BEST HEADSET FOR CISCO IP PHONE (7941/7942) or CISCO UNIFIED PRESENSE CLIENT

PHONE TUTORIAL:

Flash Based Tutorial for the 7941/7942/7945

http://www.cisco.com/comm/applications/CCNP/qlm/7941/index.htm

 

MANUALS:
Quick Reference Guide:  http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/voice_ip_comm/cuipph/7962g_7961g_7961g-ge_7942g_7941g_7941g-ge/8_5/english/quick_reference/7962qrcrd85.pdf

User Guide:  http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/voice_ip_comm/cuipph/7962g_7961g_7961g-ge_7942g_7941g_7941g-ge/8_5/english/user_guide/7962enu85.pdf

HEADSET OPTIONS:

In an effort to keep costs low and to avoid wasting money on headsets that perform poorly I have put together a guide to help you choose headsets that will work with the Cisco 7941, or Cisco 7942 phones. If you have a legacy headset with an amplifier... the amplifier is not necessary for this phone. 

The costs should be very similar to what I have outlined below… or you are over paying for your solution.

1)   CISCO IP PHONE OPTIONS)  If you need a headset for your standard desk phone (Cisco 7941/7942 or similar):

Plantronics HW251N SupraPlus NC Headset or Plantronics HW261N (HW261N is the binaural version) Approximately $60-$100

NOTE:  You do not need an external amplifier with this setup, but you will need a quick disconnect cable so you can plug it into the headset jack on the back of your phone.  If you already have a quick disconnect cable then there is no need to purchase another one.

       Cost Guideline… the cable should be less than $30, and you may already have one that you can use (see the photo below left).

So Quick Disconnect + Plantronics HW251N (Monaural) Noise Cancelling Headset OR Plantronics HW261N (Binaural)

+OR

Several people report that this works great for their Desk Phone (Cisco 7942) with this Headset combination.  Here is the part number for the quick disconnect cable:

26716-01 M12 Amplifier Cable / Cisco IP Phone Cable

2)   SOFTPHONE/COMPUTER USB OPTIONS) If you need a headset for your Cisco Unified Presence or IP Communicator (Softphone) on your PC:
     NOTE:  If you have an older PC or very low bandwidth connection, or typically run lots of intensive applications (virus scanning, Hard disk defrags, Solitaire <ha ha>)… then a softphone may not work well for you and you should instead consider a headset for your standard phone.  If you feel OK to proceed please consider the models listed below.  The Plantronics models that say DSP are preferred as these provide Digital Signal Processing with active electronics to block noise and echo.  They also provide audio in the WideBand spectrum so it is better than standard telephone quality and more like having and in person converstaion.

2-1)Plantronics Audio 646 DSP  It has noise cancellation, Echo Cancellation, Super WideBand Audio and inline mute and volume controls and is extremely economical.   The Plantronics Audio 626 DSP is a very similar headset with the same features.  The 646 is a behind the head type headset you see pictured below on the left and the 626 is more the traditional headset you see pictured below right.  Both have USB connections and are plug and play (no software to install).  The driver loads automatically when you connect the headset for the first time.  Pros:  When you push the mute button you have a visual red indicator to confirm that it is muted and the softphone also reflects the mute status on the display.

Cost Guideline… these can be purchased for around $29 - $39 from places like Amazon, Fry’s or Bestbuy (Price Match to fry’s if a best buy is closer to you to get the lower price, or just order on line).

2-2)Plantronics Audio 655 DSP  (Make sure it says DSP).
This headset has all the features of the other DSP headsets minus the inline controller.  The mute is integrated into the boom mic (You simply retract it back to the headset to engage the mute.  However, It does not have a visual indication that it is muted and it does not illuminate the mute button on the softphone).  The volume control is on the left headset.  The plus for this headset is in the cushioned earpads.  This provides not only comfort, but also isolation if you are working in a noisy office environment.