I have bad luck with telephones. I am beginning to think it isn't luck and may not be me. Some of my worst sound quality conversations are when I am on the phone with the phone company. Of course, I could rant and rave about the quality of service (Why is it that when I call them, I have to give my telephone number at least once to the automated menu system and then again to each person with whom I talk?) or lack therein, but I know from experience that if I file a report on poor quality lines, they will send someone out who will determine that there is no problem. I know this is beginning to sound like a review of the telephone company, but it isn't.
I bought this phone about two years ago for an amount that I no longer remember exactly. I think it cost me about $120 at the time. I don't like paying a lot of money for a telephone, but I wanted something that might actually work for me. This one does at times. When it doesn't work for me, I think the great gremlins (They couldn't be small and do this much evil!) inhabiting my house may be at work.
I had a 900 megahertz phone and it did a fairly good job, but had a limited range. I boosted the power in search of range and to improve the sound quality. That is when the real trouble started. I went through a parade of 2.4 GHz phones that I never liked. Finally, I gave in and bought this Uniden 5.8 GHz phone. One of the things I liked about it was that I would have two phones to work with and could easily interchange them if one died. Well, that was the thinking at the time and it may work out if I ever have one to die on me. I do love a good requiem, but not at my expense, so no death is a good thing.
At one time, I would not own a cordless phone. This was partly because the sound quality was so poor early on. It was also because the security wasn't all that great early on. Times changed and, eventually, so did I. This is a digital (DSS) cordless phone. As I have stated, it came with two handsets and an equal number of bases for keeping them recharged (one is a base unit with a lot of features), but it can be expanded to a total of ten handsets. It is a single-line phone, but that is all I need. If I want to talk to more than one person at a time, I'll simply include the voices in my head. I don't need extra lines to do that and it is unlimited talk time for free, although the medication is getting a little expensive. Besides, it does support some conference call capability for up to four people, although I haven't tried it and obviously don't need it.
Each handset has its own keypad and display screen. I like that except when I shove the phone between my cheek and my shoulder to free my hands. I keep pushing buttons when I don't want to push buttons. Why can't I ever find that headset when I need it? Yes, you can easily plug a headset into either or both of the handsets. These keypads will let you retrieve voice messages, do callbacks (I think one of my has about the last 60 or so calls I have received), keep up to ten numbers in a speed dial, retain the last few (3 or 4?) numbers you dialed, adjust volume of ring or the voice you hear (from the phone, not your head), and, oh yes, you can dial a number. I’m sure I have forgotten something. I usually do.
The base set will let you do anything the handset can do, plus more. It includes a speakerphone, its own display, a button to help you find where you put the handsets (I'm about to wear that one out), set up voice mail, and other stuff that I don't remember since I don't use it. Actually, you can set up voice mail from a handset, too. Oh, there is an intercom feature, too, although I don't know why you would need it. Just do like my mother did - stand at the stairs and scream.
Every component supports caller ID to the level offered by your telephone company. Ever since I got caller ID, I'm finding new and good uses for it - mostly to avoid solicitations from people and organizations that legally get around the do-not-call list.
I do have something to say about those buttons. On one of my handsets, I have worn the print of the caller ID button. This is the button that takes you to the list of people and/or phone numbers that have called you. Yes, you can see the list on each handset and the base unit. You can also delete numbers individually or in mass on each of those units, but it will apply only to the list on that unit. Still, I wonder how long it will take before I rub the print off too many of the buttons.
The range is great! On many occasions, I have gone to the mailbox out at the edge of the street or wandered next door when a neighbor waved me over. None of that distance gave the slightest change in sound quality. During all this roaming, I was always within about 200 feet of my base unit. I haven't tried to see how far I can take it.
I am impressed with the batteries, but they could have done a better job. The custom battery looks like a bundle of four AAA batteries that have been shrink wrapped together along with connectors. I wish they would simply set it up as needing four AAA batteries and simplify life for us! Still, the ones they supplied have done me well for at least the two years I have had the telephones. That's better than the one-year warranty. Uniden claims you can have up to a week of standby time. That is probably fairly accurate, although I have never tested it. I have had my phone off the charger for up to about three days and still had power to hold a decent-length conversation. Of course, you'll have to understand that the reason it was off the charger was that I wasn't near the charger when I completed my last telephone conversation, so the battery already had some "talk" time on it. They claim the fully charged battery is good for up to six hours of talk time. Again, I haven't tested it, but I believe I've taken it past five hours. Even if the battery is about drained and you are in the middle of a long conversation, it is easy to go to the other handset without hanging up and continue the conversation. If you need a conversation lasting longer than twelve hours, you probably need more help than I do, but you can let the drained first handset recharge some while you drain the second one.
I refuse to place a telephone in my bedroom. When I go to bed, I don't want to hear from anyone. If I'm still awake, I can barely make out the telephone ringing at the other end of the house and can answer it if the mood strikes me. If I'm asleep, it doesn't ring loud enough to wake me at that distance. When I'm up and about the house, I have trouble hearing anything upstairs when I'm downstairs and trouble anything downstairs when I'm upstairs. For my doorbell, I simply put in an extension so it rings on both floors. Having a second handset on the other floor works for the telephone. To make sure it makes even more noise, I use two different "rings" on the handsets. Of the approximately twenty offered, I could find an extra one that was relatively fun to hear repeatedly, but that is a factor of my own unusual tastes. I did say I like requiems, didn't I?
I should mention that the display on the handsets gives off enough light to work briefly as a nightlight, should you find yourself in the dark and need some light. Fortunately and unfortunately, it will not stay on long. This is good if you are using it as a telephone. It is bad if you are using it as a nightlight.
When I talk on the telephone, others have no problems hearing me. Actually, that is not always true if I am using a headset, but that is more of a factor of the headset quality and how well I am using it, so let's not ding the telephone because of that. Regretfully, I cannot always hear others so clearly. Now, there are volume level choices, but that isn't the problem. I get static. It isn't just this telephone. I've had static on every phone since I left the 900 megahertz behind. It isn't consistent and usually isn't too bad. I can't trace it to anything else in the house. It doesn't matter if the microwave or my computer or the heating/cooling or anything else is running or not. I've tried all sorts of combinations and have found no pattern. I know it isn't my magnetic personality. It doesn't seem to matter where I am in the house. Some have suggested that my computer is causing interference simply because it is on any telephone line in the house. That isn't the case since I have fiber optics to my computer and not a telephone line. I have even installed filters on the lines leading to all my telephones. I simply get static from time to time. I don't think I can blame the static on this particular telephone. It has to be the gremlins. They are plotting against me along with those voices in my head.
Are the voices in your head telling you to get a new telephone? If so, you may want to consider this Uniden. You could do worse. If you can do better, I haven't found it. Other than the print wearing off one button, I have no complaints about the telephone that I know is the telephone's fault. I think the noise comes from another source that I have yet to discover. My gremlin traps don't seem very effective. I suspect you would not have the same problem with static. I also suspect you will like this telephone. I'm going to have to go now. The voices in my head are telling me to hang up.
UPDATE::: 15 February 2007
The static problem is dead! It took getting the right telephone repair person. He did a heroic job that others simply passed on as "someone else's problem and not in the scope of my work". I'm all praises about the phone! By the way, I have since bought a more expensive Panasonic phone, but since I cannot find it for sale anywhere except at the local Sam's Club (even Sam's Club doesn't offer it online, I will not be able to write a review on it. The particular model I got has 4 handsets and is not mentioned on the Panasonic web site or any shopping site I've been able to find. Although it is good, I prefer this Uniden.
Refurbished 5.8GHz Cordless Phone , Single Line Operation , Expandable Up To 10 Handsets , Digital Answering System , DirectLink™ Mode , 100 Station...More at FactoryOutletStore
5.8GHz Digital Expandable System with Digital Answering System and Caller ID./10 Handset Maximum Expandability UNIDEN 5.8GHz Digital Expandable System...More at Compuplus.com
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