Lync Qualified/Comptabile and Optimized IP Phone Features Compared: Which Devices are More “Advanced”?

I am getting more and more questions on which class of Lync devices is more “advanced”. As Lync Qualified (aka Lync Compatible/ 3PIP) devices get more and more features this question is getting less and less clear. Will Lync Qualified devices soon be more “Optimized” than LPE devices? This is a real possibility.

At one time I would have said Optimized devices were the information worker device while Qualified/Compatible where for those that wanted a more PBX-like experience. Qualified/Compatible devices certainly remain the devices for those that want a PBX/Voice centric experience, but with the addition of Better Together over Ethernet, USB/Bluetooth headset support and video right from the devices (VVX 500/600), this line has become blurred. I still think that (at this moment) the information worker may be best served by LPE devices, but this is becoming more subjective and very likely to change in the near future.

Some things that still weigh in favor of LPE in my mind:

• Less initial setup /provisioning “fiddling”
• Better Lync Monitoring server Media Quality reporting (basically there is non on Qualifed/Compatible devices)
• LPE firmware is more “settled” and hardened. (this is my sense)

 

NOTE: This article is in progress. Also, if you see any errors/omissions, please comment. Please verify and do your own testing.

	snom UC Edition	Polycom UCS 5.0.0	LPE “Aries”
	Qualified	Qualified	Optimized
Boss/Admin	X	X
BToE	Beta	X
USB Better Together			X
Call Park	X	X	X
1 Button Call Park	X	X
Parked Call Timer		X
Lync Server FW Updates	X	X	X
Lync Address Book Search	X	X	X
Lync Address Book	X		X
See Contact’s Lync Note	X		X
ABS Other Contacts Methods	X
Monitoring Server Media Details			X
Lync Server Setting Provision	X(5)
Device MOH	X		X
Transfer Directly to VM	X
1 Touch Contact Buttons	X	X
Video from phone		X(1)
Supports Video Call (USB audio)			X
Safe Transfer	X
2 Button transfer	X	X
Expansion Module	X	X(2)
DESI Less BLF Buttons		X
Define buttons from handset	X
Phone “In a Call” on handset lift	X	X
Support for USB/BT Headset	X(3)	X(3)
PC Port deliver non-default VLAN	X	X
Intercom – Auto pickup, 2 way	X(4)
Skype Federation audio calls	X
Disable 2nd Call  audio alert	X
Adaptable RTAudio codec Narrow	X		X
RTAudio Widband			X
View Outlook Calendar		X	X
Dedicated My Presence Light			X

1) VVX 500/600 with optional camera, to Lync 2010 client only.
2) Announced, but not here.
3) Some models
4) Works, but not certified feature. Click Here
5) Mentioned, but not demo’s Click Here

More:
http://windowspbx.blogspot.com/2012/07/feedback-from-field-challenges.html