[TriLUG] Options for replacing Panasonic PBX with Asterisk

[Aaron Joyner]

Jason Tower wrote:

> i have three polycom 501s for my business, all connected to a remote 
> asterisk server using sip, they work without a hitch.  very nice 
> units, and nearly half the cost of a cisco 7960.  only had them a few 
> months so i can't speak about their durability, but they feel very solid.
>
> jason
>
>> The A-man knows his stuff. Those Cisco phones are built tough and really
>> last. We've seen some beaten and abused Cisco's come through here... but
>> they still work just fine.
>>
>> The Polycom's seem to be pretty good too - though they don't have the
>> long pedigree that the Cisco's have. The Polycom's give you a bit more
>> value (cheaper with more features). Currently those are the only two
>> brands I would recommend. The *good* cheaper brands tend to burn out
>> early. The bad ones just get flaky.
>>
>> Jon Carnes
>> FeatureTel (VoIP for business afraid to do Asterisk alone)
>>
Also, having done lots of side-by-side testing with the Polycom vs the 
Cisco speaker phone, I can say that the Polycom is actually a notch or 
two better.  To put it in context, that's saying something, because when 
I first heard that I wouldn't believe it, because the Cisco 79{4,6}0s 
have exceptional speaker phones.  The Polycom just has a nicer, fuller 
sound with more bass, while still maintaining equally good mid-voice 
range.  In retrospect, since Polycom is primarily known for their 
conference-room speaker phones, it shouldn't be too surprising.

Having said that, the Cisco phones are sleeker, and have a nicer GUI 
interface, IMHO.  And the speaker phone is really just fantastic unless 
you've got it sitting right next to a Polycom.  :)

Aaron S. Joyner