[Aaug] Aastra 481i CT

[Odom, Steve]

AASG Members:

I have been testing the Aastra 480i CT IP phone with their latest
firmware, and I wanted to share my analysis with the group. This phone
come with a wireless handset and can expand to 8 handsets with most
feature functionality of the desktop. The handset is small, but heavy
enough to give a real quality feel about it. The most incredible feature
is the voice quality and the extended range of the handset. I have tried
many wireless phones in my house Panasonic, Motorola, Ericson, Sony etc.
(900MHZ, 2.7GHZ 5.6GHZ Spread spectrum etc) and none of these phones
worked throughout my house no matter where I located the base station.
This handset not only works (no matter where I located the Base station)
throughout my house but all the way down to my mailbox and deepinto my
back yard, without signal loss or static. I even tried this handset at
the office, and it is the only phone that works throughout our entire
floor, even around the elevator shafts. The base station has the same
feel and quality as the 9133i that I already reviewed with added
features. A large display with multiple pages of soft programmable
buttons for added BLF, Speedial and functions. This display
automatically changes with call control to give added functionality like
Park call or access to an XML phone directory that you can set up on a
remotely shared server. I have programmed Asterisk custom commands on
this phone. Another feature is the dial string command. You can program
custom dial strings so that all of the calls or dial commands that you
use will immediately dial without the use of the # key nor waiting for a
timeout. I really like this because I don't get misdials anymore because
I took too long to enter a digit nor do I have to wait 4 seconds to for
dialing to begin. You can set an auto dial after x seconds if you like,
in case you need to dial a number not in your dial string. And example
part of my dial string is as follows: "[469]11" this will detect 411 611
or 911 and if entered, dial immediately. "1xxxxxxxxx" will dial a long
distance or 800 call immediately "*[56789][1-9]" will dial the asterisk
*XX codes that begin with the digits 5,6,7,8 or 9 and ending in digits 1
through 9 but will limit you star codes to 2 digits if the sequence is
met. However if you dial *80123 it will still dial because you omitted
the o second digit in the last dial string. Of course *1,2,3,4 and 0
plus any digits following will also be ignored by that dial string. I
added "*80xxxx" so that I can page extensions immediately and "*0xxx"
for speed dial. Additionally I added all of my 4 digit extensions in the
dial string and "404xxxxxxx" "770xxxxxx' and "678xxxxxx" so local calls
dial immediately. Again as in the 9133i, the speaker phone works superb.
I disagree with Bill on using POE, these phones work perfectly well
without noise using POE. I was very happy to unplug 6 power modules the
other day. Now I don't have all of those extra cords and I am not
concerned about lightning taking my expensive phones out. Additionally
my POE switch is plugged into my UPS system and will continue to work on
power outages. The only problems I have ever experienced using POE is
with the earlier version Grandstream phones, which 2 quit working with
the POE function an 2 developed a humming noise. I will bet they have
resolved this design flaw in the new version, as they did with the many
other issues that Bill pointed out earlier. To me the slightly higher
price for these phones are well worth the look for someone wanting very
high quality, but not at the Cisco or Polycom price level. If you need
to add a wireless handset, this is the only one you should consider
although at higher price, but you get a complete desktop phone and the
handset as well. 

Steven A Odom