asterisk users - Sep 2006 - Whcih phones are better for mass deployment

I am having hard time with grandstream phones for a 30 phone setup. When a
change in configuration is required, I have to change their configurations
manually for almost all of them. Their configuration utility is not very
straight forward to use.

For my next installation, I would prefer some other phones with better
configuration and remote accress utility. My question to those of you with
more experience, what IP phones are better for mass deployment and easy
management of updates and configurations? Or what other solution is better
for mass deployment of phones?
-- 
Zeeshan A Zakaria
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From: "Zeeshan Zakaria" <zishanov@gmail.com>
Subject: [asterisk-users] Whcih phones are better for mass deployment
Date: Sat, 9 Sep 2006 23:01:36 +0000
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Polycom &  Aastra are both great in this manner.

Michael

--Original Message Text---
From: broadbandvoice@comcast.net
Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2006 00:18:37 +0000

Try the Linksys ATA. I gave up on Granstream and have 4 sitting in around.

-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: "Zeeshan Zakaria" <zishanov@gmail.com> 
I am having hard time with grandstream phones for a 30 phone setup. When a
change in configuration is required, I have to change their configurations
manually for almost all of them. Their
configuration utility is not very straight forward to use. 

For my next installation, I would prefer some other phones with better
configuration and remote accress utility. My question to those of you with more
experience, what IP phones are better for
mass deployment and easy management of updates and configurations? Or what other
solution is better for mass deployment of phones?
-- 
Zeeshan A Zakaria 

--NextPart_Webmail_9m3u9jl4l_7096_1157847517_1-- 


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Can you explain a little bit what make them better for mass deployment. Do
they have Windows based software to communicate with all the installed
phones and upgrade them and also to remotely monitor them. Is there a
separate cost for these software tools or are they free?
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From: "Zeeshan Zakaria" <zishanov@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [asterisk-users] Whcih phones are better for mass deployment
Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2006 03:02:15 +0000
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I am a really big fan of Aastra phones.

It's a splinter company of Northern Telecom, so their quality is very good.

Provisioning is done via a text file on either a tftp or an ftp server.  There 
is a global file and a per phone file.  When you have a good set of config 
files built, you can include an option for the phones to check the files 
every day at a predetermined time and reboot if there are any changes.  You 
can also send an SIP NOTIFY to cause the phones to update their config if you 
change something and need it applied immediately.  There is no config utility 
needed, as the files are human readable.  There is an encryption utility if 
you are concerned about security.  

When you deploy a new phone, you need only set the TFTP server address.  After 
that, the phone can get all it's settings from the server.  I have about 40 
of them deployed at client sites that I usually don't have access to.  I can
change everything from here.  

Sound quality is great, most of them support PoE and have a passthru ethernet 
port.  The displays are backlit, there is a full duplex speaker phone and 
headset jack on all models.  There is also a built in directory function that 
loads from a .csv file on the server.  BLF support is good on the 9133i and 
the 480i.  

I can't say enough good things about these phones.  Manufacturer support is 
also very good.  Free firmware downloads from the website and good 
documentation.

-Tim

On September 9, 2006 18:51, Zeeshan Zakaria wrote:
> I am having hard time with grandstream phones for a 30 phone setup. When a
> change in configuration is required, I have to change their configurations
> manually for almost all of them. Their configuration utility is not very
> straight forward to use.
>
> For my next installation, I would prefer some other phones with better
> configuration and remote accress utility. My question to those of you with
> more experience, what IP phones are better for mass deployment and easy
> management of updates and configurations? Or what other solution is better
> for mass deployment of phones?
-- 
Tim St. Pierre

IP telephony specialist
sip://5101@communicatefreely.net
Toronto: 647 722 6930
Toll-Free 1 888 488 6940
tim@communicatefreely.net
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On Saturday 09 September 2006 18:51, Zeeshan Zakaria
wrote:
> For my next installation, I would prefer some other phones with better
> configuration and remote accress utility. My question to those of you with
> more experience, what IP phones are better for mass deployment and easy
> management of updates and configurations? Or what other solution is better
> for mass deployment of phones?
Polycom.  Nothing I've ever seen or used works better for mass deployment.

-A.