Two specialized Cisco phones are deployed around the district: the 8831 conference station in meeting rooms, and the 7841 in classrooms. This article covers what each is for and how to use the conference unit.
Classroom phones (Cisco 7841)
Every classroom has a Cisco VoIP 7841 phone with a black and white LCD display. It handles basic calling — placing, answering, holding and transferring calls — and is the fastest way to reach help or emergency services from an instructional space.
- Dial 911 for emergencies. If you dial 911 by mistake, do not hang up — wait for the operator and tell them you dialed in error.
- Dial 9 before the number for an outside call.
- Dial 4 digits for a district extension.
Everyday call handling works the same as on any Cisco desk phone — see Using Your Desk Phone.
Classroom phones also carry Informacast emergency broadcast messages through the speaker, overriding volume and Do Not Disturb settings.
Conference room phones (Cisco 8831)
The Cisco 8831 teleconference unit is a two-piece device: a display control unit (the keypad you interact with) and a sound base (the speaker sitting in the middle of the table). It is designed for meetings where several people in the room need to join one call.
Capacity: a conference call of up to 6 people. If you need more participants, or video, use Zoom instead.
Parts of the unit
| Part | What it does |
|---|---|
| Phone screen | Displays menus and features. |
| Softkeys | Show the options available for whatever the phone is currently doing. |
| Navigation | Two-way navigation bar with a Select key, for scrolling menus and choosing items. |
| Call button | Go off hook, answer an incoming call, get a dial tone, resume a call, or release a call. |
| Keypad | Dialing and entering letters. |
| Mute | Toggles mute on and off. |
| Volume | Raises and lowers the speaker volume. |
Make a conference call
- Press the Call button.
- Dial the number of the first participant.
- When they answer, press the More softkey.
- Press the Conf softkey. The first participant is placed on hold.
- Dial the number of the next participant. Press 0 for external calls.
- When the call connects, press the Conf softkey.
- Repeat until everyone is in the conference.
If a participant can't join
- Press the End Call softkey to disconnect from them.
- Press the Resume softkey to continue with the other participants.
Mute
Press Mute to mute the microphones. Press it again to come off mute. You can mute from the speaker, the microphone, or the dialing pad.
Hold and resume
- During a conversation, press the Call button. A hold icon appears on the screen.
- Press the Resume softkey to take the call off hold.
Transfer
- Press the Transfer softkey.
- Dial the number you're transferring the call to.
- Press the Transfer softkey again.
Call forward (diversion)
- Press the Forward All softkey.
- Enter the number. Dial 9 for an external number.
- To cancel forwarding, press Forward All again.
Wireless microphones
Wireless microphones can be added to the 8831 to pick up voices from around a larger room more clearly. They are microphones only — they do not replace the speaker on the sound base.
Before you begin
The microphone must be off before you can pair it. When it's off, the microphone's LED is off. To turn it off, hold down the microphone button until the LED turns solid red, then release.
Pair a microphone
- Press the Apps softkey and select Admin Settings → Wireless Microphones.
- Select Wireless Microphone 1 or Wireless Microphone 2.
- If the channel is available, a Pair microphone 1? or Pair microphone 2? prompt appears with a Pair softkey. If the channel is not available, you must Unpair the existing microphone first.
- Press the Pair softkey. A message confirms pairing has begun.
- Put the matching microphone into pairing mode by pressing its Mute button until its LED is solid red.
- On success, the screen returns to the Wireless Microphones menu and displays Mic X Paired Successfully!
Softkey reference (8831)
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Answer | Answer an incoming call |
| Apps | Access applications and settings menus |
| Call | Place a call to the dialed number |
| Callback | Get a notification when a busy extension becomes available |
| Calls | List connected calls |
| Cancel | Stop the current operation |
| Conf | Create a conference call |
| ConfList | View conference participants, and highlight one to remove from the call |
| Contacts | Enter the contacts menu |
| Divert | Redirect a call |
| End Call | End the active call |
| Fwd All | Forward all incoming calls |
| Hold | Place the active call on hold |
| Messages | Set up, check or listen to voice messages |
| More | Display additional softkeys |
| New Call | Place a new call without disconnecting the current one |
| Park | Park a call and display its details |
| Redial | Redial the most recently dialed number |
| Resume | Resume a call on hold |
| Speed Dial | Place a call to the selected entry |
| Transfer | Transfer a call |
When to use Zoom instead
The 8831 handles audio conferences of up to 6 people well. For larger meetings, video, screen sharing or recording, use Zoom. The Cisco Conference Now and WebEx services were not purchased with the phone system, so Zoom is the district's conferencing platform.