Cordless Phones II

[BillyP]

Do any of you guys have/had one of those AT&T 5.8GHz cordless expandable phone system? Sams Club has them for 198.57. Comes with 3 handsets too.

Features

5.8GHz Digital Spread Spectrum
Frequency Hopping Technology for very best clarity and privacy
Two extra handsets, chargers, and batteries included, which do not need phone jack
Three belt clips and three wall mounting adapters included
Add up to three more handsets, model 5800
Handsets are headset compatible, the keypad is lighted, there is a line-in-use indicator, hold, mute, and last 10 number redial
Each handset has an analog and digital clock display
50 name and number directory for storing frequently called numbers
Sound Select offers adjustable handset audio performance for better listening
Digital answering system with three voice mailboxes, call screening, remote access of messages, and a call counter
Speakerphone in handsets and base for hands-free conversation
Caller ID/Call Waiting - lets you see who is calling, even if you are on a call
Intercom, 2-way page, and conference calls between the base, cordless handsets, and outside callers

AT&T 5.8GHz Cordless Expandable Phone System

 

[thcri]

No, I don't have one of them phones, but maybe should!! I can tell you what not to buy and that would be anything my wife has bought. She sure has had bad luck in the last three years buying cordless phones. I think we have now had 7 of them!!! /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

They just don't last.

murph /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Do any of you guys have/had one of those AT&T 5.8GHz cordless expandable phone system? )</font>

Not me, but we do have the Panasonic Model KX-TG2382B (Triple Talk) with most (but not all) of those features that we got from Sam's Club a little over a year ago. We like it so well, we also got the same system for one of our daughters last Christmas.

 

[mathey]

We have the same units that Bird has... BJ's had them packaged with the base and two remote units (3 total handsets) for $150 with the model # as KX-TG2383B. NIce phones, lots of great features, we're happy.

 

[bebster]

I just saw these new models in Costco the other day and have the same questions. Here's an article that sheds some light on this topic. The primary benefit of 5.8 GHz models is the avoidance of interference with 802.11b wLANs and microwaves. Range isn't any better (or worse) than the 2.4 GHz models.
NEW 5.8 GHz cordless phones: are they better than 2.4 GHz?

 

[RichZ]

Interesting article. I just bought a 2.4 GHz two phone set, so I could have a phone in my barn, which is only a few hundred feet from my house. But...the phone in the barn works poorly, and sometimes not at all. Yet, there is no interference of any kind nears us, because our neighbors are not very close. I understand why it works poorly during bad weather, but when it's nice and clear, it doesn't work as well as it should. And it's not a cheapy system, if I remember it's made by AT&T.

 

[BillyP]

Well, I done all the research I can stand. I think I'll go for the AT&T 5.8, even though it only uses 5.8 from base to handset. One of the reasons (main reason I guess) is it has a battery backup, for the base, when the power goes out.

Thanks to everyone, I appreciate you time to reply.

 

[bebster]

You really can't trust the published range stats on these devices. Seems like nobody gets those distances reliably in real life. Walls and trees even affect the range.

My barn is a few hundred feet from the house, and I'm going to dig a trench and run wire so I can have the barn an extension. Cordless might work, but I can use the trench for other things.

 

[AndyM]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Do any of you guys have/had one of those AT&T 5.8GHz cordless expandable phone system? Sams Club has them for 198.57. Comes with 3 handsets too. )</font>

I remember when the 900 MHz phones came out from AT&T, they were selling for the same price. Then the 2.4 MHz phones came out, and they were also slightly under $200.

I now see the 900 MHz phones for $9 and the 2.4 MHz phones for $20. Wait a year and see what you can get one for...

 

[Chuck52]

Consumer Reports just rated them. If all you need is good reception around the house, and you're not worried about evesdropping, as many of us rural types won't be, they suggest four $30 900 MHz phones as best buys. As some of you noted, the range you get with some of the higher band and higher cost phones often doesn't do as much as advertised anyway.

Chuck