[Asterisk-Users] RE: RE: IP Phone recommendations?

[brian at txshirts.com]

I agree with your comments about the KSU systems vs. *

It just seems like every asian, latin american, and european electronics
company has a "VOIP" product that they are selling now.  Doesn't seem
like we have seen any shakeout where a handful of companies emerge with
good, solid products that perform day in and day out and provide a good
value.   

I guess where we are really looking is for a SIP that is equivalent to
our M7310 Nortel phones so that we can get rid of the Meridian system
and it's phones.  What I don't want is two PBX/KSU systems for 10
employees.  NO WAY.  :)  I just figured that mentioning the M3710's
might help clear the clutter of LG,Epson, Uniden, Emerson, Hampton Bay
(kidding), etc aka crap at the bottom.

I did consider ATA devices, but they cost half as much as a decent SIP
appears to and they don't provide all the PBX features on their front.
There is nothing worse then trying to teach employees "secret" phone
codes to get to stuff.

My impression is that the market shapes into three bands of phones:
1- Economy phones aimed at providing VOIP dial-tone substitutes.  Under
$100
2- Business Phones  Between $100 and $200
3- Premium Business Phones  From $250 

My focus is squarely on 2 and possibly 3 if the phones are decent
enough.

NOTE: PLEASE DO NOT CALL AND SOLICIT ME.  A couple of people have
already tried and it's a real abuse of the listserv.  I already own
Asterisk, some digium equipment, and a production class server for it
and I don't want to buy a box or a service provider's product.  We
prefer to be our service provider.  



Brian Greul
Texas Shirt Company
www.txshirts.com
713-802-0369 / 713-861-6261 (fax)

-----Original Message-----
From: Jason Kawakami [mailto:jkkawakami at optellabs.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, December 29, 2004 11:23 AM
To: asterisk-users at lists.digium.com
Subject: [Asterisk-Users] RE: RE: IP Phone recommendations? 



-----Original Message-----

Okay,
  I'm feeling a little stupid here.... But I'm gonna ask anyway.

You mention support and firmware on the Ci$co phones.

I understand the support item.
I guess it makes sense that the phones have firmware.  Does it have to
be updated or changed or messed with that often?

-because SIP UA's control the features (conference/transfer/redial etc)
and each UA is under constant development to provide new features this
will most likely be a requirement to keep current with the available
features.

If there is an article somewhere that covers this I'd love to read it.  

It seems like most of the VOIP marketing-speak is aimed at companies
with mega$$$ who want to spend $500/head on it.  We're a tad smaller and
we have $ to spend not $$ or $$$ or $$$$.  :)  Worse yet, we need $ to
go find and bring back it's friends.  :)  Anyhow, I haven't seen
anything that really tackles moving from a CISC Nortel Meridian KSU to a
IP based system.  I'm guessing that this is Nortel's absolute worst
nightmare.  It seems like they trickle down the technology from the
large switches to the micro PBX systems.   

- http://www.citel.com/index/index.asp I saw this yesterday and this may
be an option for folks like you that have a big investment in handsets
but want new features.  I have no idea what one of these boxes costs but
it looked interesting.  Seems to be a play from Mitel to penetrate other
mfg's installed bases with the 3300 ICP product.

Remember that * is really a PBX where pretty much every system
commercially available (other than class 5 equipment) is a hybrid of Key
System technology and PBX functionality.

Good Luck

Jason Kawakami
Open Telephony Labs, LLC
Salt Lake City, UT


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