QuickPhones QA-342

[enterprise4]

Does anyone have a QuickPhones QA-342 working?

If so can you send me the provisioning template you used, and any instrucitons for configuring the QA-342?

You assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Rich
[email protected]

 

[lneblett]

I assisted in a case where another firm tried the Quickphone and while they got the phone to make and receive calls, there was a firmware bug in how it handled message waiting. It would turn the light on, but you could not turn it off without having to cycle the phone. There was also some concern about the lack of security regarding changes to the settings. They were all manually provisioned. The documentation was sparse and certainly none pertaining to auto provisioning.

The intended use of the phones was in a older, larger seaside condo complex. The internal drop wiring was largely corroded from the sea mist and they had wanted to try wireless to overcome the issue. As the condo was also largely a rental property, the real concern was about how people being curious and all would likely make inadvertent changes to the settings thereby causing numerous service calls. They ended up sending them back.

I know there was a firmware change that may have addressed some/all of the issues, but I recommend that if there is an interest that you proceed with caution and get one and thoroughly test it out. The two drawbacks that we saw were deal killers for this environment and they ultimately went with the Panasonic Dect phone solution. It was still not ideal, but got them by.

It could be that all the issues have been resolved since I worked it last February.

 

[enterprise4]

Thank you very much for your input. I appreciate it greatly.

At this point we are just trying to get one working to see if it is acceptable or not. We are also trying a Spectrlink 8020 and a Unidata WPU-7800.

Would you happen to have a provisioning template for any of these phones?

 

[lneblett]

I am currently playing with the 7800, but to answer.......no, I do not have a provisioning template for either (no experience with the Spectra).

The manual has an example for auto provisioning.

It along with other info pertinent to the 7800 can be found here.
.
http://web.abptech.com/download/unidata/

I have shied away from Wi-Fi as my experience so far has not been all that good. I was able to pick this phone up as a refurbished model Read - inexpensively) and thought I would at least give it a shot as I do get requests from time to time. I have pretty good signal coverage so I have not really had any issues, but I have not tried moving about where hopping across access points has been tried, not have I tried using it as a remote extension.

In essence, I have only used it to the extent that one might use a DECT phone and I still have some checking to do from things like the directory, transferring, three-way, etc.

However, so far....making and receiving calls in a limited environment seems to be working well so if you just need a local phone that provides for some freedom of movement, it may do the trick.

 

[enterprise4]

Thanks once again for the input!

Our customer has a 500,000 square foot plant/warehouse/office that the phones need to raom in.

Wi-Fi is the most reasonable solution as they already have an 802.11 network in place that works very well.

If we were to do DECT, it would require an additional DECT network. This is of course doable with Kirk/Spectralink equipment, but is cost prohibitive when a 801.11 network is avaiable.

3CX really need to provide support for a Wi-Fi solution.

Thanks again.

 

[lneblett]

Not sure that it is a 3CX issue per se as it appears to me that the limitations will be associated to the Wi-Fi network and its ability to have full facility coverage with no weak/dead spots, seamless hand-offs between access points and that the roaming can be more stringently controlled.

I think that if you can provide the stream of data in a consistent, error free environment, then 3CX can handle it. The problem is getting a network like Wi-Fi, which was never designed for roaming voice (or roaming anything), to accommodate it. I am led to believe that there are some controllers or such that are now available to help in this regard, but I have no experience with them.

As of late, there is at least one DECT solution that allows for roaming and hand overs and the like. I have no idea of cost, but what I do know is that my handheld experience with Wi-Fi versus DECT is that the DECT handsets had better range and penetration capability than the Wi-Fi handsets, so I guess there is a possibility that the cost gap might be less than it was given some scenarios.

In any event, good luck with it and if the 7800 or other Wi-Fi solution does fit your need, I would really like to know as while I don't have a prospect lined up that has this need yet; it is bound to come sooner or later.