Elmeg IP290 VoIP Phone review

This VoIP phone, cased in tough black plastic, offers a range of features suitable for small and -- particularly -- medium-sized enterprises. Setting it up is simple. Plug it into your Ethernet network, enter the registration details and it pretty much configures itself, finding an IP address either from the DHCP server or prompting you to enter one manually. It supports the SIP and H.323/H.450 standards, and so should work in most environments. You can use it with the handset supplied and/or a headset, as well as daisy-chaining it to a user's PC. It works hands-free too.

The two-line user interface allows you to quickly set up call forwarding, do not disturb, divert, plus view and call from the call log, as well as other standard phone features. The advantage of the VoIP capability kicks in as you can manage the phone using a Web interface.

However, it can be a little too easy to get deep into the technical side of the menus when configuring features such as call diversion or forwarding -- the phone's manufacturer, Funkwerk, would have done better to move these to a submenu labelled Advanced, for instance, in much the same way as the phone Web interface does. Other than that, there's little to criticise.

The browser interface, which is accessible by navigating to the phone's IP address, allows a range of functions to be configured. You can alter the settings for language, redirection, ringtones (including custom ones), answering and diverts. Multiple user identities can be assigned to the phone, you can enter data into the address book or import it from a file, allocate numbers to speed dial buttons and configure the five function keys. These allow you to assign functions to each key, such as park orbit, voice recorder, shared line and intercom.

Advanced functions include configuring IP, setting the phone's behaviour (should it use number guessing when dialling, or provide a dial tone for callers on hold, for instance), through to detailed SIP configuration and setting up the phone in a secured environment. Security features include the ability to join a VLAN and make use of PKI certificates.

Although the phone itself is large and somewhat brutal in design, its black and aluminium colour scheme looks at home on a modern desk --preferably with little else on it.