I am reasonably technical and run a VOIP PBX for our small business with several different providers, IP Phones and gateways. This seemed like a nice addition where cordless IP phones are needed. I have almost returned this several times because of the UI and contact import issues, however I am keeping it in hope of an updated firmware release.
Pros -
Good voice quality
Register multiple VOIP Providers
Price is right for an expandable VOIP based ATA and handset
Cons -
Handset Interface and Features are a mess to use - Siemens could learn something from other cordless handset manufactures
Vcard contact import is a nightmare
Can't seem to remove internal Gigaset setting/provider
Web interface is acceptable If you do the upgrade... if not it is so slow you can' use it.
No Headset Jack (are you kidding me?)
I want to like it... but not quite prime time. Siemens Gigaset Digital Cordless Phone with Hybrid IP/Landline Calling (A580IP)
This phone is rock-solid and I'm really glad I purchased it. Works well with Google Voice and Gizmo5.
It's definitely an entry-level product, which is what I was looking for since I didn't want to commit too deeply to VOIP without testing it out first. By entry-level, I mean the system is missing a few features (e.g. no built-in voicemail; the handset doesn't have a headphone jack). I didn't need those since I use Google Voice.
Initial set up was incredibly simple for a VOIP phone. Call quality is much better than my mobile phone even when it has full bars. I have an entry-level DSL connection at home and that seems sufficient.
The phone has automatically picked up two firmware updates since I've owned it, making the UI much faster and easier to use.
I was reluctant to buy an IP phone for a long time after a bad experience with a well-known national VOIP service. When I moved to a new house, I tried to go mobile-only, but the sound quality from my cellphone just wasn't good enough for a lot of purposes, especially for work calls. This phone has been a completely different story - works great, sounds great. For me, combining this hardware with my free Google Voice / Gizmo account has given me a landline without any monthly fees.
Minor complaints: (1) No way to permanently disable blinking "messages" LED on handset after missing calls; (2) No headset jack; (3) web interface on base unit is slow. None of these were dealbreakers for me.
Love it.
This is a nice product. There basically aren't any other proper cordless VoIP (ie. SIP) phones out there for a reasonable price, just the enterprise-y stuff. As an added bonus, this one uses DECT, so you should be able to just add handsets at will.
I've had it for a while now and haven't had any problems with it whatsoever. It does what it says on the tin, and while it's clearly a consumer-oriented device and I'd like to see more functionality, it's been great.
Pros:
- Proper SIP support, connected easily to my PBX
- Each handset (up to 6 I believe) can be associated with a separate SIP account
- Battery life is good, but not great. Lasts about a week on standby with occasional use, my non-DECT Panasonic from a couple years ago can do almost twice that.
- POTS connection can ring through to the handset and be used for emergency outgoing, or all outgoing calls. Useful if you have an Enterphone system, for example, or if you use VoIP for free calling to other VoIP users but not PSTN calls.
Cons:
- Handset build quality doesn't feel very good. Seems sturdy enough, but the switches just have a poor feeling to them.
- I can't figure out how to control the volume in-call, if it's even possible
- Web interface is quite slow
When I saw this phone system for the first time I said 'Wow, this is what I need!' and it met my expectation even though having few quirks. After almost a year of usage here are my observations.
As other mentioned already it permits to have 6 individual SIP accounts plus 1 regular POTS line with RJ11 jack on it. It can handle 2 VoIP and 1 POTS simultaneous calls (3 calls). Each SIP account and POTS line can be mapped to individual handset ... handles up to 6 handsets. When making a call at any time you can use any SIP account from any handset simple by appending # sign, plus number representing order of SIP account or landline, to the number you are calling. Landline is always number 0 though.
For anxious folks, this phone won't directly work with Skype or Vonage as they are not true SIP providers or simple not allowing generic devices ... hence, not A580 fault. You may use ATA adapter and hook it up into A580 landline/POTS port anytime I guess.
- Base station has RJ11 jack for regular POTS landline and RJ45 to connect to network. It is worth mentioning that base station itself doesn't have a place to charge handset. When connected to the network there is a blue glowing button in the middle that allows you to page/register handsets and reboot device itself (hold for a minute or so).
To manage device it is the best to use web interface even though is fairly sluggish.
- Handset is well built although battery cover looks like it will brake if used too often. It tail stands. Keypad and display is 'orange/yellow-ish' backlit so you either love it or hate it ... I like it. Nice feature is 2xAAA batteries. Autonomy is not that great, even with 'Echo' turned on is 4-5 days depending on rechargeable you use. Menu is cumbersome and complicated.
Overall, for an average Joe, this device is not that simple to setup.
Pros:
- Multiple SIP lines + 1 POTS line
- Great voice quality ... many codecs to choose from
- AAA batteries ... yeah, finally
Cons:
- Major issue I find is that if for some reason SIP account you use fails it will automatically fallback onto next available in line which may have negative consequences for billing. I have not found the way to turn this off event though there is a way for SIP to Fixed line fallback but not between SIP accounts.
- When dialing out, handset display doesn't show which SIP line you are using so you don't know what account is billed or # is used for call display (see aforementioned comment). There is 'IP' icon on display saying that SIP is used but no correlation to specific SIP account.
- Handset volume is low, I would say too low to my taste. This seems to be common 'feature' for majority of Siemens Gigasets.
- Base station has power supply then handset has its own cradle with another power supply which just adds up to bulkiness especially when you travel.
- If Base station is configured to use 'Dynamic' IP address it has issue when modems/routers up the chain are rebooted, it simple doesn't re-connect and you need to power it down/up. Handset will show 'SIP registration failed' though. If you set base station with 'Static IP' it will re-connect after few minutes though. This may be linked to specific routers and I observed it with Dlink (615) and SonicWall (TZ100) routers.
If you are using base station on the public network make sure that you first change default system password which is 0000.
All in all this is great device simple because it is hard to find similar all-in-one SIP+POTS cordless especially for this price.
It is highly recommended ... it may not be suitable for your grandparents though. - Dect Cordless Phone - Siemens - Cordless Phone - Sip'
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