If you had to buy a bunch of phones...
Submitted by Mr. Doug on Wed, 03/05/2008 - 9:43am.
Here's my dilemma.
We've got about 10 stations now, and are moving into a new office where we'll be about 20.
Right now, I have 4-5 GX-2000s, and a handful of Cisco 7960 phones.
I'm looking to either replace everything, or just add phones to what we have. I love a lot of the options on the Cisco phones, and can get them used for about $30 more than the gx2000s, but I want some of the features that the SIP 7960 app doesn't have. (eg: lamp)
Is there another phone that I should be looking at replacing everything with?
I'll add that I REALLY like
Wed, 03/05/2008 - 9:55am
Nerdvittles just put out a
Wed, 03/05/2008 - 10:04am
Nerdvittles just put out a big endorsment for Aastra and against Cisco. I have a 57i and have to agree that the xml stuff blows everything else away IMHO.
The Worlds best Asterisk phone
http://nerdvittles.com/index.php?p=207
Snom 360...
Wed, 03/05/2008 - 12:08pm
Hi Doug ... I'd have to say I agree with teleweb, we use the Snom 360's. The quality of the handsfree is excellent. They have all the basic requirements (Hold, Transfer, Redial, DND, Mailbox etc etc) on labled buttons...so you don't have to teach end-users a combination of keystrokes before they get to what they want.
If I had any criticism to make when compared to Grandstream, the quality of the display on the GXP2000's is better than Snom 360's ... but thats all.
Sparky4:-
Gregory Dowling,
Director, Byte Computing
Aastra Aastra Aastra <Said Like, Marsha Marsha Marsha>
Wed, 03/05/2008 - 12:33pm
I can't say that they are better or worse than the Aastra. But I can say I have a 57i and it beats the 7960's we have into the ground. It supports every feature you could want with programmable buttons and buttons on the phone. And it just works. I've not had a single day that the phone has given me trouble. Sound Quality is off the charts, and I think it is a very comfortable feeling when using the phone all day. The grandstream phones just don't feel that way to me. When I'm talking on them, I feel like I'm talking on a kid's toy.
The XML browser and options that it offers for extendability is pretty off the charts too. You can actually do an XML push to the phone. For instance when a call comes in, you can make the phone prompt the user for an account code, or whatever you may need. I can't say that I've read a ton, but I haven't seen that option on many other phones. Even the Cisco has a great XML app, but it didn't support push to phone. Or at least it didn't the last time I looked.
Thanks to everyone's recommendations I definitely want to try the snom and the polycom. I've heard so many great things about them. But I can say from experience that of a Grandstream GXP2000, Cisco 7960, and an Aastra 57i I would rank them in order from Aastra, Cisco, to Grandstream.
Grandstream being the worst. Not to mention their technical support is awful! But then again, if you don't spend a million dollars with Cisco, their technical support isn't all that great either.
I've been a fan of my Cisco
Wed, 03/05/2008 - 4:41pm
I've been a fan of my Cisco 7970, 7960, 7912, and 7921 phones. I haven't had any issues with the phones that weren't caused by myself. My only gripe about the 7921 is that there is not a SIP image. I would choose to run SCCP on all of the phones but then you lose FreePBX configuration ability.
As to the XML applications, I think the Cisco phones are great for this. Especially the 7945/65/7x as they are backlit color screens. I've got a few apps that I use around the house for controlling different items and for contact directories. I've also been using the push to phone feature for quite awhile.
KodaK, shame on you....
Wed, 03/05/2008 - 6:04pm
If cordless is something you
Wed, 03/05/2008 - 6:22pm
If cordless is something you are interested in, take a look at the Aastra 57iCT which is basically a 57i that serves as a base station for cordless handsets. Handles a base plus 4 handsets, I think. Consider this another vote for the 57i although I have not had it long. Beats the pants off the cruddy Linksys phones we used for so long, though.
It's off the base station,
Wed, 03/05/2008 - 6:33pm
It's off the base station, not wi-fi. The range is very good, though. We're on the fourth floor and our receptionists can take their cordless phones outside to the 2nd floor when they go out to smoke. Ours are 480i CTs, but I'm pretty sure the radio is the same in them.
Edit: I don't know about the logo. I tried briefly to change the boot logo on the 480is we have, but I gave up on that.
You can add your logo to the
Wed, 03/05/2008 - 6:39pm
Member Since:
2007-07-16