Aastra 5xi Series Approved Through the Junction Network Labs!

Today was an exciting day at the Junction Networks lab - we put the Astra 5xi series phones through the Junction Networks interoperability testing and are very pleased to give them our official stamp of approval!

Aside from supporting all of our OnSIP Hosted PBX features, these phones were easy to use and configure. We tested a 53i and a 57i with interoperability to a Polycom 501 and had no problems at all during our many tests. We even upgraded the firmware to the latest available from Aastra's website, which does require that you provide a TFTP server, but was a otherwise fairly simple and well documented process. And for extra points, we also rather enjoyed the LCD of the 57i for its geek chic appearance. Our preference was for the 57i over the 53i for user interface, but with a little custom configuration of the programmable buttons (done via the phone's webpage), we were able to make it do everything the 57i could. Still, for out of the box use, the 57i may well be worth the extra money -- and it does have that snazzy LCD. Considering an Aastra 5xi series phone? We've updated our Knowledge Base Aastra configuration article and hope that you'll find it useful.