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AT&T multiline consumer phones/over sensitive speakers?

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NiceRing

NiceRing

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Jan 13, 2012
349
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I don't know where to post this thread, so here it is.

Sometimes I get customers that only have 2 or 3 lines, and 2 or 3 phones, don't need anything more than telco voicemail.
I cannot justify, and they cannot afford, a KSU type phone system.
I don't like to do it but I will just pick up a couple of KSU-less phones at Office Max, or online. Absolutely NEVER get the RCA phones,they are the worst.

But I have 2 jobs right now that have the following:

Law office with only 3 lines and 2 phones. AT&T corded 4 line phones. 1070
CPA office with only 2 lines and 2 phones. AT&T corded 2 Line phones. ML17929

Both sites complain of really choppy transmit on the speakers.
I tested all 4 phones and it is true, they cut in and out so bad you cannot have a conversation on the speakers.
Receive seems to be a lot better.
Today, I took two 4 line Cortelco phones and had exactly the same problems.
So WTF??? Are there no decent consumer phones that have good speakerphone capability??
A.C.P.O.S. --- Another Chinese Piece of S***

Any recommendations? Are you finding this to be true also?
 
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I do not personally install crap from store fronts as a complete waste of time dealing with those type of clients whom want cheap crap but maybe try the AT&T SynJ (or Synapse) options for small clients.


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Whenever I go into a new restaurant or retail store and I see those ATT or RCA phones I cringe. They spell trouble and terrible analog voice quality. Those phones are built for residential home offices and not businesses in my honest opinion.

If you can get your hands on a refurbished Nortel Venture KSU-Less system, they have awesome speakers.

For only a two line phone, you can get an Aastra M9417 set, one of the best analog multi-line phones on the market.

This one is also nice, but it's only a one liner....



Joseph Sus Jr. Nortel Emetrotel Consultant
 
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I agree with you on all points RLS Button! Too bad AAstra doesn't make a 4 line phone. Those things last FOREVER and great speaker.
 
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I have used those Panasonic 4 line phones before. I don't think I ever had complaints about the speakers.
Thanks, I will check it out.
 
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Ok, I just did an additional test and am now really baffled.
I brought the Cortelco phone to my office and did some lengthy test calls on the speakerphone.
The feedback from the caller was that there was no cutting in and out and they could not even tell that I was on a speakerphone at all.
This particular law firm I have tried the AT&T, a V-Tech, and the Cortelco multiline phone.
PLUS a Panasonic KXTS-108 single line speakerphone. They all cut out at the 2 jobs.
The common thread is that they have phone lines from Spectrum, the cable company.
It is looking like this is the problem. The tech I was doing the test calls with today suggested it might
be a problem with the TX/RX gain. Any thoughts on that possibility?

BUT to make it even more confusing, the line I was testing on in my office is ALSO A SPECTRUM LINE!!
And it was perfect, the transmit. The only difference is that mine is a residential line with a modular jack on the internet modem .
The lines on the 2 jobs with the problems are coming on modems that have amphenols running to RJ21X blocks.
I am wondering if the setting are different on the modems? I know a few Spectrum techs and will talk to them,
but I find they are not really phone guys and don't know much about dial tone, other than to plug in the modems.
No offense.
Bottom line, it is not the consumer phones, other than they must be a lot more susceptible to the line settings???
 
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I use a Harris-Dracon with Handsfree....using that would help in testing.

-what is the environment like at the job site? fans blowing? no carpet or wall art?
---when the mic is activated by a noise it will appear as cutting in and out.

-did you test at home by calling the same numbers you tested at site?
---just wondering it the called site has issues.

Cable companies use SIP....so it could be the modem.

If shared phone room borrow a POT's line if they have.
Try their phone in a small quite room at site, otherwise you have proven equipment is OK.






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Mike Sandman would know.

When testing the phones I did make sure the A/C was turned off, I have seen that cause issues.
I made sure there was no movement in front of the speakers.
I know if you are shuffling papers it can do that.

Carpet or wall art?? wtf?

Yes, there is carpet and some artwork on the walls.

 
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It was suggested that I try to use a dsl filter on the jacks and see if it helps with this problem. What do you think about that? I tried it but everyone was super busy and would not let me test. I will let you know if it made any difference. Also, Spectrum Ops Mgr. said he would look into it. Will keep you posted.
 
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Speakerphone operation should have nothing to do with the phone line or line quality except static or noise. Almost all speakers on analog phones are 1 way and even if they claim to be 2 way they’re really not. There is a reason polycomm is still around. The volume of the call itself in one room ( ie your office) may be fine and work adequately, yet the same phone in another room with different acoustics could be like trying to talk over someone yelling ( you miss half of what’s said). My bottom line for customers is this, phones have handsets, use them, if you desperately need to use the speakerphone for two way conversation then you’ve gotta pay the money for at least a small system with a halfway decent speakerphone (lookup a blue 16 or ESI) as that’s exactly what it was designed to do, be a halfway decent speakerphone in a single office, NOT an open room or cubicle. Want the same for open rooms or cubes then you need avaya or nortel etc... but then it’s still not perfect and you will hear background conversation. If you really want true speakerphone 2 way communication for an open room it’s a polycomm conf phone. We don’t make it but it’s on us to manage the customers expectations of the equipment and just lay it out there for their budget to dictate what they can get.
 
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Yeah, in a perfect world. Selling a KSU to a customer with 2 lines and 2 phones is not always possible.
I did plug in a dsl filter, as suggested and it actually 100% cleared the problem.
However, I am still having telco check the levels on their side.

None of these offices are large, noisy offices.

So any idea why the dsl filter is clearing the problem?
 
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OK, finally solved this problem.
This is so random. The one job that had the 2 line AT&T phones, the problem cleared with the 2 line dsl filters.
Transmit on the speakers was perfect.
BUT----
The other job with the 4 line AT&T phones did not. The filters did NOTHING!
What it turned out to be was that the bridge clips on the 66 block were not the standard ones,
they were those red ones that Telco uses for special circuits. Those red ones that cover 4 binding posts at a time, with the small plastic "handle". Swapped those out with regular bridge clips, and the problem cleared.

I know that they use those on special circuits, but I just thought they were for identification, not that they have different properties than the other ones, since I have never used them myself.
What do you know about those red clips?



Now to try to get paid for even a little bit of all the time I spent on this damn job!!
 
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I found out that those style of bridge clips do have some kind of fusing that adjust gain. At least that is what one tech told me.
But I can't find anything about that online. I found a Siemon part number of SMBC-2-(X) and there are quite a few colors.
It still seems like they are just for identification purposes.
What say you?

 
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Yes, I have seen bridge clips that acted as fuses, and yes they would induce a slight voltage loss across the bridging. They were typically red and pretty beefy looking. They didn't look like plain old bridge clips.

If I remember correctly they were used for older ISDN data circuits where a slight drop in voltage wasn't service affecting if the last span point was close enough.
 
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The bridging clips pictured have no protection capabilities. I used them with my Church's Avaya Merlin Magix telephone system. They are just a pair of standard bridging clips within colored plastic.

I remember that there are clips that can provide protection, but, I haven't seen them in a while.

I [love2] "FEATURE 00"
 
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Thanks Wanebo. Yes, now that you mention it, I have seen them on ISDN circuits too.

Dexman, those pictured may not be the same ones but they look exactly the same as the red ones that were causing the problem. When I did a search, not knowing the exact name for those, that was all I could find.
The ones on my job DEFINITELY were not standard since as soon as I removed them my problem cleared. six of them.
Just glad the mystery is finally solved!!
 
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