The SPA504G is a VoIP Phone from Cisco which seems to be geared towards smaller companies.  This model comes with 4 individual call lines with dedicated buttons for Headset, Mute, Volume, Hold, Menu settings, Speakerphone and Voicemail access.  No AC power supply is needed, it can use POE (Power Over Ethernet).  This phone has a 2.5mm headset jack, as opposed to the more common Cisco 7940, 7960 and 7970 series phones.  As far as we can tell, the headset jack should be a standard 2.5mm jack so you should be able to use any of the Plantronics “cordless phone headsets” which have a 2.5mm plug, or any Plantronics commercial grade “H-series headsets” along with a 2.5mm patch cable (model# 43038-01).  If you are a user or have had any experiences with this particular line of Cisco phones, please feel free to blog with us, as this will help other people.

A customer recently told us their homework assignment was to find out, “What is the difference in a Plantronics headset and a multimedia headset bought from Radio Shack?”

That is a very good question, and a great homework assignment!  Typically the headsets that you find in retail stores are what is considered to be “consumer grade” headsets for home use, and the multimedia headsets are usually marketed more for listening to music and certain computer applications.  And to be honest, these consumer grade headsets usually do just fine for average home use, and we do sell some of these types of products as well.  However, our specialty is “commercial grade” headsets.

The commercial grade headsets typically have better sound quality and are more durable than most consumer grade headsets found in retail stores. They are also more universal than consumer grade, you can use the same commercial grade headset on your corded business phone, cordless phone, cell phone, computer, etc… just by changing the bottom cable or adapter.  Commercial grade headsets can also be used at home, but are more commonly found in companies for office applications and places like call centers where there is heavy phone use on a daily basis.  Here are just a few examples of where our commercial grade headsets are used: doctor’s office, credit card companies, phone companies, police and fire departments – 911 emergency operators, schools, and by our military.

Q:  I am looking at Plantronics Headsets for my office phone.  How does the phone lifter work with 12 lines?  I presume I can hang up whatever line I’m on, but can’t pick up any of the 12 lines except at my phone, correct?

A:  When you have a wireless headset with a handset lifter, you can answer and hang up away from your telephone.  As long as your telephone lets you answer any line that is ringing just by picking up your handset receiver and not having to press a button on the phone itself, the wireless headset will work the same way.  However if you need to answer a specific line, transfer a call, or need to put someone on hold, you will need to go back to your telephone to perform these tasks.  Just remember that a headset only takes the place of your handset receiver, and does not change the way that a telephone functions.

Q: I’m using a Plantronics CS50 wireless headset and handset lifter.  I no longer get the beep notification for incoming calls.  Is something wrong with my CS50?

A: It is the handset lifter that actually picks up the ring tone from the telephone, and not the CS50 itself.  The first thing that you want to do is make sure that the ring tone or ring volume didn’t change on the phone, because this could throw off how the lifter ”hears” it.  Also, I’m not sure which lifter your user has.. if it’s the larger HL1 (this one has a base that the phone sits on), there is a sensitivity adjustment on the back of the lifter.  If is the smaller HL10 which sticks onto the phone (and should be positioned over the speaker grill where the ring tone comes out of the phone), the internal mic may have stopped working and that could be why it doesn’t hear the ring anymore.  If you have the HL10, you can try using a ring detector cable, this is a little accessory that should have come with your lifter (it looks like a wire with a small speaker on the end of it with double-sided tape).  Plug this into the back of the HL10 (there are 2 jacks back there but it will only fit in one, you may need to remove the rubber plug), then stick the little speaker over the speaker grill on the telephone.  If this doesn’t work, you may need to replace the lifter.  Here is a link below with a picture to take a look at the ring detector.

http://www.headsetsdirect.com/accessories/46780-01.html

Q: I use the H91 Plantronics Headsets and the M10 amplifier.  I am looking for a dual headset training adapter to use with this equipment.  Will this product work or is there another that you can suggest?–Wireless Headset Training Adapter 03929-63?

A: The Wireless Headset Training Adapter 03929-63 will work with with some corded headsets, however it is designed for the wireless headsets.  I would suggest using the regular Y-Training Cord 27019-03 with the H91 and M10, it will be a little cleaner connection because it was made for use with the Plantronics “H-series” headsets.

Q: We need to hook the H261N headset to our computers. Is this all we need to do this? Plantronics 28959-01 Computer Soundboard Cable for H-Series Headsets?

A: Yes that is correct, the cable 28959-01 is all that you need to connect the headset to the computer.    And if you need to connect through the USB port, you can use the Plantronics DA40, DA45 or DA60 USB adapter.

Q:  I’m looking for a good quality headset for my voice recognition program, DNS Preferred version 10.1, will the calisto Pro bluetooth headset work on the above version or do I need DNS wireless version.

A:  Yes, you can use the Calisto Pro headset with the Dragon software, and I think that DNS and Plantronics even put together a retail package that included the Calisto Pro headset and a BUA-100 bluetooth adapter with the DNS software.  If your pc already has Bluetooth then you can just use the Bluetooth headset, if it doesn’t you will need a USB Bluetooth adapter such as the Plantronics BUA-100.

I need a headset for work that will do the following -

1) Plug into a Cisco VOIP phone (the standard one you see everywhere)
2) Greatly amplify volume (so for example, if the call is very hard to hear even with phone’s volume blasting, headset would further amplify sound)
3) Has a mute button on board the headset
4) Cordless would rock but could live without it.

Answer:  If you have any of the 7940, 7960 or 7970 model Cisco phones, you can use just about any of the Plantronics wireless systems such as the CS55, CS70N, CS351N, CS361N, etc.  These wireless systems have a button for adjusting your listening volume and a mute button right on the the actual headset.  The wireless headset charger / base amplifier has independent controls for both your incoming and outgoing volume.

Q:  Panasonic KX-TG9391T base unit 2-line.  What headsets available that can plug into it?  It does NOT have a headset plug built-in, but something must exist that can plug into the handset plug.  Right? Maybe?

A:  Unfortunately due to circuitry issues (buzzing, etc), Plantronics does not typically recommend any of their products for use with the Panasonic KX-TG “base” model expandable phones.

Pairing with a new headset: Your Plantronics Calisto Pro can be used with other Plantronics Bluetooth headsets. You can pair only one headset at a time with the Calisto handset. Please note that other headsets may not behave the same or offer all the same features as the Calisto headset.

1. On the main screen, press Menu (left soft key).

2. Use the navigator to scroll down and highlight Initial Setup, and press Select (right soft key).

3. Highlight Headset/Base, and press Select (right soft key).

4. Highlight Pair New Headset, and press Select (right soft key).

5. Select either of the following options:

Remove Headset: To manually remove a headset, highlight this option, press Select

(right soft key), and then press Delete (right soft key).

Pair Headset: To pair with a new headset, or to re-pair with your original headset if the icon is

consistently displayed on the screen (see “Troubleshooting” on page042 of the user guide), highlight this option, press Select (right soft

key), and follow the onscreen instructions. The steps are the same as in “Pairing your Calisto headset with your mobile phone” on page 12 (see steps 2 and 4).