At the outset of the review process I was a little skeptical about installing an entry-level consumer cordless phone in the house. We’ve tried a lot of hardware and have some fairly clear ideas about what we need from it. However, the A580IP brings with it the possibility of wideband calling over IP into the cordless domain. That proved just too to attractive to not give it a try.
The A580IP system that we have installed consists of one DECT base and a set of three A58H handsets. A starter system comes with the base and one handset. You can add up to five additional handsets to suit your specific needs. In fact, you can mix and match handsets, using the entry level A58H, middle of the range S67H or high-end SL78H all on the same DECT base.
The DECT base is an inconspicuous little black box measuring 6” x 4.25” x 1.5". It can be mounted on a wall or simply stood on a shelf or table. In our case it’s mounted high on a wall in a central closet where all the network switching is located in our house.
Gigaset has taken the stance that energy efficiency is important. With this principle in mind they provide small high-efficiency switching power supplies for both the base and the handset charging stand. This is one aspect of what they term "ECO-DECT."
Another aspect of ECO-DECT is a software feature that dynamically varies the power output of the radios. While the handset is on the charging stand the radio power output drops to near zero. When on a call the handset modulates the power output to sustain an ideal RF signal level at the base. As the handset distance from the base grows the RF output increases just enough to maintain the ideal RF signal at the base. The result is up to 60% less power consumed by the devices.
The DECT base has an RJ-11 connector for one analog phone line and an RJ-45 for connection to your network. In our installation we use only the network since we haven’t had analog phone lines for several years.
The one status indicator on the DECT base is a square blue button on the front. This lights up when a handset is actively on a call. It is also used when registering handsets to the base, and when paging handsets that you might have left somewhere in the house.
Getting the system initially setup is relatively simple. You plug it into your network and apply power. It will use DHCP to fetch an IP address from your router. The first time you power it up you need to find out what that address is so that you can obtain access to the systems web management portal. Most routers will report on the current DCHP clients making this a simple matter of looking at your routers DCHP table.
Pointing a web browser at the devices IP address you’ll be greeted with a login screen to the management portal. This portal is protected by a four-digit pin code. The default is simply "0000." For security reasons it should be changed to something less obvious once you get logged in.
Once you’re into the management portal the menus are fairly obvious. You first move, after changing the PIN code, might be to establish a fixed IP address so that it’s easier to get back into the management interface later on. In my case I prefer to let the DECT base use DHCP, but assign a fixed IP to the units MAC address in my routers DHCP service.
Moving onto the SIP setups you find that the DECT base is very similar to setting up an ATA. In fact, in some regards it’s even easier. The base can accommodate up to six separate SIP accounts, as well as the PSTN line and a built-in account with Gigaset.Net. Yes, there are eight possible paths for any call to traverse! As a practical matter the base can only sustain three simultaneous calls, one to the analog port and two to ITSPs.
Gigaset Communications works to support a number of ITSPs with semi-automated provisioning. If the provider you wish to use is part of this program then you simply select the provider from those listed. The core SIP server and STUN settings are then loaded from a central server. All you need to add is your specific account details and you’re in business.
If your chosen provider is not one of those listed then it’s still a simple matter to enter the SIP account, server and STUN details. During the course of my trial I noticed that the automated settings loaded for FWD and SIPGate were slightly in error. I reported this to Gigaset and they quickly made the necessary changes to the master table of ITSP data. Shortly thereafter the phone reported that a “new profile” was available and it downloaded the new settings.
I started out by registering the system with OnSIP and FWD. That process took only a few minutes. Before I was through I added Gizmo5, IdeaSIP, SIPGate & my local Asterisk server such that I eventually had all six accounts engaged.
For each handset you can define the default SIP account to use when making outbound calls. You can specify when account to use when dialing by appending #x to the number you are dialing, where x is the account number you wish to use. You can also save numbers to the contact list using this syntax. In this way you can preset which account to use when dialing each specific contact.
In a similar fashion you can define which handset rings in response to incoming calls for each SIP account. Since my system is used for a mix of personal and business uses this is very handy. Our home line rings handsets in the house, while various other accounts only ring handsets in my office. It’s easy to see how a family with children could give each their own private line. Well, up to six kids at least.
Speaking of “ring” the A58H handset sports a number of ring-tones. Fancy melodic ring-tones are one of the features that betray the systems’ consumer electronics roots. We settled upon the first and most basic ring tone, which is called simply “Telephone.”
Here’s a recording of all the built-in ring tones.
The 1.5” monochrome LCD display is backlit in amber. While not especially high resolution is bright and very readable, even at a distance.
When the screen-saver is enabled the LCD display will show a large digital clock and crawling text along with the contents of a data source selected using the Gigaset.Net web portal for the phone. The available data sources include; local weather forecasts, news headlines, a biorhythm display, horoscope or your choice of RSS feed.
It’s very novel that Gigaset allows you to display information on the LCD when the phone is at rest. However, this is probably more useful on the higher-end handsets where the color displays and larger screen sizes have more impact.
One quirk about the screen-saver is that I found it interrupted dialing in an slightly unexpected manner. That is, if the screen saver is engaged the first keystroke entered takes the handset out of screen saver mode. That first keystroke is discarded, and does not remain in the buffer as the first key of the number that you are dialing. I had to make an effort to remember to hit a key and not just start dialing or I’d miss the first digit of the number I meant to call. In the end I simply disabled the screen saver feature and dialed as per my habit.
In contrast, the handsets feature a built-in music-on-hold function. When you do something that causes a call to be suspended, like a hook-flash transfer, the handset generates a MIDI-like melody to the other party. This might be cute on your home line but was entirely inappropriate for my office lines. Happily, this “feature” is easily defeated on a per handset basis.
Of course, one of the major attractions of the A580IP was the fact that it supports wideband calling using the same G.722 codec found in my Polycom desk phones. Gigaset refers to this as HDSP for “High Definition Sound Performance.” Once registered with my OnSIP account I enjoyed wideband calls to my employers SoundPoint IP450/550/650 desk phones scattered across the UK & US.
Making wideband calls requires that the call path remain IP end-to-end, entirely bypassing the PSTN. That means not dialing normal e.164 phone numbers. In the case of our hosted IP-PBX I could dial a simple four-digit extension corresponding to other IP phone. A wideband call would result if the other phone also supported G.722.
Once able to make wideband calls it was only natural to compare the call quality of the A580IP to my Polycom desk phones. Though the A58H handsets sound really good, my sense is that the Polycom’s do sound better, especially when comparing speakerphone modes. However, let’s be fair. You can buy three A580IP systems for the price of one IP650.
No doubt some would ask the question, “Can inexpensive hardware like the A580IP deliver the promise of wideband calling?”
You should make up your own mind. Here are a few sample recordings made with the A580IP. Not really knowing what to use as an example, I simply read the manufacturers description of HDSP as found on the Gigaset blog several times, recording each as I went.
- Baseline G.711 recording made using the A58H handset
- Wideband G.722 recording made using the A58H handset
- Wideband G.722 recording made using the A58H in speakerphone mode
In making these recordings I deliberately read fairly quickly, and took steps to minimize the background noises in my office. Note that the G.711 call sounds muted and dull. In contrast, both wideband recordings are much easier to understand.
My wife especially likes the speakerphone feature. This, in combination with the fact that the A58H will stand stable on its end is very convenient. Standing it upright optimally orients the microphone toward the person speaking.
One thing to note about the A58H handset is that it does not accommodate a headset of any kind. If you need a wired headset then you should be looking at the middle-of-the-range S67H handset, while those wanting a Bluetooth headset should consider the top-end SL78H handset. You can add either of these as optional expansion handsets to the base A580IP system.
Many ITSPs issue their users numeric account numbers. Sometimes these look like normal phone numbers (IdeaSIP), but other times (FWD) not so much. As more-or-less a traditional phone the A58H handset was only able to dial-by-numbers. In both cases mentioned dialing within the same service, ex between two FWD accounts, supported wideband calling.
To dial from one service (ITSP) to another I had to resort to normal phone numbers. Since that’s dialing via the PSTN only narrowband calling was possible.
I suggested to Gigaset that dialing by SIP URI would be a welcome addition to the phone. It would allow dialing between ITSPs while sustaining an end-to-end IP connection. This could be accomplished by extending the handsets contact list to accept alpha numeric SIP URIs as well as purely numeric contact details.
My contact at Gigaset seemed receptive to the idea. Time will tell if this capability is added through a future firmware release. It’s worth noting that the handsets now have a mic mute feature as a direct result of customer requests. I suspect that the moment of launch into the US market is a time when they are paying close attention to what North American users desire.
Speaking of the contact list, you can provision each handset with contacts using standard vcard files. The web management portal supports loading and exporting the contacts list. I found that when importing contacts the phone adds them to the existing list. They also provide a simple means of wiping the contact list so that you can reload the entire set, avoiding loading duplicates. 
I did find the contact import/export to be inconsistent. To be specific, the handset would export a contact with several numbers per contact, corresponding to home, office & mobile numbers. That same vcard file when imported resulted in four separate contacts, each with only one number attached. This inconsistency I reported to Gigaset, who are considering the matter in their ongoing firmware development.
Gigaset provides each phone with an account on their Gigaset.net SIP service. Thus with zero setup effort all Gigaset users already have a means of IP-based calling. This can be very handy, especially when gifting phones to non-technical family members. I plan to give a system to my parents shortly. I hope that this will yield both higher call quality and reduced long distance costs.
Battery life is a common concern with cordless phones, and especially Wifi SIP handsets. The A58H handsets shipped with a pair of 900 mAh AAA sized NiMH batteries. The manufacturer claims up to 200 hours of stand-by time and 8 hour of talk-time on a charge. In our home the handsets ran for literally days without being returned to the charging stand. While I never spent 8 hours on the phone continuously, I see no reason to doubt the battery life claims.
The cordless range of system was also excellent. With the base mounted in a closet central to our house I was able to wander outside all over the property and even across the street without call quality suffering. I did notice that enabling the energy saving Eco Mode and Eco Mode+ settings seemed to reduce the useful range, but not enough to cause me concern.
We’ve been using the A580IP for just over three months in our home and home office. It’s considerably better than the system it replaced. Moreover, the ability to integrate wideband calling into more of our daily life has proven addictive.
To truly appreciate the A580IP you have to keep reminding yourself that it’s really an inexpensive consumer product. Cast in this light it excels in many areas. It does such a good job that you might start to expect more business oriented features, which is where it falls short.
The Gigaset A580IP is a fine phone system for use around the house, and even in some home offices. While it might lack some business class features it’s still an outstanding value, and an excellent way to get started using wideband telephony.
Pros:
- Affordable
- Good call quality
- Scalable from 1 to 6 handsets
- Supports 6 SIP accounts and one analog line
- Supports wideband calling over IP
- Contact list can be uploaded from a vcard file
- Very good battery life
- Very good cordless range
Cons:
- No support for SIP URIs in contact list*
- No support for a headset
- Screen-saver discards initial keystroke in dialing sequence
- Limited business class features
| Note: As of June 1, 2011 Gigaset now offers the C610A IP model in the US. Offered at the same price as the S675IP but with more features and better hardware performance this model is now my baseline recommendation. Many have felt that the A580IP system was simply too spartan in feature set. While it remains the least expensive Gigaset model offered in the US, I believe that the C610A IP is the best value overall.
* August 2011 – a new release of firmware for the C610IP now supports the use of SIP URI in the contact list. Thus the C610 system can dial by SIP URI where prior models could not. |