Polycom IP Phones

Although there are several models of Polycom IP Phones in the market for the two line to the six line desktop phone there are two key features that are standard across all models. Although these features may be over looked since they are now standard and not the newer flashier feature, it's still important to take a look and get an understanding on their importance.

The current suite of Polycom IP Phones all support IEEE 802.3af Power of the Ethenet or PoE. PoE is a method of powering the phone when the power is provided through the Cat5 cable by a PoE switch or Injector. There are several reasons why this feature is important. The first is it eliminates the need for AC power adapters to power the phone as the power will be provided the switch. This helps reduces the tangle of wires hidden underneath a desk and the need to purchase additional hardware pieces. Another benefit is it eliminates the need to worry about different outlets and voltages when set up offices outside of the United States or main location. There is no need to worry about whether you'll be operating on 120 or 220v or what the physical wall outlet face will be. Finally there is only one point of failure in case of a power outage. Rather than having to have each phone connected to a UPS you have one point, the PoE switch, which needs to be connect to a UPS.

Another feature that is often overlooked and taken for granted with Polycom IP Phones is a full duplex speakerphone on a desktop phone. A full duplex speakerphone is capable of transmitting and receiving audio simultaneously without having any drop off in the audio quality. This allows for natural conversations without each person having to wait for the other finish before speaking. Having a a phone with a full duplex speakerphone allows the user to have a conversation without being connected to a corded handset during the conversation. This also allows the user to move around when having a conversation. Another popular use is to have more than one person on the phone at a desk rather than using a conference room with a full conference phone. This allows you to quickly add a person to a conversation or facilitate multi person conference calls.

The USB ports and color displays on the new Polycom Phones are great features and I look forward to how the new phones will expand the feature sets in the years to come. Surely the new bells and whistles will become standard in the coming years, but it is important not to overlook and take for granted the features that have become standard.