The Cisco SPA525G2 5-Line IP Phone with Color Display (Figure 1) is an excellent choice for businesses that require an enhanced user experience with a hosted IP telephony service, an IP private branch exchange (PBX), or a large-scale IP Centrex deployment. Part of the Cisco Small Business Series, the SPA525G2 uses industry-leading SPA voice over IP (VoIP) technology from Cisco, with high-quality hardware providing additional connectivity via Bluetooth, PoE (802.3af), or a Wireless-G client (802.11g).

Standard Cisco SPA525G2 features include five active lines, VLAN-capable dual switched Ethernet ports, 802.3af PoE support, a 3.2-inch QVGA color display, a full-duplex, high-quality speakerphone, a Bluetooth interface, a Wireless-G (802.11g) client, a 2.5-mm stereo headset port, and a USB 2.0 host port. Each line can be configured independently to use a unique phone number (or extension) or can use a shared number that is assigned to multiple phones. The power supply for the SPA525G2 is sold separately. The optional SPA500S 32-button attendant console adds up to 64 buttons for receptionist positions.

The Cisco SPA525G2 IP Phone further improves the user experience with VPN and video surveillance applications. It includes an embedded AnyConnect Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) VPN client that allows remote users to securely connect to their phone system and make calls over the Internet, without the need for additional hardware. The SPA525G2 also provides users the ability to view video feeds from Cisco WVC2300 and PVC2300 Business Internet Video Cameras, allowing users to quickly see different locations around the business in order to improve physical security. The SPA525G2 is part of the Cisco SPA500 Series IP Phones, a robust portfolio of small business phones providing a rich user experience that includes HD voice, on-phone applications, and intuitive menu options.

The Cisco SPA525G2 provides encrypted signaling, media, and provisioning information, using state-of-the-art technologies such as Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) over Transport Layer Security (TLS), Secure Real Time Protocol (SRTP), and HTTPS to secure communications between the phone and service provider. Cisco SPA Secure Remote Provisioning provides a highly secure mechanism for the service provider to remotely manage the phone/user configuration and software upgrades.

The Cisco SPA525G2 IP Phone can also be used with productivity-enhancing features such as VoiceView Express and Cisco XML applications when connected to the Cisco Unified Communication 500 Series in SPCP mode.