Cordless SIP Phones

Hi Folks,

I’m looking for some advice on what cordless phones to deploy in my warehouse. I set up 2 Grandstream DP715/710 DECT phones but they do not have the range we need. I probably need about 100 yard radius of “indoor” coverage and the Grandstreams are falling a bit short.

So my question is - does anyone have any devices they can recommend? I’m currently using the Commercial Endpoint Manager so I’d prefer to stick with a supported phone, but that isn’t a requirement. I could use WiFi. However, I’ve heard the wifi phones don’t work very well. I don’t know how true that is but Im completely open to any/all suggestions.

Thanks in advance!

I use to use an Aastra 57i with dect and would walk around the outside of the building through chicken wire stucco and metal doors.

Your mileage may vary based on environment. Also you may look to see if there is a power setting. Some devices default at a lower power.

You may also research dect repeaters.

Though I’ve no experience with them, your Grandstream DECT phones may be compatible with commodity DECT repeaters. If not, take a look at RTX or other sets that offer repeater options. At the high end, Polycom and Aastra have DECT systems that support multiple base stations with automatic handoff, similar to cellular.

If you have sufficient Wi-Fi coverage (-70 dBm or better everywhere), SIP apps on Android 4.x or iPhone 3GS or newer should have good handoff characteristics. You can easily test this option for almost nothing. If you need to add access points, it may benefit non-phone applications that will help justify the cost.

You might consider something like http://www.engeniustech.com/telephony/long-range-4-lineport4x/275-sp-922pro . It’s expensive and voice quality is not the best, but: You will definitely not have range issues. Phones still work after being dropped on the concrete floor. Battery lasts for a good day’s work with heavy use. The ringer and earpiece can easily be heard over gas forklifts or other noisy machinery.

Possibly, Wi-Fi with cellular fallback will work for you: http://www.vitelity.com/vmobile/

The Uniden EXP1240B (base) and the Uniden EXP1240H (handset) available in the portal (portal.schmoozecom.com) would probably be your best option. You can install multiple bases, and your devices can roam across the bases. Each base will support a high number of concurrent calls, and in total you could have up to 200 handsets with the proper number of bases.  Here is an excerpt from a press release earlier this year:

 

FreePBX Uniden BaseFreePBX Uniden SIP Dect
Also at ITEXPO, Uniden America Corporation and Schmooze announced the completion of interoperability testing of the new Uniden EXP1240 SIP DECT Cordless Phone system.

"Uniden America Corporation is excited to be joining the FreePBX community with our Enterprise class EXP1240 SIP DECT Mobility platform. The EXP1240 mobility platform supports seamless roaming and hand-off on up to 40 DECT Access points with zero interference with other wireless networks. A single access point can support up to 8 cordless handsets and up to 200 handsets on a single network segment. The color handsets support up to 4 lines, multiple codecs, over the air synchronisation, wide band 2-way speakerphone and an integrated site survey tool for simple wireless setup." Says Brett Morrison, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Business Communication Systems, Uniden America Corporation.

The FreePBX Team and Uniden staff worked together to ensure that the new line would be fully supported within the FreePBX EcoSystem. The Uniden phones can be configured and auto-provisioned directly within the FreePBX® End Point Manager. We like these phones so much we added them to the FreePBX/Schmooze Portal Store and you can now purchase them direct from us, allowing you to get great hardware, while at the same time supporting the FreePBX Project.

Thank you everyone for all the feedback. I really appreciate it. I may use a combination of all of the above. Also - I do always try to make purchases from the portal for the same reason Preston outlined. Free as in Freedom, not Free as in Beer :wink: