Grandstream GXP2140

The Grandstream GXP2140 is one of the company’s latest enterprise-grade IP phone solutions. On the hardware side of things, the phone features a maximum of four lines, a 4.3-inch TFT Color LCD, five XML programmable context-sensitive soft keys, and dual Gigabit network ports. It offers fully integrated PoE, an electronic hook switch (EHS), and four GXP2200EXT modules to view an additional 160 contacts. The phone’s language can be customized for global use, and it comes preloaded with weather and currency exchange apps.

The GXP2140 delivers HD audio quality on both the handset and the speakerphone. This is a strong plus for OnSIP customers because the phone will allow them to take advantage of our platform’s advanced HD voice capabilities. Is this an accurate description? We put the GXP2140 to the test.

The manufacturer states the phone is intended as a “high-quality, feature-rich IP multi-line executive IP phone with advanced functionality and performance.” This is generally accurate: The GXP2140 is a highly capable VoIP phone that offers users a broad array of advanced features. It is clearly a distinguished device in terms of its technical capacities. But what level of distinguishment does the GXP2140 achieve when it is compared to other high mid-tier devices? We decided to take a look.

First Impressions

The GXP2140’s hardware design is economical and straightforward. For all of its features, the GXP2140 is nevertheless slightly smaller than the average desk phone. And yet its design does not suffer from a shrunken, scrunched feeling.

The buttons are spaced in functionally and aesthetically sound ways, each emblazoned with easily understandable labels. Mute, headset, call holding, conferencing, transfer, contacts, and messaging are all available at the press of a button. This is a simple and efficient hardware design, and anybody who has used a desk phone will feel perfectly at home.

The user interface itself is competent and efficient. The home screen offers weather updates and currency conversion charts. This is a minor feature, but along with the phone’s multilingual capabilities, it suggests that the GXP2140 would be particularly suited for financial sector workers with an international reach.

The phone’s menu is broken down into Call History, Status, Contacts, Messages, Preferences, Phone, System, and Reboot. There is a sliver of lag between movements and selections in the UI. If you are used to the infinitesimal load times of iOS and Android, the delay will certainly be noticeable.

Phone Configuration

To automatically configure the GXP2140, find the phone’s IP address in Network Status under the Status menu. Enter this IP address into your Internet browser and use “admin” for both the username and password to gain access to the phone settings. Once you’re in, you should see a top navigation menu option labeled Maintenance. Select it and then choose Upgrade from the left-hand menu.

You will be modifying two fields, one labeled Upgrade via: and another labeled Config server path:. Make sure that Upgrade via: is set to “http” and enter “boot.onsip.com” for Config server path:. Hit Save and then Apply. You can now assign or remove users to/ from the lines on your GXP2140 in the OnSIP admin portal.

If for some reason you want or need to enter the information manually, you will need your SIP user credentials. OnSIP customers can find their SIP user credentials in the OnSIP admin portal under Users.

Log in to your GXP 2140’s administration interface just like we mentioned above, using your phone’s IP address and a web browser. Select Account from the top navigation menu option, and enter in your SIP user credentials as follows:

• Account Active: Check
• Account Name: your choice
• SIP Server: Proxy/Domain
• SIP User ID: Username
• SIP Authentication ID: Auth Username
• SIP Authentication Password: SIP Password
• Name: your choice

Hit Save, and then click on Network settings in the left-hand menu. Type in “sip.onsip.com” for the field labeled Outbound Proxy, and hit Save again. Click on the Apply button in the yellow bar that appears at the top of your screen. Repeat as necessary if you need to set up multiple SIP accounts.

Compatibility Testing

At OnSIP, we put each of the phones we use through a multi-step interoperability test in which we apply ~30 test cases. Here’s an example of a test case:

Test phone calls phone B

B picks up

B puts test phone on hold

B calls phone C

C picks up

B transfers test phone to C

The call must be transferred correctly to C. B must be released correctly after the transfer. When C picks up, audio must work both ways between test phone and C. When the test phone is on hold, there is no audio between it and phone B.

We did not experience any issues during our tests with the Grandstream GXP2140.

Voice Quality

The GXP2140 claims to offer HD voice on its handset and speakerphone. Its compatible audio codecs certainly suggest this level of quality: G.729A/B, G.711µ/a-law, G.726, G.722 (wideband), and iLBC and DTMF are all supported by the phone. But how does the GXP2140 sound to the human ear?

In our test conversations, we found that the phone’s voice quality offered clarity and crispness. We always heard the callee’s voice emanate clearly and statickless from the handset without interruption. Our expectations were high because Grandstream touts HD voice as one of the phone’s key features.

But it’s not as if Grandstream has enriched the science of HD voice with new breakthroughs. The GXP2140 simply offers reliable and clear voice quality that allows users to conduct day-to-day operations without the risk of unwanted disruptions and misunderstandings.

GXP2140’s speakerphone offered a similar form of smooth and reliable voice quality. Grandstream claims that the speakerphone also offers HD voice, but it is clearly qualitatively different from the handset’s iteration. Nevertheless, the callee’s voice on speakerphone came through with texture and distinctness. The echoing that sometimes plagues speakerphones was absent from the GXP2140. Overall, the speakerphone was more than capable of handling small meetings and competing voices.

Final Thoughts

The Grandstream GXP2140 is an exceptional mid-range phone that will allow average users to get the most out of a robust hosted PBX company. It’s hardly the best phone on the market, but at $91.95, it’s a great option for people who want solid HD voice capabilities for a decent price.

The GXP2140 may not have truly advanced functionality, and features such as the built-in currency converter and the weather app (prominently advertised on the brochure) appear to be tacked on in order to make the phone seem more feature rich. But the GXP2140 will surely offer reliable service to employees who just want a solid, aurally superior phone to conduct daily operations with.