For the Cisco Unified IP Phone to successfully operate as a Cisco Unified IP Phone endpoint in your network, your network must meet these requirements:

• Working VoIP network:

  • VoIP configured on your Cisco routers and gateways

  • Cisco Unified Communications Manager 4.x and later installed in your network and configured to handle call processing

• IP network that supports DHCP or manual assignment of IP address, gateway, and subnet mask

Note

The Cisco Unified IP Phone displays the date and time from Cisco Unified Communications Manager. The time displayed on the phone can differ from the Cisco Unified Communications Manager time by up to 10 seconds. The Cisco Unified Communications Manager server does not display the local time if it is located in a different time zone than the phones.

The Cisco Unified IP Phone requires Cisco Unified Communications Manager to handle call processing. To ensure that Cisco Unified Communications Manager is set up properly to manage the phone and route and process calls, see the Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration Guide or the context-sensitive help in the Cisco Unified Communications Manager application.

If you plan to use autoregistration, verify that it is enabled and properly configured in Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration before connecting any Cisco Unified IP Phone to the network. For information about enabling and configuring autoregistration, see the Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration Guide.

You must use Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration to configure and assign telephony features to the Cisco Unified IP Phones.

In Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration, you can add users to the database and associate them with specific phones. In this way, users gain access to Cisco Unified Communications Manager User Option Pages that allow them to configure items such as call forward, speed dial, and voice message system options.

The back of the Cisco Unified IP Phone includes these ports:

• Network port: Labeled 10/100 SW

• Access port: Labeled 10/100 PC

Each port supports 10/100 Mbps half- or full-duplex connections to external devices. You can use either Category 3 or 5 cabling for 10-Mbps connections, but you must use Category 5 for 100 connections.

Use the SW network port to connect the phone to the network. You must use a straight-through cable on this port. The phone can also obtain inline power from a switch over this connection. For details, see Cisco Unified IP Phone Power.

Use the PC access port to connect a network device, such as a computer, to the phone. You must use a straight-through cable on this port.

The handset is designed especially for use with the Cisco Unified IP Phone 7931G. It includes a light strip that indicates incoming calls and voice messages waiting.

To connect a handset to the Cisco Unified IP Phone, plug the cable into the handset and the Handset port on the back of the phone.

Note	The handset does not support wideband audio.

By default, the speakerphone is enabled on the Cisco Unified IP Phone.

Although Cisco performs internal testing of third-party headsets for use with the Cisco Unified IP Phones, Cisco does not certify or support products from headset or handset vendors.

We recommend the use of good-quality external devices; for example, headsets that are screened against unwanted radio frequency (RF) and audio frequency (AF) signals. Depending on the quality of headsets and their proximity to other devices, such as mobile phones and two-way radios, some audio noise or echo can still occur.

An audible hum or buzz may be heard by the remote party, or the remote party and the Cisco Unified IP Phone user. A range of outside sources such as electric lights, electric motors, or PC monitors can cause humming or buzzing sounds. (In some cases, hum can be reduced or eliminated by using a local power cube or power injector.)

Note	The Cisco Unified IP Phone 7931G supports wideband headsets.

These environmental and hardware inconsistencies in the locations where Cisco Unified IP Phones are deployed means that not one single headset solution is optimal for all environments.

We recommend that customers test headsets in their intended environment to determine performance before making a purchasing decision and deploying en mass.