Vtech IP8100-2 5.8 GHz Twin 1-Line Cordless Phone
- Digital Technology: DSS
- Expandability: Up to 4 cordless handsets (2 included)
- Multi-Line Operation: Single Line Operation
- Transmission Band: 5.8 GHz
- Type: Cordless Phone
- Features: Caller ID Call Waiting Speakerphone Interphone Voice Mail LCD Display
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An excellent product! Quality exceeds expectations
Pros
Excellent volume, long battery life, caller ID & illuminated keypad
Cons
Documentation could be better, phone menu took work to figure out, Vonage Only
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
If you like Vonage service & are in need of a new cordless phone, buy it! You won't be disappointed.
I bought this cordless phone set-up at Best Buy about 2 weeks after it came out. Since I am the first reviewer & there was little information out on it I took the chance. I have been needing long distance phone service for quite awhile & opted to go with Vonage due to their reasonable rates & the fact they are one of the more established VOIP operators. This phone works with Vonage ONLY. It will not function as an ordinary telephone & can't be used with any other provider as it is hard coded for the Vonage system.
I paid $149.99 for the phone & it came with a $50 rebate after 2 months of continuous service making the final cost $99.99. Truthfully, a few years ago I wouldn't have seriously considered a Vtech phone product as their quality was suspect at best. (Made in China) I worked retail back then & got a number of returns of their 900MHz phones due to quality problems. Those days are officially over. The new Vtech phones seem well made & reliable. This phone is no exception. Before I had a Panasonic 2.4GHz & this phone is just as good a quality, if not better. It operates on the 5.8GHz band & won't interfere with 802.11 wireless networks. This phone integrates into the base the Vonage router with ethernet connections to hook up to your cable/dsl internet. I'm using mine with a 768/384kbps DSL line. Vonage recommends you have at least 90kbps continuous upload speed for top quality service.
In the 2 months I've had the phone now I haven't had a single quality issue or dropped call. The sound quality is just as good as a traditional phone line & I find the volume on the phone to be excellent. Many cordless phones I find it difficult to hear the other party but not this one. I routinely call a friend of mine in Canada & have saved a boat load compared to what I would have paid on my old line. (6 cents a minute vs unlimited calling for $24.99 a month plus tax now!) The range on the phone seems to be quite good. I can go out in the back yard over 300ft from the base without any problems. Battery life is very long, I can average at least 5 or 6 hours of continuous talk time on a single charge. Since you actually get 2 handsets you can switch out to the other handset if you manage to run the battery down. This enables you to talk essentially non-stop. (Although Vonage does have a 4 hour time limit, but you can simply call back & continue your conversation)
The LCD display on the phone is easy to read. There are controls for both a phone book to store numbers (up to 50) and the ability to scroll through the caller ID to see previous missed calls. Programming in speed dial numbers did take a little work because the printed manual was vague but the included cd-rom had a more indepth online manual & better explained things in my opinion. Once I read it I had no problems configuring any of the phones functions. The phone has a direct connection to check your voice mail by holding down the 1 key for a couple seconds. This saves you a lot of time rather than having to dial your voice mail number to check messages. There is also a light on the base that blinks when you have a message so you can tell looking across the room if you have a message or not.
In addition to the usual redial & mute keys there are a few interesting functions on the phone that I have played around with but haven't actually used in my day to day life. These include a speaker phone so you can use the phone while not holding it, an intercom function.
The actual handset is an attractive silver/black combo and the base is silver. The phone feels solid in your hand & the plastic doesn't seem flimsy. The base is well constructed & very slim (vertical configuration) so it fits on the desk taking up a minimum of space. The 2 handsets have their own chargers & ac adapters, the base also has an ac adapter. The unit is expandable with up to 2 additional handsets (4 total) so you can put them all over your house in the necessary locations. The extra handsets cost $49.99 each.
I paid $149.99 for the phone & it came with a $50 rebate after 2 months of continuous service making the final cost $99.99. Truthfully, a few years ago I wouldn't have seriously considered a Vtech phone product as their quality was suspect at best. (Made in China) I worked retail back then & got a number of returns of their 900MHz phones due to quality problems. Those days are officially over. The new Vtech phones seem well made & reliable. This phone is no exception. Before I had a Panasonic 2.4GHz & this phone is just as good a quality, if not better. It operates on the 5.8GHz band & won't interfere with 802.11 wireless networks. This phone integrates into the base the Vonage router with ethernet connections to hook up to your cable/dsl internet. I'm using mine with a 768/384kbps DSL line. Vonage recommends you have at least 90kbps continuous upload speed for top quality service.
In the 2 months I've had the phone now I haven't had a single quality issue or dropped call. The sound quality is just as good as a traditional phone line & I find the volume on the phone to be excellent. Many cordless phones I find it difficult to hear the other party but not this one. I routinely call a friend of mine in Canada & have saved a boat load compared to what I would have paid on my old line. (6 cents a minute vs unlimited calling for $24.99 a month plus tax now!) The range on the phone seems to be quite good. I can go out in the back yard over 300ft from the base without any problems. Battery life is very long, I can average at least 5 or 6 hours of continuous talk time on a single charge. Since you actually get 2 handsets you can switch out to the other handset if you manage to run the battery down. This enables you to talk essentially non-stop. (Although Vonage does have a 4 hour time limit, but you can simply call back & continue your conversation)
The LCD display on the phone is easy to read. There are controls for both a phone book to store numbers (up to 50) and the ability to scroll through the caller ID to see previous missed calls. Programming in speed dial numbers did take a little work because the printed manual was vague but the included cd-rom had a more indepth online manual & better explained things in my opinion. Once I read it I had no problems configuring any of the phones functions. The phone has a direct connection to check your voice mail by holding down the 1 key for a couple seconds. This saves you a lot of time rather than having to dial your voice mail number to check messages. There is also a light on the base that blinks when you have a message so you can tell looking across the room if you have a message or not.
In addition to the usual redial & mute keys there are a few interesting functions on the phone that I have played around with but haven't actually used in my day to day life. These include a speaker phone so you can use the phone while not holding it, an intercom function.
The actual handset is an attractive silver/black combo and the base is silver. The phone feels solid in your hand & the plastic doesn't seem flimsy. The base is well constructed & very slim (vertical configuration) so it fits on the desk taking up a minimum of space. The 2 handsets have their own chargers & ac adapters, the base also has an ac adapter. The unit is expandable with up to 2 additional handsets (4 total) so you can put them all over your house in the necessary locations. The extra handsets cost $49.99 each.
