Desk phone recommendations

PBX Firmware: 12.7.5-1805-2.sng7
PBX Service Pack: 1.0.0.0
Current Asterisk Version: 13.19.1
FreePBX 14.0.3.6

I didn’t see any recent posts of IP phone (desk phone) recommendations, so I thought I’d post this. We are looking to replace some aging Polycom IP 601 phones. It would be good if the phone can login to multiple SIP accounts (up to 3). Other than that, just looking for something that integrates well with FreePBX. We use Endpoint Manager.

The Sangoma phones and Zulu seem to be the logical pairing, but I am posting here to see if there are any other good options – still in the research phase. Thanks!

Yealink or Sangoma

any reason not choosing cisco?

Yes if they are 7*nn , you are entering a world of pain with these guys.

I got some snom phones years ago when grandstream seemed too flakey. I can’t get pjsip to work on the snoms (some are current models, others older with firmware update), but ow I’m pleased.

We do have a few Cisco CP 7960 phones that I finally got working…but they were touchy to configure to say the least.

Anyone have any experience with Digium phones?

Setting up the SIP version of the 7*** series phones is a known Pain In The A$$.

Setting up Chan-SCCP-B and using the phone in Skinny mode is likewise a PITA.

The SIP version of the phone’s load software uses all of the CPU and memory, so some functions of the phones (like the horizontal buttons) are just awful. The SIP version of the software just isn’t really very friendly. The phones are also EOL, so getting support for them is problematic.

The SCCP version of the phone’s load software is “skinnier”, but it pushes a lot of the functionality you’d expect to be “in the phone” into the PBX.

I use 79xx series phone all the time, but I’m also a user of Chan-SCCP-B and wrote the FreePBX installation that are on GitHub. If you want to try to install them in Skinny mode, I can help you a little bit, but neither method is good for a beginning phone manager.

Just stay with known solid SIP phones. Yealink, Sangoma, Snom, Polycom, Grandstream.

You asked for recommendations and I gave them.

Yealink & Sangoma.

Well couple points.

Sangona spends millions a year in support of FreePBX. Buying our hardware and software is the way to keep the lights on for FreePBX. When you buy another brand we get nothing out of it and doemst boad well for the FreePBX team.

Secondly who better to provide deep integration of the phone to the PBX. We are the only ones who control both pieces.

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spa series :slight_smile:

Thanks for the extra info and the offer for help. At this point, we have 2 or 3 of those 7960 phones, and they are working. For now I’m leaving them as-is and we’ll just look at getting new phones that are simpler to setup. Thanks!

I am right there with you. Good points! I’m gathering info for the decision-makers, but if they ask my input, my choice is Sangoma because of the natural integration. I had not thought about how it supports the team that creates the stuff that runs our pbx :slight_smile: Another good reason to go Sangoma.

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