SPA 941

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Linksys.com - Products-Business Series-IP Communications-Linksys Voice System-SPA941

Sipura was one of the first manufacturers to make a name for themselves in the VoIP arena. Sipura's analog telephone adapters (ATA) helped put Sipura on the map. Sipura's first foray into an actual phone (the SPA-841) was met with a lukewarm reaction. Shortly after the 841 was released, Cisco-owned Linksys, who was already licensing much of Sipura's technology, took a big jump into the game by purchasing Sipura. With the rebranding of the Sipura products we have been waiting to see what would come out next. The time has finally come it was worth the wait. The Linksys SPA-941 Business Phone feels like a cross between the 841 and the Cisco 7940 combining the features of the 841 with the style and quality of the Cisco

The SPA-941 is a full function SIP phone with 2 line call appearance (4 line optional) with an easy-to-use menu system controlled by the 4 way directional pad. Four softkeys are used to control different functions based on what screen you are on.

SPA941 Hardware Features:

- (1) RJ-45 10BaseT Ethernet Port
- High Quality, “Cisco/Linksys” Distinctive ID
- Hi-Resolution Pixel Based Display
- 128 x 64 vs. 128 x 48
- Four Line Keys
- Four Soft Keys
- "Solid" Handset
- Headset Port – 2.5mm
- Full Duplex Speakerphone
- Interoperability with Asterisk and other SIP based platforms
- Excellent Voice Quality
- Secure Calling via sRTP
- Network Based Ring Tone Support
- Call Transfer, DND, Conferencing, Call FWD, etc.
- SIP B and Bridged Line Appearance Support
- Remote Provisioning via HTTPS, HTTP, TFTP
- Support G177u, G711a, G726, G729a, and G723 codecs
- Message waiting indicator light
- Handset, Headset, and Speakerphone Gain controls
- VLAN ability

NEWS CONTENTS

Old News

Amazon.com SPA 941 Voip 2-4 Line Business Phone Electronics

4-Line IP Telephone with 2 Port Ethernet Switch, PoE and Hi-Res Display
Advanced, Affordable, Feature Rich IP Phone for the Home Office and Business

Stylish and functional in design, the SPA941 VoIP Phone is ideal for a residence or business using a hosted IP telephony service, an IP PBX, or a large scale IP Centrex deployment. The SPA941 leverages industry leading VoIP technology from Linksys to deliver an upgradeable high quality IP Phone that is unparalleled in features, value, and support.

Standard features on the SPA941 include two active lines, a high resolution graphical display, speakerphone, and a 2.5 mm head-set port. With a simple software update, the SPA941 is upgradeable to a four line phone. Each line can be independently configured to use a unique phone number (or extension), or can be configured to use a shared number that is assigned to multiple phones.

Product Description

Four lines of Internet telephony are at your fingertips. The SPA941 can be connected directly to an Internet telephone service provider or to an IP PBX via its single Ethernet port. Each line can be independently assigned its own phone number or extension. A high-resolution graphical display makes for easy menu- and web-based configuration.

Amazon reviews

Clearly the best IP phone in the price range for now, February 4, 2007

By Bill Cox (Chapel Hill, NC USA) - See all my reviews

I put together two Asterisk servers for two businesses, and bought several of the SPA941 phones. I looked at Grandstream products, and read reviews, and bought one, but they are basically cheap crud in comparison. This SPA941 series is a solid business phone that works well... the cheaper competitors feel like cheap plastic (they are), and have all kinds of operational issues working with Asterisk. I'm basically a fan of this product.

On the down side, I have had trouble getting and installing the 2-to-4 line upgrade. Be aware that this is only a 2-line phone, even though it has 4-line buttons.

Herman Nelson says:

UPDATE: 10/20/2007 Linksys now has a firmware update that now unlocks the 4 line option without paying the 20 bucks!
Other comments: this a is very solid phone. I've configured and played with alot of SIP phones, but this one blows away the competition. It looks like a phone, feels like a phone, and sounds like a phone. The handset has some heft to it, it passes the "blow test" (blowing into the mic is heard in the speaker), the buttons are nice and crisp. The configuration is easy with a web browser and it is very versatile to what it can be used for. Other features include a personal phone directory that you can add your 100 closest friends into.

Downside: no backlit display, should have come with wall mount.


1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Very Good VOIP phone for Asterisk, March 30, 2008

By R. Grokett "bdfrogg" (Florida) - See all my reviews
I would have rated the SPA941 with 5 stars had it included a backlit display and a few speed dial buttons. Even so, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another, unless I went up to the 942 version, which does have backlight.

I've owned a Grandstream GXP-2000 for over two years, but the SPA941 is definitely higher quality in construction and audio quality. Granted, the GXP-2000 is less expensive, but mine started giving minor problems after a few months and now has started rebooting itself nearly every day. Firmware upgrades have not helped and email support thin.

I replaced the GXP with the SPA941. Took only a few minutes to set up, with the help of a Asterisk tutorial for the 941 I found via google. I've been using it now for several weeks, without any issues at all.

Recommended Links

Cisco SPA941 4-line IP Phone with 1-port Ethernet - Cisco Systems

Linksys.com - Products-Business Series-IP Communications-Linksys Voice System-SPA941