Cisco IP phones - any good ?

Archived from groups: comp.dcom.voice-over-ip (More info?)

Hi,
I'd like to know your opinion on Cisco 7940/7960 IP phones (expecially
versus Polycom IP 500/600). How good is the speakerphone ? Is 7940
limited because of only 2 lines and I should just look for 7960 ? Does
the phone require "user licence" or is that for a Cisco VOIP
server/registrar ? I intend to switch our office to a full IP
configuration so if you have any good deals on business class IP
phones please to it send me.

Regards,

Gabriel

Archived from groups: comp.dcom.voice-over-ip (More info?)

On Sun, 27 Feb 2005 11:02:43 -0800, Gabriel wrote:

> Hi,
> I'd like to know your opinion on Cisco 7940/7960 IP phones (expecially
> versus Polycom IP 500/600). How good is the speakerphone ? Is 7940
> limited because of only 2 lines and I should just look for 7960 ? Does
> the phone require "user licence" or is that for a Cisco VOIP
> server/registrar ? I intend to switch our office to a full IP
> configuration so if you have any good deals on business class IP
> phones please to it send me.
>
> Regards,
>
> Gabriel

Gabriel,

I've worked extensively with 7940s and 7960s. I can definitely recommend
them, as long as you're willing to pay the price (they're not cheap). The
speaker phone is very clear; I use it all the time. There aren't many
scenarios where you need more than 2 lines, but the extra buttons on the
7960 can be used for speed dials, which is quite useful. You need a user
license for each phone if you're going to connect it to Cisco Call
Manager, Call Manager Express, or SRST.

The Polycom phones are not bad, but I prefer the Cisco phones.

I don't sell phones, but my company does install Cisco VoIP products;
check out the website below if you're interested in advice or services.

--
Alistair Cunningham,
Integrics Ltd,
Telephony, Database, Unix consulting worldwide
+44 (0)7870 699 479
http://integrics.com/

Archived from groups: comp.dcom.voice-over-ip (More info?)

On Fri, 04 Mar 2005 08:41:41 -0500, wkearney99 wrote:

>> I've worked extensively with 7940s and 7960s. I can definitely recommend
>> them, as long as you're willing to pay the price (they're not cheap). The
>> speaker phone is very clear; I use it all the time. There aren't many
>> scenarios where you need more than 2 lines, but the extra buttons on the
>> 7960 can be used for speed dials, which is quite useful. You need a user
>> license for each phone if you're going to connect it to Cisco Call
>> Manager, Call Manager Express, or SRST.
>
> How usable are the cisco phones on non-cisco PBX setups like asterix?

Some Cisco phones, including 7940s and 7960s, can take two firmware loads:

- The default load talks Cisco's proprietary SCCP protocol. There are 2
projects implementing SCCP for Asterisk. They're not bad, but not quite
production ready.

- You can also use a SIP load. This works well with Asterisk. You do lose
one or two features of the phones, but they're minor and can be replaced
in Asterisk itself. I've set this up for several customers, and they're
very happy with it.

--
Alistair Cunningham,
Integrics Ltd,
Telephony, Database, Unix consulting worldwide
+44 (0)7870 699 479
http://integrics.com/

Archived from groups: comp.dcom.voice-over-ip (More info?)

Hi,

I did the mistake of buying a secondhand 7960. It looks like I'm going
to try and use it on SCCP as SIP firmware are just not available. I
called CISCO an a tech representative said I'm on my own since they do
not support off warranty items.

Gabriel

>
> I've worked extensively with 7940s and 7960s. I can definitely recommend
> them, as long as you're willing to pay the price (they're not cheap). The
> speaker phone is very clear; I use it all the time. There aren't many
> scenarios where you need more than 2 lines, but the extra buttons on the
> 7960 can be used for speed dials, which is quite useful. You need a user
> license for each phone if you're going to connect it to Cisco Call
> Manager, Call Manager Express, or SRST.
>
> The Polycom phones are not bad, but I prefer the Cisco phones.
>
> I don't sell phones, but my company does install Cisco VoIP products;
> check out the website below if you're interested in advice or services.