Graves On SOHO Technology

A few days back I noted that Gigaset had released new firmware that was reputed to have a microphone mute function. This prompted me to put my S685IP back in service. I installed the system on my network and let it install the new firmware. The upgrade installed easily and I was rewarded by the presence of a mute option on the left soft key.

The option is only offered when the phone is actually engaged in a call. I first tried it out today as I joined one of Randulo’s New Wine Consumer calls on Talkshoe. When engaged a text message indicates the mute state very clearly on the LCD display. See photo to the right for an example. Click for larger image.

Since traffic to my earlier rant about SIP/DECT phones has been strong and consistent I think it’s important to point out that both manufacturers, snom and Gigaset,  have listened and acted on some of my complaints. For this I am thankful. I have been recommending both of these devices not only on the merits of the device, but also the willingness of the maker to listen and act based on user feedback.

Since mid-October the snom m3 has been the only phone on our home account. That’s when the old Panasonic KSU finally breathed its last gasp. I’ve been using one of the snom handsets in my office since they arrived in January. In general I’m pleased with the device. It does what I need and it’s been reliable.

About a week ago my wife came to me with one of the little snom m3 cordless handsets in her hand. She wasn’t mad, but she said that the little phone is source of frustration, and she’d like me to replace it on the home line.

Read the rest of this entry »

If you’ve been hanging around these parts a while you’ll already know that I’ve had the snom m3 SIP DECT phone system installed since mid-January. I got lucky and bought one of the first units delivered to snom’s US distributor in Dallas.

Then a few months later, and after hearing rave reviews from a few people abroad, I imported a Siemens S685IP SIP DECT phone system from the UK. So now we have two SIP DECT systems on the property.

Why you ask?

Read the rest of this entry »

Having invested some time in cleaning up my office earlier this week I was forced to commit some effort to the research behind a new review that I’ve been tasked with writing. In so doing I was experimenting with call setup between various different devices, including a Polycom IP550 and a Siemens S685IP.

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been four days since I got the Siemens S685IP phone system installed and working. All appeared fine at first. I thought myself clever for a DIY conversion to US power supplies. And, well, one of the three handsets is functioning perfectly. The other two drained their batteries and will not charge them.

At first I thought it may just be a matter of some flaky rechargeable batteries. So I went to my local Radio Shack, which is more convenient than Fry’s, and bought some AAA size NiMH rechargeables to replace those provided by the manufacturer. No joy. A day later they’re discharged and the phones won’t charge them for some reason.

Read the rest of this entry »

This afternoon I took a few minutes to get the S685IP setup and working. I thought I’d use it in the office today as I was going about my daily toil.

A few snips, a little solder & some electrical tape is all it took to provide power. I had to splice the universal power supplies that I bought last night into the lines from the manufacturers supplies power supplies. The voltages and current ratings matched, but the connectors didn’t. Is this what’d we’d call a “hardware mash-up” in web 2.0 parlance?

I had the base registered with OnSIP in about 5 minutes. It’s registering with two separate domains on the same account. Thus I can get work and personal calls. One of the truly great things about OnSIP is that they support multiple phones using the same registration. When a call comes in they simply all ring. Very handy.

Read the rest of this entry »