Yes, you can use Avaya SIP phones on a Cisco system and vice versa.

Why? As you may be aware SIP is an open standard and is being adopted.

SIP is dumb.

Avaya phones work with SIP because of Avaya PROPRIETARY extensions.

Cisco works for the same reason and the extensions are added for features.

A basic SIP phone no mater who provides it is basically just a dumb lobby phone.

The entensions are the meat of the phone when using SIP.

Contrasted with SCCP=Skinny, do keep in mind that Cisco was an early adopter and they had to do something to make it work.

CDP-Cisco Discovery Protocol hands out VLAN info to a phone amongst other things.

LLDP- is the world trying to catch us to what Cisco has already been doing for years.
I read on here where this guys bashed CISCO for being a data company and shouldnt be doing VoIP.

Fear and ignorance can make us say dumb things.
Fear of the unknown perhaps is a better description.

Im a Nortel and Avaya guy and have been for 25 years. Only this year have I spent with my head in a Cisco book every single month of this year.

I dont live in the Matrix and perhaps I have drank the Cisco kool aid.

I came in to 2010 believing Nortel CS1000 5.5 is the best PBX in the world.

I still believe that today.

I was once a Toshiba certified engineer and a man told me that I would like Nortel more eventually. I doubted his words but they came to pass like he said.

Cisco is a whole new world for me having obtained certification on the Dimension 2000 and Stromberg Carlson MDM100 with X-Y switches.

I embrace it for what it is...Darn good Kool-aid.

So what exactly is the point of this post?

Ummmmm....... :shrug:

Just contrasting the phones and ranting about something I read on here.

I was kind of hoping someone would bring up the issue with using non cisco phones on a POE switch.

I am moving to your neck of the woods there Steve next year to write my book.

How to write a whole bunch of words without making a point.

Sheperds will be one of my main hangouts.

Im not mentally stable.
I build LLQ QoS policies in my head while Im sleeping.

On the other hand it could be construed to mean different things to differnt people.

Whats the point in pointing out that there isnt a point? Why does there have to be a point?
Can someone just rant without making a point?

Is this an example of what Cisco does to your mind? I have been questioning trying to learn more about them seeing they seem to be grabbing a good portion of the market, but I'm not sure I'm mentally stable enough to handle it.

Well I have to dispute the statement that the Nortel CS1000E is the best PBX out there. Any system that requires a reboot of a cabinet or chassis in order to switch between processors is not a well-designed system. I support one that's GR/HA, so I can speak from experience.

I'll bet you can find the point in my reply.

Justin

Heh..sorry MGCP is still better.