Snom D785 IP Phone Review
Welcome to our corporate blog of the company Snom in the open spaces of Habr, where in the near future we plan to post a cycle of various reviews of our products and services. The blog will be maintained by the team responsible for the company’s business in the CIS markets. We will be happy to answer your questions and provide any advice or assistance. We hope you find the blog interesting and useful.
Snom is a pioneer and veteran of the global IP telephony market. The first SIP-enabled IP phones were launched by the company in 1999. Since then, Snom continues to develop and implement high-tech SIP devices for convenient and convenient transmission of media data. Since Snom, as a manufacturer, mainly produces subscriber devices, during development we pay special attention to the compatibility of the phone with devices from other manufacturers and the support of common industry standards.
The head office of our company is located in Berlin (Germany) and the quality of products more than corresponds to the famous “German engineered“. Our engineers pay great attention to the development of phone settings, as well as the possibility of centralizing the management of devices. That is why the quality of all products is ensured 3 years warranty, and the ease of use of these phones corresponds to the highest level.
Today we look at one of the flagships produced by our company: IP phone – Snom D785. First of all, we suggest you to watch a brief video review of this device.
Unpacking and packaging
The first thing that will catch your eye when unpacking, the version of the software indicated on the box, installed by default, is information that is rarely remembered, but it can be useful during operation.
Let’s move on to the contents of the box:
- Quick guide, simultaneously in Russian and English. Very compact, containing all the necessary minimum information on the configuration, assembly and initial configuration of the device;
- The phone itself;
- Stand;
- Category 5E Ethernet cable
- A tube with a twisted cord.
The phone supports PoE and there is no power supply included; if you need it – it can be purchased separately.
Design
We take the device out of the box and take a closer look. SNOM D785 is available in two colors: black and white. The white version looks especially good in company offices, with the design of rooms made in bright colors, for example, in medical institutions.
Most modern IP phones are similar to each other and differ only in small details. Snom D785 is not like that. In order not to occupy the useful part of the display, the BLF keys are placed on a separate screen in the lower right side of the case. The solution is not the most common among most other manufacturers, due to the increase in the cost of the device, and, in our opinion, looks interesting.
The plastic of the case is of high quality, pleasant to the touch, metallized navigation buttons emphasize the individuality of the design, pressing them at the same time remains understandable. In general, the keyboard leaves only a pleasant impression on itself – all the keys are pressed clearly and softly, without failing anywhere, like on some budget phones.
Also, we see a very successful solution as the location of the MWI indicator in the upper right part of the case. The indicator is successfully entered into the design, not too standing out when turned off, and clearly attracts attention when turned on, due to its location and size.
On the right side of the case, under the screen, there is a USB port. The location is very convenient, you do not have to look for anything behind the screen or on the back of the case, everything is at hand. This connector is used to connect a USB headset, flash drive, DECT dongle A230, Wi-Fi module A210, as well as the expansion panel D7. This model also has a built-in Bluetooth module on board, which allows you to connect the desired Bluetooth headset.
The phone stand provides 2 tilt angles of 46 and 28 degrees, which will allow you to position the device conveniently for the user and get rid of unnecessary glare on the screen of the device. Also on the back of the case are cutouts for mounting the device on the wall – you do not have to additionally purchase an adapter to place the phone on the wall.
Behind the stand are two gigabit Ethernet connectors, a microlift / EHS connector, a power adapter and ports for connecting a headset and handset – along with a side USB port, a complete set. Ethernet ports with a bandwidth of 1 gigabit will come in handy if your employees work with a large amount of data and transmit them to the network. It is not always convenient to connect the cables to all these ports after installing the stand, and we recommend doing this before installing it, for which there is a rectangular cutout under the connectors, it simplifies the process of connecting the cables as a whole.
Snom D785 has a bright color main display with a diagonal of 4.3 inches, which is more than enough to display all the necessary information, whether it is the number of the subscriber when making a call, a contact card from the phone book or system notification of the device itself. In addition, due to the size of the screen, the brightness of the colors, as well as the functionality of the phone, you can direct the video stream from the intercom or video surveillance camera to this screen. Read more about how to do this – read in this material.
An additional small display for the six BLF keys, which are located on the right, quietly places the employee name for the BLF keys and signatures for other functions. The display has 4 pages that you can scroll through with the “rocker” key, which gives 24 BLF keys in total. It also has its own backlight, you do not have to peer at the inscription if you work in non-ideal lighting. This functionality will more than cover the needs of almost any user. If this is not enough, you can use the extension panel mentioned above.
Software and setup
Turn on the phone. The screen was lit with the inscription “SNOM” and, a little later, displayed the IP address, having received it from the DHCP server. Having entered IP in the address bar of the browser, we go to the web interface. At first glance, it is rustic and seems to be one-page, but it is not. The left part of the menu contains sections on which functions and settings are logically distributed. Initial setup without a manual will take you several minutes and will not raise questions on finding the parameters you need, which indicates the soundness of the interface. After entering the registration data, in the “Status” section we get information that the account is registered, and the green indicator of the active line lights up on the color display. You can make calls.
The software of Snom devices is based on XML, which allows you to flexibly customize the phone interface and customize it for the user, changing such parameters of the phone interface as the color of various menu details, icons, font type and color, and much more. If you’re interested in reading the entire list of options for customizing the Snom phone menu, visit this section on our website.
To configure a large number of phones there is an Autoprovision function – a configuration file that can be downloaded using protocols such as HTTP, HTTPS or TFTP. You can also provide your phone with information about the location of configuration files using the DHCP option or use our popular cloud-based auto-configuration and redirection service Sraps.
Another advantage when choosing Snom devices is the development environment. Snom.io. Snom.io is a platform consisting of a set of tools and tutorials to help developers create applications for Snom desktop phones. The platform is designed to provide developers with the ability to create software, publish, distribute and massively deploy their application solutions to the entire community of Snom developers and users.
Functionality and operation
Let’s get back to our device and its operation. Let’s take a closer look at the additional screen and the BLF keys located to the right of it. Some of the keys are already configured for the accounts we have registered, and the bottom four keys allow us to put together a conference, make a smart call transfer, put the phone into silent mode and view the list of dialed numbers. Let’s consider these functions in more detail:
Conference. In standby mode, this key allows you to collect a 3-way conference by dialing the numbers of the desired subscribers or selecting their contacts in the phone book. In this case, the call of all participants is carried out simultaneously, which is very convenient and saves you from unnecessary actions. Also, this key allows you to turn the current call into a conference. In the process of communication in the conference itself, this key puts the entire conference on hold.
Smart transfer. To work with this key, you must specify the number of the subscriber to which the functionality embedded in the button will be tied to. After linking, you can call this subscriber if you are in standby mode, forward the call that came to the phone, or transfer the call if the conversation has already begun. This function is often used to transfer the current call to your mobile number if you need to leave the workplace.
Quiet. Sometimes in office conditions there are situations when the ringtone of the phone interferes, for example, an important meeting takes place, but at the same time, you can’t miss calls. At such moments, you can turn on the “Quiet” mode and the phone will continue to receive calls and display them on the screen, but it will stop ringing. You can also use this key to mute the sound of an already received phone, but still an unanswered call.
Dialed numbers. Another multi-function key, the use of which is very simple: clicking on it shows the history of all outgoing calls. The last number in the history is preliminarily prepared for further dialing. Repeated pressing makes a call to this number.
In general, the functionality of each of the keys listed above is not unique and is present in competitors’ devices, however, for many of them you will have to perform several manipulations in the phone menu to get the desired result, while when we turn on the device everything is at hand. The multifunctionality of the keys is also important: depending on the situation, you can use them in one way or another.
The phone’s BLF keys can be configured very simply not only by the system administrator, but also by the user of the device. The algorithm is very simple: to start the configuration, you need to hold down the desired key for a couple of seconds and the main screen of the phone will display its settings menu.
Using the navigation keys, select the type, going to the corresponding submenu, indicate the number and label that will be displayed on the additional screen.
Exit the menu. This completes the key setup, in just a couple of simple steps.
We pick up the phone and pay attention to another unusual detail: the phone does not have the usual end-of-life mechanical tongue. The sensor detects the removal or reverse placement of the tube in the bed. At first, for many, this is a somewhat unusual sensation, there is no inertia at the moment when we put the phone in its usual place. But, thanks to the successful tilt angles of the stand, the tube lays down like a glove on soft rubberized clamps in the bed. The hang-up tongue is a mechanical part that is most exploited and periodically becomes unusable, which means that its absence is an increase in the reliability and lifespan of our phone.
When dialing, pay attention to the predictive dialing functionality. As soon as you dial any 3 digits of the number, the device will display the contacts whose numbers begin with the dialed digits, as well as the contacts whose names contain variations of all possible letters that are on the typed keys.
The phone keypad faithfully and clearly fulfills all the presses. Despite the large number of keys, the phone itself is very compact, which is very important in office environments. It often happens that an employee’s desk is filled with folders with documents, an office, other office attributes and, of course, a computer. In such a situation, there is not much space left for the phone and the miniature size of the device is a very big plus. In this Snom D785 can give odds to many competitors.
Now let’s talk about the sound. Its quality is what determines the quality of the phone itself. Our company is well aware of this, it is not without reason that Snom has a full-fledged sound laboratory, where all manufactured models of devices are tested.
We pick up the phone, feeling its pleasant weight, and dial the number. The sound is clean and pleasant, both at the reception and transmission. The interlocutor is perfectly audible, the whole spectrum of emotions is transmitted. The component base of the phone and speakers, in particular, are of high quality, which gives us almost the effect of being in the conversation.
The verified shape of the tube allows it not only to be reliably located in the body of the device, but also to conduct a conversation for a long time, without experiencing discomfort.
Well, if your hands are tired, turn on the speakerphone. The power button is located next to the volume swing and has its own indicator light, very bright, it is difficult not to notice it. You can also use the key to start a call after dialing.
The sound on the speakerphone is clear, the interlocutor on the “other side” hears you perfectly, even if you recline in the work chair or just walk away from the table. In the same conditions, the speakerphone allows you to talk without listening.
Accessories
As mentioned earlier, you can connect Snom A230 and Snom A210 wireless dongles and the Snom D7 expansion panel to our telephone set as accessories. Let’s say a few words about them:
The DECT A230 dongle allows you to connect a DECT headset or an external Snom C52 SP speaker to the telephone, saving you unnecessary wires while maintaining high sound quality and long range thanks to the use of the DECT standard.
The A210 Wi-Fi module works both in the 2.4 and 5 GHz frequency range, which is more than relevant in modern realities when 2.4 GHz networks are overloaded, but are used everywhere.
The Snom D7 expansion panel is made in the same style as the phone and complements it with 18 functional DSS keys. Such expansion panels can be connected to the phone up to 3 pieces.
Summarize
Snom D785 – an extraordinary and reliable representative of the flagship line of office IP-phones.
Like any device manufactured by man, he is not without minor flaws, but they are more than compensated by the advantages of the device. Snom D785 is easy to use, intuitive to use, easy to configure. It provides decent sound quality and will serve as a loyal friend to both the secretary and the manager or other office employee, having all the necessary functionality. Its strict and at the same time non-template design will serve as a decoration for your workplace.
Hi, when a call comes in does the line key on the second screen show the callers number?