Replacing my office phone headset with my computer

ddrueding

Fixture
Joined
Feb 4, 2002
Messages
19,511
Location
Horsens, Denmark
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

Storage is cool
Joined
Jan 21, 2002
Messages
775
Location
on the floor
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/
 

ddrueding

Fixture
Joined
Feb 4, 2002
Messages
19,511
Location
Horsens, Denmark
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.
 
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