Which Polycom Conference Phone Is Right For You?
When looking for a conference phone the first manufacturer that usually comes to mind is Polycom. Polycom have marked themselves in the industry as the conference phone king due to outstanding voice quality and reliability.
Now comes the tricky part, “which one is right for me?” Let’s start by looking at the different Polycom conference phone models.
Polycom IP5000
The Polycom IP5000 is ideal for a small conference room or executive office where nobody will be more than 7 feet away from the phone as that is the max mic pickup range. Up to six people will fit comfortably around it. It also supports the G.722 codec (HD Voice).
Polycom IP6000
The Polycom IP6000 is great for a mid-sized conference room. It has 12 feet of mic pickup range, which can also be extended by plugging in an expansion microphone kit. Same as the IP5000 this phone supports HD Voice.
Polycom IP7000
The Polycom IP7000 is the phone for a large conference room. This phone has a mic pickup range of 20 feet, and can also have an expansion microphone kit attached. Just like the IP5000/6000 it supports HD Voice. Polycom went the extra mile on this phone, and made it fully compatible with Polycom’s HDX video conferencing solutions.
Ask Yourself Two Questions
When looking at these conference phones and deciding on which one to get the first 2 questions you need to ask yourself are:
How big is my conference room?
How far away from the phones will everyone be?
After answering those two questions you should then ask yourself “will I need to expand at any point?” This is an important question to answer as it can save you money in the long run. The IP5000 may suit your needs now, but if you should expand beyond its capabilities, you do not have the option of adding an expansion mic kit like others. This means buying an entire new phone instead of just a mic kit.
If you think that you may get into video conferencing, the best choice is the IP7000. As stated above this is the only one of the 3 that will integrate with all HDX Video conferencing solutions.
