Review of “AastraLink RP” (Part 2)
A review of AastraLink RP - a Microsoft Response Point phone system.
Note: Because this review is quite lengthy we’ve had to split it up into three posts. This is Part 2 of 3.
In Part 1 we looked at the hardware that comes with the AastraLink RP system. Now we’ll take a quick look at the software. This is a review of the Aastra implementation of RP rather than RP itself, so we’ll not be showing all of the RP screens. What’s displayed here is mainly the Aastra-specific components of the software.
So what’s different in the Aastra implementation software-wise? Truth be told, not much.
As before, you’ll want to click on the images to see the detail. Let’s see what we can find.
Response Point Administrator tabsFor those of you that are not yet familiar with the Response Point Administrator, here’s a quick overview of it.
From this page you can add your phones, set up your phone service, and add people/positions. Everything is cleanly laid out and is incredibly easy to use. Other options include a link to the Call History where you can see all the calls that have taken place, and a link that you use when you upgrade the firmware. |
 The “Base Unit” tab is where you set the date/time, tell the system where your email server is located, and where you can back up your configuration (which only needs to be done once you’ve made changes). You can also set different music to be played when calls are Parked. This is where you select the external audio-in jack we mentioned in Part 1. |
 The “Call Routing” tab is where you tell the system how you want incoming calls handled. You can use the built-in auto-attendant (which you configure from this tab) or you can have calls forwarded to a physical phone, or even a group of phones. Configuration is again very simple and quite flexible. There are also options to allow known inbound numbers to bypass the auto-attendant and go to a specific extension, and an option to allow external callers to be treated as though they’re in the office - useful for employees that are regularly on the road. |
Administrator Main Page
As you can see, the manufacturer is evident in the base unit’s name. Also evident is the fact that the Aastra RP solution ships with Response Point SP1 already installed. |
| On the main Administration page there’s really not much new to see:
Unlike the other current implementations, there is no vendor-specific button at the top of the page. The solution has been implemented to use the standard RP Administrator functionality. You’ll find the Analog Gateway under the ‘Voice Services’ tab, or you can install it by clicking ‘Add Voice Service’ and selecting ‘Analog Service’. |
Analog Gateway Wizard
The Analog Gateway Wizard shows us that we’re using an Aastra RP540. |
Phone Wizard
The Phone Wizard lets you know which model of phone you’re configuring. In this case it’s a 6751i RP. |
In Part 3 we’ll see how the AastraLink RP works in the real world, and we’ll reveal our conclusions.
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