I bit the bullet after lengthy threads below (about buying a SIP phone, ATA
or PC Headset), and got a BudgeTone-102 from ebay (£46 all in).  Used with
Sipgate (rightly or wrongly) I simply cant fault the quality.  I cannot find
any delay what-so-ever and the people I have spoken to seem to think its
like a normal line (most people think its better which I suspect its because
my normal DECT phone is poor quality).  I was intending to use this as a
business phone/line (maybe changing provider as Sipgate just dont seem to
have the reliability that I have witnessed).  However, I have just spotted a
few MAJOR drawbacks of the device, which of course, I should have looked
into before the purchase !  I assumed they would have come as standard, but
I was wrong.

1. When I receive a missed call, there is no indicator (LCD or otherwise) to
tell me so.  Instead, I have to pick up the phone and press the 'callers'
button to see the last caller.  It doesnt even tell me what time they
called.  Any free softphone has this as standard (Sjphone has fantastic
missed call notification/management).

2. No server side answerphone notification.  To be honest, I didnt expect it
could do this as the server side would have to somehow send a notification
to it so something could flash etc.

3. No local phonebook ?  Instead I have to use Sipgates two digit quickdial
server side numbers and write them on a small piece of card stuck to the
phone (err, not very good...)

Both of the above are essential for use as a business phone for me so I can
view missed calls quickly or see if someone has left a message.  I can now
see the MAJOR benefit of an ATA (which I couldnt before).  I would be able
to use the full standard missed call notification/messaging services of a
DECT phone (including the DECT phone answer machine instead of Sipgates
server side 30% German one !) together with excellent phonebook management
AND get a couple of wireless phones to boot !  Price wise, a Logitech ATA is
about £35 and a twin Dectphone pack from Argos is about the same.  So the
whole setup will be about £30 more expensive, but infinately better as far
as I can see.

As a cheap alternative, I could always run SJPhone on my PC to view the
missed calls and of course, Sipgate send their voicemails as email
attachments.  Bit of overkill though.

Dont get me wrong.  The BT-102 is a CRACKING phone though.  I cant
understand why there is no delay on the phone, whereas softphones always
seem to have a 'slight' delay.

[ Post a follow-up to this message ]

<snip
firstly dont forget the BT range was designed as a domestic set for mass
rollouts.

> 1. When I receive a missed call, there is no indicator (LCD or otherwise)
to
> tell me so.  Instead, I have to pick up the phone and press the 'callers'
> button to see the last caller.  It doesnt even tell me what time they
> called.  Any free softphone has this as standard (Sjphone has fantastic
> missed call notification/management).

yep this is a big drawback


>
> 2. No server side answerphone notification.  To be honest, I didnt expect
it
> could do this as the server side would have to somehow send a notification
> to it so something could flash etc.
>
Message notification should work. This must be a problem with your supplier.
what should happen is that the display will flash. You then need to pogram
the address of the voicemail into the BT, Then when you press message it
dials the VM

> 3. No local phonebook ?  Instead I have to use Sipgates two digit
quickdial
> server side numbers and write them on a small piece of card stuck to the
> phone (err, not very good...)

Nope, I think it has very limited memory
>
> Both of the above are essential for use as a business phone for me so I
can
> view missed calls quickly or see if someone has left a message.
As mentioned before this is not a business phone, Look at the sipura 841 if
your budget is limited or the snom if you have a bit more or Cicso, Mitel
etc if you want a full business set , But expect to pay business prices.
Prices will start at £150+vat for a true business set.

> I can now
> see the MAJOR benefit of an ATA (which I couldnt before).  I would be able
> to use the full standard missed call notification/messaging services of a
> DECT phone (including the DECT phone answer machine instead of Sipgates
> server side 30% German one !) together with excellent phonebook management
> AND get a couple of wireless phones to boot !  Price wise, a Logitech ATA
is
> about £35 and a twin Dectphone pack from Argos is about the same.  So the
> whole setup will be about £30 more expensive, but infinately better as far
> as I can see.

Its horses for courses. but a business set lets you have multiple lines etc.
a ATA and dect wont.
>
> As a cheap alternative, I could always run SJPhone on my PC to view the
> missed calls and of course, Sipgate send their voicemails as email
> attachments.  Bit of overkill though.
>
> Dont get me wrong.  The BT-102 is a CRACKING phone though.  I cant
> understand why there is no delay on the phone, whereas softphones always
> seem to have a 'slight' delay.

its down to coding and decoding . the phone only has this one task a pc is
doing lots more besides

ian

[ Post a follow-up to this message ]

Ian <spam"AT"bathfordhill.co.uk> wrote: 
> its down to coding and decoding . the phone only has this one task a
> pc is doing lots more besides

Like running worms and spyware, yes. The combination of Windows, x86
architecture, and PC sound cards do not lend themselves to low-latency
applications, of which VoIP is one.

Devices like ATAs and VoIP phones do in fact normally run some sort of
task-switching operating system. After all, you can make a phone call
*and* look at the configuration pages with a web browser on them. That
they do this job well shows that they don't run Windows 

--
Whenever we confront an unbridled desire we are surely in the presence of a
tragedy-in-the-making.
- Quentin Crisp

[ Post a follow-up to this message ]

For what its worth you can see your missed calls on your Sipgate webpage.
Regards,
Martin

[ Post a follow-up to this message ]

> For what its worth you can see your missed calls on your Sipgate webpage.
> Regards,
> Martin

Thanks Martin, this is great, but I will have the phone in a different room
to the computer.  I will be in and out of the house all day and I simply
want to come home, glance at the phone to see if there are any
messages/missed calls.  I dont want to go into the other room, log on, and
login to the webpage each time.  For me, an ATA with a DECT phone is the
answer.

[ Post a follow-up to this message ]