V Tech VT 2417 - Have you been phone shopping recently?
Written: Jan 18 '04 (Updated Jan 19 '04)
Product Rating:
Pros: Modern technology at an excellent price, build quality, headset feature, 2.4 GHz Wireless.
Cons: A new brand on the market.
The Bottom Line: I currently use the VT 2147 in my home office, but I am considering buying an additional VT 2147 to use in my bedroom. I trust this phone.
dj_white_rice's Full Review: Vtech VT-2417 2.4 GHz 1-Line Cordless Phone
Have you been phone shopping recently? It can be a little overwhelming.
Maybe your like me, a guy with a phone that chirps and cuts out after a few minutes of using your old wireless home phone, or perhaps your a lady who has a prehistoric wireless house phone from the 1980's that you haven't replaced because it's become part of your family. If you can relate to either of these scenarios the Vtech VT 2417 2.4 GHZ wireless phone may be what you need.
I bought my first and recently retired wireless phone shortly after they were invented it seems. It has been a good phone and has treated me well, but like all good things there comes a time that they need to be laid to rest.
New technology can be intimidating.
So what do you do when you walk into a store looking for a new phone? There are numerous new technologies that put old phones to shame, not to mention the headache that comes with trying to figure out the changes that have occurred in technology since you bought your last phone, the new options that are considered standard, and what features are you might actually need. To help you with your decision there are several tools you can use. First, you can read product reviews like this one. Second, you can create a list of all the features you know you need on your phone and take the list shopping with you. Third, you can read the actual product boxes in the store. Don’t get intimidated, just do a little homework in advance and then stick to your features shopping list.
Create a list of feature “must have’s” before you go shopping.
As a general rule you will be best served going by preparing a list of things that are most important to you before you step outside of the house to go shopping for your new phone. Doing so could very well save you a plethora of cash.
My personal needs were somewhat simple. I wanted the newest technology that I could get for under $30.00. Yes, I know that sounds really cheap, but I rarely have opportunities to use the phone at my home. Until recently I did not have a whole lot of incoming phone calls, however things have picked up recently and having a phone that cuts out or begins chirping due to an old battery is no longer tolerable. Regardless, I have learned that I can save a lot of money and get the technology I really need by writing out a list of what I absolutely have to have in advance. I encourage you to do the same.
What's the difference between 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz and 5.4 GHz?
There are four main types of wireless home phones that are currently on the market. The original 300 MHZ phones, 900 MHZ phones, 2.4 GHZ phones, and 5.4 GHZ phones. If you’re not up-to-date on the differences you could end up wasting a lot of money. I found that some manufactures are selling old technology for the same price that you can have the current standard technology. For instance, one manufacture of a more recognized electronics brand was selling their old 900 MHz phone for the same price of the Vtech VT2417 2.4 GHz phone. Other than this company having a well known name, there was no reason why anyone should want to purchase old technology. I found in my experience of buying phones in the past that name brand phones are not necessarily better phones. Often times companies trying to enter a technology market will deliver a better product with more features at a lower price in order to be competitive. This can be a big advantage for you the shopper, even when purchasing a phone. The Vtech VT2417 is such a phone.
So what is the difference between a pre-900 MHZ, 900 MHZ, 2.4 GHZ, and 5.4 GHZ phone?
Several things:
1.) Price
2.) Technology and wireless frequency security
3.) Options and features
You can make a better purchase decision by reading the boxes.
Prices range between $15.00 for a pre-900 MHZ or 900 MHZ phone to $300.00 for a new multi-unit 5.4 GHz phone. By reading the boxes carefully, you can sometimes get newer technology for the same price. It’s a headache, but it can payoff.
As far as MHz or GHz goes in phone lingo, it's all about the frequencies that the phone uses and the level of security you have from people ease-dropping in on your wireless phone conversation. Remember, wireless phones simply send your voice scattered into the atmosphere to then be picked up and translated into a digital or analog phone to the person your talking to. It's like a Warlike-Talkie and anyone with the right scanner and frequency can listen to your phone call conversation. The new higher frequencies are supposedly more secure and in less use. The less phones using a frequency, the less static or crossover conversations you might hear in the background of your phone. This is also why wireless phones have more than one channel to send your voice signal to the phone. The VT2417 has 30 different channels.
So how does the Vtech VT 2417 phone fit into all this?
This phone is a 2.4 GHz frequency phone. This is the current standard of frequency for wireless phones. 5.4 GHZ technology is new to the phone market and carries the highest cost.
The advantage of the Vtech VT 2417 phone is that you can obtain 2.4 GHZ technology for around $20.00. If you’re like most people, you'll never use all the amazing features of a $200.00 or $300.00 phone. Yes, you may feel really cool because you have a space age phone. But, if you never end up using the benefits of having those features available, you’re wasting a lot of hard earned cash for nothing.
Get the features you need instead of the features you'll never use.
After spending about 3 hours reviewing the phones currently on the market, I decided on the Vtech VT2417 phone. It was a good choice for the minimal features I needed.
Knowing what you need and having a list before you go shopping will save you a lot of time and money.
The VT2417 is an attractive black wireless phone with some really excellent features.
It comes with a belt clip so you can carry your phone with you to the laundry room, garage, garden or from bedroom to bedroom.
It has a headset jack so you can wear one of the low cost headphone/microphone sets and work hand free. This is perfect for those times you need to talk and while working on a project or some other important task.
As I already mentioned, the VT2417 uses a combined 2.4 GHZ and 900 MHZ technology to give you a fair amount of distance and arrange with reasonable conversation protection.
Several features I personally enjoy about this phone.
One thing I especially like about this phone is that the phone sits upright in its cradle. This provides you with the benefit of having a solid connection between the unit and the phones cradle so that it can properly recharge itself. If you have one of the old wireless phones like I have just replaced, you will appreciate this feature since you probably have had your battery go dead from it not making a solid connection while lying down. An upright cradled phone is also easier to pick up since it is already upright and in cases where your desk space is limited you will find that it takes less space. A wonderful feature to consider if you are buying this phone as an extra phone to have on your computer desk.
Additional features of this phone.
Other features include easy to access volume control buttons directly on the phone, the ability to store 10 speed dial phone numbers, 30 different channels in case your phone it picking up the neighbors drill noise, 4 different ringer sounds (Nice if your bored with the standard ringer), and low power usage so you can talk longer without your battery dying on you. It also of course comes with an easy to access redial button.
Programming the VT 2417
Programming this phone is very basic and really simple. I was surprised at how easy it was to program the features on this phone, especially considering my old wireless phone never ended up being programmed due to its complexity.
Sound Quality
Obviously, the clarity and quality of a phone is especially important. I was impressed with the sound quality of the Vtech 2417 in comparison to the phone I have been using over the past 10 years. I also think it is clearer than my digital wireless cell phone. My mom actually sounded like my mom when I called her.
Has this ever happened to you?
Another feature I appreciate is the fact that pressing any button during a phone call will pick up the phone. That is a nice feature compared to my old phone that required you to press a certain button to pick up the phone. I've missed phone calls trying to find the correct button while watching a movie in a dim room or while running to answer a ringing phone and then having to pause and stare at the phone to make sure I press the correct answer button. This phone eliminates that altogether.
My final thoughts.
I bought my Vtech Phone for $19.00. I admit that I had never heard of Vtech before. At first I was looking at phones by Motorola which were in the $50.00 to $80.00 price range. I also looked at the phones by Uniden with a twinkle in my eyes. Remaining faithful to my trusty pre-shopping list helped to protect both my pocket book and sanity. We live in a time that almost anything you can buy comes in multiple shapes, sizes, colors, and levels of user sophistication. It can take hours just to decide which product is best. I find it difficult to go into a store to buy something and not leave having spent way more money than I had anticipated. What makes this more frustrating is paying more for features that seem urgent and desirable at the time only to later learn that you never actually use them. There's nothing wrong with doing that way if you have a lot of money or your on a credit card spree, however as someone who is trying to control their spending and limit the amount of debt I carry now so I can buy a house later, I can't survive without my list.
The Vtech VT 2417 is so far proving itself to be a durable and high quality phone and for around $20.00 you really can't go wrong even if you do not use it as your primary phone.
Enhanced 2.4 GHz Technology 10 Number Speed Dial Headset Compatible (2.5mm) Programmable Ringer Type Power Saving Circuitry for Extended UseMore at Amazon Marketplace
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