Standalone IP Phones

There are two types of standalone IP phones for Microsoft Lync: “fully featured” phones, which require a user to be signed in all the time, and “basic” or “common area” phones, which can be used without a user credential in public areas or for hot desking with basic functions when a user logs in.

The fully featured phones include the following models and provide a premium experience for users requiring a handset:

• Polycom CX700

• Polycom CX600

• Aastra 6725ip

• HP 4120

These phones enable a user to sign in and, if desired, connect the phone to a PC via USB to use it as a USB audio device for Lync Communicator. This is called “USB tethering” or the “better together experience.” The phones offer a full-color LCD screen and some models have a touchscreen as well. Per the Microsoft reference design, all phones in this category must also have a speakerphone and support wideband audio or a supported variant of HD voice. They also offer integration features such as calendar view from the on-phone screen.

For common areas or hot desking, there is a different class of phones. This type of phone has become very popular as many enterprises move to a “hotelling” arrangement for seating employees. These phones are generally lower cost and offer functions similar to most standard corporate desk phones available today. Models include these:

• Polycom CX500

• Aastra 6721ip

• HP 4110

Although these phones don’t have some of the advanced features of the phones mentioned previously, they offer the capability to be used in common areas and not tied to an actual user. They also have a lower price point comparable to “traditional” PBX phones.

It is important to note that the following Polycom lines also support native integration to Lync although they are not Lync-exclusive phones:

• Polycom VVX series

• Polycom SoundPoint IP series

• Polycom KIRK and SpectraLink wireless phones, with the appropriate controller