First Look: Grandstream UCM6100

The phrase “champagne on a beer budget” gets a bad rap in my opinion. When used it seems like there is usually a negative connotation associated with it but I don’t think that should always be the case. Sometimes it could be used to imply that you are getting more for less, which isn’t a bad thing. One example of how you could use the phrase in a positive manor is to describe the new Grandstream UCM6100 series of IP PBXs; where you get many of the features of an expensive enterprise grade IP PBX without the price tag or champagne on a beer budget.

WHAT IS IT?

The Grandstream UCM6100 is a series of 4 new IP PBXs that have been targeted at Small to Medium Businesses or SMBs. The full featured UCM6100 appliances provide many of the features and functionality usually associated with more expensive and/or enterprise grade IP PBXs but without the hefty price tag or any additional licensing fees.

While the four different models in the UCM6100 series share many of the same features there is some difference in both the chassis of the appliances, port configuration and capabilities.

Grandstream UCM6102 – Wall mountable and desktop chassis design, 2 FXS and 2 FXO Ports, dual 10M/100M/1000M RJ 45 Ports, up to 30 simultaneous calls, up to 3 conference bridges with 25 simultaneous participants

Grandstream UCM6104 – Wall mountable and desktop chassis design, 2 FXS and 4 FXO Ports, dual 10M/100M/1000M RJ 45 Ports, up to 45 simultaneous calls, up to 3 conference bridges with 25 simultaneous participants

Grandstream UCM6108 – Rack mountable and desktop chassis design, 2 FXS and 8 FXO Ports, single 10M/100M/1000M RJ 45 Port, up to 60 simultaneous calls, up to 6 conference bridges with 32 simultaneous participants

Grandstream UCM6116 – Rack mountable and desktop chassis design, 2 FXS and 16 FXO Ports, single 10M/100M/1000M RJ 45 Port, up to 60 simultaneous calls, up to 6 conference bridges with 32 simultaneous participants

For all of the slight differences the four Grandstream UCM6100 models do share many of the same features and functionalities:

• 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 application processor, large memory (512MB DDR RAM, 4GB NAND Flash), and dedicated high performance multi-core DSP array for advanced voice processing
• Hardware DSP based 128ms-tail-length carrier-grade line echo cancellation (LEC), hardware based caller ID/call progress tone and smart automated impendence matching for various countries
• Flexible dial plan, call routing, site peering, call recording, central control panel for endpoints, integrated NTP server, and integrated LDAP contact directory
• Strongest-possible security protection using SRTP, TLS, and HTTPS with hardware encryption accelerator
• Supports for a wide range of popular voice codes (including G.711 A-law/U-law, G.722, G.723.1, G.726, G.729A/B, iLBC, GSM), video codec (including H.264, H.263, H.263+), and Fax (T.38).

For a complete overview you can read the Grandstream UCM6100 Datasheet and the user manua.

Who Is It For?

As I previously mentioned the new Grandstream UCM6100 appliances have been designed with SMBs in mind both from a design, feature capabilities and pricing aspect.

One tools that makes it such a good match for SMBs that may not have a dedicated IT person is the Zero Configuration provisioning. This tool allows users to provision phones and IP Cameras via a simple web user interface allowing for a quick set-up and easy management. While a full list of supported phones and cameras has not been released yet but it almost certain that Grandstream phones and IP Cameras will be on the list.

Pricing

The pricing for the Grandstream UCM6100 models is:

Grandstream UCM6102 – $395
Grandstream UCM6104 – $495
Grandstream UCM6108 – $899
Grandstream UCM6116 – $1,699

There are no additional licensing fees or extra costs for features, users or firmware upgrades.