AWAITING FEEDBACK Best IP Phones

deano

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Hi All,

Looking for feedback on the best IP Phones out there for use with Piaf or IncrediblePBX.

Please respond with your best recommendations based on:

Build Quality
Ease of Setup with FreePBX
Sound Quality

Thanks in advance.
 

BeerCan

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Yealink T46G fits the bill. Especially if you ever need to do vpn connected phones.
 

rossiv

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Hi All,

Looking for feedback on the best IP Phones out there for use with Piaf or IncrediblePBX.

Please respond with your best recommendations based on:

Build Quality
Ease of Setup with FreePBX
Sound Quality

Thanks in advance.

It depends on what you (or the customer) needs.

Do you need BLF buttons for multiple extensions?
Do you need a color screen?
Do you need more than one line?
Does it need built in VPN?
Where are you located (specifically country)?

stuff like that
 

deano

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Thanks Rossiv

Here is the thought. Lawyers office 20 people.

Color doesn't matter.

Ease of use. They want to be able to take, receive and transfer calls. The ability to program buttons so that the transfers are easy is key. The access to voicemail is also important.
.
They like the idea of the yealink T48g for the 8 key people and then the other 12 will get a lower model yealink.

But I am open to suggestions. I know that traditionally polycom have been a reliable go to, but what about grand stream. In the end, I need easy to setup, maintain and easy for the user to use. They are coming off an old toshiba strata key system. So pretty much anything is better.

Thanks
 

rossiv

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Ooh - lawyers. That helps quite a bit.

Personally I'm a fan of Snom phones. For your case, I'd look at the Snom 720. Lots of buttons and very easy to use. Much less expensive than the T48g too.
There are 18 programmable keys on the phone, so you'd be able to comfortably fit 15-16 BLFs for the other extensions plus lines for the local extension.

Alternatively, you could go with the 760 for the top tier folks and do the 720 for the lowers. 760 has 12 buttons + 4 line keys with a nice color screen.

I haven't personally used the 760, but I have used a 720. Works VERY well. Love the G722 support.

Transfers are easy. Just hit the transfer button and either dial the desired extension or hit a BLF button then hang up. Done.

Both models can be provisioned with the Endpoint Manager.

Stay away from Grandstreams. Not personally a fan. Build quality just isn't there.
 

Robert-BCC

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I know that traditionally polycom have been a reliable go to, but what about grand stream. In the end, I need easy to setup, maintain and easy for the user to use.
Forum users (not my personal experience) have noted that Polycom phones are a little world unto themselves. You sort of have to dive into the way they do things and then make that fit your needs. As for Grandstream, I've deployed an office of ~20 of them and have had no complaints about functionality or build quality. But Snom and Yealink have good reputations too.

The problem with your original question is that it's like asking "what's the best car for someone who drives on the road"? I would suggest reading this sticky at the top of the Endpoints forum.

The other problem is that the questions you'll really need answered, like "how do I configure multicast on this phone to support the intercom function they used to have?" or "how will this phone work when the PBX is hosted remotely and a Juniper SRX is in between?" are problems you haven't yet encountered.

And to that end, I'd suggest you buy, say, two phones and see how they work out before buying the entire boatload.
 

MacNix

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I'll toss out a bump for yealink W52 if you want some wireless, and Grandstream GXP2xxx if you want inexpensive desktops..

the yealink T48g is a strong phone for the $$$$, but it's more than 2x's the price of say the GXP2160, which has more options, and probably has a similar audio quality...

To piggy-back on other posts, "the best phone" is entirely different for every application... I have installed $30 phones and $250 phones, and some were "the best" for that application..

The TOTAL system interoperability is/should be your primary concern... how can any ONE phone work within the total location model, can your office secretary type do ALL her work efficiently with minimal training, and best utilize the system?? If you're having to spend time figuring out how to find "lost" calls, you've not done it right.. and believe me, there are some real idiots out there to be trained on phones!

biggesrt issue with the Grandstreams--the GXP2130/40/60 are not covered in the EndPoint Manager in PIAF... so you have to manually configure them.. you can do many of the others though..

anybody know how to add them to the EPM in PIAF???
 

hbonath

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I've just done a pretty in-depth comparison on Sound Quality comparing Aastra, Yealink and Cisco SPA series. Specifically I was digging for best Jitterbuffer/Packet Loss Concealment implementation due to the fact that Cable Modems are really starting to ruin VoIP quality.
The Cisco seems to have it all when it comes to sound, hands down the best JB and PLC technology, however I will note that the PLC is limited to G.711 only as I think it uses the G.711 Appendix I technology.
The build quality is top-notch, and handset "feel" is second to none.
That being said, they don't have all the XML applications, although I have a couple of scripts that can give basic Parking Lot and Directory functionality. They also require a bit of time working with them to get down the configuration lingo, however that can be said about pretty much all of the brands.

Yealink and Aastra have all of the XML capabilities as well as support the FreePBX RESTapps, but in sound quality neither of them can handle even 1% of packet loss without going all choppy, and the Aastra can't take much Jitter either.
The Yealink seems to be able to take the most Jitter however.
Hope this helps!

If you're having to spend time figuring out how to find "lost" calls, you've not done it right.. and believe me, there are some real idiots out there to be trained on phones!
LOL So True!!!
 

PBXEHR

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I like the Polycom phones for their configurability. The down side is the learning curve because they are so configurable. I would say that Polycom handsets are to hardware what Asterisk (PBXinaFlash) is to software. Both super flexible, configurable, can make them do anything you want, but theres a learning curve to both. But you'll never have to tell clients that "It's not possible". Also build quality is tops, sound quality on both the handset and speakerphone are best of class and it seamlessly integrates with headsets electronically vs. using a mechanical lifter. The phones are really great for users who live and die on the amount of time they spend on the phones vs. casual users.

From hbonath's comment above. The Polycom phone has the build quality of the Cisco phone with the xml configurability of the Yealink and Aastra phones, all of which I have and quit using/trying to configure, once settling on the Polycom's.
 

EndeavorPBX

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The new Aastra 6869i is also probably a very solid choice, though I have not used it. I've got 30 lawyers from 15 different firms on Aastra 6737i's and they love them. They also happen to be very easy to configure.
 
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The new Aastra 6869i is also probably a very solid choice, though I have not used it. I've got 30 lawyers from 15 different firms on Aastra 6737i's and they love them. They also happen to be very easy to configure.
T48G Yealink is better... Once you use "touch" vs all buttons you won't go back.
 

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