What You Need to Know About Yealink Phones: Desk, Cordless and Conference

Who is Yealink

Yealink is a Chinese company that makes communications equipment for offices: desk IP phones, cordless phones, conference phones, headsets and equipment for meeting rooms. It is considered one of the most widely used manufacturers of business phones in the world.

Like any IP phone, a Yealink phone doesn't decide anything about calls on its own. It connects to the PBX, identifies itself as an extension, and receives calls from it. What it adds is convenience: a display, keys, sound quality and a speakerphone.

Because it is so widespread, it's easy to find accessories, guides and support for Yealink phones, and most phone systems know them well.

The T series — desk phones

Yealink's desk phones are marked with the letter T and a number. Over the years several generations have come out: T3x, T4x and T5x. The second digit hints at the level within the generation — 1 and 3 are basic models, and 8 is the top model.

Letters at the end of the name mark a version: P in the older generations marks PoE, G marks gigabit ports, W marks built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and U marks an updated generation with a USB port. In any case, it's worth checking the model's data sheet, and not relying on the name alone.

The basic models: T31 and T33

The T31P (and its G version) is a simple phone with a small black-and-white screen, two lines, a speakerphone and few keys. The T33G adds a small color screen and more lines. Both suit a station where people mostly make regular calls.

Examples: bookkeeping, a teachers' room, a guard station, a warehouse, an institution's kitchen. At stations like these the employee picks up the handset, dials, and sometimes transfers a call. They don't need to see all of the organization's extensions.

The advantage: simple, small, relatively inexpensive, and there is almost nothing in it to break. It also suits an employee who doesn't like technology.

A basic model is also a good choice for "public" stations — a phone in a lobby, a waiting room or a synagogue. There, a simple device with few keys is better, one where settings are hard to change by mistake. If needed, the PBX can limit where it is allowed to dial.

The office models: T43 and T44

In the middle tier are models such as the T43U and T44U (and the T44W with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth). They have a larger screen, more lines and more programmable keys — BLF keys that show with a light whether an extension is busy, and speed-dial keys.

This is the common choice for most office employees who work with the phone throughout the day: a sales representative, a coordinator, a department manager. There are enough keys to transfer calls with one press, without paying for a touchscreen.

The advanced models: T46, T48, T54 and up

The T46U is a phone with a large color screen and many keys, and the T48U adds a large touchscreen. In the newer generation, the T54W comes with a large color screen and built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and the T57W with a touchscreen. The series also includes models with a camera for video calls.

These models suit secretaries, managers, and anyone who handles many calls at once. A yeshiva secretary who answers the main line and transfers to ten different people needs to see them all at a glance. If the keys on the phone aren't enough, you add an expansion module.

General comparison table — T series

The table is a general guide. Models change every few years, and a model you know may already have been replaced by a newer one with a similar name.

The W series — cordless phones

Not every employee sits at a desk. A building superintendent, a mashgiach who walks between the classrooms, a warehouse worker or a manager who moves between floors need a phone that goes with them. That is what the W series is for: cordless phones using the DECT standard.

Such a system is made up of a base station that connects to the network, and wireless handsets that connect to it. Several handsets can be connected to one base station, and each handset is a separate extension on the PBX.

The W79P is a wireless system with a rugged handset — built to withstand dust, water and drops. It suits places such as a warehouse, an institutional kitchen, a yard, or a building superintendent who works throughout the building. In a large building you can add stations that extend the coverage, so the call doesn't cut out when moving between wings.

A wireless handset gets most of the features of a desk phone: call transfer, voicemail, call log and caller ID. It has a battery, so it has to be returned to the charging cradle at the end of the day. A battery that weakens after a few years is replaced, without replacing the whole device.

CP960 — a conference phone for a meeting room

In a meeting room, a regular phone on speaker isn't enough: whoever sits at the end of the table can't be heard, and whoever is on the other end of the line hears echo and noise. The CP960 is a conference phone — a star-shaped device that sits in the center of the table, with several built-in microphones and a powerful speaker.

It is built to pick up speech from all sides of the room, filter background noise and prevent echo. For especially large rooms, additional microphones can be added to it. It has a touchscreen, and it connects to the PBX as a regular extension.

Common use: a board meeting where some of the committee members join by phone, or a class broadcast to a group in a room. Combined with a conference room on the PBX, several participants outside the office join one call.

With a conference phone, its position in the room matters too: in the center of the table, away from a noisy air conditioner and from a glass wall that bounces back echo. A short test before the first meeting, with one participant outside the room, saves embarrassment in front of the whole board.

Management interface and automatic setup

Every Yealink phone has a management interface in the browser, which you reach through the phone's IP address. There you set the SIP account, keys, language, clock and ringtone. As with any network equipment, change the default password.

In most cases you don't need to go in there. Yealink phones support automatic provisioning: the phone downloads its settings from the server when it starts up. That way even twenty phones are set up exactly the same, and a change to the keys is updated on all of them.

Firmware updates can also arrive the same way, centrally.

Hebrew, headsets and useful features

On most Yealink phones you can choose a Hebrew menu and display names in Hebrew. Support depends on the model and the firmware version, so it's worth checking in advance.

The office models have a dedicated jack for a headset, and on models with Bluetooth you can connect a wireless headset directly to the phone. Whoever talks most of the day will be grateful for it.

Most models support PoE and two network ports, so one cable to the desk is enough for both the phone and the computer.

A real-life example: a yeshiva with three kinds of stations

At the "Nesivos HaTorah" yeshiva (a made-up name), the phones were planned by station, and not "one model for everyone." In the secretary's office, which answers the main line and transfers to the whole staff, an advanced phone with an expansion module was installed, so that all the staff members appear on keys with a light.

In the administration offices and the bookkeeping office, mid-tier office phones were installed. In the dining hall, the kitchen and the guard post — basic phones. The building superintendent and the mashgiachim received rugged cordless handsets, and the board room received a conference phone.

The result: everyone got what they really need. They didn't pay for touchscreens in the kitchen, and didn't leave the secretary with a phone that doesn't show who is free.

How to choose — by station, not by model

The common mistake is to choose one model and order it for the whole office. It's better to go room by room and ask three questions: How many calls pass through here in a day? Does the employee need to see who is free? And does the person sit in one place or move around?

Someone who sits and receives few calls — a basic phone. Someone who sits and works a lot with the phone — an office phone with BLF keys. Someone who transfers most of the organization's calls — an advanced phone, and perhaps an expansion module. Someone who moves around the building — a cordless handset. And a room where several people sit around a table — a conference phone.

One more consideration: network points. Before ordering a desk phone, check that there is a network point near the desk. If there isn't, a cordless handset or a phone with Wi-Fi may save wiring work, but a cable connection is more stable.

And a last tip: it's recommended to buy one or two "spare" phones. When a phone falls and breaks, you replace it right away and don't wait for a shipment.