All in all a good product. Solid, durable, no major flaws.
The call block feature is better than several other phones, other phones ring once then block the call. This one suppresses the first ring, so no sound until caller id is shown. So blocked calls are just silent. Nice.
The base will work with a power outage! +++
Speaker phone good.
Some of the reasons for 4 rather than 5 stars:
Quirk 1. When you page a handset from a handset (the "find it under the couch function") the handset you are holding rings (LOUD) as well. I have to stick the #*&*^!! thing under my arm so I can locate the missing handset. No reason to have the one your holding screaming!
Quirk 2. When you are using speaker phone on a handset, if you press talk (most phones you go to non-speaker phone handset) you just activated call waiting or hung up on your party. The base works like "normal" phones.
As the negative reviewer noted: There are several other quirks, all livable, all a pain. But the competition I checked had their own bugs. Uniden DECT 6.0 Corded/Cordless Digital Answering System with Three Cordless Handsets (DECT2188-3)
This phone does a very good job when blocking junk calls. You may find that some repetitive junk callers simply stop calling after this phone blocks their calls. That has been my experience. The call block number list can hold 20 numbers. That does not sound like much, but the majority of junk calls I received came from only a few numbers. After a few weeks of use my call block list only includes six numbers.
Each handset maintains its own 70 number directory. Some people prefer a unified directory shared by all handsets, but I prefer that each handset has its own directory. It is easy to synchronize the handset directories if desired.
The only negatives I can report with this phone are in the areas of sound quality and handset batteries. The sound quality is somewhat inferior compared with earlier generation Panasonic systems I have used. The sound quality is acceptable, just not as good as the Panasonic system it is replacing. The handset rechargeable batteries are of a proprietary form, so when they wear out they must be replaced by batteries purchased from Uniden, unless another company produces a compatible version. I would rather have the handsets use rechargeable AAA batteries, which can be purchased from many sources at typically lower cost.
For me, the call blocking trumps the few negatives I mentioned. I could not be happier with the way the Uniden DECT2188 system blocks junk phone calls.
I have been waiting a long time to get some Dect offerings comparable with my 5.8Ghz Uniden system I used to have, the TRU8888. Unfortunately I gave my system to a friend when I switched to VOIP and in anticipation of the new Dect technology. What a mistake! Reluctantly I settled for the Dect 2080 and waited. Now for this phone.
What I love about this system is the combination corded base and cordless handsets. Why you ask, because most of the time I prefer a cordless handset. That is until I'm at my desk on the internet while making a business call. Then I love being able to dial from the base and place calls on speaker. Fabulous feature that I have sorely missed. I love that Uniden changed the back lighting from the unattractive orange to a very pretty blue. The price is great for basically getting four phones. I like that the sound quality and battery life are good. Another fantastic feature is that the message indicator works both with voice mail and the built in answering system. Overall pretty impressive.....until...
Now for what I don't like. The fact that you must delete an entire number even if only to change one digit is RIDICULOUS!!! This has been a pet peeve of mine since I obtained my first Uniden system and I am angry that they haven't bothered to fix this problem yet. Seems so trivial. Maybe this is your first cordless expandable phone system or maybe you've only ever needed to replace an entire number. Well, imagine this. You have decided to stop getting ripped off by the phone company and decide to switch to VOIP. There are numerous providers from which to choose, but not all of them require that you dial the same way. Some offer seven digit dialing while others offer ten digit dialing, then there are those, like my provider that require eleven digit dialing (you know, 1-area code-number). When I switched to my VOIP provider I had to literally erase all of the phone numbers in the phone book and reenter them to include the extra digits. This task is especially painful because, unlike those of you who might not have used this type of phone before, I have, for many years. I couldn't even tell you one of my friend's or family member's phone numbers. We get a number, put it into a handset, then copy the new entry to all the other handsets. I am lucky to recognize an area code. It would be a very simple matter to enable the touchpad to go left or right when entering numbers so as to edit them. You can do this with the names. Why not with numbers? Why???
Another annoyance is the back lighting on the handsets. Only the numbers, * and # are back lit. All of the other very important buttons are rendered invisible in low light or dark conditions. I use my phones very often in low light conditions. I have to press buttons until I finally find the one I'm looking for. Why not just turn on the light? you ask. Imagine this. I'm sitting comfortably on the lounger watching a movie. One cat is sleeping happily on my lap while another sits right beside me and yet another has crawled up onto the bolster pillow resting his precious head on my arm. Across the room on the other couch my husband has also been conquered by his two favorite kitties. Wow, we're hungry, let's order that pizza real quick. I grab the phone to make the call and have to fumble around until I find the right buttons. Or you've started the film and gotten comfortable only to then notice the message waiting indicator flashing. Pause the film and let's see who called. But wait, I can't find the message key because it isn't back lit. You get the picture. Annoying.
And now for the most hated things about this phone. Only seven ring tones! My old system had twenty. Seven is just not enough especially if you'd actually like to use the personal ring feature. These handsets also have no headset jack or belt clip. Now initially I thought of these features as something I'd never use, until I had them. The speakerphone is nice for getting through automated phone screening systems and conversing with more than one person in the same room. However it is most comfortable to use a headset for one on one conversations. It is easier for them to hear me and me to hear them without having to turn up the volume too loud. The belt clip is invaluable when cooking in the kitchen or when someone calls while your in the midst of completing a task. Before I could plug in my headset, clip the phone to me and walk about my home or yard as necessary.The fact that these items are not included in this phone system is shocking and uncomfortable enough that I may even return this to Amazon. I haven't decided yet. I'm still loving the corded base. Then again I could just give up on this system and switch back to 5.8Ghz systems that are loaded with features and look good too.
*****UPDATE*****
I forgot to mention a very cool new feature on this phone that many of you might like. This system has the capability to block up to twenty numbers. How, you ask, could I have forgotten this? This feature is doubly redundant for me. I have used call screening devices such as Intelescreener and currently the Person to Person units. They offer much more robust screening capabilities. My current VOIP provider also offers robust call screening.
I did return the phone to Amazon. I tried to get used to the missing features but in the end just hated the handsets. It's very unfortunate that Uniden appears to be lowering the price point on their phones by sacrificing features and conveniences that some of us are willing to pay for. I bought the Dect 3080-3 instead. It's not perfect, but does have more features for about the same price. I will wait until Uniden has a refurbished 2188 base (or better) available and buy it. In case you don't know Uniden allows you to mix and match bases and hansets within a given technology like DECT. - Dect Cordless Phone - Answering Machine - Uniden Cordless Phone - Cordless Phone'
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