HP has acquired Poly, a company that specializes in video and audio equipment, for a purchase price of $1.7 billion, with a total transaction value of $3.3 billion, including debt. The deal is expected to close by the end of 2022.
Theacquisitionis set to accelerate HP’s foray into the world of hybrid work, coming eight months after thecompany purchasedremote desktop software provider Teradici.
Founded in 1990 and originally named Polycom, the company was acquired by headset maker Plantronics in 2019, after which the two newly merged companies rebranded themselves as Poly. Since then, the company has focused on providing enterprise-grade collaboration products, such as meeting room speakers andcameras,webcams,headsets, and software.
So, you have a Polycom phone in front of you - but you can't get it set up because you do not have the 'admin' password that it is asking for.
If the default password of '456' does not work and may be 'locked up' with a particular VoIP provider.
There is a way to get in anyways, however, and make the phone yours! Read on to find out how..
First, locate the MAC address (serial number) of the phone located on under the phone, and write it down. This will start with either '0004F' or '64167'. Write it in ALL CAPS.
Then, reboot the phone by disconnecting it from power (unplug it, wait a few seconds, reconnect it).
Watch for the 'countdown' screen - this screen displays 'Seconds to Autoload:', and counts down from 10 seconds. During that countdown, depress the following keys simultaneously
** Note: If you don't see this 'countdown' screen, and the phone proceeds to 'loading application', tap 'cancel' on that screen, and the phone will 'cancel loading application', and take you to the countdown screen.
For VVX-Series phones: press and hold the dial pad keys 1, 3, 5 simultaneously during the countdown process until the password prompt appears.
Then, enter the MAC address of the phone (not case sensitive). This can be very tedious because on most models you cannot see which character has just been entered. We recommend writing out the characters you'll need to press in advance, because this is so annoying to do.
You'll need to switch between alpha and numeric characters during this process. We recommend using only the '1->Aa' and 'A->a1' keypad entry modes only, which will let you enter numbers or upper-case characters.
On a VVX-series phone: press the "mode" key to switch between alpha and numeric characters.
To enter an R, in 'A->a1' mode', you need to press the '7' key 3 times: '7 7 7'
For example, to enter MAC address 64167FCECD68, you'd enter the below keystrokes:
If you have a Polycom VVX phone that has been defaulted to Skype. It is very easy to switch it back.
1. Press the Menu / Homebutton 2. Go to Settings> Advanced 3. Enter the password (default is 456) 4. Go to Administration Settings > Network Configuration > Base Profile 5. Choose Generic or Skype
NOTE: An alternate method to access the Base Profile setting is to press and hold the 1, 4, and 9 buttons simultaneously, and then enter the default password 456when prompted.
We have been selling a lot of our VOIP phones lately to companies setting up home offices. There are easy how to videos online how to do it. We will be posting one soon.
The Polycom and Mitel phones can be set up to interact with your office system. Ask your IT person how to do it
Poly is announced as the new formation of Plantronics and Polycom who merged last year. Plantronics paid around $2 billion for Polycom.
Plantronics is to be rebranded as Poly, a word which means many and which is derived from Ancient Greek, following its merger with Polycom last year. The renamed company will focus on four areas of innovation: workspace solutions that address audible distraction in open spaces, as well as technologies that make huddle rooms as powerful as traditional board rooms; technology that allows people to collaborate, their way; mobile-first solutions for the modern workforce; and advanced cloud services that help IT pros and users get more out of their devices.
