asterisk users - Mar 2005 - Which analog phones to use and why?

On Mon, 2005-03-28 at 12:29 -0500, tmassey@obscorp.com
wrote:
> Hello!
> 
> Now that I finally have my TDM board working, I want to move forward with 
> using PBX functions.  However, it seems cumbersome to use standard POTS 
> telephones with Asterisk.  I know that there are many of you installing 
> even large systems based on channel banks and analog telephones.  What 
> phones are you using?  How do you simulate phone system features on a 
> phone that doesn't have extra buttons?  Or are you all using ADSI 
> telephones?  It seems that for the price of a ADSI telephone (never mind 
> the cost per channel of a channel bank and T1 card), you can get a good 
> quality IP telephone.  In that case, what is the appeal of analog?
Depends on what functions you are trying to implement. Hold isn't hard
on a regular phone. Transfer isn't hard. Voicemail access isn't hard.
Beyond that, there isn't a lot that needs to be done. 

If you find that you need more functions, then you may need to move up
to a SIP phone. 
-- 
Steven Critchfield <critch@basesys.com>

Hello!

Now that I finally have my TDM board working, I want to move forward with 
using PBX functions.  However, it seems cumbersome to use standard POTS 
telephones with Asterisk.  I know that there are many of you installing 
even large systems based on channel banks and analog telephones.  What 
phones are you using?  How do you simulate phone system features on a 
phone that doesn't have extra buttons?  Or are you all using ADSI 
telephones?  It seems that for the price of a ADSI telephone (never mind 
the cost per channel of a channel bank and T1 card), you can get a good 
quality IP telephone.  In that case, what is the appeal of analog?

Tim Massey