Cisco 7900 Series IP Phones

Q: Do Cisco 7900 phones have Power over Ethernet (PoE) capability?

A: Yes. All Cisco 7900 phone models support PoE. Because of this, if you are looking to use a 7900 series IP phone in a non-PoE environment, you will have to order a power supply separately because the phone wil not come with one. The 7900 series phones have an available AC power supply (CP-PWR-CUBE-3) or, the Cisco Power Injector (CP-PWR-INJ) can be used to supply power to an unpowered switch port.

Q: What is High-Definition voice support?

A: Adaptive Multi-Rate Wideband (AMR-WB) is the technical way to refer to HD voice. It is a higher standard of audio quality. Devices with HD voice support transmit and receive a greater frequency range of audio signals. Calls between devices that support HD voice have much better audio quality. In turn, this makes it easier for callers to understand each other. We recommend our customers purchase phones that support HD voice.

Q: Can I use a headset with my phone?

A: Yes, you can use both corded and cordless headsets with Cisco 7900 series IP phones. Both Plantronics and Jabra offer models that are compatible with your phone. Plantronics H-series corded headsets require a special Cisco cable to connect to your 7900 series IP phone. Corded Jabra headset models have cords with RJ9 jacks which can fit directly into the module headset jack built into many phone models. If you're looking for a cordless headset, you'll need to purchase an Electronic Hookset (EHS) cable which will communicate electronically with the phone and eliminates the need for a mechanical handset lifter. Your sales rep can guide you to an appropriate model that is compatible with your phone.

Q: We are using Cisco Unified Communications Manager. Can I just plug some of these phones into the network?

A: In short: yes, but there are a couple of things you'll need to keep in mind.

Your Cisco license needs to be able to accept another phone. For example, if your license is for 30 endpoints, you won't be able to configure endpoint number 31. So, check your license and if you have available room, then you should be able to add and configure another phone.

Another consideration is that you MAY need to do a factory reset on any new endpoint you add and/or download the latest version of device firmware. However, most devices should automatically register on the network when you plug them in, so all you need to do is take care of the device configuration through Communications Manager.

Q: What is the default protocol on these phones?

A: In short: yes, but there are a couple of things you'll need to keep in mind.

By default, these phones use the SCCP protocol.

Q: Can I use these phones in my home office?

A: Cisco 7900 series IP phones are designed to be used in an enterprise environment. If your business uses Cisco's Communications Manager, then there are ways to set these phones up for use at remote locations, but it's not as simple as plugging them into your home router. If you're thinking to get one to use at home for your own home business, these are not phones we would recommend for you.