Netgear Dual Mode Cordless Phone with Skype

Average customer rating: 4.5

it works but not excellent
Can be Problematic for Some People
Very good phone
Best Skype Phone
Started great, then problems, no support from Netgear

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Netgear Dual Mode Cordless Phone with Skype

Manufacturer: Netgear
Product Group: CE
Binding: Electronics
ASIN: B000M51AYS

Related Categories:

IP Phones

IP Phones

Product Description

- Product Name: SPH200D Wireless IP Phone - Product Type: Wireless IP Phone Interfaces/Ports - Interfaces/Ports: RJ-45 10/100Base-TX - Interfaces/Ports: RJ-11 Physical Characteristics - Dimensions: 5.57" Height x 1.81" Width x 1.02" Depth - (Phone) - Dimensions: 5.39" Height x 4.98" Width x 2.76" Depth - (Base Station) - Weight: 4.59 oz - For Phone (With Battery) - Weight: 8.29 oz - (Base Station) Warranty - Standard Warranty: 1 Year(s)

Amazon.com Product Description

Your internet connection can easily become a phone line, allowing you to make free, or very cheap, calls worldwide. The Netgear SPH-200D Cordless Phone with Skype takes all the hassle out of the process. You don't need to install any software, or even turn on your PC. All you have to do is plug the <table align=left width=150 cellpadding=10> <tr> <td> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/B000M51AYS-1-sm.jpg" border=0 align=top>

Place Skype handsets all over your home for total wireless freedom, no matter how you choose to connect. View larger.</td></tr> <tr> <td> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/B000M51AYS-2-sm.jpg" border=0 align=top>

The SPH-200D lets you make and receive calls in three different ways. Learn more.</td></tr> </table> <table align=right width=140 cellpadding=10> <tr> <td> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/B000M51AYS-3.jpg" border=0 align=top>

The handset comes with a base station that enables traditional land line calling. A charging cradle is included, too. </td></tr> <tr> <td> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/SPH200D_screenshots_v1.gif" border=1 align=top>

An easy, user-friendly interface makes calling a snap. </td></tr> </table> Cordless Base Station into your internet router and start using Skype's worldwide internet phone service to talk to your friends and relations wherever they may roam. And if that's not enough, the SPH-200D also replaces your land line phone. Just plug the base station into any active phone jack and it becomes a traditional cordless phone as well.

Three Phones in One
There are three ways to use the SPH-200D. For no cost at all you can make Skype-to-Skype calls anywhere in the world. Skype software is pre-loaded on the phone, so you can start calling any other Skype users at their computers or at similar Skype phones right out of the box. An intuitive on-screen menu lets you see which Skype friends are online and available to call. Push a button and you're making a free domestic or international call.

Your second option costs only pennies per minute and includes no monthly fees. With SkypeOut you buy phone time in advance, then use the internet to make calls to cell or land line phones all over the world. You can also get a SkypeIn account for a small fee, which gives you an internet phone number, allowing friends to call you from any phone, anywhere, anytime. With the SPH-200D you can do all of this without fooling with software or plugging headsets into your PC. It's all there in the palm of your hand.

And of course the SPH-200D is also a traditional cordless phone. With the latest cordless technology, DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications), the handset delivers incredible range, clear voice quality, and a full menu of digital features. You can even add up to three additional handsets, which allows you to replace all the old-fashioned phones in your home with one that truly belongs in the 21st century.

What's in the Box
Cordless phone with Skype, rechargeable battery, cordless base station, power adapters for the charging cradle and base station, setup guide, and warranty card.

For calls made through Skype and/or the SkypeOut service. Terms and conditions of the Skype services are subject to change at any time in the sole discretion of Skype Limited

Customer Reviews:

it works but not excellent.......2007-06-12

The phone is great for those who do not want to be attached to a PC for skype calls. Call quality and dropped calls have been issues for me at times but not enough to return unit. Overall happy but not jumping for joy!

Can be Problematic for Some People.......2007-06-05

Overall I think this is a pretty good Skype phone but there is one key technical flaw that you must fix if you have this device: You must set the device to AUTO for the network speed because it is set to 10Mbps from the factory or will tend to negotiate 10Mbps with your 100Mbps switch. 10Mbps will lead to packet collisions on your Ethernet switch and dropped packets and thus poorer voice quality. Most people will have a 100Mbps switch or better, so you definitely should change this setting. To change this setting, refer to the manual or type in the IP address of the phone in a web browser and log in with username "admin" and password "password". Then change the setting under the Network page.

Another key problem that I've found is that when you put this phone on MUTE, the remote party often hears a clicking noise that sounds like a machine gun. This is especially problematic if you intend to use this phone to join conference calls where you prefer to put yourself on MUTE when you're not speaking. The clicking noise is totally obnoxious and the other people on the conference call will be very annoyed at you. You will probably be asked to dial in on a regular landline or drop the call.

One other problem that I've noticed is that sometimes the Skype phone or service will not properly send the touch tones to the remote party. So if you are calling an automated prompt system and need to press touch tones, then they might not be recognized properly by the remote system. One specific service is Global Crossing (audio conferencing provider) that does not always recognize the touch tones sent by this Skype phone. To be fair, it tends to happen no matter what Skype phone you're using, e.g. softphone or hardware based phone. This is a Skype problem, not a Netgear problem.

If you can live with these problems, then this is a great way to save some dollars if you make a lot of long distance calls. It gives you the feel of a real phone and the quality is on par with most other traditional cordless phone systems.

Very good phone.......2007-06-04

I bought this phone as a pseudoreplacement (see below) for my parent's landline phone that they barely use and pay 30 dollars a month for. The Skype plan gives you an incoming and outgoing line with unlimited calling within the United States for about 60 dollars a year (about 5 dollars a month). There are a few drawbacks.

1) If you lose your internet or your electricity, the phone won't work.
2) Sort of in relation to the above, but this phone is not a true replacement for your landline. This phone will not dial 911 in case of an emergency (i.e. power outage). My parents have two cell phones that will work in case of an emergency, so it wasn't a big concern for them.
3) There is no number portability, so you will have to tell everyone your new Skype number.
4) All outgoing calls will show an incorrect caller ID number for the other person (i.e. the person you call will see the number 012-345-6789 on their caller ID). This can also be good if you are a security freak and don't want people to know what your number is when you call.
5) If you want to listen to voicemail, you have to do it either from a computer or from the phone itself. You can't simply use a touchtone phone and call your own number to hear your messages.
6) The caller ID on the skype handset only shows the first 7 digits of the person who is calling you (including the area code, so you can't see the last 3 digits).
7) In most cell phones, the caller ID will change to the person's name if you have put that in the address book (i.e. if you have Marsha's phone number in your phone book and she calls you, the caller ID will say "Marsha" instead of her number). The skype phone does not do that and will always display the number, even if that number is in the phonebook. It wasn't a big deal to me because my parents didn't have caller ID on their old landline anyway.

As far as the phone itself, it is very good. Runs on AAA batteries, so they are easy to replace once they die. The phone works even when the computer is off, so this can be a pseudoreplacement for your permanent home number. The selection of rings is a bit limited, but that wasn't a very big deal to me. The installation is pretty simple and quick. The biggest problem I had was to figure out how to adjust the number of rings before the phone goes to voicemail. My parents wanted a lot of rings before the phone goes to voicemail. There is an option on the phone for you to turn on the voicemail. However, if you do this, it automatically does 3.5 rings (about 15 seconds) and then starts the voicemail. To adjust this, make sure that the voicemail option is OFF on the phone handset. Then log onto the skype account through the skype program on the computer. Change the option on the computer under tools->voicemail so that the voicemail is turned ON and the phone goes to voicemail after X seconds (20 to 25 seconds will be about 6 rings). It was very confusing at first and tech support was no help. Also, if you ever have a problem with the phone not working, try disconnecting the power for the cable modem and then reconnecting it. It will probably save you the hassle of calling Netgear Support. Other than that, no major problems with the phone. My parents are very happy with it and they will save a ton of money on their phone bill now.

Best Skype Phone.......2007-05-26

I have used this product along with Netgear SPH150D for over 5 months (SPH150D for 1 month) and this is an excellent product for the purpose.
Worked out of the box. No complicated setup, as long as you already have working home network and a familiar Skype user. New users should also be able to set it up by following instructions.

Very good sound quality.

The extra handset sold as SPH150D complements and can easily replace any existing home phone system.

Started great, then problems, no support from Netgear.......2007-05-22

I bought this after trying and returning the Linksys CIT300. Both phones operated in basically the same manner. Set-up on the Netgear phone was easy and initially, the phone worked as advertised. Then suddenly, every time I made a call I could hear the phone ring, but once the call was answered, I couldn't hear a thing. The other person couldn't hear anything either. This is the same problem I had with the Linksys phone but that one had the problem right out of the box. I checked on-line support but couldn't find any help. I called Netgear support in India but they refused to help me until I registered the product. I don't like to register products because I think they use the info for marketing purposes. And I don't see why, as the customer, I should have to give personal info to the seller. Maybe I'm behind the times, but that's how I feel. So I sent the phone back and won't do business with Netgear ever again. Since I had the problem with both phones, maybe the problem has something to do with my router configuration rather than the phone. Unfortunately, neither company's tech support could help me. But if I ever figure it out, I'll go back to Linksys because at least they tried to help.

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