snom 760 Hands-on Editor’s Review

Interaction with the interface was easy and intuitive. The phone offered a lot of options at your finger tips. However the true capabilities are apparent in the web interface. The web interface allows for easy manual configuration in most cases. It also allows you to build and use a built-in contact directory to manage calls. This includes seeing incoming, outgoing, and missed calls with the capability to click to dial from the web page.It is worth mentioning that the phone is also UC capable to take advantage of systems such as Microsoft Lync for contact dialing. It means that the snom 760 UC edition can also be easily managed directly via the Lync server, no additional network infrastructure required. Provisioning and firmware updates are down from the web interface. On first boot the phone will provide the link to the latest firmware on the snom site to keep you up to date. Action URLs and the 16 hard keys are programmable from the web page as well. Lastly the troubleshooting option of the phone are available on the phone web page. I have not found another phone with some many impressive troubleshooting capabilities baked into the phone. These include standard system settings, DNS cache, memory usage, SIP Logs, and built in pcap tracing. I personally used the SIP logging tool to overcome a registration issue during one of my boots.Phone calls are load an clear from both the handset and the speaker phone during calls. This was tested using both a standard G 711 and newer G 729 codecs for comparison. The phone also takes advantage of two built-in gigabit ports for itself and the connected PC. I believe this allows for improved voice quality along with it’s QoS capabilities. The phone also supports PoE technology, which is great for any office. This feature uses the Gigabit Ethernet cable for the phone’s power supply allowing you to eliminate unnecessary power cables. The phone actually does not come with a power cable in the box and you’ll need to purchase it separately, making the PoE option even more valuable. This is something for user’s to be aware if you’re planning for a non-PoE installation.The snom 760 also comes with two interesting capabilities via its two USB ports. Either Bluetooth headset connectivity or WIFI connectivity can be used with the two USB ports. The Bluetooth feature is a great for mobility and hands-free devices. The WIFI connectivity would be great for road warriors and deployments in remote parts of the office that isn’t covered by Ethernet. I, however, found using these features frustrating in regards to compatibility with the phone. It either took a long time to connect or configure and then just simply didn’t work. This was disappointing given that it is one of the highlights of the phone. The references below can assist with compatible brands to tether. snom compatible WIFI USB dongles

Features Set Usage & Experience:

The web interface allows for making calls, viewing call history, and updating contacts.

I used the action URL to divert a call to another phone.

Lastly I love the troubleshooting tools such as the PCAP capture page.

Pricing:

Average cost of the snom 760 is around $200 dollars. The price is pretty reasonable for this level of desk phone. All things considered, I think it’s a better deal than some of it’s competitors. The phone’s solid performance, capabilities, and clear audio make it a worth while purchase in any office environment.

Bottom Line:
The snom 760 phone is a safe investment for any business. snom phones have been around for a long time and have a great reputation for making great phones at a fair price. The phone is simple to set up and use. The phone does not have the complexity of equivalent Polycom models but still provides comparable sound quality for the value. The average user will find this phone productive for years to come. The above pricing is comparable to what a user will find in other phones of this tier. Ultimately, a nice phone for the buck.