Category: Tech

For many companies its important to have an experienced employee able to guide and train new employees on procedures and customer support. In order to do this a company needs to utilize three main items. The first is a headset and the second is a training cable and the third is either a bottom cable or an amplifier.

There are three different companies that have training cables for use with corded headsets.

Jabra:

1) Jabra Y-Training Supervisor Cable with Mute Button:

This cable allows to plug in 2 Jabra corded headsets for training purposes, allowing to mute one of the microphones (trainee) and splitting to outgoing sound to 2 people at the same time, this cable is fully compatible with the Jabra link 860 Digital amplifier and with all the button cable from Jabra for desk phones.

2) Jabra Link 850 Training/Supervisory Cord with mute:

For people who have the Jabra Link 850 amplifier there is a training cable specifically designed to work with it and has its own jack on the side of the amplifier. This cable allows a second headset to be plugged into the Link 850 and has capability of being muted by changing the setting on the cable.

3) Jabra Link 265 USB y-training cable:

The last Jabra/GN Netcom training cable is designed specifically for soft phones and has a USB connector that plugs directly into the computer. This cable works specifically with corded quick disconnects such as these headsets. This training cable is unique in that it has a volume/mute button built directly into the cable in case the trainer needs to mute themselves or adjust the volume.

(Side note: There is no training cable on the market that allows two USB headsets to be connected to it for training purposes.)

Plantronics (poly):

1) Plantronics Y-training/Supervisor cord/ cable splitter with mute:

Plantronics only has one training cable which has a mute toggle switch allowing only one person to talk at a time depending on which side of the switch is down/up.

This cable works with all Plantronics QD h-series headsets and can also connect to a computer with a QD to USB training cable such as the Poly DA 75:

By connecting this cable to the bottom of the training cord you can plug in corded headsets to the computer in case your company switches to soft phones in the future.

2) Plantronics M22 Vista amplifier + Plantronics Y-Training/Supervisor Cord:

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This is an amplifier is fully compatible with any desk phone in the market, no matter if its analog line or VoIP as long as you have a corded handset (receiver). The Y-Training cable mutes one of the microphones for training purposes while the M22 offers a rich sound quality for both parties at the same time. Fully compatible with with all Plantronics H-series headsets.

Zoomswitch:

1) Zoomswitch Wireless Headset Training Adapter (no return):

The Zoomswitch adapter is designed to work with any wireless headset no matter the brand with your desk phone. The switch will split the incoming sound into both wireless headset and allows to mute one or both microphones of the wireless headsets. This adapter is recommended for wireless headsets and is not EHS compatible, for the same reason even if your VoIP has the EHS capability you will need to get a mechanical lifter for remote answer.

All of the training cables mentioned above work with their corresponding manufacturers headsets and only those headsets. For example: Only Plantronics training cables work with Plantronics H-series headsets.

If you have any questions or need any further assistance please call Jeremy at 1877 999 3838 or email at jeremy@headsetplus.com.

If you want your Plantronics C540 or your Savi 7210/7220 wireless headset to be compatible with your computer in an easier way possible you can get the APU-76 adapter, pictured below.

This adapter is an easy plug and play solution for your CS or Savi desk phone wireless headset. One of the ends gets plugged into the base of the wireless headset, the other into any of your USB-A ports and the computer will recognize the headset as an incoming and outgoing sound device. If you need to make basic adjustments you will need to go to the Sound settings on your computer, but if you need to make advanced adjustments like side tone or notifications you will need the Poly Lens software on your computer and up and running. The Poly Lens can adjust not only volume and call controls or notifications, but can let you know battery talk time in real time on the screen of your computer.

For all in wireless headset solutions, See our blog on Headsets that can be used with both desk phone and computer

Jabra Wireless Headsets

For Jabra users the transition would not be as easy as with Poly/ Plantronics users as the Jabra Pro 920 wireless headset was designed exclusively to be used with desk phones only. If this is your case and you love Jabra quality, perhaps would be a good time to upgrade your wireless headset to the Engage 65 or Engage 75 wireless headsets. These headsets offer a really comfortable wearing style, in either Mono light weight headband, rich stereo sound quality or ultra light over the ear ear hook with a really discrete microphone boom arm. Offering a higher encryption chipset, making it more secure than regular DECT headsets and fully compatible with desk phones and computers at the same time with no need of additional adapters as they come with all the cable needed for this interaction. Built in busy lights are found and more noticeable for piece of mind when on a call and having to let people that you are busy without the need of doing gestures or shutting doors. The Engage family will be recognized by the computer as a incoming and outgoing sound device and basic setup can be controlled from Sound settings of the computer. Advanced customization can be found using the Jabra direct software, letting to increase the wireless range, adjust the side tone, customize the turn on or off of the busy light among others. The Engage 65 and 75 are designed to be used with desk phones and computers, however if you only need a wireless headset for your computer the Engage 55 would be your way to go, thanks to its Link 400 dongle allows you to have a similar range as the 65 or 75 without all the base and with a more discrete interface that is accident tolerable as its bendable, allowing to leave the dongle plugged in when traveling.

Let’s look at how to adapt older Plantronics or Jabra wireless headset to work with a computer via the USB plug. Many of the models of headsets (Plantronics CS500 series, Jabra Pro 920, etc.) are created to work with an office phone and not a computer. Today, we will be looking at how to adapt a standard wireless headset to be used with a computer and office phone simultaneously!

The simplest solution to this problem is purchasing a Zoomswitch designed for this purpose. The cheaper method involves purchasing the Zoomswitch ZMS10 (pictured below).

This Zoomswitch is an add-on device that can enable your headset to work with a computer. It also has a button conveniently placed to make switching between your phone and your computer a breeze! When you purchase this unit, it comes with everything you will need in order to hook up a standard wireless headset to your computer!

The other Zoomswitch that can be used for this purpose is the ZMS20 (pictured below)

This model (ZMS20) has all of the same functionality and features as the ZMS10, with a few bonus features included. This model enables you greater control over the audio of your device. This model includes a built in amplifier for the USB side of the device. This enables greater control of the audio when speaking through the computer. Another feature it offers is a mute switch for both the phone and computer applications. This means it is really easy to switch between devices, adjust the volume, or mute your headset with the simple press of a button!

– Which Plantronics headset QD  (quick disconnect) cable will work with my phone?

A question that we are asked daily is, “Which connection cable do I need for THIS headset to work with my phone?”

Well first off, almost all headsets & parts are proprietary into their own brands. So, while there may be a few oddball cables out there that claims to work with the big name-brand’s equipment (ie. Plantronics, Jabra, etc.), let’s keep this simple & stay within the same brand as your headset. For now, let’s assume that you have a Plantronics headset (Called an H-Series Headset).

All corded headsets for Professional Office phones require 2 parts; the headset itself, and then the connection cable. This cable will vary depending upon your phone’s brand & sometimes even the model number. While most of these phone’s will use an RJ9 modular plug, that doesn’t mean that “Any old headset will work just because it has an RJ9 plug.” On the contrary!  Each phone manufacturer wires their headset ports different from one another. So remember, just because it fits…doesn’t mean it’ll work.

There are simply far too many phone brands to mention them all in this blog, so for sake of space (And your attention span) I will just list the most commonly used brands & which cables will work with them…in conjunction with a Plantronics H-Series Headset.

• CISCO  Phones – For most of the Cisco phones (Generally those with a model number in the 7900, 8900, or 9900’s with a dedicated headset port) you will use the Plantronics Cisco/M22 Cable.  However, if you have a Cisco/LinkSys “SPA” model phone, then you would use a special cable, simply called the Plantronics SPA Cable.
• POLYCOM  Phones – For Polycom phone’s it can be a bit tricky. For most of the Polycom IP phones you can ONLY use the following model headsets from Plantronics (HW710, HW720, HW510, HW520, HW540, H31, H81N), in addition to a cable called the Polaris Cable. However, if you have the following Polycom SoundPoint models (IP320, IP321, IP330, IP331, Pro SE220, or Pro SE225) then you can use ANY of the Plantronics H-Series headsets in conjunction with the 2.5mm to QD Adapter Cable.
• NORTEL, NEC  Phones – This is the single most commonly used cable in the industry…called the A10 Cable. This comes in 2 flavors; the standard A10, or an A10-12 High Output Cable (Which is exclusively designed for use with the Nortel phones due to its low level onboard amplifier). Essentially, if you have an NEC or a Nortel phone with a dedicated headset port…you are almost certainly going to be using an A10 Cable, along with ANY Plantronics H-Series Headset.
• SHORETEL  Phones – Shoretel’s also use the A10 standard cable, along with ANY Plantronics H-Series Headset.
• AVAYA  Phones – Once again, Avaya phones have 2 different cables depending upon your phone model.  For the most part, if you have an Avaya 9600 or 1600 series phone (With a dedicated headset port) you will use the HIS Cable. However, if you use any other Avaya phone model and it has a dedicated headset port, you will almost certainly use the HIC Cable instead….again, with an H-Series Headset.  Call us if you are unsure.
• YEALINK  Phones – For Yealink basic desk phones with a headset port on the back you are required to use the Plantronics Polaris U10P-S Reversed Cable, you need to be careful when ordering your cable as there are different models of Plantronics bottom cable with similar names and can get confusing, this plus any of the H-Series Headset.  For newer desk phones with a USB port on the top or side like the Yealink T54W or T57W if want a corded headset you can get a USB-A headset from Poly, the recommended here would be the Blackwire 5210 USB-A as this will work as plug and play as long the USB port on the Yealink is enabled. For Yealink cordless phones like the W52P you will need the Plantronics 2.5mm Quick Disconnect cable 18 inch and any of the H-Series Headsets, for W56P/W56H/W53P/W53H you are going to need the Plantronics 3.5mm Headset Smartphone Cable Apple iPhone, 18″ and any H-Series Headset or if want to make it simpler you can get the Blackwire 5210 USB-A and simply plug in the 3.5mm jack headset into your cordless Yealink phone.
  
• PANASONIC  Phones –This one is simple…if you have a Panasonic phone with a headset port (Small round hole, called a 2.5mm port) then you can use ANY of the Plantronics H-Series headsets in conjunction with the 2.5mm to QD Adapter Cable.
• My Phone Has No Headset Port – If your phone has no dedicated headset port, then you will have to use an “External amplifier” such as the M22 Vista along with the H-Series Headset. Almost all handset/receiver ports (Even though they are RJ9) don’t have enough power to amplify any headset.