Business Phones

mx=headroom

mx=headroom

New member
Aug 15, 2009
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I be where I am
So I'm on my 4th set of phones in as many years and am sick of it. I've gone through the cheap shit, Uniden, VTech, RCA, etc. and am looking for something that supports multiple handsets and offers cordless options, aside from the base + headset. I'm leaning towards Nortel, but dropping $800+ on two phones doesn't make me too happy.

Any recommendations feedback would be appreciated.
 


I'm a real big fan of the DynaTAC 8000X.

douglasbrick.jpg
 
We use Linksys / Cisco SPA 942s. Great phone if you don't want to spend a lot of cash. (<$100 used, $150 new). Obviously not cordless though, not sure if there are options available.

I am reliably informed that Aastra phones are quality, perhaps worth investigating. Have a look at this:

Aastra 6757i CT - Aastra 6750i - SIP Telephones - Desk Phones - Products - Aastra Global - Communications Solutions for Voice and Video

Another option is if you are running Asterisk, use your favourite mobile phone to make SIP calls over WiFi. Many phones will do this seamlessly (I used to do this with my old Nokia E Series, IOS won't do it natively unfortunately).
 
what about the new HTC ? i have sensation older versio nand im preety happy.

i also have buddy with bluberry who claism this is superb business phone but theres not that many apps for it, and i dont see reason for buying it
 
igl00 said:
what about the new HTC ? i have sensation older versio nand im preety happy.

i also have buddy with bluberry who claism this is superb business phone but theres not that many apps for it, and i dont see reason for buying it
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Talking landlines here for multiple employees, but thanks for the input.
 
I've always been a fan of Cisco phones. You can find the end of sale stuff on eBay for fairly cheap. Wireless options too.
 
Back in the day I had setup a sales room with 50 stations. We had cisco IP phones for everyone all hooked up to an Asterisk box. Those phones held up to the torture extremely well. So I highly recommend them.
 
Thanks for all the recommendations. Looks like it's down to Cisco and Panasonic. Leaning towards the Panasonics at the moment, but I'll drop back in and let everyone know what setup I decide to go with.
 
I demo'd Cisco, Avaya, Altigen, and one other product. My favorite was Avaya, but Cisco was great and Altigen was sneaky good given how small the company was. I work at a 300+ phone business, so what we were demoing was much larger than you need. But I can at least vouch for the quality. Avaya had some super easy features that I love, like passing calls to cell phones and back to the desks, all while on the conversation. Great when I'm on the run.

Good luck!
 
joconnor424 said:
I demo'd Cisco, Avaya, Altigen, and one other product. My favorite was Avaya, but Cisco was great and Altigen was sneaky good given how small the company was. I work at a 300+ phone business, so what we were demoing was much larger than you need. But I can at least vouch for the quality. Avaya had some super easy features that I love, like passing calls to cell phones and back to the desks, all while on the conversation. Great when I'm on the run.

Good luck!
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Thanks for complicating things. :crap:
 
You also need to consider what you plan to do about a PBX. Do you have an existing PBX? Do you want the phones to work with your existing PBX? The cheapest way to go is Asterisk obviously since it's open source, but you'll need to buy the card from Digium which is not cheap like $1500 for a card to plug into a ISDN or something along those lines (not sure what they are using now). It's actually pretty easy to setup with the install disc they provide. If you are planning to go with a simple small non-pbx system then probably panasonic will be good in that department. I have used their small 5 port systems and it was ok.

I have also used Avaya in the old company I worked with but it required a Avaya PBX which from my knowledge are pricey.

Here are some questions to ask yourself.

1. How much are you willing to spend on the entire system including phones and PBX.
2. How much on-site technical work do you want to handle? Asterisk requires someone around to fiddle fuck with it sometimes. Avaya or alternatives pretty much are plug n play. Obviously that's what your paying for.
3. Do you plan on expanding your system in future. If so consider the cost to expand the system you buy.
 
hooked up VOIP in my office for 8 employees about 2 years ago:

1. routed all the ethernet myself on a Saturday, crimped wires myself
2. ordered CISCO Ip 303's ($80/unit)
3. got a local company (traci.net) to hook up service ($400)
4. Now pay about $3-600/month depending on call volume for 8 employees

super easy to get plantronics headsets hooked up
 
nickCR said:
but you'll need to buy the card from Digium which is not cheap like $1500 for a card to plug into a ISDN or something along those lines (not sure what they are using now). I.
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You can get a great 4 port ISDN card for under $300 these days on eBay. Any interested PM me and I'll find you the link. But I would recommend SIP + a decent parallel broadband connection if you want to save money.
 
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