Motorola MD681 5.8GHz Cordless Speakerphone w/Answering System/Caller ID

by Motorola

Product Details

Product Manual [3.43mb PDF]

• Item Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B0000CDELD
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (171 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 1, 2003

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The Motorola MD681 combines powerful 5.8 GHz digital technology with strong call features, an integrated answering system, and expandability to six compatible handsets, each offering caller ID and visual call waiting. Plus, the phone includes a digital answering system with three individual mailboxes.

Both the handset and base unit offer full functionality, with full keypad, speakerphone, and backlit LCD on each. The base unit is desk or wall mountable and offers face-up handset charging, while the handset also offers convenient intercom features, three-way conferencing, VibraCall alert, and a low battery indicator. Additional call features include redial, flash, mute, and hold. The MD681 comes with everything you need to get started, and is backed by a one-year warranty. Features 5.8 GHz Digital with Multi-Handset Capability Caller ID with Visual Call Waiting on Base Station Expandable up to 6 total handsets 3-mail box digital answering machine on base Selectable Ringtones Redial, Flash, Hold and Mute Functionality VibraCall alert What's in the Box MMD681 base, one handset, NiMH rechargeable battery pack, charging transformer, telephone line cord, wall bracket, user manual, warranty information.

See a detailed view of the phone's feature.

Product Description

The MD 681 is a 5.8 GHz digital cordless phone with an answering machine and speakerphone/keypad built into the base. The handset features Caller ID with visual call waiting, VibraCall Alert, 50 phonebook memory locations, a speakerphone (in addition to the base), and selectable ringtones. In addition to the standard calling features, this handset and base can be used as an intercom without the need to purchase additional equipment. It is expandable up to 6 handsets.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

338 of 348 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid, Simple, and Satisfaction, February 20, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Motorola MD681 5.8GHz Cordless Speakerphone w/Answering System/Caller ID (Office Product)

After reading all reviews on the MD681 I was a bit concerned regarding motorola customer serivce, finding batteriy replacements, answering maching voice quality, and not having the handsets talking to the base (in terms of synching phone book numbers, and messages waiting.) that I have read about.

I decided to buy the MD681 after considering the Panasoni 5100. The other top line competing phone.

The 5100 reviews had me more concerned (LCD Screens not working, poor battery life, low volume on handset). These seem to be larger issues to me because if I paid all that money to have one of those features fail or not work properly to my satisfaction I would be very upset and the phone would be useless. These shortcomings of the Panasonic appear to be true quality issues compared to the feedback on the MD681 which are just personal preference issues related to system process and customer service.

I did speak to the sales rep at the electronics store before I made my final decision, and he said that he sells more Panasonic 5100s (they are popular brand among phones, have more bells an whistles) than MD681's but he see's a lot more returns of the Panasonic (quality issues).

Therfore my decision went to the MD681. Bottom line I decided that I wanted a simple expandable phone that is well built to quality standards, that is reliable, take messages, and will let me hear and talk well. I believe the MD681 meets all these needs. I do not need all the bells and whistles (offered by the 5100) to complicate something as simple as making a phonecall and having a conversation, and then need to be worried about the technolgy holding up to reliability standards.

I am not sorry one bit that I purchased the MD681. It is a very simple system, very well built, the handset and base sound quality is very good, and I was very surprised that the handset speakerphone mic and speaker worked extremely well. Reception is also very good. I have the base set up in my office on the first floor and I can walk through my entire house (up and down stairs) and backyard without losing any reception quality. Not even a hiss.

I did not find customer service with Motorola an issue. I did write them an email from their web site requesting where I could find a replacement battery (If I needed one) and recieved a quick response back. These batteries can be purchased through radio shack for about $14. This eliminated my concern regarding battery replacement which I don't think I will need.

The answering machine voice quality is good. I do not know what folks are complaining about. It works!

As for the central system and synching the handsets with the base in terms of phone book, and message waiting. I will get around those issues. Once the phones numbers are programmed I will have no issue there. As for message waiting, I'll just hit clear as necessary.

If you are looking for a solid, simple, and satisfactory expandable cordless phone product the MD681 is a sure bet compare to others.

:-)

200 of 209 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars NICE JOB MOTOROLA, November 8, 2003

By 

Ted Borgford (Northport, N.Y. United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Motorola MD681 5.8GHz Cordless Speakerphone w/Answering System/Caller ID (Office Product)

In August I bought the Panasonic 5110 and was very impressed by the many features and fine performance BUT the handset was huge, there were antennae all over the place and the gaudy chrome accents ate away at me to the point of me searching for something else (yes, even after spending $250+). A week ago I noticed the new 5.8GHz Motorola MD681 and bought it the next day to check it out.
I was more than pleasantly surprised. Although it doesn't have quite the full complement of features of the Panasonic 5100, it does have the following valuable and unique features:

1) Battery back up-doubles as a spare handset battery.
2) NIMH batteries-more power,less memory problems.
3) Sharp blue backlit displays that you don't need
glasses to read.
4) Sleek slender handsets-light and comfortable to hold
with the very functional trademark rubber grips along
sides.
5) No antenna on the base and just a vestigial nub on the
handsets.

The 5.8GHz performance is excellent and the menus and operation are so intuative that one hardly needs to read the manual. The simple sleek styling, already attractive at first, grows on you even more over time. Motorola, a newcomer to the cordless market, has perfected their earlier models both in performnce and style in the MD681.

46 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very nice phone, March 20, 2004

By 

z (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Motorola MD681 5.8GHz Cordless Speakerphone w/Answering System/Caller ID (Office Product)

I've had this phone now for a week and have come to really like it - so much so, that I'm going to go out and get an additional handset for my home office to replace a corded speakerphone. The handset itself has a decent speakerphone built in and I was pleasantly surprised by the sound quality.

Others have mentioned that the sound quality of the answering machine is poor. In my opinion, it's every bit as good as any other answering machine I've ever owned. Others have also complained that the handset and base station don't share a phone book. There's a simple solution to work around this. When somebody calls you, you simply enter the Caller ID menu and then press save on the handset and the base station. It takes about 5 seconds. The same works if you call somebody. I dialed a number and the caller ID worked in reverse, showing me the name of the person who's number I just dialed. Menu > Caller ID > Save. Done. It's that easy. I wouldn't want to enter numbers by hand on each device, but this is such a simple way to do it, I don't know who would try anything else. Spend an afternoon calling your friends and you'll be done.

The handset, while slim, fits comfortably in your hand. I was concerned about this, but it's not an issue. I've mounted the base station to a wall and while it sticks out a little bit farther off the wall than I'd like, it's less than others and after about 2 hours, it really doesn't bother me anymore.

The menu system is nice and you can even adjust the contrast of the screens. My only gripe about the phone is the ring tones. Can't any phone mfr (cell, wired or wireless) make a phone that has a good old-fashioned ring to it anymore? I had to cycle through to the 6th ring tone before I found one that wasn't annoying. Oh - you might want to make sure to set the ring tone on the phone and the base station to be the same. Otherwise, when the handset is on the base station, the rings are out of sync and the two different tones are annoying. This and only getting one battery in the box are what keep me from giving it 5 stars.

I would have no problems recommending this phone to anybody. I bought it direct at Circuit City so I could return it easier if necessary, but I'll be keeping it and ordering another handset.