IP Phones question

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techmeister

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#109810 27-Sep-2012 11:35

Hi Guys

Want to ask you VOIP guys what you think is the best IP phone for Asterisk (Elastix)
I have heard that Grandstream phones are a bit unreliable and I have heard nothing but good things about
Yealinks, I have used Aastra 57i and Cisco phones which are very good.
The Aastra 6757i is the best with the XLM setup and is plug and play but I think they are end of life.
I need to buy some phones not sure which way to go.
Any ideas would be appreciated.

Cheers

PeterReader

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Zeon

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#692154 27-Sep-2012 12:06

Have dozens of yealink on Asterisk with no issues (PiaF). Only thing is they advertise IPv6 ready but are not.

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hads

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#692155 27-Sep-2012 12:08

The big selling brands are, Polycom, Yealink, snom and Cisco.

If you then narrow down whether you want a low, mid or high end model then you've come down to four or six choices.

Polycom would have an edge on audio quality in my opinion, Yealink and snom have the easiest configuration if you're doing it by hand. They all support auto provisioning if you are deploying a bunch.

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sbiddle

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Biddle Corp

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#692181 27-Sep-2012 12:43

hads: The big selling brands are, Polycom, Yealink, snom and Cisco.

If you then narrow down whether you want a low, mid or high end model then you've come down to four or six choices.

Polycom would have an edge on audio quality in my opinion, Yealink and snom have the easiest configuration if you're doing it by hand. They all support auto provisioning if you are deploying a bunch.

I would only recommend the above 4 and Aastra, with IMHO no individual product or brand that is above the other - they all have pros and cons.

Rather than focussing on a brand or model you need work out what features you require, because things like BLF's and XML capabilities all vary between the different models.

chevrolux

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#692411 27-Sep-2012 18:59

If you are upgrading someone from an older system like Panasonic, Aria, samsung etc. and they don't want to change thier habbits then the Yealink phones are hard to beat on price and features.
People with legacy systems still want a bunch of DSS keys down the side of the phone so they can easily transfer calls and see who is on the phone. If you want to do that with a cisco phone you need the add-on module which makes the price per unit pretty expensive. You can get a 13-button yealink for around $200 and you have all the features required.

hads

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#692416 27-Sep-2012 19:17

That's a good point, Yealink and snom have options with a good number of programmable buttons, Polycom and Cisco not so much. Whether that matters to the users or not.

It comes back to what sbiddle said, there really isn't a best phone, just best for the purpose.

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techmeister

310 posts

Ultimate Geek

#692433 27-Sep-2012 19:45

Thanks for your input guys.

Any opinion about the Grandstream's ?
The Grandstream (GXP 2124) I am looking at have I think 24 BLF's I think that is an important and needed feature to have. They have been using soft phones mostly I think (Bria) so not sure what they need, might need to question them more if I get the job. They do alot of Telemarketing so probaby headset might be good.

The Aastra does have visual voicemail which is a very cool feature but they are not so good with BLF's
I like the look of the Yealink's and the pricing is not bad either.

hads

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#692442 27-Sep-2012 19:48

I wouldn't generally recommend Grandstream.

If the can do with 10 BLF then Yealink would be a good option to consider. If you want more then you might want to look at the snom 720 which has 18, quite a price jump though. The other option is a phone from any brand with an expansion panel, again you will pay for it though.

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techmeister

310 posts

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#692525 27-Sep-2012 22:01

Thanks hads

Yealink's might be the way to go then.

webwat

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#697349 7-Oct-2012 03:45

I think Atcom has models with expansion panels, guess quality might be cheaper than yealink though?

Time to find a new industry!

vespaman

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#698136 8-Oct-2012 20:46

Cant really go wrong with the yealinks. They work fine have good features and are well priced. You will always need blf buttons if upgrading to IP as users still expect them. The dss consoles also are usually preferred over a gui phone interface especially for older users/receptionists