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Obi2182 with DECT headset

Started by venividivici, September 23, 2021, 04:27:03 PM

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venividivici

I'd like to be able to roam around the house with a wireless headset connected to the Obi2182.

I understand that DECT-based wireless headsets generally have far better roaming range and connection reliability than Bluetooth headsets. Could I connect a DECT headset USB dongle to the Obi2182's USB jack and then answer/hang up calls, mute, and adjust volume from the DECT headset? I'm eyeing the Leitner LH270 headset, but am open to any other DECT headset known to work with the Obi desktop SIP phones.

SteveInWA

Nobody has ever mentioned that brand, and I hadn't heard of them.  Office/professional quality DECT headsets need to interface with the phone's manufacturer-specific method of signaling the phone to go off-hook or on-hook ("handset lifting"), and they need to connect audio via the phone's RJ-9 headset jack, not USB.  The problem is, there is no one standard method for this.

The OBi 2182 is an odd duck, in that they are out of production and you won't get anyone at Poly to be able to help you with the headset.  The 2182 only interfaces with Jabra (formerly GN Netcom) or Plantronics headsets.  There are two different methods of controlling the phone from the headset:

--a electromechanical handset lifter, which sticks onto the phone and has a little motor that raises and lowers the handset to go off/on hook when you press the button on the headset.  This method fits many phones, as long at the phone has a surface available and aligned to attach the lifter via two-sided tape.

--a "Electronic Handset Switch", or EHS.  EHS takes the place of physically lifting the handset.  It requires a EHS cable/dongle to adapt the headset to the specific brand of phone.  They're expensive.  Again, the 2182 does support EHS, but only for the two brands I mentioned, and only with extra cables.

If you look at the Amazon listing and scroll down to the "Frequently bought together" section, you'll see what I mean.

If you don't use a handset lifter or EHS, then you have to be at your desk to physically lift the handset to answer the call.

I suggest contacting the company for advice; they may have another suggested product for home use.

Note that the phone does support standard USB-attached corded headsets, but of course, you can't roam.  It also supports Bluetooth headsets, but the audio quality can be pretty bad, and the range is short.

venividivici

Steve, what a helpful post. Thank you!

SteveInWA

My pleasure!  Let us know what you ultimately choose.

By the way, another solution is to buy an OBi 200 or 202 ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter) and connect it's phone jack to a typical DECT 6.0 cordless telephone system, then connect a corded headset via one of the handsets' headset jack (usually either a 2.5mm or 3.5mm "phone plug").  You can then clip the phone to your belt and wander around the house.

venividivici

Quote from: SteveInWA on September 27, 2021, 02:51:10 PM
By the way, another solution is to buy an OBi 200 or 202 ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter) and connect it's phone jack to a typical DECT 6.0 cordless telephone system, then connect a corded headset via one of the handsets' headset jack (usually either a 2.5mm or 3.5mm "phone plug").  You can then clip the phone to your belt and wander around the house.
That's actually close to my current setup:

I currently have a Gigaset C610A IP hybrid VoIP/PSTN base (no longer made) with an Obi 200 plugged into it as an input. The C610A has 3 SIP lines configured and the Obi 200 has a Google Voice line. The problem is that when corded headsets are plugged into a C610H DECT handset's 2.5mm jack, they suffer from low microphone volume. I've tried a few models of headsets and all of them have the same issue with the C610H. It's close to perfect, but it's not quite there.

SteveInWA

Quote from: venividivici on September 27, 2021, 05:44:25 PM
Quote from: SteveInWA on September 27, 2021, 02:51:10 PM
By the way, another solution is to buy an OBi 200 or 202 ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter) and connect it's phone jack to a typical DECT 6.0 cordless telephone system, then connect a corded headset via one of the handsets' headset jack (usually either a 2.5mm or 3.5mm "phone plug").  You can then clip the phone to your belt and wander around the house.
That's actually close to my current setup:

I currently have a Gigaset C610A IP hybrid VoIP/PSTN base (no longer made) with an Obi 200 plugged into it as an input. The C610A has 3 SIP lines configured and the Obi 200 has a Google Voice line. The problem is that when corded headsets are plugged into a C610H DECT handset's 2.5mm jack, they suffer from low microphone volume. I've tried a few models of headsets and all of them have the same issue with the C610H. It's close to perfect, but it's not quite there.

As a matter of fact, I used to have a C610A system.  The volume was never loud enough for me, even at the loudest setting, but I got by with it.  I had a headset that worked ok.  But then the C610A itself died -- the handsets wouldn't connect to the base, so it went to the e-waste bin.

Just get a Panasonic conventional analog<-->DECT 6.0 cordless phone.  They work fine with headsets.  Do be aware that some of the newest models no longer have a headset jack (nor a belt clip, for that matter, those cheap bastards).  So read the description or look at one at a store.

venividivici

Quote from: SteveInWA on September 30, 2021, 03:18:53 PM
Just get a Panasonic conventional analog<-->DECT 6.0 cordless phone.  They work fine with headsets.  Do be aware that some of the newest models no longer have a headset jack (nor a belt clip, for that matter, those cheap bastards).  So read the description or look at one at a store.

Hi. Unfortunately, that's not a practical solution for my situation. I have 3 SIP lines and 1 Google Voice line. I don't want to grapple with OBi **# prefixes to make outgoing calls on a single-line analog DECT phone. My aim is to make things less cumbersome.

Quote from: SteveInWA on September 27, 2021, 02:51:10 PM
Let us know what you ultimately choose.

In the end, I chose a Plantronics Voyager Focus UC Bluetooth headset to use with the Obi2182. I chose it over a DECT solution for several reasons.

The DECT headset options that interface with the Obi2182 were too expensive and entailed too much desk clutter to interface, requiring either 2 expensive EHS cables per solution or a bulky handset lifter.

The Plantronics Voyager UC was under half the price of comparable DECT headsets, was clutter-free, and it works well all around my 2000SF home.  The range isn't that of DECT, but it's good enough for my situation and simultaneously pairs with my Obi2182 and my computer for Zoom/Teams meetings. I'm happy with the results.