Conference Phone?

[mu22]

I keep getting requests for a tele conference solution in our board room.

We've tried the external unit (5310?) that clips on the side of the phone, but the management arnt happy with it and keep requesting a Polycomm type phone to which external microphones can be attached.

I know Mitel is slowly addig SIP support, just wondering if this is possible yet either by adding a SIP phone directly to the Mitel or maybe even via a sip trunk to an open source phone system?

 

[MitelInMyBlood]

Mitel has an ANALOG conference phone that is a competitor of the Polycomm units, but I can tell you that having used one I can understand why your users arer complaining.

Cut your losses. Give them what they're asking for. Make them happy and go on. Life is too short to waste it arguing with someone.

It will require an analog port, either off of the AMB on an MX controller or use an ASU.

 

[MitelInMyBlood]

The 5303 is the Mitel analog version of the Polycom. Requires an analog port. It's pretty cool looking but really seems to be better suited for a small private office with good accoustics than in a conventional conference room. In my limited experience with it listeners on the other end report the 53xx conference unit has low mic sensitivity (again compared to the Poly) and has problems with full duplex that I've personally witnessed. Yes, it is full duplex but if the other end is speaking and they're fairly loud, you're screwed and can't interrupt them to take back control of the conversation like you can with the Polycomm. Just my 2 cents here, I'm ordinarily very pro-Mitel but the Polycom conference phones are tough to beat. I haven't seen anything at any price that compares favorably.

For what it's worth, I heard the same complaints with the 5310 as I did with the 5303 so it's not IP vs TDM that's causing the tiff. I put the polycom in and the user stopped whining.