Voice Over IP in UK - IP Phones and sidetone

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Author IP Phones and sidetone
Telephoneman

2005-10-19, 5:45 pm

I recently bought a couple of cheap IP phones from ebay. They are made by
different (Chinese) manufacturers but apparently both use the PA1688
chipset. The issue is the have no sidetone, i.e. if you blow in the
mouthpiece you don't hear anything in the receiver. Is this common with IP
phones? POTS telephones have had sidetone for around a hundred years so it's
not like it's a new requirement for the manufacturers. What's the situation
with other (cheap) phones like the Budgetone?

TIA

Telephoneman



Brian

2005-10-19, 5:45 pm

On 2005-10-14, Telephoneman <alexandergrahambell@REMOVEbigfoot.com> wrote:
>
> I recently bought a couple of cheap IP phones from ebay. They are made by
> different (Chinese) manufacturers but apparently both use the PA1688
> chipset. The issue is the have no sidetone, i.e. if you blow in the
> mouthpiece you don't hear anything in the receiver. Is this common with IP
> phones? POTS telephones have had sidetone for around a hundred years so it's
> not like it's a new requirement for the manufacturers. What's the situation
> with other (cheap) phones like the Budgetone?


Lack of sidetone with cheaper VOIP phones would appear not to be
uncommon. Providing it could result in echo. Adding the necessary
electronic bits to produce it adds to the cost of production of the
phone. I suppose a manufacturer balances utility against expense. I
have seen remarks which indicate that the Budgetone does not generate
sidetone.

Brian.
Richard Anderton

2005-10-19, 5:45 pm

In message <dipect$rg8$1$8302bc10@news.demon.co.uk>, Brian
<bandj@o2.co.uk> writes
>On 2005-10-14, Telephoneman <alexandergrahambell@REMOVEbigfoot.com> wrote:
>
>Lack of sidetone with cheaper VOIP phones would appear not to be
>uncommon. Providing it could result in echo. Adding the necessary
>electronic bits to produce it adds to the cost of production of the
>phone. I suppose a manufacturer balances utility against expense. I
>have seen remarks which indicate that the Budgetone does not generate
>sidetone.

Sidetone on phones is there to stop you shouting down the phone. It
provides a combined psychological and physical effect in that the right
level of sidetone will make you speak at an appropriate level. On a
conventional phone it always used to be done by marginally unbalancing
the line transformer. I have a couple of cheap SIP phones and they
provide sidetone of a sort by having an acoustic channel between the
microphone and the earpiece. This channel is heavily baffled to let the
right amount of signal through and not cause any feedback problems. I
don't find myself shouting so I guess it works!

Incidentally mobiles tend not to have sidetone which is why people shout
so much on them to everyone else's annoyance!
--
Richard Anderton
Peter Gradwell

2005-10-19, 5:45 pm

Telephoneman wrote:
> I recently bought a couple of cheap IP phones from ebay. They are made by
> different (Chinese) manufacturers but apparently both use the PA1688
> chipset. The issue is the have no sidetone, i.e. if you blow in the
> mouthpiece you don't hear anything in the receiver. Is this common with IP
> phones? POTS telephones have had sidetone for around a hundred years so it's
> not like it's a new requirement for the manufacturers. What's the situation
> with other (cheap) phones like the Budgetone?
>


the sipura + snom phones have it.

cheers
peter

--
peter gradwell. gradwell dot com Ltd. http://www.gradwell.com/
-- engineering & hosting services for email, web and voip --
-- http://www.peter.me.uk/ -- http://www.voip.org.uk/ --
Ivor Jones

2005-10-19, 5:45 pm



"Richard Anderton" <richard@bonshaw.demon.co.uk> wrote in
message news:a+V41jAN2gUDFwWY@bonshaw.demon.co.uk

[snip]

> Incidentally mobiles tend not to have sidetone which is
> why people shout so much on them to everyone else's
> annoyance!


My nokia 6310i's have sidetone. Not very loud compared to a landline, but
it's definitely there.

Ivor


Ian

2005-10-19, 5:45 pm


"Telephoneman" <alexandergrahambell@REMOVEbigfoot.com> wrote in message
news:11kuucl6d0c5c13@corp.supernews.com...
> I recently bought a couple of cheap IP phones from ebay. They are made by
> different (Chinese) manufacturers but apparently both use the PA1688
> chipset. The issue is the have no sidetone, i.e. if you blow in the
> mouthpiece you don't hear anything in the receiver. Is this common with IP
> phones? POTS telephones have had sidetone for around a hundred years so

it's
> not like it's a new requirement for the manufacturers. What's the

situation
> with other (cheap) phones like the Budgetone?


Mitels sets have it once the call is connected, AFAIR so does the Budgetone
once the call is connected as well.
Ian


Telephoneman

2005-10-19, 5:45 pm


"Richard Anderton" <richard@bonshaw.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
SNIP

.. I have a couple of cheap SIP phones and they
> provide sidetone of a sort by having an acoustic channel between the
> microphone and the earpiece. This channel is heavily baffled to let the
> right amount of signal through and not cause any feedback problems. I
> don't find myself shouting so I guess it works!


Are you able to say what Make/Model they are? Mine have zero sidetone and
it's most disconcerting!

Liam


Richard Anderton

2005-10-20, 5:45 pm

In message <11lcokb2hjo0b38@corp.supernews.com>, Telephoneman
<alexandergrahambell@REMOVEbigfoot.com> writes
>
>"Richard Anderton" <richard@bonshaw.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
>SNIP
>
>. I have a couple of cheap SIP phones and they
>
>Are you able to say what Make/Model they are? Mine have zero sidetone and
>it's most disconcerting!
>
>Liam
>
>

They are Grandstream models.
--
Richard Anderton
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