[Asterisk-Users] New Project - IP Phone Sources

[Brent Franks]

See comments inline...

> -----Original Message-----
> From: asterisk-users-bounces at lists.digium.com [mailto:asterisk-users-
> bounces at lists.digium.com] On Behalf Of Stewart M. Ives
> Sent: Friday, October 15, 2004 12:05 PM
> To: asterisk-users at lists.digium.com
> Subject: [Asterisk-Users] New Project - IP Phone Sources
> 
> Question: If I just want to provide IP Telephony within the school and
> have no
> outside connections to the local phone system I suspect I can install
> Asterisk
> on a RH Linux server and plug in a bunch of IP Telephones on the
network,
> config it all and it will work.  The only cost to the school would be
the
> IP
> Telephones.  Correct??  I know it would involve a bit more
configuration
> and
> planning as I have stated but basically is the idea correct??

Stew, Asterisk is definitely the perfect application for which you are
trying to accomplish.  You could even integrate asterisk into the
current PBX if you wanted.  But simply putting up an asterisk server and
some sort of IP hardphone would work perfect for your scenario.


 
> Question:  What phones or types of phones should I be looking at.  I
> suspect
> there are new ones coming out every day.  I'm just interested in the
most
> basic phone to plug into the network.  Nothing fancy, basic, basic,
basic.
> I
> also know I can use soft phones but do not want to go there as it
makes
> just
> another application we have to be responsible for on the desktop.

The most basic phones, I think many will agree, are Grandstreams.  From
what I have read they seem to have pretty good integration with *.  I
have never used these, but have used Polycom IP 500's.  For a business,
in my case a law firm, these phones have worked pretty reliably.

Best regards,

- Brent