We are a small to medium human service agency with about 300 employees, looking to purchase a VOIP phone system. We currently operate in about 18 different sites, but are looking to purchase a system for two main building that are side by side connected by a parking lot and networked by a wireless bridge. We have two major systems we are looking at, the SV8100 and the UX5000 both by NEC. Between the two sites, we will have about 120 phone stations plus 4 consoles. The vendors only sell one product , not both, so we are unable to get side by side price comparisons. More importantly, the SV8100 is selling for considerably more than the UX5000. Is it superior? If so why or why not? The UX5000 seems to have most of the same feature at much less cost. The vendor selling the SV8100 is our current vendor. We are looking for value and my concern is whether the cost difference is really worth it. For most of our users, clinicians and doctors, they need a phone, voicemail, and the ability to transfer calls. Nothing fancy. I have not been able to get any independent reviews of either product. Any help you can provide would be of great assistance.

ALso what other systems out there are simlair or of comparable value? We like the NEC, but if we can integrate with our other NEC phone at off sites that would work.

Biggest question, is your old vendor serving you well?

We sell the UX5000 and I have been quite impressed with it so far. Quite honestly you might be better served by putting a system at each location, using VOIP to connect them and then using TDM phones at each site. It will be cheaper unless you have all the POE switches. The IP phones are a tad more than just a regular phone. Not to mention but you can use pretty much any cable that exists to make them work.

Coral Tech
Excellent question. My MIS person is very pleased with their service, but compared to whom? We have had them for over twenty years. However after twenty years I am feeling we should get a better discount and/or 2) be offerred more options for such a major purchase. Our current executone system is old and starting to fail at one of the primary sites. We need more options than just the one given in my opinion.

The systems are on the most part twins, with some differences. Pricing should be around the same cost. If there is that much of a difference in cost as you say, then one of the vendors is over charging or the other is leaving something out.

Both system are about the same they use hardware that is similar except the color. The major difference will be in the future. The 8100 will support advanced IP features such as netlink allowing you to link multiple systems together via IP, where the UX5000 will not get the advanced networking feature that are coming. I always recommend picking a vendor then picking the equipment. Almost every phone system made can do the same thing in one way or another. The vendor has to be competent to install it, maintain, and still be around years later. Saying that you have used the same vendor for 20 years is saying something already. How long has the other vendor been in business, how long will they be in business? The 8100 product line cost more than the UX product line to begin with, and a vendor that has been in business for over 20 years is most likely charging more than a vendor that is fairly new. You pay for experience, and reliability.

Umm, smoom the UX5000 already has that called cygnilink.

To add to psallard's post, like he said we are looking into replacing the systems at our two main locations and I plan to network them in the future.

We are opening another location in January and will have approximately 20 employee's there. All of the employees who will be working out of that site are currently at one of the two main offices. I'd like to go with VoIP for them so they can keep their current phone/extension numbers and avoid more phone lines, systems, etc.

We also have two NEC IPK systems that I would like to network to our main offices and I think some of our smaller locations (currently one and two line phones) would benefit from being connected to our main sites via VoIP. It would also allow me to cut down on the number of lines we currently have.

At the rate our Agency changes, moves, grows, etc, my concern is expandability and future growth.

Can the 5000 service and grow with us for the long haul?


ETA: In regard to our current vendor. They have been extremely reliable. They have never charged me for phone support and consistently discount labor and on-site charges, sometimes not charging me at all when they have been in the area and it was something simple.

For My Money The Neax Systems is the way to go. The Sv8100 is an Great switch but for advanced networking the System to Look at is The SV8300. It Cost more, but The SV8300 is a Work Horse.

Answer to your question angelajo, the SV8100,8300 and UX5000 will be around for the long haul.

The SV8100 and UX5000 are, for all intents and purposes the same.

The hardware is exactly the same except for channel differentiation codes in the firmware.
Incorrect. The only thing the SV8100 offers over the UX5000 is PBX connectivity via KCCIS.
An SV8100 doesn't cost the dealer any more than a UX5000, but that doesn't mean a larger enterprise dealer (that also sells PBXs) won't try to sell it for as much as they can get.

For all practical purposes the two systems are identical except for the look of the phones and a few features. If they're charging more for an identically equiped SV8100, then the UX5000 is a better value.

I was an SV8100 dealer and I recently switched to sell the UX5000. A few points for you:

Dealers can't sell both. NEC won't let you.

The systems have virtually identical software and hardware. It's the same software that's on the IPK II right now. There are new features that are coming and both systems should get all the same features at around the same time.

The UX5000 is cheaper to buy then the SV8100. Dealer price is lower and not just a tiny bit lower. I don't know why, but it just is. That's the big reason we switched. The Aspire was priced less then the IPK II too.

The voice mails are NOT the same at all. The embedded voice mail (lower end) is the same, but if you are getting the non-embedded voice mail, that's another story. The SV8100 uses the Active Voice voice mail that NEC has been using on their Elite product line for years. The UX5000 uses the CTL voice mail that the Aspire product line has been using for years. They are totally different voice mail systems made by different 3rd party vendors.

Andy
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