[off topic] Dect phones and call id

[dmc]

I know this is not really DIY (opposite I guess - the alternative is running phone cables everywhere :-)) but I posted in uk.telecom a few days ago but have had nothing useful. As DECT phones have been discussed on here before I'm looking for some advice...

I posted:

----- I'm looking for a twin handset DECT phone pack for a christmas present for my parents. Key requirement is two handsets and caller display *that displays the name from the phonebook* for incoming calls.

I did think that the Synergy3100 twin would be perfect but at 100 quid most places its a little over my price - I was looking to spend about 80 quid for the pair.

Caller ID is essential - this needs to be linked to the phonebook entries (as it is on the 3100) so there needs to be a decent sized phonebook. How standard it this? I have heard rumours that not all do it...

Being able to make internal calls between the handset maybe useful. Speaker phone would be nice but is not essential.

While looking on the BT site for the 3100 I notice that they have the Synergy

600 twin pack on offer for 60quid which seems a good price but I can't tell if it does what I need. In particular, I am a little concerned that the webpage offers a callid box to go with it - does this suggest that the phones callid is a little lacking??

Any other suggestions? A 10 entry phone book is really no good - probably

40 min and it *must* be linked to the callid feature.

----------

Since posting this both the Synergy3100 twin and the Synergy600 twin are now out of stock at BT (and they don't seem to be able to suggest if/when they will have more!

Cheers,

Darren

[David Hearn]

I got an NTL twin pack from Homebase a year-ish ago. Cost £45 or something (with £10 worth of points back!). They don't do that model there any more though I've seen other NTL ones there from time to time (including sets of 4 for about £60 or so I think).

Does caller ID from phone book and there's plenty of spaces in it - though I can't remember exactly how many it has. No problems with it.

D

[Angela]

about 80

phonebook. How

twin

suggest

I have used this company a couple of times before and they have quite a few in your price range for under £80. What I would say is avoid Betacom and Binatone as their quality is crap. There is a BT Freestyle 2010 twin pack with caller ID and 27 phonebook for £79.99.

[Elessar]

Philips Kala Vox has the caller-id feature you want and 40 address book entries (20 "friends", 20 "family"). Costco were doing the triple-pack at a very low price a while ago.

[David W.E. Roberts]

One thing I have found (quite possible I may be doing things wrong) is that the phone book is specific to a single handset. i.e. you have to go round all your handsets entering the same entries. Our Philips Onis and our BT Synergy 2100 both do caller ID from the phonebook, but it is a while since we bought them so presumably been replaced by newer models.

HTH Dave R

[David Hearn]

Ahh yes, I found this too with our NTL one... quite annoying as you put in a number downstairs and then can't figure out who called you because you're looking at the upstairs handset and that didn't have the number....

Having the base station store the numbers would be a neat idea, but may well not be part of the DECT standard and hence may not be possible.

D

[Bob Mannix]

Ah, what you want are the Panasonic ones, like what I've got. You can transmit the phonebook from one handset to another.

[BillR]

Ahh, that would actually make me use the phonebook. Having to program all 3 of ours separately means that it just doesn't get done. Now, if they had a PC interface to do from that would be handy ..

[Angela]

entries.

been

I have a Philips Onis 200 and it has a shared as well as individual handset phonebook - So I programme all the numbers into the shared phonebook and voila.......no problems with not knowing who is calling!

Angela

[dmc]

Yep. I've noticed some that offer this "shared phonebook" but most of the ones I have found are out of my price range :-(

Still, having posted this I get a call from a friend who is now working in a phone shop. She thinks they have a Synergy 3100 twin in stock and should be able to do it for about 80 quid for me. If so I think she has solved my problem - one more pressy that I can cross off of my list.

Sometimes life is sweet :-)

Thanks for all the info!

Cheers,

Darren