How to hard reset Polycom SIP phones for use with on-site PBX
I recently authored another article on how to hard reset some Aastra SIP Phones that we purchased second hand for use at our office now that we have an on-site PBX system.
You can see that article here: https://coderwall.com/p/gqyvvw and all the details of how to solve it.
The summary is that hosted PBX providers typically restrict your access to the system settings so you cannot mess up the boot server settings, etc. However if you don't know the password, you have no choice but to do a factory reset to start using these phones on a new system.
I ran into a similar problem with some Polycom sets but it was much more gruesome because all of the authoritative details on the web didn't work. We had three Soundpoint IP 550s, one Soundpoint IP 331 and one SoundStation IP 5000. The password on all of them had been changed from their default "456" and nobody knew what they were. These are probably the same ones you'll find if you are having the same issue as me, but all my research showed links like the following:
Get Satisfaction
Junction Networks
Fonality
Polycom Support Forums
NONE of the steps outlined in these links actually worked for me.
All of the above links identify the correct steps but take the following adjustments into consideration if they are failing you.
1) I had to use CAPITAL letters for the character portions of the Firmware reset password even though all articles say to use lower case.
2) As this is a standard numeric keyboard with no letters, you have to press the numeric key multiple times to achieve letters when in letter mode. For example, 1 pressed twice is a B, but pressed three times is a C. Then wait a second or two until the cursor comes back before entering the next letter.
3) Switch back and forth between letter mode and numeric mode. Don't think that pressing the 1 key FOUR times will then enter the numeric version of the key. The screen is unfortunately not user friendly and you cannot see the active character you are entering. All characters show as stars all the time.
4) Also, I likely contributed a user error. Like on a computer, I am used to holding a key or key combination long enough for the operating system to boot and then I let go. On these phones, after you've restarted them, hold the specified key combination of 4 6 8 * or 1 3 5 7 depending on the phone BUT DON'T LET GO just because the auto-boot screen pops up. Literally continue holding it down until the screen changes automatically to a password screen. Note that if you press the "Setup" button when the auto-boot screen pops up, it'll go to a password screen that looks identical but where every attempt to authenticate will fail. Unfortunately I banged my head against a wall for almost 2 days because of this.
After it finishes resetting configuration, you'll be able to use the default password of 456 again. This also applies to the web login. You can access the device on your network by accessing it's IP address in the browser and a username/password combination of Polycom/456.
Written by Tim Fernihough
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9 Responses
I bought a 550 from another business. They don't know the password. I have tried exactly what you suggested, with no luck. Once the enter password screen pops up, I have tried using the mac address...it will accept it...but once I then go to try and use 456, it tells me that I have entered the wrong password.
Help!
Hi James, thanks for the response.
So after you enter the Mac address, what happens? Does the phone go into a "Resetting configuration" process?
Tim
Great article, as I am trying to do this as well. However I am running into issues I cannot figure it out. I'm typing in the MAC address as described, but it keeps saying Sorry, please try again. However, when ti does say that it says Reset to Factory above "Sorry, please try again" so I'm guessing I'm holding down the key combinations properly.
At this point, I have no idea how else to reset this sucker.
Depending on the UC Software Version, pressing the key combinations from the beginning will not work. Here is what you have to do: After powering the phone, when you see the "Loading Application" press Cancel which will cancel the loading process. Soon after you will see a Countdown (5 sec Until Boot) - this is when you press the Key combination and you will be prompted to "Enter the Reset Password" which is the MAC Address (do it fast before the countdown ends in order to get the reset pass prompt).
To give you more info, if you press the key combination and the phone loads the application and shows Info/Mac and then shows the lines registered or extension number, then it will not work.
I just want to contribute that this line right here "BUT DON'T LET GO", enlightened the hell out of me. I kept getting to what I thought was the password to reset, but wasn't. I also spent days on this completely unable to understand until I saw your instructions.
Thanks so much for putting this goodness out on the internet. If only it ranked higher in the search results!
@hisnameisjimmy - glad it was able to help someone else. That was the hope. I find myself Googling in desperation in situations like this and when I can't find a solution but stumble onto one on my own; it's almost an obligation to share (if you're a good person of course lol).
Have a great day.
For the IP6000, most of this was right.
Sometimes on initial boot, it wouldn't take the 68* combination.
EDIT wait until the polycom logo dissapears before pressing 68*
The password prompt on the IP6000 is exactly the same whether you go to 'setup' or whether 68* works, BUT, the mac address will only work at the prompt generated by 68* , not at the setup prompt. If 68* doesn't switch to the password prompt before the countdown is over, try it again. Then enter the mac address (Capitals for Letters), making sure to wait for the cursor before moving on to the next character. If it's an F for example, there will be no feedback that you've switched from d, to e, to f, just know that you have to hit it 3 times.
I have a IP6000 that will not show the setup menu after any combination. However, it also doesn't seem to have a working http server for the web configuration utility either.
I bought 2 Polycom IP 5000s on eBay for quite cheap but they were both bricked by the previous owner's phone provider. I found that the reset procedure depends on the current firmware version.
My phones were one each of firmware 3.x and 4.x. My VoIP provider is Ring Central.
For the 3.x phones, when you first power up the device, you need to press the "About" button. It will prompt for a password which will allow you to enter the MAC address in all caps. I'm using a Linksys router. Once that is done I had to configure a static IP address (192.168.1.100), DNS (192.168.1.1), and most importantly, the name of the VoIP configuration server (https://pp.ringcentral.com/pp). It was also important to clear the previous login name and password. The phone then proceeded to reboot and Ring Central's server then proceeded to update the firmware to 4.x and load the correct cfg files. It is not necessary to do either the 4 6 8 * nor 1 3 5 7 routine.
For the other IP 5000 that was already at firmware 4.x, it was necessary to interrupt the boot sequence by holding down 1 3 5 7 and then enter the MAC address again in all capitals. (At that point the password is reset to 4 5 6 but you don't need it) You can then configure the network parameters like use DHCP, VoIP config server, etc. to point to your own VoIP box. Again it is important to clear the login name and password too. Note that in firmware 4.x there are 2 countdown timers: a 10 second one and a 5 second one. Only on the 5 second countdown timer can you do the 1 3 5 7 to enter the MAC address.
If at any point you fail to put it into the low-level configuration mode, the current cfg files will re-brick the phone with the previous VoIP provider's passwords so you have to start over.
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