My Favorite VoIP Phones & Headsets

I have used several VoIP phones over the last few years and let me tell you they have come a long way. There are models with color touch screens, high definition (HD) voice and several wireless options. Unfortunately I have not had my hands on many of those phones because they are way out of my budget!

1) Polycom 430

My favorite phones is the Polycom 430. It is not loaded with features but it is an awesome value and has all the essential stuff. First of all it is a Polycom, so you know it has great build quality. Second, it is compatible with a many different types of phone systems and service providers. If you are using any of the
popular Asterisk based phone systems or a well established VoIP service provider that allows you to Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) chances are the 430 will work. And finally it is at an awesome price, usually around $150 online.

To me, a phone has to have several essential features and the Polycom 430 has all of them. I always want a phone with a good full duplex speaker phone. Full duplex means the sound goes both ways. Some phones (such as the Polycom 301) only have half duplex speaker phones. This means only you can hear the caller, the caller cannot hear you. I guess you can "monitor" a call on hold with it but it is useless other than that. Another feature I consider a must have is dual Ethernet ports even if you do not need the other one at first. Why would you need two Ethernet ports in the first place? The second one is there so you can share your internet connection with computer. If you only have 1 data port available on your router or in your office, you won't be able to have both your computer and phone up and running at the same time. Even if you do have any extra port available I think it is worth it to get a phone with a second Ethernet port just in case you might need it in the future.

Another feature it has to have is multiple lines. Lines are like channels into the phone. If you only have one line on the phone you can only take one call at a time. If some one else calls while you are on the phone it will ring busy. With a multi-line phone you will hear a busy signal, you will also be able to put someone on hold and call another party. Therefore a multi-line phone is a must, and the 430 has two lines which is standard for a phone in that price range.


Check back soon for more phones!