I am looking for an expandable phone system with one base and two extensions. I have been reading different opinions on so many different web sites my head is spinning. Has anyone had a good experience with a particular phone system that they could recomend?
Hope I'm not off topic. I love this newsgroup.
Thanks,
TM
Seimens gigaset is good but range is very poor maybe 40ft. Check Hammacher Shlemmer they test what they sell and try to sell only the best. But best of all offer a lifetime warranty. They replaced my unit no questions asked.
I have the Panasonic MultiTalk, 2 extensions in my 2800 sq ft home, one up and one down.
It works great, but the known flaw is that the phones must be kept on the base between calls because the battery isn't great at holding a charge.
I've only had the battery die on me once in the 3 months I've had the phone, and that's a way better record than my previous cordless sets. I suppose it all depends on how much use the phone gets, ours would be considered moderate.
I really like the system, it was the best I found after doing a lot of research, but then again technology is changing by the minute so who knows?
Another plug is that I have the phone system to support a voice over IP phone service, and I'm loving the reduction in cost, which is far more of an improvement than the slight inferiority of the service, which actually seems to be getting better all the time.
If anyone is interested in that they can email me at snipped-for-privacy@nc.rr.com Do not reply to this mail because it's an anti-spam address.
And no, this is not a commercial message or an MLM!! There is a perk for users of my phone service though, should we refer customers, which both the new and existing customer benefit from.
I'm using the Motorola 2.4 ghz system. Allows up to 4 handsets. Range is adequate, it just barely covers my 1 acre. To me, it beats out the Seimens gigaset on sound quality. Could improve on battery life. it cannot be out of the cradle for more than a day. The worst flaw it has is deleting messages and the caller ID log. There is no way to blanket erase all messages from the answering machine. The caller ID log must be cleared from each handset and the base seperately. A big pain.
Beware of phones that beep on power failure. I threw a Vtech out the window for that. Could not sleep at night. THe Motorola has a battery backup so it will operate during power failure.
Motorola private labels this phone. Someone else actually makes it for them.
It has a private and shared directory. THe difference is one is stored in the base for all to use and the other is stored in the handset. The scrolling speed on the shared directory is not so pretty good so I don't use it. Each can hold 50 numbers.
I just got the Panasonic KX-TG5110M 8.5 gig single line system. It comes with two headsets. I have not had a problem with it and it seems to have a very good assortment of features. I like the large displays and easy of use. Not cheap however Just over 200 US including the two extensions (note, the base will function as a speaker phone, as do the extensions, and the charger for one extension is on the base. Add about $70 for each additional extension.
Any specific questions?
Not the OP (sorry to hijack thread), but I am also in the market. I currently have a Siemens gigaset (not sure of model offhand, but it handles two lines and is a year or more old) with two cordless handsets (the base has a wired handset). It has built in digital answering machine with 4 mailboxes. It can handle up to 4 or more handsets.
I really like the voice announcement of caller when it recognises the caller ID (main reason I bought it), but there are lots of things I don't like about it. My biggest gripe is that the caller ID is only displayed for a few seconds. If you don't get to a handset quick enough, you miss it. Also, answering an incoming call from a cordless handset is a pain. It's hard to describe, but you can't just grab the handset and press a button. Sometimes that works, but often it doesn't. It requires different actions depending on whether or not the handset is in the charger or not, and whether or not the answering machine has picked up or not, and also seems dependent on the phase of the moon. Another gripe is that picking up the handset after the answering machine has picked up (remember, it's built in) doesn't stop the recording. One more minor beef: it won't let you delete a saved message until it starts playing it. If you press delete while it is announcing the message number or time or date, it just beeps at you.
So:
The siemens unit I have was expensive, and it works very well with excellent range and sound quality, but it usability is really, really poor. So poor, if I found another brand or model that worked the way I wanted it to, I'd switch. Unfortunately, details like the questions above are never printed on the box. So I appreciate hearing from those that like their systems better!
Paul Franklin snipped-for-privacy@nospam.hotmail.com you know what to leave out.
Joe i didnt know phones were out in the 8.5 ghz range yet . Hammacher Schlemmer offers several systems . One for 269 also has a fax and copier and up to i beleive 8 cordless units , of course these units are made and keep the label of the mnfg. The point of Hammacher Schlemmer is Everything they sell they give a lifetime warranty to. , from bread makers to DVDs to Telephones, to Vcrs. Many a time ive purchased equipment that blew at the 13th month on a
12mo warranty, and yes once i was so pissed i bought a new unit and returned the old . I got the original Gigaset, but after the warranty was expired it didnt record right. I called Hammacher Schlemmer they sent me a NEW unit WITHOUT receiving the old one and gave me 30 days to do so ... Thats My kind of Company H. S.Lifetime warranty on what they sell and NO BS....
Another idea for you folks.... NIMH batteries have 30 - 45% greater Capacity than NiCads, In other words your equipment runs 30 - 45 % longer. Radioshack and others now carry NiMh replacement Packs for most phones. Mine is great. Check out Hammacher Schlemmers deal first I think you will find the life time Warranty is worth it . From A to Z they have a few things but all things best and warranteed for LIFE
Panasonic has a two line model, I am not sure of all the other features.
Mine has three mailboxes
Mine can handle up to 8 headsets total.
No announcement, well maybe I should check on that, I can't remember for sure. I have seen some with that feature, but and I was looking at that feature, but with the phone close to me I can read it on the remote, which has a nice size three line display. The base unit is even larger.
I have not missed one yet, I believe it stays on until answered.
I have mine set that way. It can also be programmed to answer when it is removed from the cradle without pushing a button, like a corded phone.
Mine will interrupt the answering machine, even after the caller is leaving a message. It seems to cut off the announcement, but I am not yet sure, I have not had enough experience yet.
Right now I am not sure, but if I remember correctly, mine does allow a delete anytime the message is playing.
I don't remember, I think it listed that feature. It does offer different rings, but that is a different feature.
The Panasonic web site has a great interactive video instruction for this model. I went through it and it will answer most of your questions. It was that video that helped me decide on this unit. As you say they don't list many of the questions you, and I had, on the box on the specification list.
We have the Vtech 2.4ghz base and 2 extensions and have had good luck with them. They are a couple years old now, so I can't give any info on the latest model.
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