VoIP handsets reviewed


Contents
Introduction
Introduction (cont.)
3Com handsets
Avaya handsets
NEC handsets
Zultys handsets
Engin voicebox
Plantronics headset
3Com/Avaya specs
NEC/Zultys specs
What to look out for
Final words
Editor's choice
About RMIT

Engin voicebox

I personally like Engin's model. They have taken an ATA (Analogue Telephone Adaptor) from Sipura -- which can be purchased cheaply as customer premises equipment -- and combined it with a very smart back-end VoIP system that can traverse most Internet connected networks to communicate with their own.

Any broadband-connected client can purchase one of these. Once you have it you just plug one side of it in to their network switch or router, the other side into any standard analogue telephone (or two), and within minutes of registering be making VoIP (Engin to Engin) calls as well as discounted PSTN connected calls.

This is all done without the need for a PC to be connected or turned on (provided your broadband is derived from an always on router).

Engin voicebox I found Engin's instruction booklet to be straightforward. If you want to take a step up from the softphones of this world then take a look at Engin. The price is absolutely right. Engin also provides softphone VoIP services. See ZDNet Australia's full review of the Engin Voice Box or go to Engin's Web site for more details.

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Talkback 3 comments

    ISP's are currently battling t ...Anonymous -- 02/07/05

    ISP's are currently battling the broadband war. The race for customer aquisition is aggressive. What is the holy grail... VoIP or basic broadband revenue? The answer lies in the current broadband price offerings of ISP's.
    The cost savings of VoIP to corporations is unquestionable and the future economic benefits of widespread adoption is inevitable. One just needs to review the developments of such products as 'Skype' over the last 12 months to arrive at the realisation of just where VoIP is heading. Companies in Asia have even commenced manufacturing 'Cisco ATA type' devices which interface with skype enabling VoIP calls from your normal PSTN phone. The future of VoIP is cemented and the war for market share is definitely on.

    IP Phones Mark Armstrong -- 08/08/06

    Why did you not review the market leaders? Polycom and Cisco.
    With Asterisk rapidly gaining on all these vendors, surely a handset that is open standards should warrant a mention?

    IP Phones Jeff Haas -- 16/06/07 (in reply to #120139731)

    Mark, as for leaders, that question is open for the number crunchers. New market, entry cost is low, but Clevel people want stability in a manufacturer; reliability, and accountability from a manufacturer. Why do you think NEC, Mitel, Nortel, Inter-Tel, all still exist today. As for the phone, NEC is one of the ones who has survived and grown market share in the last 7 years while others have not.

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