VTech i5881 5.8 GHz DSS Expandable Cordless Speakerphone with Answering System

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful phone with very poor range
Review: Several days ago I bought a VTech phone identical to the i5881 but without the answering machine component. Loved the cool design (especially the bright blue indicator lights). The phone had all the features I wanted including base keypad and speakerphone and expandable handset capacity. The problem is that it has the worst range of any cell phone I have ever owned. We keep the base set in the kitchen at the back of the first floor of our house and I can't get any remote handset reception in our bedroom in the front of the second floor. Our house is big but not huge. Its a wood framed house not solid masonry or steel which can block reception. Tonight I am returning the phone to the store where I bought it. One other minor problem that I could have lived with, had the reception quality been better: the dial buttons on both base and the handset are very tiny...hard to see for aging baby boomers like me.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful phone with very poor range
Review: Several days ago I bought a VTech phone identical to the i5881 but without the answering machine component. Loved the cool design (especially the bright blue indicator lights). The phone had all the features I wanted including base keypad and speakerphone and expandable handset capacity. The problem is that it has the worst range of any cell phone I have ever owned. We keep the base set in the kitchen at the back of the first floor of our house and I can't get any remote handset reception in our bedroom in the front of the second floor. Our house is big but not huge. Its a wood framed house not solid masonry or steel which can block reception. Tonight I am returning the phone to the store where I bought it. One other minor problem that I could have lived with, had the reception quality been better: the dial buttons on both base and the handset are very tiny...hard to see for aging baby boomers like me.

Rating:
Summary: Great phone, good price
Review: The i5881 is full of features. It has everything that you need on a cordless phone. The quality of the phone is very good. The ringers and phone settings are easy to configure and let you personalize the phone. Call quality is great on both regular and speaker phone. A few minor things that are inconvenient include: the caller ID on the handset and the base do not link up (ex. base says 4 new calls, handset says 0 new calls); the answering machine quality is pretty good, but can use a bit of refinement. It seems like the treble is a little too high. However, everything is understandable. Overall this is a very good phone for the price, and is one of the best phones out currently. The minor imperfections are not enough to lower the rating to a four, maybe a 4.5 but thats not an option.

Rating:
Summary: excellent balance of price, performance, and features
Review: This phone system provides much better performance than many of the reviews I've read. Sound clarity is very good. The base and handset are user friendly. I've added several lcd handsets (5801) and they work great and its nice to download pictures and sound clips to the handsets (5801's only). Speakerphone works great. This system does not interfere with my wireless network. Areas that could be improved : 1) handsets/base should have 1 touch dial feature. 2) Battery backup for base is not included and will cost you around twenty bucks if you shop around. Overall I'm very pleased with this purchase.

Rating:
Summary: Very good phones for Voice over IP
Review: This set of cordless phones is very good for VoIP users. I'm using Vonage and it only requires one phone jack. I have three add-on handsets. Also, since it's 5.8Ghz, it does not interfere with my home wireless 2.4Ghz network. There's a great speakerphone feature on each as well. I found this very useful and better than having to connect a headset to the phone. I also like the fact that each phone has its own caller ID log. I've never really tested the advertised distance capability of these phones but I've never had a problem with it within my 3 story house. The only CON about these phones and the reason I'm giving it a 4 instead of a 5 star, is because the quality isn't superb. Sometimes you can get some static but overall it's a great set of phones and beats the regular 900Mhz, 2.4 Ghz cordless phones.