is someone else complaining 
> > about it.
> > 
> > I ended up buying a Grandstream GXP2000 and an Aastra 9133i 
> to test so 
> > I pretty much know what those two phones are about.  Lot's 
> of people 
> > talking about Polycom phones but they still seem to have their 
> > problems and since they don't officially support Asterisk I have my 
> > concerns.  I really don't want to have to keep buying 
> phones to find 
> > out for myself as it get's expensive real fast.
> > 
> > Is there any unbiased comparison of various phones and features 
> > anywhere.
> > If someone wrote a book I'd buy it but it would probably be 
> obsolete 
> > before it was published with the rate of new IP phone introductions 
> > and firmware revisons.  I hear some people praising the 
> GXP2000 phones 
> > and I gotta wonder what they are smokin (regardless of firmware 
> > revison) so I just don't know who to believe anymore.
> > 
> > 
> 
> 
>