Rating: 
Summary: Just about as good as they come
Review: For an all around workhorse system that offers thoughtless ease of use, powerful built in functionallity and expandability you will be hard pressed to find a phone of this caliber offered from a competitor. After looking at dozens of other systems I found every single one had caveats. The 5840 however was the closest match to my needs. The only feature I believe that should have been included but wasn't was the base dialing. But this is quickly remedied through the purchase of an additional handset. Simply leave the included handset cradeled after each use and the problem is solved. Even should the handset go missing you can still answer incoming calls on the speaker phone.As for no speed dial this is somewhat of a misnomer. If your speed dial is a frequently used number then 99% of the time it will appear in your redial menu. Simply select it and it works just like speed dial. Granted it isn't true 1 button calling, but it is still very handy. Range is fantastic. I can't get any squelch anywhere within my house (Upstairs or in the basement). Appearance is very clean and professional and beats the heck out of a lot of the plasticy play-school-esque phones currently available. Sound is above average with customizable tone control. For anyone going from a less than perfect phone to this system you may have some adjustment. There is absolutly no hissy feedback in the line. Often if both parties are silent you may feel as though you have lost your connection. The sound of near perfection is something most phones have difficulty with. As for nice touches and features. Call transfer is quite handy. Phone to phone intercom is also very nice. As is the built in battery backup. Handset use and drain is well above par. Days off a cradle doesn't hardly phase the charge. As for an all around household system, the Joneses will be hard pressed to find a superior feature laden solution. So don't lament the (Bigger, Better Badder) scenario, because frankly it doesn't currently exist. As for the die hard home office user there may be a need to look elsewhere for wireless networking, but for the typical family with typical utilization this will take you to a level that will make your old phone feel like 2 tin cans and a piece of string.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good Cordless Phone
Review: ... This phone has all the features that I was looking for, minus a keypad on the base, which is why it only gets 4 stars. Doing research and reading other reviews people stated there is no speed dial on the phone and this is not true. You can program up to 50 numbers into the phone and retrieve them by simply pressing the memory button, selecting the number you saved and press talk. The handset and base both have volume controls that allow for easy listening to messages or incoming calls. Sound is much better than my old phone, I had trouble hearing people through the handset, the volume was very weak. Another feature that I found out about after I got the phone was that there is space in the base to charge an additional battery. I was thrilled to learn this because the battery on my old phone would die all the time unless I always left it on the base. All these new cordless phones with their lighted displays and fancy features all seem to have really bad battery life. You do have to purchase the second battery which is slightly annoying. But, it also powers the base for a couple of hours if the power goes out. Nice feature. Navigation on the handset and the base were fairly intuitive to me, but I'm a gadget freak. For the stuff I couldn't figure out the manual was pretty straightforward. I like that the answering machine is in the base, I found having to use the handset with my old phone to be annoying at times. I actually used to have an AT&T digital answering machine with 3 mailboxes, so this one is very similar. I would definitely recommend this phone, even though it is pricey.
Rating:
Summary: A fantastic expandable phone
Review: I love my AT&T 5840. The handset is comfortable and solid, and the reception throughout the house (and outside) is great. Especially if you have teenagers, you'll welcome the easy-to-use three mailbox system. Remote dial-in to get messages is a breeze, especially since the phone prompts you once you interpret the answering message. When the line is in use, the corner of the base set is illuminated in vibrant blue light, so it's unlikely that someone will pick up the phone in the middle of a call. Best of all, the phone does not interfere with my wireless computer network, a huge relief given the potential for problems. That said, this phone is not perfect. The volume adjustment key is on the side of the receiver, so, if you grip the phone just right, it sets off a series of beeps as the handset tries to adjust the setting. Also, the handset is not easily wedged between the ear and the shoulder - it slips out too readily, although AT&T supplies an earphone to remedy this problem. I explored a lot of options, and this phone seemed like the best despite its flaws. For me, the main selling points are the excellent reception, ease of use, sturdy construction, expandability, and a lack of interference with a wireless network. I highly recommend this phone for these reasons.
Rating: 
Summary: Best choice right now
Review: I bought the base unit and a couple of extra handsets a few days ago. I have to say overall I'm pleased. This phone has some quirks, but I've never used one that didn't. Weaknesses, well, its a bit pricey by the time you add extra handsets. As a single source solution for my 3000sq ft 5 bedroom home, 3 kids, and a wife running a home business, there really wasn't another choice offering the full range of features this unit has. I'd buy it again. My requirements list: 1. Work with 802.11b wireless LAN. This phone is doing fine sharing airspace with my home wlan, it does use 2.4 as well as 5.8 spectrum. At first I felt a little misled when I read the manual, as did others, I'm sure. No interference so far, and from what I understand the use of additional frequencies is how this phone works its magic. Clear connection, good distance, and multiple handsets all on the same call simultaneously. How frustrating must it be to buy a multi-set phone and not be able to use all of the handsets at the same time? With this setup, they all work, all the time! 2. Good digital answering, with multiple mailbox. Press button 2 to leave a message for X, 3 for Y, all others speak at the beep. .. A godsend when the business calls start rolling in. Remotely accessible with security code, toll saver, the usual bases are covered. . . 3. Work in a poweroutage. With an extra optional battery, this system keeps working when the lights go out, up to 2.5 hours of talking in the dark. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to call the power company to report an outage when the phones are all dead! 4. Wall mountable. The base and the handsets all come with adapters to hang them verticle. Simple necessity for me, amazing how many phones have to sit on the desk. Not this one! 5. Caller ID, Call waiting ID, and call screening. This phone system does it all, and what it lacks in speed dial, it makes up for with a slick redial interface integrated into the call log. A couple of button presses and you can redial any number. The LCDs on the base and handset light up nice at night, and are easily readable from a few feet away. The handsets sync time to the phone company via caller id. On the base you must set clock manually if you want your messages time stamped upon arrival. The analog and digital clock display on the handsets add to the sophisticated, upscale look. 6. Use optional headsets for handsfree operation. All of the handsets include the necessary jacks, belt clips included in the box(es). 7. Independent phone books. Each handset has its own memory and call log. While some argue an annoyance that this isn't globally controlled by the base, in my instance I prefer the home office handset and the unit my kids use not share the same number listings. One of the nice things I didn't know I was missing is the speaker phone integrated into each handset as well as the base unit. Navigating touch tone menus is so much easier when you aren't alternating listening through the ear piece and punching the key pad! The bright neon blue "in use" light on the base, and the LCD icons on the handsets all alert users that the phone line is busy. Again, better than the old lift-the-receiver to see if the line is free. All of the phones (handsets and base) have volume controls for speaker and ringer. Selection of ringers, even "tone control" if you want to EQ the voice on the other end. Key Beeps can be shut off, and the ringer can be killed all together. Vibrate is an option if you still want notified of an incoming call, but quietly. If you can afford this unit with extra handsets, I don't think there is a better single line home phone system out there right now. Shortcomings are few, and easily worked around in my house.
Battey life is good, thank goodness. The phone is in use several hours a day in my home. A sign of a good system, it is already taken for granted at my house, and it was easily installed in a matter of minutes. Only tough part, waiting for the batteries to charge 12 hours before first use!
Rating: 
Summary: Looks great, less filling
Review: The AT&T 5840 5.8 Ghz phone is beautiful - a work of art. The silver and black motif, plus the blue light-up accents, serve as eye candy for any geek. Basic functionality is also good - nice sound, clear reception. Add to this such niceties as the speakerphone in the handset and the ability to have handsets around the house that don't need their own phone jacks, and you end up with a fairly useful system. The major failings of this phone lie in the area of usability. First, there is no speed dial capability. Yes, you heard me correctly - no one or two button dialing. (I even read the manual to look for it). There is a phone book, but in order to dial a number in the book you have to go through the menu, either scrolling or finding an entry by pressing buttons. Nice for those numbers you don't dial often of course - but then, if you don't dial them often this feature doesn't help that much. The controls for the answering machine portion were also non-intuitive. For example, after pressing "record" to record your greeting, you don't press that button again to stop recording, you press the mailbox key. And setting the time was an odd process - it actually told you the time audibly, and you had to listen to it as you pressed the button to change. Kind of a pain to change the minutes. There may have been a way to change it from the top menu portion as well, but I did not see it. (Setting the time on the handsets was easier, with visual feedback.) If you use your phone mostly to answer calls, or you never bothered setting up speed dial on your existing phones, this is a good system. If you are used to one-touch dialing, pick something else.
Rating: 
Summary: Do not like this system after one year.
Review: Well, we've had this phone - plus 3 additional add on phones - for about one year now. Unfortunately, we're in need of a new cordless phone set since the last AT&T phone has finally given out. BIG PROBLEM ** that is not mentioned anywhere ** is that the cap at the top of the antenna frequently pops out. We've re-glued the caps back in several times. We have small children and this is a choking hazard that we reported to AT&T. The design hasn't changed since our purchase. These phones run out of power quickly - don't leave your phone off the charger overnight, or you'll have to wait for it to re-charge again. Our first phones gave out after being dropped a few times - not hard or anything, just onto the floor. The design of this model is difficult to hold with your shoulder against your ear - you must use your hand -- so forget holding the baby while you're talking! After a few slips, the phones stopped working. We killed the final extension tonight after it fell in the dish water. We actually didn't care since we hated the phone so much. The answering machine system works, but we think the set up is complicated. Recording the outgoing message is easy enough - but there are just too many buttons for us. Also we wished there was a key pad on the base set. We used to like AT&T products a great deal. Now, we don't think we got our money's worth from this system. We would add, however, that AT&T customer service is very good and they replaced 2 phones early on due to the popping antenna caps. That service didn't really matter, since the caps popped off the new phones as well. Anyway, we give 2 stars for the good service and nothing for the lousy phones. Good luck -- and try Panasonic!
Rating:
Summary: dampened expectations
Review: After spending considerable time investigating phones with answering machines, I chose the 5840 since it was one of the highest rated phones. I found everything to be as reviewed in the few days I used it, but I had to return it because the charger only charged the handset the first time. Since I purchased it via mail, I will have to wait for the replacement to continue my review.
Rating: 
Summary: Works poorly in my house.
Review: Bought the base and 3 handsets. Set it up in every conceivable combination of locations in the house. Could not find a set-up that worked without my voice breaking up at the other end. Called the AT&T hotline and they discussed microwaves etc. I'm packing up the phones & sending them back as we speak. Oh well, in some houses they work; in some houses they don't.
Rating:
Summary: Best Portable phone for the Money
Review: The phone has been the best portable phone i have ever owned. When I was considering this phone and reading the reviews, there are many people who dont realize that the phone uses both 2.4 and 5.8 ghz, but that is actaully an advantage, it uses both frequencies to get you the best range, and to get you the clearest call clarity. I would highly reccomend this phone.
Rating:
Summary: Possibly the best phone I've owned.
Review: This phone is feature rich and it may be the best phone that I have ever owned. The handset speaker-phone works as good as the speaker-phone in my office. The audible caller ID is awesome the way that it tells me who is calling... do I really want to talk with him? Great phone. Buy it.
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