PIONEERS Yealink T46G phone

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I received the new Yealink T46G voip phone a couple of days ago and have it up and running at a remote location via the phones built in OPENVPN back to my Asterisk server on a Pfsense router - firewall. I have also used the phone POE capability without issue. The new design is an interesting blend of old and new.

I feel comfortable recommending the phone based on my initial experience. The phone is very configurable much like the Aastra which I'm most familiar with. Other than a little confusion over some vpn.cnf file paths I feel they've done a very good job with documentation.

Audio quality, volume levels on handset and speaker are very good and adjustable. I wish it had configurable sidetone but that seems to be the exception rather than the rule with many brands and most users don't seem to care. (UPDATE: Sidetone can be turned on via config file, see below)

The color screen, menus and general functionality of the phone seem to be well thought out. There are PLENTY of soft-key slots available.

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The phone allows for two different angles which cover most circumstances but I wish it was fully adjustable or had a position that worked better for when the phone is on a counter and you are standing. Same issue with the gxp2200 which I tested lately and sent back because of dialpad issues. It seems that manufacturers are trying to reduce costs for the base. The two positions are obtained by sliding a base piece into one of two double slots.

I haven't tried the wall bracket yet but the handset retainer is "activated" by sliding off and reversing a plastic nub. Its not very deep so I could see it becoming worn over time. That little portion of design is a tradeoff in my experience. Some designs are more substantial but then make it more difficult to quickly place the handset "on the hook". The design of the earpiece cradle area makes it easier than some other phones to actually hang up the handset when used in wall mount mode. In desk mode the handset hangs up very easily.

The display can be low or off when idle. Timing is also adjustable. When active it has settings from 1 to 10. There are no issues with indoor lighting as the display would work equally well in a brightly lit area and a bedroom in the evening. I think like most displays there would be an issue using it in bright sunlight outdoors without some sort of shading.

I like the feel of the handset and it can be comfortably held on the shoulder. Much easier than my Aastra 6757i. I don't have any issue with the keypad buttons. They are smooth, well sized and spaced. I like the navigation buttons and don't miss not having a touchscreen.

Ports: USB, Internet (POE), PC, DC 5v ,handset, headset, EXT (for sidecar)

The flexibility of the soft-key programming, when they change, when they are active and templating their function is outstanding.
 

ou812

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In order to correct the sidetone issue i had to create a config file for the phone as this is the only way to turn this on, once this is on the phone works very well :thumbsup:. I don't know why they don't add this field to the phones gui.

Gary.
 

wardmundy

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Once you log in...
BOqcWy-CYAAYcjr.jpg:large
 
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Agreed... good price performance balance. The Aastra is a very solid performer but it is certainly in need of a design refresh. Some people just prefer one design style over another. Some have commented the Aastra is too small and lightweight. There is certainly nothing more configurable or well documented then the 6757i. Plus its audio performance is great!
 

ou812

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They don't list it in any admin guide, not sure why but the paramiter to turn it on is
Code:
voice.side_tone= -3
I placed it in the Global cfg file (y000000000028.cfg) and for some reason they used ~~28.cfg for the T46G phone, it may also work in the mac cfg file

Gary
 

mjgraves

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They don't list it in any admin guide, not sure why but the paramiter to turn it on is
Code:
voice.side_tone= -3
I placed it in the Global cfg file (y000000000028.cfg) and for some reason they used ~~28.cfg for the T46G phone, it may also work in the mac cfg file

Gary


It's odd that side-tone remains an issue for them. When they were first coming into the US market I ordered a Yealink phone and it had no side-tone and no ability to turn it on. I noted this fault with the distributor at the time. They took about six months to release firmware that addressed the matter. By then I had resold my sample phone and returned to using Polycom on my desk.
 

ou812

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Its not really an issue of not having side-tone its just a pain to turn it on. It is the same method as turning it on for the T2x phones.
 

wardmundy

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Documentation here.

Support forum here.
 
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I set up the appropriate configuration file entry, rebooted and magically I now have great Sidetone. I posted this over in the Yealink forum. Yealink needs to add a web configuration entry for this ASAP! I don't think they realize what a big deal this is for some users.

This voice.side_tone = -3 configuration item is not listed in the admin guide or provisioning guide for the T4XG but is referenced in the 1.2.2 guide.

The only way you'd know what global file its looking for is watching the log from the t*f*t*p server. The mac file naming follows normal conventions.

Update: Yealink states that as of the latest firmware the range for this parameter is -48 to 0 (negative 48 to zero)
 

wardmundy

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Am I correct that you have to use ~~28.cfg for the global config file name and NOT y000000000028.cfg??
 
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y000000000028.cfg is the proper global file name.

Also, I ended up placing t*f*t*p://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx in the server url entry on the Settings-> Auto Provision page of the phones web ui because I was connecting via OPENVPN and the dhcp option 66 wasn't working for me.

If you watch the t*f*t*p log you'll see the phone request the global file name and the mac addr file name.
 

wardmundy

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Here are a few PIAF and IncrediblePi wallpapers for the YeaLink T46G. They look fantastic if I do say so...

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Using the web interface to the phone (get IP address by pressing OK; then admin:admin from browser IP address to get in), choose Settings -> Preference -> Upload Wallpaper. Then select PIAF.jpg from the Wallpaper pull-down menu and click Confirm.
 

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wardmundy

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XML Scripting

BO5ve9-CMAAxSIY.jpg:large


We're going to put together a few demonstration XML apps for the Yealink T46G to mimic some of the functionality we had on the Aastra phones.

News, Weather by ZIP Code, PIAF RSS Feed, and Photo of the Day options on the menu currently work. You can download the XML Developer's Guide here.

BO5td-WCMAIYdBP.jpg:large


See this Nerd Vittles article if you would like to try these applications.

NOTE: Because of a timing bug (discussed below), you'll need to configure a static IP address for the phone to use the XML Browser functionality reliably.
 
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wardmundy

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Just a heads up that Yealink's XML Browser implementation isn't quite right. Queries often have to be sent multiple times before the phone will actually display any results. This is not a server-induced problem as the access log below demonstrates. All you'll see on the phone is "Loading. Please wait..." unless you cancel and attempt the connection over and over. I've opened a ticket.

BO-hz1YCUAAQmiK.jpg:large
 
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I mention this only because I wonder if there is a timing issue involved that might be related to the failure related to the DNS choice. The observations below don't have a conclusion I'm just throwing it into the mix for future reference.

When you were putting this together yesterday I was of course trying to use it... I'm traveling using the T46G over OPENVPN (for the first time) connected via Comcast. When it got stuck on "Loading" yesterday I went through all sorts of tests to try and see what the issue might be because if I wasn't connected to the VPN it worked ok. Interestingly a laptop on the same VPN was able to resolve and display the piaf.xml file. SO why could the laptop get the xml file but the phone couldn't?

Ultimately changing from the Comcast DNS servers obtained by the phone through DHCP to a static configuration using Google DNS servers solved the issue for me. Before changing the DNS config I did try to use the pbxinaflash.com IP address in the XML Browser button configuration but that didn't solve the problem (but that would have only changed the initial reference). Changing the DNS configuration really shouldn't have made any difference but the phone listens and performs some functions on the non-VPN connection even when the VPN is active ie: I can get to the phone's UI locally even when the VPN connected. I can't be sure at this point which DNS was being used but I can only report the change. When I get back I can do some further testing.

I also tested, over the VPN, an XML command that talks to a server on the same network (different subnet) back at my home location. That used an IP address and of course everything was local. That worked fine.

The SYSLOG results I was seeing yesterday showed the initial pbxinaflash.com/pial.xml call but indicated a failure after that.

Your log may be showing some of the many attempts I made yesterday. It works every time for me now.
 

wardmundy

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Static IP address in the phone with static DNS entries definitely fixes it 100% of the time. Very strange since the HTTP requests (with phone configured with DHCP) were actually making it to the host server every time. But packets couldn't find their way back 80% of the time. Very strange that DNS failure would cause packets to get lost from the other end. Good catch anyway, briankelly63!

Ironically, our router actually relies upon Google's DNS servers although it would be a 2-hop process from the phone with DHCP activated. Perhaps the phone in DHCP-mode is incorrectly sending the private IP address as opposed to the public IP address in its outbound packets?? However, we've seen the same 80% failure rates connecting to a server on our private LAN subnet even with an IP address as opposed to an FQDN. So that's probably not the problem.
 
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Saw your post on Yealink site... My experience is that they will ask you to post a syslog or network trace. If you poke around you'll see what they normally ask for.

Also which firmware are you on? Did you apply that upgrade I posted the other day which is 28.71.0.85 or did you stay on the one they shipped with?

Amazing what you can accomplish at the shore when its raining. :(
 
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