AT&T / Avaya Partner phone system - 206EC R3.1 - can it be used as a standalone unit?

[jpb3]

Hello Group!

Newbie to phone systems, but willing to learn. I belong to a club where a former member installed a standalone 206 R2.0. We have one phone line and 3 extensions. The person has since moved away and I have been selected to take over the duties. We have had an issue where something has happened and the unit is no longer functioning. I have plugged in a 18D phone directly to extension 10 on the 206 unit and tried to press 'Feature 0 0' but cannot get a display on the phone.

A local Ameritech tech has looked at the unit and said it was no good. I have since purchased a unit from ebay and awaiting for it to arrive. All of the install manuals that I see say that you need to have a 400 module in a carrier.

Questions:
- Will a standalone 206EC R3.1 module work as a viable replacement to the existing 206 R2?
- How do I configure the new replacement module for our configuration? 'Feature 0 0', then the direct #101 codes?
- Is there any firmware / software updates that should be applied before the unit is installed?

Any help, guidence, or suggestions are welcome!

Thank you in advance!
Jeff

 

[Dexman]

Hi Jeff...

In light of the fact that the module is bad and will need to be replaced, I would have suggested that an Avaya Partner ACS R6 be purchased rather than a 206 as those units are extremely old.

Head over to Avaya's website. They have many system documents for various AT&T/Lucent/Avaya business telephone systems available for download.

Programming is fairly simple across the Partner platform and it can be done easily from x10.

The Partner ACS does support up to 2 PCMCIA cards. One of the most common cards can be used to backup/restore processor programming. Another version adds remote access capability (which rarely worked). For newer revision Partner ACS processors, you could add a Partner Voice Messaging PCMCIA card. It provides a basic auto attendant and either 4 or 16 voicemail boxes. For the 16 mailbox unit, 12 boxes is the realistic limit because activating all 16 really reduces the amount of messages each user can have.


Partner AC R6 processor:

http://www.metrolinedirect.com/paacsre60prw.html

Partner Voice Messaging:

http://www.metrolinedirect.com/paracsvoicme.html

Partner 206EC:

http://www.metrolinedirect.com/parii206ecmo.html

I'm not sure which 206 can double as a stand alone processor, so I'll defer on that question.

I "FEATURE 00"

http://mysite.verizon.net/vze7n25t/

 

[TouchToneTommy]

The "E" in 206EC refers to "Expansion", so NO, that module can not be used as a stand alone Partner system.

Paul (Dexman) is right on the money, not to spend any time or cash for a "baby" Partner or Partner Plus/II, but look for an ACS at least Release 3.

 

[jpb3]

Thank you for the feedback!

While I agree that it is not worth sinking money into old / outdated equipment I also have to balance the needs of the club and the financial cost to update the system. Used ACS systems on e-bay are starting around $450 and going up versus $0.99 to $75 starting bids.

So, if I can find a 206 module that can be a standalone module, non 'E' or 'EC' will that be enough to replace what we had?

The club is not occupied all of the time and the phone system is used more as an intercome between different locations on the club grounds. The original configuration had extension 15 that was wired into external equipment then an amplifier that paged out to the entire club grounds.

Are there any other words of wizdom that the group is willing to proivde before I try to find / purchase one of these older units?

Thanks again!
Jeff

 

[Dexman]

I'm fairly certain that other members will agree with TTT and me.
The Partner ACS does provide a dedicated page port so that would free up an extension. For sure, the unit could be replaced with the same model, but, the Partner ACS looks to be the better avenue.

I "FEATURE 00"

http://mysite.verizon.net/vze7n25t/