[jpennell]

Having played with two 5801s for a couple of days now, I have the following conclusions...

The hardware seems to work well with no echoes.

The firmware update process is overly complicated and doesn't work properly without help from tech support.

The tech support process is overly complicated and closes tickets within 72 hours of not receiving a response.

I fly in the face of opinion here but I would NEVER recommend using Zoom hardware.

[ezhik]

Originally Posted by jpennell

The hardware seems to work well with no echoes.

Glad you got the right ATA for your needs, and one that works as it is supposed to! I'm also very pleased with mine.

Can I ask which firmware/configuration yours is at?

[jpennell]

One is at 1.1.2 and the other was downgraded to 1.0.7 (both of these are from memory and may not be spot-on).

The firmware upgrade is pretty poo-ey. The unit sends it's mac, hardware version and software version plus a flag stating "upgrade" or "recovery". The remote server then replies with a config file giving the url that an "ece" file (again, I think i remember) could be downloaded from.

Problem is that my units receive a config file which points to an URL which doesn't exist. Syslog shows that the devices then go into a loop of trying the same thing over and over again.

Pretty poor.

There IS no echo but since I couldn't get an upgrade to 1.2.5, I didn't have single-stage-dialling and it didn't meet my needs.

On the plus side, I have got the SPA400 in place of the 2 SPA3102s and no echo!!! Great!

Oh, other than no caller ID cos it doesn't work until firmware 1.0.1.1 but both 1.0.1.1 and 1.0.1.3 don't work....

Linksys are JUST AS BAD AS ZOOM!

[ezhik]

Sorry you have had a poor experience with them, mine has been just the opposite. Although the first 5801 I got was diagnosed as being faulty, (it froze on reboot), Zoom support were first class, even phoning me back at home to try and help me. In the end they recommended to RMA it.

When I got the replacement it was at firmware 1.1.2, I went online and registered it with the update server, and within 30/40 mins it updated to 1.24. So this does work as it's supposed to.

I'd rather be able to download and apply firmware locally, but Zoom don't do it that way. I also gather that v1.25 may have UK localization problems (CID), so I'm waiting for a further update.

I think it was on my recommendation that you got the Zoom, so I'm sorry it didn't work out for you. Going by my own experience with both the product and the support, on balance I would still recommend them again, although would point out that not everyone seems to be able to get the firmware updated smoothly.

[roundaway]

ezhik I agree with you regarding updating firmware locally. If the ATA is unlocked then we should be able to upgrade ourselves, and it would be nice if the firmware would allow us to save the configuration file BEFORE the upgrade -- just in case.

jpennell, sorry your experience hasn't been great, but I've had no regrets here in the states with the 5801 or the service I've received.

It's web sites like these that make DIY worth the effort.

Roundaway

[moon1234]

I think you can do the upgrade locally, but you need to configure a few files on an http server. Zoom has documents that are geared towards VoIP providers who are the main target of this ATA that describe how to setup this http site, which files are needed and how to format them. This would allow you to deploy these ATA's to people at home and have your own locked down configs.

I was thinking of doing it, but the process is pretty involved for a few ATA's.

I still use these ATA and am very happy. My only complaint with it is that, as stated above, the ATA does not always hang up properly on it's own when handling incoming calls through the FXO port. I have solved this with my PBX by having all incoming calls routed through the FXS port on the ATA from the PBX's FXO port. (Think hotline here) All outgoing calls from the VoIP side go out the FXO port.

This does burn two ports on my PBX, but on the plus side I can have both ports on the ATA working at the same time. One incoming call on the FXS port and one outgoing on the FXO.