Review on Polycom SoundStation IP 5000 - PoE Powered (Power Supply Excluded) by Sherri Radermacher

The venerable workhorse of the Polycom SoundStation IP 5000 has evolved over the last decade into the conference phone for IP telephony systems. This phone is solid, with thoughtful design features and excellent performance. The speaker is loud and clear, and the microphones are well positioned and pick up everyone talking around the 10-person conference table. The phone is powered via Power over Ethernet. If you don't have one, just order a cheap $10 PoE adapter. Anything you buy should work. Why only 4 stars? The configuration is complex. Depending on the phone system you are using, you may need to update to firmware version 4. This can be extremely difficult. The firmware is freely available on the Polycom website, but it is not easy to install. You must install via DHCP boot option 66. You must have a TFTP or FTP server from which the phone can receive firmware files. If your phone system has an auto-provisioning system, it really isn't that bad. Tip: After initializing the phone and updating the firmware, disable DHCP option 66. This will greatly speed up the phone's startup process. In summary, I would buy this phone for the whole day. Even with firmware problems. It's worth it for a practical office phone for conference rooms.