[Asterisk-Users] Wiki Voip Phone reviews

[Mike Fedyk]

Hi,

We have a page on the wiki just for phone reviews, but I think it needs 
a bit of format change.  Instead of individual reviews for each phone, I 
think each person should review all phones they have worked with and 
list the phones they have had access to and rank them in relation to 
each other.  Also each review should have a date so the reader can see 
how fresh the data is to current.

http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/view/VOIP+Phones+Reviews

An example would be:

June 28th, 2006
Mike Fedyk

I have used these phones and I rank them in this order:
Linksys 941
Polycom 301
Sipura 841
Grandstream GXP-2000

Linksys SPA-941:
Pros:  Has a feature set of a much more expensive phone.  Well laid out 
menus and buttons.  2.5MM plug for headset.  Very intuitive interface.
Cons: The screen resets whenever the phone checks for updated config, 
(could also be caused by sip notify messages also)  The blended line 
appearance feature requires SIP-B and Asterisk won't be supporting that 
soon.
Comment: The handset microphone is *very* sensitive -- it will pick up 
the entire room sounds and conversations like a speaker phone.  You 
should consider reducing the microphone gain in the config.  Like the 
SPA-841  This is the phone that I would choose for myself (though I want 
a 942).

Polycom IP301:
Pros: Very nice buttons, high sound quality handset and speaker phone, 
separate button for headset, nice bright flashing message waiting 
indicator (MWI)
Cons: Speaker phone is one way, you have to use the handset or headset 
if you want to speak and that deactivates the speaker phone.  The menu 
layout is terrible.  For instance, if you want to get to the recently 
called list, you have to press 5 buttons.  Compared to one button 
accessibility to the same list on Sipura/Linksys phone and you will 
notice the increased amount of time you spend on the polycom menu system.
Comment: The headset jack is a RJ-11 used by your standard business 
headset companies like Plantronics and others.  That can be a benefit 
depending on whether you already have the headset amplifiers or not.  
This is what sits on my desk now.  Though not for much longer.

Sipura SPA-841:
Pros: Low cost, works well, very intuitive interface.
Cons: Discontinued by Linksys.  Hard to read screen, low quality screen, 
screen at bad angle, very light and small so pressing keys usually moves 
whole phone, buttons are rubbery and feel as if they would stick but 
don't, speaker phone could be better.
Comments: Like the SPA-941, once you start using the phone the buttons 
and menus are very intuitive.  You won't have to read the screen, you 
just press a few buttons in a row and it does what you want. 

Grandstream GXP-2000:
Pros: Backlit screen, firmware getting better, big buttons.
Cons: Very long list, see gxp-2000 page.  Poorly tested and buggy firmware.
Comments: I have a client that needed phones to connect to vicidial and 
got these.  I don't recommend them for much else but the backlit screen 
on a cheap phone.  Beware.

I'll spend more time on the GXP-2000 entry when I modify this post for 
the wiki, this message has been in writing long enough already.

Mike