Get rid of that “Lifter!”  – Part 2

– Which specific EHS Cable do I need?

 Welcome to the second part in this series.  This week, we’ll be discussing which specific EHS cable you’ll need (Assuming you have an EHS compatible phone).

Just a quick recap – an EHS cable (Electronic Hook Switch) will be replacing your handset lifter.  Rather than having a “Lifter” constantly raising & lowering your handset in the cradle of your phone’s base unit, the EHS cable will communicate electronically with your phone…and tell it to go “On-Hook”, or “Off-Hook”.

OK, so is your phone compatible? (That’s the million dollar question here, right?)…

Keep in mind, it’s not so much the cable, but rather your PHONE that has to have the technology built into it already, on whether or not it will work.  Here is a list of most of the popular EHS cables from Plantronics available at current:

• POLYCOM  Phones – There are (2) cables available; the APP-5 (Which works with the OLDER model CS50, CS55, CS70, CS351 & CS361 – including these same models ending with an “N”), and the APP-51 (Which works with the NEWER “CS500” series, the SAVI “WO” series, and SAVI “W700” series). So, you cannot use an APP-51 with the old CS55.
  

• CISCO  Phones – There are (3) cables available; the APC-4 (works with the CS50, CS55, CS70, CS351 & CS361 – including these same models ending with an “N”), and the APC-41 (works with the “CS500” series, the SAVI “WO” series, and SAVI “W700” series). There is also a very special EHS Cable called the APC-45, which only works with the Cisco/LinkSys “SPA” 512G, 514G, & 525G2 phones, along with the “CS500” series, the SAVI “WO” series, and SAVI “W700” series (This one will NOT work with the older model headsets).
  

• AVAYA  Phones – This gets a bit tricky! There are (4) cables available; the APV-6a & APV-6b (which work with the older models again), and then there’s the APV-63 and the APV-66 (which work with the NEWER models as previously mentioned above). VERY IMPORTANT – Which cable works with your specific Avaya model phone? There are far too many model numbers to mention here, but in general…the Avaya 9600 series & 1600 series will use either the APV-6a & APV-63, while the other phones generally use the APV-6b & APV-66 . There are a few exceptions to this rule, so please be sure to check the product pages for your phone model, or give us a call.
  

• SHORETEL  Phones – This is the easiest one! It’s not technically an EHS cable, since the phone has a “Built-in” EHS controller. The Plantronics RD-1 Cable is more of a “Ring Detect”, so that you know your phone is ringing while away from your desk.

* There are a select few other EHS Cables available, but for the most part, these are the main ones.

The EHS models listed above will ONLY work with the Plantronics wireless headsets (Either “CS” or “W” Models). However, since they usually make a few different versions of these cables it is imperative to match the correct “Version” with your specific model wireless headset system “&” your specific model phone.

Hookup can be different on each phone brand. Some are simply plug-and-play, some require you to go into the menu settings, and still others require your phone’s firmware & boot-rom to meet certain criteria first (ie. Polycom). However, the main constant is that one end will plug into the Aux. port on your wireless headsets base unit, and the opposite end will plug into a specific port on your telephone (That’s easy!).

That’s all for this week.  Next week, I will list the most popular EHS cables from Jabra (aka GN Netcom).

See you next week for the third installment in this series…

 For more information, contact Sales & Product Specialist at:  1-877-999-3838