[WXC/VFX] Great result using Grandstream HandyTone HT502

Forums › One NZ (including Farmside) › [WXC/VFX] Great result using Grandstream HandyTone HT502

SteveC

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#148494 20-Jun-2014 23:09

Hi all!

I looked here for a guide to installing a Grandstream ATA I got from Go Wireless NZ, but couldn't find anything, so I got WorldxChange to 'open' our VFX line, filled in the values they gave me into the HT502's very basic UI, and it just worked! Excellent sound quality compared to my five year old PAP2T (as one would expect). Excellent price too.
Disclosure - Go WiFi gave me the ATA, as part of the fee for some VoIP training.
Interestingly, the email they sent, warning me for the zillionth time that I was losing support for my ATA configuration, suggested that this forum is an excellent source of support.

Steve

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#1071394 21-Jun-2014 05:33

Good to hear it worked well for u Steve

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coffeebaron

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#1071485 21-Jun-2014 10:17

maverick: Good to hear it worked well for u Steve

Grandstream, Maverick's favourite VoIP gear hehe :)
Though I'm sure their products have improved since the early days.

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maverick

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WorldxChange

#1071486 21-Jun-2014 10:18

No comment Fraser :)

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chevrolux

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#1071487 21-Jun-2014 10:21

Good to hear they have improved. Lots of people say their IP phones are ok but haven't heard much good about their ATAs. My first (and thankfully last) experience with grandstream was on some of their older ATAs that a wisp in our area was using. Hands down the worst thing in the world. Stuff just didn't work!!

SteveC

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#1071501 21-Jun-2014 10:38

Sounds like Grandstream has improved their electronics. Not the UI though! It is a big dive after the Linksys interface! Not sure when the PAP2T came out, but the firmware has the old Cisco logo, which they apparently dropped in 2006!

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#1071628 21-Jun-2014 12:49

Grandstream are proof that if you persevere at something for long enough you can eventually nail it.

Legacy products range from atrocious right through to unbelievably atrocious however their new products they have such as the GXP21xx range phones are awesome, and their new PBX offering is also pretty good.

UI in modern phones aren't really an issue because the real world reality is that 99% of deployments are going to involve auto provisioning.

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SteveC

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#1071635 21-Jun-2014 13:00

Yeah - interesting question about what one wants in the UI. Out ATA will probably sit up in the attic for five years, chatting happily with WXC's servers, just like the PAP2T did. Also, operating the HT502 using DTMF seems to work fine - once you find the manual!
Web GUIs over Asterisk (aka Grandstream PBX & many others) have yet to impress me, but again, the Grandstream device looks well made, good price, and was solid in our training. It will do 90% of what most small businesses want. The fact I could see a heap of other Asterisk features not yet available in their UI is not really relevant. Is it a long bow to compare with Ubiquity wireless? Robust product that does most of what you need at a much lower price than devices that do far more than you need.

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#1071661 21-Jun-2014 13:44

Their PBX offering still lacks many features and limits what you can do with Asterisk outside of the GUI. I spent a lot of time playing with the UCM series while at Astricon last year, the product is a solid one but I'd personally opt for the Xorcom offerings if I was after an appliance type device.