Having a little experience with telephone systems, I would recomend either Nortel or Toshiba. These are hard to become a dealer for(restricted territories, financial commitments, training commitments) but are very dependable flexible and have Internet and PC integration. Many dealers will backdoor the product to meet quotas and there is a secondary (read reconditioned) industry out there. most secondary market dealers can supply new equipment but these systems cost a bit more than the Panasonic. They are also digital. The main source to find this equipment is an industry mag called Telecom Gear. For most people, with some programming and proper labeling the panasonic system does a good job.

Q: like I said, I don't know anything. I will ask our voice person, she should know models and capabilities. But since we are just customers, I don't think she will be able to answer your other questions

Super Thread,

The back-ground hiss on my Panasonic phone was driving me nuts ( because I don't have BGM music plugged in!!),
I am also looking for a good phone system. Panasonic is whored out around here!!!

A couple of additional things to consider. First, I would be concerned with "pots" compatibility. Plain old telephones will be plugged into a system, like it or not. You should know that Vodavi, for example (not the only one), requires an analog adaptor to plug in a Pots. Who cares? Well, if the customer wants a cordless system phone, and don't want to buy one of the manufacturers proprietary models, they'll want Pots compatibility.
Remote programming capability is very desirable, as is the ability to backup and restore programming.
A plain old Panasonic am/fm radio with power cord and earphone jack set to an innocuos radio station costs less then $30 at retail, and will provide fine background music. Any brand of radio will do....
Distinctive ringing? You may want to know the difference between doors, for example...
Who knows what CEDIA will bring? Let's check back after the event and regroup.



This message was edited by Fred Harding on 09/16/02 08:47.25.

Q: I asked our voice person, she said that the Nortel boxes should be able to do what you asked for. She also said that the best place to start would be at www.nortelnetworks.com and that you should look at the Norstar line of boxes (I told her that you were probably looking for boxes for home or small companies).

She did not have any detail on where and how to buy it, but she did say that they should be available at most major telcos. But I went to the site (for the fun of it) and saw that most equipment had a "how to buy" button associated with it, so that might be a place to start.

It might not be much help, but we only had a few minutes to talk (someone came looking for her), so I hope this helps a bit.

THANKS!

In programming, BGM can be enabled to prevent white noice from coming thru when accidentally pressing '1' while on hook.

As for Caller ID, keep in mind all these phone systems are designed to be 'Business Communication Systems' where caller ID Logging and Caller ID on Call Waiting are not big needs.

Until someone sets out and builds a new platform specifically designed for residential applications we have to do with what we have.

At CEDIA, Panasonic was showing their new 7700 series of phones with a 3 line display. They did this specifically because of the caller ID feedback.

They still only allow a one-way scrolling through the caller-id info. But at least you will see it all on one display.

The phones will work only with a new firmware upgrade that will be available soon. Look for a "dash 4" version.

The only other changes in the "dash 4" upgrade are related to voicemail features and integration with several new voicemail boxes also announced. The KX-TVS50 is unchanged. The new units are higher end systems.