USB or IP phones

Posted by jesuiscanard@reddit | sysadmin | View on Reddit | 15 comments

Some good quality USB phones appear to be out. Are they any good? Looking at suggesting then in some places with Teams Phone. Would make deployment in regional offices easier. Used to wired IP phones using ether net to give best quality. Do they compete?

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15 Comments

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Sweet-Sale-7303@reddit

why not use voip desk phone? We have poly and I can control my desk phone through pc if I wanted to. Some of them even now have wifi if you don't have ethernet there at the desk.

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jesuiscanard@reddit (OP)

1. Issues with current system for provisioning and spread of sites. A 4 hour round trip to fix a phone. USB takes from PC log in rather relying on IP phone software to work. 2. Price. USB seems about half the price of basic IP phones. 3. Move toward easier desk swapping. (login PC only, phone follows) IP phones would be suitable for people unlikely to be in the churn of staff turn over, or at head office. Outside of that, reprovisioning is becoming a pain.

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THE_GR8ST@reddit

I'm pretty sure you can log in and out of of IP phones if your using Teams Phones.

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Sweet-Sale-7303@reddit

My voip don't care about the desk. The extension follows them. The service I use is based on metaswitch networks. We have access to the hardware phone and maxuc software that allows me to have a software phone as well. All 3 ring max uc app on phone, maxuc desktop, and dekstop voip phone. I can also have it so a person logs into the phone of the desk and it becomes their extension and then logs out when done.

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67camaro_guy@reddit

Grandstream has a softphone, gswave. Works decent for our help desk techs in Mexico with our ucm in Canada...mixed environment with voip, but in this case we needed a softphone and they happened to have one.... Yealink + also

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HadopiData@reddit

I tried the MP50 from Yealink, it’s full USB, requires to be plugged into a computer that runs Teams. It works well, and isn’t too pricey. But I was asked that phones would ring even when computer turned off or in sleep mode. This product does not cover that. We had to look at the MP54 or MO56

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jesuiscanard@reddit (OP)

That's the one I'm looking at. Thanks for the feedback.

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themastermonk@reddit

We demoed these among our IT staff and decided not to go live with them. With the way windows 10 and 11 behave with audio devices they will be a ticket generating machines of people unable to hear anything because windows has gone and changed around the default devices and suddenly calls are going through your speakers and music is playing on your handset.

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alarmologist@reddit

If you use Teams it has a softphone, so you only need a headset and computer, not an actual phone.

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jesuiscanard@reddit (OP)

Great for a tech solution. Most office workers like a device. Even if they use a headset with it

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alarmologist@reddit

They also make desk phones for using with teams, but we don't use them. [Business Desk Phones with Displays | Teams devices (microsoft.com)](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/across-devices/devices/category/desk-phones-teams-displays/34)

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GremlinsBrokeIt@reddit

If I understand USB phones correctly, I would only do IP phones because of not needing a PC to run it or to have to pair to a cell phone.

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jesuiscanard@reddit (OP)

These are for desks where a pc is, or where someone will come with a laptop. Otherwise would whole heartily agree. Never been in a place where I would have considered. For this very reason.

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GremlinsBrokeIt@reddit

If that is the case, then I want to echo what u/alarmologist stated. Just get headsets for people. My organization deployed IP phones relatively recently, and most users didn't even want a dedicated standalone handset. They took the headset and just use the app on their PC or cell phones. I guess I just don't see a point to having a dedicated handset if it is not standalone. You point of easy deployment is attractive of course, so for that alone it makes sense to have USB phones if having a handset is a hard requirement. Otherwise, a headset is just as easy. I'll be interested in hearing how this plays out for you.

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jesuiscanard@reddit (OP)

Thanks. And for a change didn't just down vote. Actually looking because of a string of complaints about current telephony provider. Teams ticks all the boxes, including reusing the hardware (without all the functionality). The current IP phones are reaching end of life, and the geographical spread is making me look at the provisioning and deployment. Yes, our users like a phone on their desk. Some prefer using their mobile. Some have used their personal mobile instead of the phone system because it didn't work properly. For me, tech should always have choices, so mobile, headset or handset should all be possible so people work they way they are comfortable.