Polycom Voicestation 500 Analog Conference Phone with Bluetooth

I recently started a new business venture working out of my home and have utilized my cell phone as my business phone, which works great because I'm able to always keep it with me, but it's less than adequate as an office phone. I purchased the Polycom Voicestation 500 to convert my cell phone to an office phone while at home and it works great. It's very easy and reliable to connect and disconnect via Bluetooth and, while connected, the quality of the full-duplex speakerphone is superb. Additionally, I have the V500 connected to my home landline and can use that line as well whenever needed. And that's where the "nearly perfect" description comes in; I wish the V500 had a caller ID display. I get caller ID on my cell phone display, but when a call comes in on the landline I have to keep a cordless phone (with a caller ID display) to see who's calling. Other than that, the phone is very high quality and delivers on every claim and I would definitely recommend to others.

Was not sure the concept would work well , but we needed a flexible phone conf system for our small office.

Sound quality is brillant, and all the people on the office have synced there variety of phones ( it allows for mulitple phones to be pre-synced so you can just grab the unit anytime ) to the unit, so they can instantly make any call a a conference call.

We have Iphone 3G / 3GS and two very basic motorola GSM phones, and they all work perfectly with the unit.

The analog line input works well as a back up too, and it is mostly plugged into a vonage line , since it is very easily switchable to jump on a bluetooth connect after they have been paried ( a single button ).

Also the PC input has been usefull for use on skype calls.

It is truly the swiss army knife of conf phones, for the modern communicator.

The only negative is it is not rechargable, so it is tethered where as it works with all the cordless phones.

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I purchased the Polycom Voicestation 500 in the hopes that I would be able to have hands free calling in my home office. Having used the full sized polycom phones ( Polycom SoundStation2 ) I had high hopes that this could be my main phone for conference calls.

Alas the sound pickup is simply not that good. Sitting 2 feet away speaking facing the phone I still get comments like "I can't quite hear you". The phone works better than say my iPhone speakerphone, but not nearly as well as the full size ones. In the end I ended up getting a Plantronics headset ( Plantronics CS-55 ) which worked much better.

Listening on the Voicestation is, on the other hand, great. You can hear everyone clearly and with plenty of volume. (It is quite clear at the lowest volume level, I sometimes wish I could turn it down more.)

The blue-tooth functionality worked fine for me. (Note some documentation implies that you can link a blue-tooth headset to the phone, you can not. Linking a phone worked fine. ) Be aware some others have had problems linking some phones (the droid). Check around before purchasing.

In the end, I use the Voicestation simply to dial out then switch to the plantronics headset to talk. Or to listen to conference calls where I do not need to talk much. Far less than what I expected to be able to do.

My advice, either spend the extra money to buy a full sized polycom or get a good quality headset.

Read Best Reviews of Polycom Voicestation 500 Analog Conference Phone with Bluetooth Here

If you work out of a small office or home office, you undoubtedly have found the need to use a speakerphone from time to time. Many high-end desk phones offer a decent speakerphone built in but they keep you tethered to your desk, as you need to be right next to the phone for your callers to hear you clearly. You may also find yourself using a cell phone quite often, and the speakerphone capabilities of cell phones can be pretty lame. Although you can purchase a Bluetooth remote speaker for your cell phone, you have to remember to charge it, and they still have limited volume and require that you stand right next to them in order for your voice to be heard clearly by your callers. Big corporations use large, conference room speakerphones for offices and meeting areas, but those can be quite expensive and are overkill for a home office environment. Wouldn't it be great if a manufacturer of these large corporation speakerphones would develop a product for the small office or home office user?

Polycom is the leader in big business teleconferencing and videoconferencing equipment. In nearly every large corporation you will find a Polycom speakerphone sitting in the middle of their conference rooms. Polycom knows the importance of having a speakerphone that will produce clear sound while also utilizing sensitive microphones for picking up voices from across the room. While most of their previous products, most notably their "SoundStation" series, were developed for large rooms, they have developed a new line of speakerphones that are designed specifically for smaller rooms and offices. This design is part of the new "VoiceStation" series, which is basically a miniaturized version of the basic SoundStation model. This review is for the VoiceStation 500, which incorporates Bluetooth technology, allowing you to use this speakerphone with a Bluetooth equipped cellular phone as well as any normal analog phone line. This allows you to make and receive calls from your main phone line, yet also allowing you to make and receive calls, wirelessly, from your cell phone. Although this new VoiceStation 500 is certainly not cheap, it is definitely less expensive than investing in a high end SoundStation series speakerphone, which doesn't yet offer the Bluetooth connectivity.

Although the VoiceStation 500 would seem to be the perfect solution for nearly any business, it does have a few limitations, which Polycom clearly identifies. Most important of these is that it is designed for desktops, offices, and small rooms with up to three or four participants. It is not suited for large meeting rooms or conference rooms. The microphones are rated for an ideal range of no more than 7 feet. There are three microphones located on the device, which are placed at the end of three leg-like extensions. The entire base unit is shaped a bit like a triangle. This is supposed to offer a 360-degree microphone coverage range. Located in the middle of the base is a generous sized speaker, which produces clear, full-range sound. You have to hear the quality of this speaker to fully appreciate just how good it is. Your callers will sound like they are sitting right next to you, providing the quality of your phone connection is good. Some of the most notable features of this speakerphone, as documented on the Polycom website, are as follows:

* Bluetooth connectivity to mobile phones or PCs, for wireless, hands-free voice conferencing.

* Wired connections where Bluetooth is not available or needed.

* Acoustic Clarity Technology for natural, free-flowing conversations.

* Resists interference from mobile phones.

* Dynamic Noise Reduction to reduce background noise.

* Up to 7-feet of 360-degree microphone coverage.

* Compact industrial design fits well on a desk or small table.

* Legendary voice quality at an affordable price.

* Works well with Internet calling services (i.e., Skype), when connected to computer.

The Polycom VoiceStation 500 ships with the following items in the box:

Main Telephone Console Unit

Power Supply Module

21 ft. Cord to Console

7 ft. Telco Cable to RJ-11 Telephone Jack

4 ft. Cell Phone Connection Link Cable (for non-Bluetooth cell phones)

4 ft. Computer Calling Cable (for non-Bluetooth computers)

User Guide, Warranty and Registration Paperwork

Setting up the Polycom VoiceStation 500 is very straightforward. The included user guide is very easy to read and understand, and it includes several useful illustrations. The power supply is somewhat bulky, and must be plugged into a wall outlet or power strip, so you may need to reorganize some of your other plugs to make room for this gigantic power supply. The telephone cable, which must be plugged into your household telco jack, also plugs into the power supply. You then connect the supplied 21 ft. cable from the power supply to the VoiceStation console unit. Within a couple of seconds you will be greeted with a "Bong" sound, letting you know that the VoiceStation 500 is powered up and ready for use. The console unit includes a keypad for entering telephone numbers, activating the speakerphone, adjusting volume, muting the microphones, and also includes a flash button and redial button. There is also a Bluetooth button, which toggles between on/off and pairing modes. Pairing the VoiceStation 500 is roughly the same a pairing a Bluetooth headset with your cellular phone. When you place your VoiceStation into pairing mode and your cell phone into Bluetooth discover mode, your cell phone should discover the VoiceStation 500 as "PLCM VS500." For a password you simply enter `0000' on your cell phone. The VoiceStation will then emit a series of tones, indicated that the device has been successfully paired with your cellular phone. For non-Bluetooth cell phones and computers, you can use one of the provided audio cables to connect the VoiceStation to the 2.5mm headset port on your cell phone or to the 2.5mm microphone in and audio out port on your computer sound card. The Polycom user guide gives detailed instructions on how to perform all of these steps, and how to use your computer and VoiceStation to utilize Internet phone services, such as Skype.

I have used a few of the VoiceStation 500 units over the past several months and really enjoy them. The sound quality is outstanding, the microphone sensitivity is wonderful and the Bluetooth feature is extremely useful. The console unit is compact and takes up very little desk space. My only complaints with this device are that it does not have an LCD display, for showing the numbers that you are dialing (or for Caller ID), and that it does not have any form of speed dialing features. When making a call from the VoiceStation, on your standard telephone line, you have to manually key in the phone number you wish to dial. I am used to selecting frequently dialed numbers from a built-in address book on my phone system, so having to punch in the numbers manually is a bit of a pain. However, when paired with my Bluetooth cell phone, I can utilize the speed dial on my cell phone to make the calls. Although the inclusion of an LCD display and speed dial (or built-in address book) features would make the Polycom VoiceStation completely perfect, the lack of these features does not lower my overall rating of this product.

I am giving the Polycom VoiceStation 500 speakerphone a 5 star rating, due to the fact that it performs exactly as claimed by the manufacturer and because it actually exceeded my expectations in sound and call quality. I have searched the Internet for a device that is more capable than the VoiceStation 500 and I have not been able to find anything that would suite my needs or the needs of the average small office or home office better. This is an excellent product and I highly recommend it for anyone needing a quality speakerphone for their home or small office environment.

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I purchased the Polycom Voicestation 500 principally to "do" conference calls from my computer using Skype. I was delighted to know that I could use my smart phone as a back up for those circumstances when the internet connection via Skype was not adequate to support good conference calling. Imagine my surprise when my 2 year old smart phone, with Bluetooth stack 2.1 would not connect with the Voicestation 500... it would "pair" but not "connect". Apparently the Bluetooth stack in the Voicestation 500, according to Polycom's tech support, is v1.1 and my phone is not backward compatible that far. Naturally Polycom says it's the phone manufacturer's fault. And there is not much that the phone manufacturer is willing to do (backward compatible with Bluetooth stack v1.2 but not v1.1). I'm very disappointed.

I will also say that the unit worked perfectly with my computer (MACBook), via Bluetooth, and Skype and I'm pleased about that.

Nevertheless, it seems unreasonable that Polycom takes no responsibility for the age of their Bluetooth stack in this environment of rapid technological change. Their engineers let them down.

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