You buy a wireless headset so you can take a call on the way to the printer. Then you find it only answers if you press the button on the phone first, which defeats the point. The missing piece is an EHS cable, and there are three ways to get it wrong: buying one that does not match your headset, buying one for a phone that does not support EHS at all, and buying the right cable but never changing the setting that switches the phone into EHS mode.
Here is how to get all three right the first time.
Quick answer
Last updated July 2026
What a Polycom EHS cable actually does
EHS (Electronic Hook Switch) cable: A cable that connects a wireless headset base to a desk phone so the base can take and release the phone line digitally. It replaces the mechanical handset lifter, the motorized arm that physically raised the handset off the cradle.
Without one, a wireless headset still carries audio, but you have to press the headset key on the phone to start and end each call. With one, the button on your headset does it from wherever you are standing. On a Poly CS540 that is a few hundred feet from the desk.
Which Polycom EHS cable do you need
Match the cable to your headset brand first, then check your phone model. This is the step people skip, and it is why the wrong cable arrives.
| Your wireless headset | EHS cable | Works on |
|---|---|---|
| Poly Savi 7000/8000 series, CS500 series, Voyager Office | Plantronics APP-51 | SoundPoint IP, VVX, CCX, Poly Edge E-series |
| Jabra Engage and Pro wireless | Jabra Link 17 | SoundPoint IP, VVX, CCX, Poly Edge E-series |
| EPOS and Sennheiser wireless | Sennheiser CEHS-PO 01 | Polycom IP phones with a headset jack |
| Poly Savi or CS500 on a Poly Edge B10, B20 or B30 | Plantronics APD-80 | Poly Edge B-series only |
The Plantronics APP-51 covers the widest range and is the one most orders need. For Jabra headsets, the Jabra Link 17 Polycom EHS adapter does the same job. EPOS and Sennheiser users need the Sennheiser CEHS-PO 01.
The Poly Edge B-series is the trap. B10, B20 and B30 use the Plantronics APD-80 rather than the APP-51, and there is no Jabra EHS equivalent for them at all. Order an APP-51 for an Edge B and it will not answer your calls.
Not every Polycom phone supports EHS. Where it does not, a Plantronics HL10 handset lifter is the fallback. Our guide to headsets compatible with polycom phones lists which models take which cable.
How to connect a wireless headset to a Polycom phone
Four steps, and the last one is the one everybody misses.
- Plug the EHS cable into the headset port on the back of the phone, and the other end into the AUX or EHS port on the headset base. Press Menu on the phone. Go to Settings > Basic > Preferences > Headset > Hookswitch Mode. Select the mode matching your headset brand, then place a test call and answer it from the headset button.
If the headset makes noise but the phone never picks up, the hookswitch mode is almost always still on its default. Nothing on the phone screen prompts you to change it, and the cable gives no indication either way.
How to connect a Plantronics or Jabra headset to a Polycom phone
The physical steps are identical for both brands. What differs is the cable and the mode you select in step four.
For a Plantronics or Poly headset setup with a Polycom phone, use the APP-51 and select the Plantronics hookswitch mode. For a Jabra headset, use the Jabra Link 17 and select the Jabra mode. Selecting the wrong brand mode produces the same symptom as selecting none: audio works, call control does not.
One thing to plan for in larger offices. If your phone has a sidecar expansion module, the APP-51 will not physically reach the port, and you need the Poly EHS extension cable alongside it. Worth ordering both together rather than discovering it on installation day.
Two Polycom headset settings worth knowing
Headset Memory Mode makes the headset the default answer path, so incoming calls route straight to it instead of the handset. On a floor where everyone wears a headset all day, turning this on saves a keypress on every single call. It sits in the same Headset menu as the hookswitch setting.
Bluetooth pairing applies only to the models with Bluetooth built in, which on the VVX line means the 600 and 601. On those, a Bluetooth headset pairs directly through the phone's Bluetooth menu and needs no EHS cable at all, because there is no hookswitch to emulate.
What is a Polycom EHS cable?
A Polycom EHS cable connects a wireless headset base to a Polycom desk phone so the headset can answer and end calls electronically. It replaces the mechanical handset lifter and is what makes remote answering work from across the room.
Which Polycom EHS adapter do I need?
The Polycom EHS adapter is chosen by headset brand. Poly Savi and CS500 headsets use the Plantronics APP-51, Jabra wireless headsets use the Jabra Link 17, and EPOS or Sennheiser headsets use the Sennheiser CEHS-PO 01. Poly Edge B-series phones are the exception and need the APD-80.
How do I connect a headset to a Polycom phone?
Plug the EHS cable into the phone's headset port and the headset base, then set the phone to the matching hookswitch mode under Menu, Settings, Basic, Preferences, Headset, Hookswitch Mode. Audio will work without that setting, but the headset will not be able to answer or end calls.
How do I connect a Jabra headset to a Polycom phone?
Use the Jabra Link 17 Polycom EHS cable between the Jabra base and the phone's headset port, then select the Jabra hookswitch mode on the phone. The Jabra EHS adapter for Polycom does not work with Poly or Plantronics headsets, and the APP-51 does not work with Jabra.
Why won't my headset answer calls on my Polycom phone?
On a Polycom phone this is nearly always the hookswitch mode still sitting at its default, or an EHS cable matched to the wrong headset brand. Check the mode setting first, since it costs nothing and fixes most cases.
Get the brand match right, order the extension cable if you run a sidecar, and change the hookswitch mode before you decide anything is broken. If you are not sure which cable your phone and headset combination needs, call us on 1-877-999-3838 and we will confirm it in a minute. Every cable mentioned here is on our headset cables page, and the wireless headsets they pair with are on our polycom wireless headsets page.
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