Conference Phones

In a busy work environment, face-to-face meetings aren’t always possible or the best use of colleagues and employees time. With a conference phone set up, many meetings can be conducted as audio conferences instead, providing a time-saving and cost-effective alternative to traditional meetings.Deciding on which conference phone is best for your office is no easy feat. Between countless features and dozens of unique price points, a little information goes a long way in making the right call. Our team of experts guide you to choose the best conference phones available that suits your needs.

Conference phones face a unique set of challenges that are different from mainstream phone technology. Regular phones are not designed for people talking several feet away from the microphone in rooms with an echo. The technologies used in advanced conference call systems have developed well ahead of the audio technology used in the mainstream mobile and telecom industry. The best conference phones today provide HD voice and use specialized high quality microphones. They can handle echo cancellation, noise reduction, and full duplex, resulting in clear audio from conference phone speakers.

A well-designed conference phone system will improve productivity and the quality of decision making. Participants can focus on the meeting and will not be distracted by struggling to hear what is said. This will minimize the risk of misunderstandings. During important meetings with customers, it is easier to detect subtle cues or changes in tone of voice if the audio quality is excellent.

There are three types of conference phones: regular speakerphones, standalone conference phones, and installed systems throughout the room. The units can either use traditional analog voice or be VoIP conference phones.

Traditional speakerphones are basically desktop telephones with an incorporated speaker. They usually have no echo cancellation and only one microphone, and if several people sit around a speakerphone, the sound quality from the conference phone speakers is often very poor.

A conference phone is a single unit designed to operate in an open-air environment. It is a standalone device but can be supported by extension microphones. Conference phones incorporate echo cancellation and noise reduction together with other advanced signal processing technologies for reproducing clear sound.

An installed conference system is built in to the room. There are a number of microphones and speakers throughout the room and some of them can be moved to accommodate different situations. Each component is controlled by a very sophisticated system that adjusts speaker outputs, the microphone gain levels, as well as the other variables required to maximize audio quality. The installed system’s advanced signal processing can eliminate problems that often occur in a larger room. For example, loudspeaker zones, feedback, multiple echo, and other difficult noise problems experienced by conference phone speakers.

The optimal type of conference system will depend on the size and layout of the conference room. When selecting a conference phone, a lot can be achieved by improving the acoustics in the room before installation. Large windows or glass walls generate more echo while carpeting, acoustical ceilings, curtains or wall hangings will improve the acoustics.