Polycom’s V500 provides good video and sound quality, IP and ISDN connectivity, and remote administration. The unit is a solid H.264-compliant video conferencing solution for small and medium-sized conference rooms or telecommuters. Budget-conscious businesses seeking a no-frills video conferencing endpoint should carefully consider the V500. Yet the unit has several limitations that you should understand before making a purchase.

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We tested an IP-only Polycom V500 for more than 30 days. Our review gives you the good and the bad. The V500 delivers good video and sound quality and offers nice features, such as remote administration and management, at an attractive price. The IP-only unit we tested retails $1,999 and the IP/ISDN version costs $2,999. Yet the unit lacks integrated collaborative tools, cannot host multipoint calls, and has a limited range of audio and video connections. These limitations make the V500 a good VC endpoint for locations that need no-frills video and audio communication.

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Visit the this photo gallery for pictures of the Polycom V500 and our tests.