[Asterisk-Users] Uniden UIP200 Review (Repost)

[Brian D'Arcy]

Hello Everyone,

My company is about to deploy * as replacement for our existing
commercial Altigen PBX.   Meanwhile, I've been trying to find the best
cost effective SIP VoIP phone which we can use in office for 20-30
employees, as well as a few remote staff.

Normally I wouldn't post about a VoIP phone, however, this phone was
released less than a week so I thought I'd give some feedback from an
office perspective on the new unit.  It is Uniden's first offering into
the VoIP market.

Main Features which were important to me:

Built in 10/100 Switch
Speakerphone w/headset port
IEEE 802.3af Standard Inline Power (PoE)
2 line 16/char LCD Display
8 Programmable (not soft) Keys
QoS [IEEE 802.1 p/q Based and DiffServ
G711a/u & G729A Codec Support
TFTP Auto Configuration & Firmware Upgrades (based on mac addressed
filenames)

The phone also has all the hard buttons you'd expect it to have.  Hold,
speaker/headset, Volume up and down, Menu, Transfer, Cancel, and Dial
(used in lieu of pressing the # key to cut down digit timeouts when
on-hook dialing).

First, this phone, is relatively inexpensive.  I was able to pick one up
for $129.  Setup and configuration was trying, as the phone ships with
absolutely NOTHING in terms of an admin guide.  The support areas on the
Uniden site were password protected and even the support staff was
unaware of all the proper logins and passwords (gotta love supporting
new products).

Once I gained access to the appropriate admin guide, I whipped up a few
of the configuration files on my TFTP server, plugged in the phone and
was off and rolling.   Or so I thought.  There seems to be some minor
DHCP issues with the phone currently.  It was ignoring my DHCP server's
DHCP Offer's and constantly reported DHCP Failed on the LCD.  After
speaking with a Uniden Developer and sending him an ethereal trace, I
hard-coded the IP address to continue my testing.

The phone fired up, auto-configured itself via TFTP, and was logged into
* in a matter of seconds.  Needless to say, at this point, I was
extremely pleased to see it actually WORKED.


Weak Points:

Wimpy Speakerphone:  It's extremely easy for the speakerphone itself to
over modulate.  The microphone however does seem to perform well, even
if it is a *little* tin-can'ish.

Hold Button:  Works as expected, * puts the caller on hold, and they
hear MOH.  YOU on the other hand hear this really cheesy Nintendo style
genre of music locally, produced by the phone.  When using speakerphone
and placing someone on hold, this is extremely irritating.

DTMF:  When you have a session, or call active, there is no local DTMF
feedback over the handset or speakerphone.  While I'm ok with this, I
can just picture my entire office on the first day, wondering if they
actually pushed the buttons hard enough.  So navigating through auto
attendant menus can be a little tricky since you're not sure if you
actually missed the button, or made solid contact.  You can however
check the LCD to see if the number you pressed went through.

Conclusion:

In testing, the phone is an all around solid performer.  If they resolve
my DHCP issue, I think we probably will go ahead and purchase 20-30
phones to start so that we can get * deployed in the near future.  For
$130, I don't think I can really complain about the weak points, however
I have voiced my opinion on the DTMF and HOLD music to Uniden, so maybe
in the near future we'll have some toggles in the TFTP config files make
life a little less stressful.

Uniden currently has a distributor/wholesaler who will sell to the
public.  If you're interested in picking up any of these phones to test
yourself, the contact information is below.

Note:  Please keep in mind, Uniden also makes the UIP300 and UIP312.
These phones *only* support H323.  The UIP400 is the equivalent model of
the 300, but will support SIP and is currently in development.

Contact: Aimee @ Teledynamics
(800) 847-5629 ext.110 or, aimee at teledynamics.com

Brian D'Arcy