Pros: Inexpensive, attractive, easy to set up. Ring and call volume loud and clear.
Cons: Keypad not lit. 13 minutes recording time. Only 11 presets, 20 digits for each.
The Bottom Line: Based on my experiences with low-priced cordless phones and answering machines, I think that this phone is a good value, and performs well.
I had been a subscriber to Sprint’s Voicemail service for six years, and had been happy with the service. However, in an effort to cut expenses, I thought the $8.95/month ($6.95 for the service, plus an additional $2.00/month for Call Forward Busy/Call Forward No Answer, which are required in order to use the service) would be better spent elsewhere, so I went looking for an inexpensive answering machine. At the same time, I was in the need of replacing my cordless telephone, so I was in the market for a combination cordless telephone/answering machine. Never having owned such a unit, and not wanting to spend a lot of money, I looked at inexpensive models, and found the 900 MHz units to be the cheapest. The least expensive one I found was the Uniden EXAI978. After I looked at the phone and its features, I decided to give it a try.
The Uniden EXAI978 is a nice looking phone, taking up little footprint on the counter. After installing the battery, I plugged the unit into an AC outlet, initially charging the battery for 24 hours (the manual recommends at least 15-20 hours before using for the first time). I then connected it to the phone jack and began to set it up. Although the base unit has several buttons, the phone talks you through the entire set-up process after pressing the menu/clock key. Your selections are repeated by the male voice on the answering machine speaker, and also shown on the two-digit LED display on the front of the unit. I found this very intuitive and easy to use, and had everything set up in a matter of minutes. The options are as follows:
Security Code is used to play your messages from a remote location, a two-digit number (01-99). Not the most secure code, in my opinion - I would have preferred a four-digit security code, but I suppose a home answering machine only needs to be so secure.
Ring Time can be set to answer after two, four, or six rings. In Toll Saver mode, the answering system picks up after two rings if you have new messages, and after four rings if there are none. Personally, the only times I would be checking my messages would be from my cellular phone (where minutes are not much of a concern), and then only rarely, so I left this set at four rings.
Record Time can be set to 1 minute, 4 minutes, or announce only. The system only provides 13 minutes of recording time, so if you expect many calls, you might want to limit callers to the 1 minute option.
Message Alert feature lets you know you have new messages by sounding a short beeping tone.every 15 seconds. I have the phone in a location that is easily visible when I enter my home, so I did not choose to enable this option.
The answering system voice announcements can be heard in English, French or Spanish.
When you receive a call, the answering system automatically plays either a preset message or your own greeting. I tried the preset message, which is, “Hello. No one is available to take your call. Please leave a message after the tone.” spoken by a male voice. However, my daughter, who lives out of state, complained that she was not sure that she had dialed the right number, so she asked me to record a personal greeting, which I did. The greeting is recorded by speaking into the base unit.
Ringer volume on the base unit can be set to off, low, and high. The handset has two different ring tones, each of which can be set to either low or high, and the ring tone can be muted. Both are very easy to hear. Base speaker volume can be set at a level from 0 to 9. Earpiece volume can be set to low, medium, high, or maximum, and is very clear and loud.
One thing I thought was odd: The base unit has a rather large speaker, and is capable of playing calls. There is also a microphone on the base unit, used for recording a personal greeting. Despite both of these capabilities, this unit does not have speakerphone capability. Maybe this is a bit much to ask of a combination unit selling for under $30.
Only 10 numbers can be stored on the handset (actually, 11, if you count the RocketDial number, a one-touch feature to dial your most-frequently-called number). Storage is limited to 20 digits per number. This made it impossible to program a complete number to be dialed using a prepaid calling card. It is possible, technically; I store the AT&T number in one location, the calling card number in a second, and then use the other eight memory locations for stored numbers. You can use the phone’s Chain Dialing feature to activate the right number at the right time.
The phone has a CallerID feature; however, I do not subscribe to this feature, and thus cannot comment on how well it works. However, the display is rather small, but clear enough and backlit.
Features: Digital Answering System - The product utilizes microchip technology (no more tapes or moving parts.) This ensures clearer r...More at Clearance.net
Features: Digital Answering System - The product utilizes microchip technology (no more tapes or moving parts.) This ensures clearer r...More at Clearance.net
Features: Digital Answering System - The product utilizes microchip technology (no more tapes or moving parts.) This ensures clearer r...More at Clearance.net
Features: Digital Answering System - The product utilizes microchip technology (no more tapes or moving parts.) This ensures clearer r...More at Clearance.net
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