DECT headset with Obi202?

[raneng]

Hi,
I'm currently using my Obi202 (love it!) with a Panasonic DECT wireless phones, to which I attach a corded Jabra headset. This setup is cumbersome for moving around the office while talking, and I even get calls disconnected if I accidentally hit the headset wire, which can lead to dropping the phone...
In the end, I'd love to use something like the Plantronics Savi W740 - a standalone DECT wireless headset. But it seems like such a headset requires the addition of a desk phone (?) with a mechanical lifter (??). Seriously? Is there anything more modern and elegant than such a setup, with my existing Obi202?

Thank you
Ron

[SteveInWA]

The Plantronics headset you describe is in a class of headsets designed to work with business desk phones, via the phone's handset jack.  They are not standalone cordless phones.  The OBi device doesn't have a handset jack; it needs some sort of telephone plugged into it.

You could get an OBiBT dongle, plug it into the USB port on the OBi, and then pair it with a typical Bluetooth headset.

[drgeoff]

You could get an OBiBT dongle, plug it into the USB port on the OBi, and then pair it with a typical Bluetooth headset.

Steve, are you sure that works with an Obi2xx?  Yes you can pair a Bluetooth headset to an Obi IP phone but AFAIAA the only function of an OBiBT with an OBi2xx is to use a cellphone as a Service Provider. http://www.obihai.com/OBiDeviceAdminGuide#_Toc367543102

[SteveInWA]

You could get an OBiBT dongle, plug it into the USB port on the OBi, and then pair it with a typical Bluetooth headset.

Steve, are you sure that works with an Obi2xx?  Yes you can pair a Bluetooth headset to an Obi IP phone but AFAIAA the only function of an OBiBT with an OBi2xx is to use a cellphone as a Service Provider. http://www.obihai.com/OBiDeviceAdminGuide#_Toc367543102

Come to think of it, you're probably right, as usual!  I was mentally picturing the times I did that as a test on my OBi phones.  Since I have a fancy-pants business-class DECT headset that works a half-block away from the phone I don't use the BT for a headset.  Thanks.

[raneng]

Thanks for the replies!
Clarifications -
- I'm after the DECT range, as BT range is limited and somewhat unpredictable. I'd like to be able to walk in my house, not just my home office, without interrupting a call.
- I'm aware that the Plantronics model that I mentioned requires a desk phone; I'm not locked to that model, I only want the mobile part - the headset I'm wearing - to be DECT and completely wireless (and not wired to my wireless phone like today...)
- I understand that there must be an extra device here, to initiate the calls and talk with the headset. I just can't find a solution that does not require a desk phone and a mechanical lifter (which almost makes me expect to see pigeons carrying the call data to the headset to complete the bizarre retro picture...)

What do people do, to be able to roam around with DECT headsets?

[SteveInWA]

Well, I can't speak for anyone other than myself, but I have been a headset user since the mid 1990s, when I was in inside sales, and I won't talk on the phone without one.  I agree; there is no substitute for DECT; BT is a poor second choice.

The point is, as you've confirmed in your reply, is that the OBi ATA only connects via the RJ-11 analog telephone interface.  Headsets interface to the handset audio signal on the attached telephone.

I use two methods.  I have a few DECT cordless phone handsets with phone jacks.  I plug in a high-quality corded headset, clip the headset's strain relief to my shirt, clip the phone to my belt, and I can wander around.  It only gets snagged very occasionally, so I don't mind this solution.

I also have a high-end/business-class Jabra PRO 9470 DECT headset, connected to an OBi IP phone.  The phone and the headset both support Electronic Switch Hook, or EHS.  This uses a special (and overpriced) set of cables to interconnect the two devices, to control the phone being on or off hook remotely.  Years back, I had an electro-mechanical handset lifter, but those are not necessary if the phone supports EHS.  The Jabra's base connects to the headset audio jack on the phone (RJ-9) and to the phone's aux jack for EHS.

The source with the largest selection, best customer support and most expertise is Hello Direct (they are owned by Jabra, which bought GN Netcom, the business headset company in Scandinavia). They also sell Plantronics and Sennheiser.

So:  solution #1 is quite inexpensive, while solution #2 is much more expensive.  #2 is completely cord-free on your head.  Take your pick.  AFAIK, the solution you imagined (some sort of cheap, integrated thingy that would plug into the OBi) doesn't exist.