Connecting a Plantronics CS60 to your Computer / PC

Phone and Headsets has learnt of a little tip which enables you to connect a Plantronics CS60 headset to a computer. Plantronics actually sells a Plantronics CS60 USB headset that is designed to work on a computer, but what if you have already purchased a normal CS60. Who want to have to buy more expensive equipment, especially during the Credit Crunch!!!

The problem is that the Plantronics CS60 only comes supplied with a lead that plugs into a normal telephone handset. However Plantronics also sell other connection cables that allow headsets to connect into a computer. All we need to do is purchase the correct leads, and we can then plug your CS60 headset into the computer.

The first lead we need to purchase is called the Plantronics U10P cable. This is a lead that will plug into your CS60 and then ends in what Plantronics calls a quick disconnect / QD plug.

Plantronics U10p lead

Next we need to purchase the lead that will plug into the U10p’s Plantronics quick disconnect / QD plug, and then plug into your PC. There are two available and both will do the job. One lead will allow your CS60 to connect into the PC via a USB socket, the other into the computers sound card.

Plantronics USB Lead

The USB option for your CS60 is called the Plantronics DA40. This will connect into the U10p lead and then allow you CS60 to connect into the USB port. You may be wondering how the PC will understand you have just connected a headset. Well the Plantronics DA40 is actually designed to do just this.

Plantronics DA40 Cable

Plantronics Sound Card Option

In case you are unaware of what your computers sound card socket is, it is the speaker and microphone socket usually on the back. If you want to connect your Plantronics CS60 into your computers soundcard then you need a cable called the Plantronics Proshare cable. This lead works by connecting into the Plantronics U10p lead above, and then into the computers sound card socket.

Plantronics Proshare Cable

This little trick is not limited to just the Plantronics CS60 headset. You can also use the same technique with the Plantronics CS70, CS351, and CS361.

Plantronics Dect CS60 v C65 What Is The Difference? - Buying Guide Help

There are two Plantronics Dect wireless headsets on the market that look the same and are both Dect. However one is nearly double the cost of the other and it is really hard to get a clear answer what the difference actually is.

Well phone and headsets is here to clear up this mystery once and for all. We are going to strip away the technical jargon, and actually tell you the difference between the Plantronics CS60 and C65 Dect headsets.

Firstly we have to look at what the Plantronics CS60 and C65 are actually used for. The Plantronics CS60 is to be used with a corded phone on your desk, and the Plantronics C65 is to be used with a Dect cordless telephone.

Plantronics C65 Dect Wireless Headset

Dect actually stands for digitally enhanced cordless telephony, and the Plantronics C65 Dect headset works with Dect cordless phones. These Dect cordless phones usually have the ability to register up to 5 or even 6 additional cordless handsets, which mean you can have extra handsets in different rooms.

How the Plantronics C65 headset works is by pretending that it is actually an additional cordless handset, and registering to the phone as one. This means that when the cordless phone rings, the Plantronics C65 also rings and you can pick up the call.

This makes the Plantronics C65 great for answering incoming calls, but what if you want to make a call. Well the problem with the Plantronics C65 headset is that it doesn’t have a keypad to dial any numbers. To make an outgoing call you actually have to dial on the cordless handset, and then transfer the call to the Plantronics C65 headset.

This means that there is a delay and does not make the Plantronics C65 very effective if you make a lot of outgoing calls. If you use the C65 headset for long outgoing calls then this delay will not happen on a regular basis. As the Plantronics C65 headset is much cheaper than the Plantronics CS60, for a lot of people this is not such an issue.

Plantronics CS60 Dect Wireless Headset

The Plantronics CS60 is designed to work with an existing corded telephone, the type that sits on your desk and has a handset with curly cord. Complete with its own base the Plantronics CS60 transmits its own Dect signal to the wireless headset. This is one of the reasons that the CS60 is more expensive than the Plantronics C65.

Built into the base of the Plantronics CS60 is an amplifier that allows you to tune the headset into the telephone you are using. This means that unlike some corded headsets, if you can unplug the handset the Plantronics CS60 is compatible with the phone. This also means you can adjust the volume of the Plantronics CS60 to your preference, giving it excellent quality sound.

Another benefit of the Plantronics CS60 compared to the C65 is that you can make an outgoing call very easily. As the CS60 basically becomes the telephones handset, the telephone works in the same way as it always has but the call is on the headset. This also means that if your telephone is on an office system, you can still transfer calls and use the telephone systems features.

What is the Plantronics CS60 HL10 Lifter For?

You can even answer calls on the Plantronics CS60 away from the desk. If you imagine normally answering an incoming call you lift up your telephone handset. Well this is exactly what the Plantronics HL10 lifter does.

Plantronics HL10 Lifter

Once connected a simple button press on the Plantronics CS60 headset will activate the HL10 lifter, which in turn lifts your phones handset answering the call.