Well, you finally mentioned the magic word "Cisco". It's not the magic cure-all that they tout when they convince CFOs on the golf course to buy their goods. It's not a one-size fits all "system". It is an application running on a specialized server using proprietary devices to carry voice traffic.

They are not phone systems and there aren't many non-Cisco products out there that can be purchased via mainstream sources that are compatible out of the box. Their products do not interface directly with other brands of systems or devices. I have documented cases as proof.

Remember how you can't plug a Comdial phone into a jack for a Rolm phone? How about an Avaya phone into a jack for a Fujitsu station? IP offers a lot of portability, but not here.

SIP may be a protocol that will bridge this gap, but will the "magic solution" be equipped to provide SIP to stations on a wireless basis in your case? I doubt it.

Wireless (A.K.A: cordless) phones and devices are not anything like devices that work on wireless IP networks. Completely different architecture; completely different networks; two different animals.

I have a wireless phone at my home that won't interface with my wireless network of light switches.

This is yet another thing that separates real phone systems from Cisco. You need to tell this person that they have a lot more serious considerations to make than keeping up with the bunch at the next tee. That's what it's all about. There are not many system manufacturers discussed on this forum that can't offer the true benefits of VOIP without the ridiculous cost and limitations of such products.

If they were so great, I'd guess that many of us here would be selling their products. Therein lies the difference. You really owe it to yourself and to this industry to "just say no". They've made up their mind; let them live with it. That's the only way they are going to learn.

Ed Vaughn, MBSWWYPBX