Customer Reviews

Grace Digital C2T-XT2000 Cell2Tel Bluetooth Gateway

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This isn't really a review. Just wanted to let others know that Greg Fadul who reviews this product twice is Chief Marketing Officer at Grace Digital. He's not exactly impartial.

So far this device seems to work perfect and without any malfunction. It took me less then 5 minutes to setup and I am already using it. I have done multiple tests and no one can tell I am using my home phone through the bluetooth to my cellphone. I have had the Xlink BTTN and the Cell2Tel and the Cell2Tell seems to work better where I have heard from the people I speak to over the phone that the call quality is better with the Cell2Tel. I also called Grace Digital and was told the Cell2Tel is the newer version of the Xlink. The Cell2Tel also has the phone ports clearly marked for knowing which is the Line In and which is the Line out. I can not complain about this product and thus far would highly recommend it. If anything changes I will be sure to update this review.

When product works, it's perfect. The problem is that it doesn't work sometimes, which makes this unit unreliable. I have gone through 2 units. 1st unit would drop a connection between itself and a cell phone so you have to reconnect it manually. Once you do that, it works for some time, but who knows for how long before it drops again. 2nd issue was that I couldn't pick up a phone call on one of my home handsets. The callers would not hear me at all. That's frustrating.
I got a replacement unit. There was the same issue. That would drop the connection between the cell phones and the unit. That might have been my cell phones (I have palm treo 755p and LG Rumor), however; the bluetooth connection seems to work fine with my other bluetooth devices. If that problem didn't exist, that would have been a golden unit. But it does, unfortunately, so 2 stars. Buyers beware, the unit is unreliable. You can't count on it, and can miss an important call while you are at home as I did.

Product performs just as it promises. Biggest headaches come from the cell phones it is attached to. If your cell phone has good bluetooth transmitter and can be placed in decent reception area, phone will work stellar. If you can't find good spot for your cell phone it will give problems. Set up took only a few minutes and worked the first time. Have used it with 2 cell phones. The VX 6900 worked exceptionally well, having a good bluetooth signal and works well when hands are out of the way for its cellular reception. The V750 has weaker signal on both and is a little more finicky...

Product work most of the time, but not be reliably connect to cell phones.

This product is not for the technically challenged folks.

It can not handoff call that initiated from Cell phone and can not be used to response to telephone prompting, i.e. if you need to press certain numeric option, when requested by an automatic answering system.

I have had this unit now for about 10 months. Actually I am on my second unit. When it works it works great with my GE cordless phones around the house. However even if the "connect" led is lit does not mean the unit is functioning properly. If I am going to be away from the unit and don't want to miss an important call I have to test it by calling my cell to see if it will ring through to the cordless phones. The only solution I have found is to remove the power from the unit and then "connect" again. What a pain. I complained and got good service in that they sent me a new unit but the same thing. In reading some of the other reviews, many have the same problem. BTW my phone is a Samsung Rant and the bluetooth works flawlessly in my car. I think I would try another manufacturer first.

Wanted to use this device to drop our land line or cut land line to bare bones service. Unfortunately, this device is not reliable enough for me to take that step. When it works, it works very well. Call quality is fine, all inputs on phone's keypad are recognized by voice mail systems, etc. However, I cannot seem to reliably keep my phone connected to this device. Will keep using for myself but would not recommend to family/friends.

My wife's Sony W810i connects every time and stays connected. My Sony W580i connects sometimes and doesn't connect other times. It will be connected, and then without warning it will disconnect. Then it will try to connect multiple times and fail. I recently replaced this phone with a Nokia E71 and have the same exact problem. Even receiving a text message on my phone can knock me off of the Cell2Tel device. Then I have to play around trying to connect for 5 minutes.

Just this week, we switched my phone from the #1 connection on the Cell2Tel to the #2 position. So far, this seems to be working much better, but why? Will it stay working? Don't know.

Some other minor gripes about this device: 1) With 2 cell phones hooked up, you will not be able to distinguish which cell is getting a call unless you are close enough to the unit to see the lights or can hear the cell phone ringer. Not so useful if I am in other rooms in the house and can only hear the home phone system. This may not be possible so not really a knock on the unit itself. 2) Messages recorded on my land line answering machine have a long loud dial tone sound at the end which is kind of annoying.

As others have said when it works, it does what it is supposed to. However, it usually only stays working for a few days, maybe a week or so, then you have to unplug the unit and reset everything, resync bluetooth for it to start working again.

We are using it with the landline plugged in also, and it becomes immediately apparent when it has stopped working because when you call the landline number it just rings and rings on the caller side, and on our side we don't get anything (doesn't go to answering machine or ring).

I've been using this for about six months with one cellphone. I normally keep my cell phone about 20 feet from my cell2tel (through two walls) and it has never had any trouble connecting. Everything happens automatically and I don't have to think about it. Bring my phone in range and it connects, someone calls it and I can answer on any phone, and I can make outgoing calls on it from any phone. One quirk with my particular phone is that once I've missed a call I have to clear it on the cellphone itself or it won't send any more calls to the cell2tel. Otherwise it's great to be able to leave my cell plugged in and not have to run to it when someone calls. I can't tell any difference in sound quality when using it.

This is easy to setup and worked perfect for several months. However now the sound quality is so bad I cannot use it. It has an extremely annoying buzz that luckily the caller on the other end can't hear but it's so intrusive that it has made the device unusable.

9/23/2010 Update
This product lasted for about a year and then stopped working. I do like the convenience so I bought an Xlink BT and have had no problems with it. I've owned it for a month and it just works with superior sound quality. I recommend this brand over Grace Digital.