Replacing my office phone headset with my computer

[ddrueding]

I spend most of my working hours listening to music on headphones connected to my computer. I also have a good mic connected to my computer.

I currently have an ESI 60 ABP IP desk phone connected to a Plantronics CS540/HL10 headset. The interface is pretty simple; an arm lifts the handset when I press the button, and 2-way audio is intercepted on the way to the handset and sent to the headset.

What I want is something that will plug into the phone like the CS540 but instead use my computer headphones and mic for call audio. I don't even know what such a thing would be called. Searching for "phone gateway" goes many places I'm not interested in.

Thanks!

 

[DrunkenBastard]

I spend most of my working hours listening to music on headphones connected to my computer. I also have a good mic connected to my computer.

I currently have an ESI 60 ABP IP desk phone connected to a Plantronics CS540/HL10 headset. The interface is pretty simple; an arm lifts the handset when I press the button, and 2-way audio is intercepted on the way to the handset and sent to the headset.

What I want is something that will plug into the phone like the CS540 but instead use my computer headphones and mic for call audio. I don't even know what such a thing would be called. Searching for "phone gateway" goes many places I'm not interested in.

Thanks!

So with our Avaya voip phones at work, there's a soft phone software component you can install on your PC that gives you full control over the physical phone over IP. There's a virtual keypad to control the physical phone, or you can set the soft phone to receive and make calls using a usb headset/pc speakers/mic. Works out very nicely if working from home or remotely, people just call your normal desk phone and it rings wherever you are as long as you are logged in.

Not my work but gives you an idea of what is possible: https://itconnect.uw.edu/connect/phones/service/softphone/

 

[DrunkenBastard]

Does this do what you need?

http://old.esi-estech.com/devices/features/device_details?id=201

VIP 7 Softphone

Essentially an ESI IP phone on your PC screen.
If you’re a “road warrior,“ connects you right back to the ESI system back at the office.
Audio is provided via PC (USB headset required

 

[ddrueding]

Thanks DB, that would do what I need if I could get the licencing sorted out. The software is installed on my computer, but it tells me that my station is not authorized. We'll see how much they want for it when my vendor calls me back.