The short answer
Yes. Cisco devices speak standard SIP and register to our Asterisk-based hosted PBX. 36 models are listed below with their exact status, plus the gotchas that actually cost people time. If your model is not on the list, it is very likely still fine — send us the number and we will confirm.
Cisco is the brand where the answer genuinely depends on the firmware rather than the model number, and getting this wrong is expensive. The same physical 8841 handset can be a standard SIP phone or a device that will only ever talk to a Cisco call manager, depending on which firmware image is loaded. Anyone who tells you "Cisco works" or "Cisco does not work" without asking which firmware is guessing.
Models and status
| Range | Models | Status |
|---|---|---|
| IP Phone 6800 / 7800 / 8800 with MPP firmware | 6821, 6841, 6851, 6861, 6871, 7811, 7821, 7841, 7861, 8811, 8841, 8851, 8861 Standard SIP once running Multiplatform firmware. | Standard SIP - supported |
| Same models with Enterprise firmware | 7800 and 8800 series on Enterprise images Must be converted to MPP first. Check licensing before you commit. | Conditional - ask first |
| SPA Series | SPA301, SPA303, SPA501G, SPA502G, SPA504G, SPA508G, SPA509G, SPA512G, SPA514G, SPA525G2 End of support but functional. Fine to reuse, not to buy new. | Standard SIP - supported |
| SPA ATA | SPA112, SPA122, SPA232D, SPA2102, SPA3102, SPA8000 Analogue adapters. The SPA3102 also has an FXO port. | Standard SIP - supported |
| Older SCCP-only handsets | 7940, 7960, 7941, 7961, 7945, 7965 on SCCP Some can be reflashed to a SIP image, many are not worth the labour. | Conditional - ask first |
Ordinary SIP. We will provision it. We have not bench-tested this exact model, and we say so rather than pretending otherwise.
Works only under a condition: particular firmware, an unlock from your current provider, or an adapter. Check with us before buying.
How we set them up
We work with Cisco phones running Multiplatform (MPP) firmware, which is ordinary SIP and provisions like any other handset. Enterprise firmware phones must be converted to MPP first - a supported but deliberate migration that needs the right image and, for some models, a licence.
Gotchas worth knowing
These are the things that cost real hours when nobody warns you about them.
- MPP versus Enterprise is the whole question. Enterprise firmware speaks SCCP or Cisco-flavoured SIP and expects Unified Communications Manager. It will not register to us.
- The SPA300 and SPA500 series are past end of support. They still work and we will happily register them, but they are not receiving security updates and should not be bought new.
- Converting Enterprise to MPP is a one-way trip on some models. Do not start it on a working system without a rollback plan.
Bringing existing Cisco hardware to us
If you already own these, you almost certainly keep them. A handset that is not locked to another provider moves by changing three fields — SIP server, extension, password — which we do as part of setup. We do not sell handsets as a condition of service, we do not rent them to you, and we do not lock them. If you leave us later, the phones are yours and we release them.
Hosted PBX is $99 CAD a month for the phone system and up to 10 extensions, then $8.40 per extension after that. If you would rather own the server outright, we build on-premise systems from $1,500 and the hardware is yours.