[Asterisk-Users] 7912G via SIP, looking for comments

[David Mallwitz]

Marty Mastera wrote:
> I'm looking for any comments or user experiences from anyone who is 
> using 7912G phones with SIP.  Any installation issues? Usability 
> problems? Do the features seem to work, etc...In short, I'm looking for 
> your opinions on how suitable this phone is for an asterisk 
> implementation for approx. 10 users.  Next logical question: what other 
> phones would you recommend for a situation like this (built in switch, 
> display, speaker phone...)

	I'm very happy with the one on my desk. Sound quality is the best I 
have found yet, and everything works well with SIP. Getting the firmware 
was not a pleasant experience, but eventually it all came through. 
TechData (800-237-8931) was the vendor I used for the $8 service 
contract described in the wiki.
	The handset has a good heft to it and sits firmly in the cradle, 
unlike, say, the Snom's. The buttons have an excellent "feel" to them 
and are legible at arm's length. What I like most about the phone, 
though, is the angle it sits at - I wish more manufacturers would 
realise that this is a significant benefit.
	There are 2 configuration issues that you'll want to be aware of. First 
is that you can not turn off the phone's built-in 'Forward to Voicemail' 
feature, you can only put an excessive delay on it so that the asterisk 
server gets a chance to handle things. Second is that the DTMF mode and 
silence suppression features that are controlled by the same setting in 
the config file. This is confusing because the Cisco docs want you to do 
bitwise math to figure out the correct setting. I use these in my 
gkdefault.txt file:
AudioMode:0x00000010
ForwardToVMDelay:200
	One thing I don't like is the Cisco program for changing the logo that 
appears on the LCD. I haven't been able to find a version of Windows 
that it will run on. Doesn't work with wine or DOSBox either.
	I also considered the Polycom IP600 and the Zultys 4x5.

Best,
Dave