Linksys SPA921 is a hardphone, which uses the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) for Voice over IP calls. Because of its medium price, it is suitable for both the office and home. Its design and functionalities are quite common a every Linksys SPA phone. Don't expect any surprises.
When I started the phone I had to press most of the buttons in order to find the configuration menu button. At f irst I thought that the phon e m enu will allow me to se t t he phone for basic usage. I was wrong. I succeeded with configuring the network settings but I did not find SIP settings anywhere . Apparently I had to use the web interface in order to set up the SIP account that I ha d created on my Asterisk server. I have worked with Linksys configuration web interfaces before, but it seems that Linksys never got a working user-friendly interface. The web interface threw me into confusion. I had to explore the whole thing in order to get the basics. I like the mic boost that the phone supports. I particularly like the idea of three-way boosting (handset, headset and speakerphone) . I think that some of the features are quite useless. For example Enabling Ext 1 or ACD Extension, which can be set only to 1 (due to the fact that there is only 1) . Why would I want my only line to be disabled? Anyway, I dislike the idea that Linksys use one configuration menu for a whole series of hardphones.
The absence of an additional Ethernet port to forwar d t he network signal to the next device forced me to bring an additional Ethernet cable to my desk, which caused me a lo t o f trouble . Some of the icons on the buttons do not bring any idea about the functions they serve . You have to press the button in order to find out what it does. The display is quite good and its contrast is so good, that I can see what is written on it from great distance at almost every angle.
The phone was quite confusing for me in the beginning, and I doubt that a common user will not be confused as well . Anyway, when I got the basics of the phone (after lots of experiments) I found it useful. The handset is quite comfortable, and its features see m t o be more than decent. It seems that the phone is good for the small office or home usage.
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