Best IP phone to use with 3CX, and do any work well with the 3CX app?

[checkinyyz]

Hi everyone, we have 3CX on AWS that we access over the internet. All the phones we own today are Polycom VVX500 which I was disappointed to see only works on a local connection. I may enable VPN and go that route but I have several remote users that work from home so prefer phones that provision and work over the internet. Today we just use the 3CX cell phone app or the softphone and it works great. I wanted to try out some IP phone options though as I do prefer having a desk phone. So I checked which could be provisioned remotely and started with Yealink.

I just bought a T46s to test with, and like how easy it is to provision it from the start, as well as change what the keys do. What I don't like though is the lack of touchscreen that I'm used to, and that the BLF keys are tiny and cut off when they could use half the screen. The one thing I noticed though was when I made a call on my cell phone using the 3CX mobile app, the Yealink IP phone seemed to have no idea and didn't indicate I was on a call. Same if I made a call from the Yealink, the 3CX app showed nothing different other than my status being unavailable. I was hoping that if I was on my 3CX cell phone app on a call, and then walk over to my Yealink desk phone, it would show me on the phone where I could just pick up that call there without the other person knowing, and same with sending it back to the 3CX mobile app, or even cell number. Like Avaya mobile twinning?

Is anything like that possible or would it be more park the call, pick it up on the other device? I tried quickly to add most of my employees as BLF through phone provisioning as well, but I noticed that it shows all as available with a green icon, including 2 people that are actually offline, including showing offline on the 3CX softphone app. When I tried calling one, the Yealink didn't update, so it makes me wonder if firewall or something else is going on here so wanted to check. I would however like to know what brand or model phone works the best with 3CX in terms of the most features and compatibility? Thanks!

 

[eddv123]

Hi checkyzz,

If you wañt a quality phone that is a good comparison to the Polycoms and are fully supported I would say Yealink are the best followed by snom.

What I would add if touchscreen is what you want is to upgrade to the Yealink T48S as you will get this with this model.

It also has plenty of BLFs and a nice big screen.

The behaviour with the softphone has nothing to do with the hardphone, to set your expectations the functionality of the App for iPhone and Android can be effected by which network you are currently on as well as the quality of Wi-F and/or 3/4G coverage.

If you want mobile twinning functionality look at enabling the setting "call mobile simultaneously " which can be found in the extension settings.

Be aware that this setting will utilise 2 simultaneous calls when used.

 

[checkinyyz]

Thanks, that's not entirely what I mean though as we do use call mobile simultaneously. When we had Avaya, then Digium and then a hosted Broadsoft service, you had the ability to flip back and forth. So if someone called my work line, the IP phone and my cell would ring. If I answered it on my cell phone, then walked into my office, the IP phone on my desk would show "Call in progress" and show that I'm on the phone and who I'm talking to. I could press 1 button, and the call would immediately drop from my cell and be on the IP phone instead, with the person I'm talking to having no idea. Then if I had to go to lunch etc, I press 1 button on the IP phone and the call is sent to my cell phone the moment I answer my cell, again with the person not knowing.

I think I will see if I can do VPN to get the Polycom work as the Yealink isn't terrible but it was the same price and the quality I find feels significantly lower. Like the handset feels hollow where the Polycom is really heavy and has weight to it. Same with the phone itself, the Yealink feels hollow and cheap almost. More like the Yealink should only cost half of what it did or something, not sure.

 

[YiannisH_3CX]

Thanks, that's not entirely what I mean though as we do use call mobile simultaneously. When we had Avaya, then Digium and then a hosted Broadsoft service, you had the ability to flip back and forth. So if someone called my work line, the IP phone and my cell would ring. If I answered it on my cell phone, then walked into my office, the IP phone on my desk would show "Call in progress" and show that I'm on the phone and who I'm talking to. I could press 1 button, and the call would immediately drop from my cell and be on the IP phone instead, with the person I'm talking to having no idea. Then if I had to go to lunch etc, I press 1 button on the IP phone and the call is sent to my cell phone the moment I answer my cell, again with the person not knowing.

Unfortunately you cannot do that with 3CX as the functionality does not exist. You can however use call parking. You can park the call to a orbit or shared parking location and pick it up from a different device.
https://www.3cx.com/blog/docs/call-parking/