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GRP Series
Buyer's Guide

Here at Grandstream, our 20+ years of experience has helped us continue to offer some of the best IP phones in the world, with the latest example being our GRP series of Carrier-Grade IP Phones. The GRP2600 series are next-generation IP phones that are designed for mass deployment by enterprises and services providers, making them a powerful and reliable option for small-to-medium businesses as well. They feature sleek designs, a seamless user experience, available Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, zero-touch cloud provisioning and much more.

This GRP series Buyer's Guide provides a streamlined tool to help you get the most out of any GRP series deployment. It walks you through building a modern, powerful voice network, highlights the many GRP features that make them the ideal choice for your deployment, and helps you chose the right GRP model for every need.

The Modern IP Phone

While the demise of the desktop phone has been a popular topic for a few years now, it continues to be a staple of telephony and unified communications deployments. Even as cloud platforms with mobile and desktop apps become popular, the global IP desktop phone market continues to thrive. Desktop phones are central to the way many businesses operate and a familiar and reliable tool for staff. They are central to the way we’ve all become accustomed to communicating and provide the most reliable and dedicated portal for voice communication.

In order to remain a reliable and effective tool now and into the future, the IP phone has evolved in recent years through a variety of improvements and enhancements. As a result, the modern IP phone is easier than ever to deploy while being packed with features that make them more useful than ever. Many modern IP phones offer Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, feature sleek designs, include many customization options, and provide seamless user interfaces. Maybe of most significance, the modern IP phone is simple to deploy and manage thanks to cloud provisioning and management platforms.

Considerations for Building an IP Phone Solution

1. Setup, Provisioning and Management

The power of cloud provisioning and management platforms allows modern IP phones to be deployed without having to touch each phone, provides centralized management and makes customizing devices easy. Grandstream provides the Grandstream Device Management System (GDMS) to provide all of that and more. We will tell you more about GDMS later, but let's take a look at how cloud management has made deploying IP phone quick and easy.

2. On-site Network Infrastructure

There are 3 important factors of the local network that will determine the phones you will want to consider:

Is the network wired, Wi-Fi, or a mix of both?
While most deployments rely on wired networks, VoIP-over-Wi-Fi networks are becoming commonplace as Wi-Fi speeds match wired speeds. Even if you may not need Wi-Fi-capable IP phones now, there is a good chance you will in the near future. The GRP series includes a selection of Wi-Fi capable models that can easily be deployed on Grandstream's range of GWN Series Wi-Fi Access Points.
What is the capacity of the local network in terms of speed?
If the local network supports speeds over 100Mbps and the voice solution will be often relied upon, we suggest deploying phones with Gigabit connections to support up to 1000Mbps. That will allow you to take advantage of the full power of the network and ensure the highest quality of voice communications.
Will you have PoE access where the devices will be installed?
Will there be access to a PoE switch - or are you able to add one? PoE is an efficient way to provide both a connection and power through one cable, simplifying the installation, but it might not be ideal for every location depending on facility layout. If you are using PoE, you will need to make sure the phones you use support it.

Call Volume
Does the user make and receive a lot of calls, or are they on the phone occasionally? Frequent users will benefit from a higher number of lines and SIP accounts to handle numerous calls simultaneously.

Call Activity
Does the user regularly communicate with many people? Does the business want presence on their voice solution? if yes, you will want phones with higher numbers of BLF/speed-dial keys and/or extension modules. Are they transferring calls and putting calls on hold? If so, having access to more lines is helpful.

Connection Type
Wired or Wi-Fi? If wired, does the business' service plan provide speeds over 100Mbps? If yes, you will want phones that support Gigabit speeds for more active users. If Wi-Fi is in use, make sure to choose IP phones that support dual-band Wi-Fi.

Mobility
Will the phone be moved around between different locations in an office? Will an employee be taking it between their office and home? Wi-Fi-compatible IP phones provide a great solution for mobility, but if you stick with a wired connection, PoE is recommended to eliminate the need for a power supply.

Headsets and Speakerphones
Most users will want the option to use a headset, so make sure the IP phones you chose are compatible with their preferred headset. RJ9 has historically been the most utilized protocol and allows for use with EHS wireless headsets, but USB and Bluetooth are now mainstream.

GDMS
The Grandstream Device Management System (GDMS) provides a free, cloud-based provisioning and management solution for the GRP series. It allows the GRP series to be easily mass provisioned, deployed in true zero-touch fashion, and actively managed/monitored by installers and IT staff. Enterprises and service providers can either re-direct to GDMS for device management, or the GDMS API can be directly integrated with their platform. GDMS is hosted on AWS, offering 99% reliability. Create your free account at gdms.cloud.

Zero-Touch Provisioning
It would take forever for service providers and enterprises to have to physically touch each device during provisioning. For these large deployments, devices need to be able to be automatically configured and provisioned as soon as they are plugged in. The GRP series and GDMS provide just that - a voice solution with true zero-touch provisioning. The GRP series can be automatically provisioned in the factory, added to a GDMS account, and then will be fully configured when connected to a network.

Centralized Cloud Management
GDMS also provides a centralized interface to manage, monitor and troubleshoot the GRP Series, including device & account management, device configuration, firmware upgrades, device monitoring, intelligent alarm, and statistical analysis - individually or in batches of devices by site, group and model. It adds security to protect enterprise networks, including bank-grade TLS encryption from end-to-end, two-factor login authentication, two-way certificate verification and encryption of all device information.

Frequent Users
GRP2615, GRP2616, GRP2624,
GRP2634, GRP2650 & GRP2670

Users who handle high volumes and keep in touch with many people
Sales people
Receptionists
Managers, Directors, Executives

The GRP series of Professional IP Phones provide powerful devices with sleek designs, included next-gen features, a second LCD or EXT module support.

5 - 6 SIP accounts
Large color screens, Dual LCD (GRP2616), available EXT module (GRP2615, GRP2624, GRP2650 & GRP2670)
Gigabit ports on both models
Included Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and PoE
Noise-shield technology
Enterprise-grade security

GRP Series vs. GXP Series

Grandstream’s IP phones are used around the world by businesses, schools, hotels, and ITSPs. They provide a desktop device that is feature-loaded, intuitive to use, and productivity-focused. The GRP2600 Series of Carrier-Grade IP Phones is the newest line of desktop IP phones and offers both essential and professional level devices for a variety of deployment scenarios. As the newest series, our GRP IP phones have advanced capabilities that the GXP Series of IP Phones lacks, and it is important to understand the difference between the two lines when making a purchasing decision. Click on the orange dots below to check out this interactive comparison chart and see the differences between the GXP and GRP series IP phones, and discover why you may want to consider updating your current device.

Choose A New IP Phone

GRP Series Essential Carrier-Grade IP Phones

GRP Series
Buyer's Guide