Customer Reviews

NETGEAR Dual Mode Cordless Phone with Skype(SPH200D)

5 star:		(62)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I've been using this phone for little over two months and really like it. Before, I couldn't warm up to using Skype because I didn't want to be tied to my computer. Now with this phone I'm using it now for all of my outgoing (SkypeOut) calls. My long distance bill has fallen to zero and I've reduced the number of cell minutes as well.

There is practically no setup. I just plugged the base unit into my router, and it connected automatically to my network. I did have to punch in my Skype name and password on the numeric keypad, but it turns out that I could have done that easily through a web browser - the base unit has a configuration page similar to other Netgear routers. Once my name and password were in, I could start calling.

The phone displays all of the contacts that you have previously set up with Skype. In fact, I recommend using Skype on your computer to do all of the setup - it's just easier that way. The phone even shows the amount of Skype credits that I have.

The voice quality is great, but there is a slight delay - similar to what you get when your overseas call is routed through a satellite. I like the fact that the phone comes with a standard 1/8-inch headset jack - I use a headset for most of my calls.

As far as wireless range, I've been able to range throughout my house with no discernable dropouts. It's seems to get better range than my 2.4GHz cordless phone and my WIFI.

So the bottom line is: I'm happy with this phone, happy that it's Skype, and I plan to keep using it.

I've had this for a couple of weeks now, it has performed flawlessly. I did a lot of research, this one fits my needs best.
I use skype-in and forward my cell phone to it because at home my cell phone coverage is spotty at the house. Skype out calls have been as good as regular phone service. I've been told when using the PC skype headset calls sounds better than the phone but the sound is still ok, I have a very good headset it should sound better. You can set it to skype out always, landline always with an option to choose or have it ask for prior to calling, so you can choose which is best for you. I have it set to skypeout always, I haven't figured out how to get the caller ID other than Skype's 000-012-3456, so people you call may be a little curious why such a unusual Caller ID.
Netgear has many options for configuring it to for your network, if you have a tricky network setup this is your phone. For me pluging the base unit in the router did the entire setup in minutes. The instructions where a little on the lite side you should go to Netgear website and download the latest manuals you can configure the phone on your network from web page, configuring the phone from the on-screen menu was straight forward enough. I do like the screen it's similar to most cell phones today. The screen and buttons light up when you start dialing.
I installed the base unit next to router, and charging base at my desk, the range in the house is great, outside I get about 150ft before it starts breaking up.
The speaker phone works well, people will know on the other end they are on speaker. It has a headset jack, I've not used it yet. The batteries are rechargeable Nickel Metal Hydride AAA 750mAh, so you could purchase rechargeable AAA NiHm batteries when needed quite easily. I tend to leave it in the charger when not in use so I'm not sure how long the batteries will last, I'd assume a couple days easy.
The construction is of a light plastic, so it feels light in your hand, it's not a heavy solid phone.
I like the DECT using a frequency other than my wireless internet. Overall no complaints, it's not cheap, does everything asked of it.

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.

I unpacked it, plugged it in, followed the instructions on the handset (to enter Skype username and password), and was up and running. It is that easy to set up. It is by far the easiest way of using Skype. And DECT does not interfere with your 802.11b/g network.

These two big advantages : no PC required (not even for setup) and it works with both Skype and land line. It doesn't seem to support 3 party calls to land line and skype with 1 handset, but I did not try very hard and I did not read the manual.

Voice quality is good to average. There is a 2.5mm headset jack, but I haven't tried it.

All cables are included. Nice change from printer manufacturers. The handset runs off 2 AAA NiMH batteries (included), so you don't need to get those expensive cordless phone batteries when they start to die.

The whole thing looks plasticky. Yes, it is plastic, but there are many grades of plastic. This is definitely not iPod grade (or even iPEVO Free-1 grade).

Source code for the firmware is available from Netgear. Go to Netgear support site and search for GPL. I have not tried it myself.

I've only encountered a few minor irritations. I wish I can rate it 4.5 stars - it deserves more than 4 stars. And some of the problems should be firmware fixable.

1. After I finish a land line call, the unit seems to restart. Never happens with Skype calls. My firmware version is 1.0.4.30 dated 11-29-2006. Hardware version 4.10.610.

2. No phonebook for land line calls. You can add a SkypeOut contact and call through landline though.

3. Ergonomics (or lack of) of the handset.

4. In speakerphone mode, mic is weak.

5. No answering machine.

6. Your time is always shown on your contacts' screen as GMT +0. Time displayed on handset is correct (provided you set your time zone correctly).

7. When the light on the handset goes off, it is completely dark. Good for battery life, I guess. But hard to figure out if it's off (battery dead - there is no off button) or just in power savings mode.

8. Not sure what happened once with a new contact : I accepted a contact using the handset, then 5 minutes later I rebooted the base unit (moved it to a different location) and the contact was lost. It eventually recovered.

9. It'll be nice if you can program it to show you as unavailable some hours of the day. You can change your Skype status, but you have to do it manually.

That may seem like a long list of things I'm not happy about, but I really do like the phone.

I am not going to write what this phone does and what it doesn't, you will read it from other reviews. I will explain what problems I had and you might have with it. At least it might help you to troubleshoot the similar issues.
First, it was easy to setup the phone, connect it to the router and phone line, register your skype name and make your first land line call. Quality is good. Then I placed a skype call to a friend and ..first problem: no audio, nobody hears anything. I tried to use another skype account on my computer to make calls to/from sph200d and ..no audio. I looked at all settings on the device, support website and found nothing. I tried to connect to the admin webpage using provided on the CD documentation username and password admin and admin and couldn't connect(second problem). Well, I reset a base unit and still couldn't connect to the admin page. I searched online and God bless internet found that documentation on CD is old and current username/password is admin/password. And what even better reseting a base unit have helped with audio problems! Hooray! Now I can make good quality skype calls without need to go downstairs to my computer.
The next and biggest problem I've experienced is no matter that automatic sign in option is turned on the phone(and the web page) is asking the password every time you sign off/sign in the skype. Turning phone off, reseting base/phone, using different skype id, etc did not help. I called support, waited 15 minutes and was told I need to register the product online first. Well it has sense, I did so and called again. 10 minutes later customer representative from Deli was ready to provide me with an excellent service. First, he said yes automatic sign in should work and my phone is not defective, and asked me to do all steps I did already, i.e. reseting, etc. No luck. Then he left to check about this issue and called me back to state that phone MUST ask for a password every time I sign in for a security reason! (what about remember username/password option there?). Nice lie to a customer to make him believe problem is solved.
Note: if you turn the phone off - yes there is an option to turn it off, please press and hold red button - without signing off, then when you turn the phone on it wouldn't ask you for a password. Right, but all this time that phone is off, friends see your status as online/away and may try to call you.
Well, there is a solution I've found for myself - never sign off, just change your status to offline. I have not decided yet whether to return/replace the unit or keep it. Maybe when you learn tricks on how to use a device it would serve you well. But at current price/quality I would not recommend it, too bad there is not many alternatives.Good luck with it.

Update one month later: After a month of use I've decided to send it back to amazon. I also considered to send this unit to my parents in Europe but power adapter is only 110V so it wouldn't work there (European model of the same Netgear phone is 110-250 so you can use it worldwide). I upgraded home telephone system to Panasonic KX-TGA57xx series and purchased usb skype adapter KX-TGA575S and it works excellent for me.

I've owned this phone for about a month now, and I must say that it is an excellent phone. I've been a Skype user for about two years now, and needed something that would let me get away from the computer to make calls.

This phone has an amazing range. I can walk a few blocks away from my house and still get a signal. It supports land-line, and Skype calls. The calls over copper land-line are great. Clear, and there is VERY little delay in the calls. The Skype calls are a little different. They have a very small delay. People have complained about Skype in/out calls on the phone, but that has to do with the conversion from land line to Skype protocol, not this phone. That delay isn't due to this phone, and shouldn't keep you from buying the phone.

The phone itself is very slim, and a little on the long side. I have large hands, and have no problem holding the phone for long periods of time. Speaking of time, the battery life is LONG. It really needs a full charge when you first get it, so keep your fingers off of it until the thing is full.

You really don't need a PC with this thing. You can just plug in the base station and power it up, and just go. You can either use an existing Skype account, or create one right on the phone. It works with Skype in and out, but you can't text-message over it. It works with Skype's Voice services only (ie. Skype in, skype out, voicemail).

Go ahead and get this phone. It's definately worth it!

I wish there were a lower rating for this product and the Netgear support department: 1 seems too generous.

The handset never displayed caller ID on landline calls, so although it is supposed to serve a dual function (internet + landline), I couldn't get rid of the landline phones in the house, such there were two phones in the two locations I put in the Netgear handsets. I contacted Netgear's customer service and used it's online ticket system, and I was promised a fix several times, but never once received a follow-up contact. (Netgear needs to reassess their customer service. First line techs no nothing about the product. Second line techs don't either, apparently. One professed not to have a single one in his call center. They're responsible for contacting the techs in the US in an escalation procedure, which is when they promise to get back to you...but in my case, none ever did. The techs in the US who respond to written call tags entered into their online system are not reachable by phone or chat. All they seem to do is to insert polite boilerplate into their response, promise to escalate, and then also fail to get back to you.)

I also couldn't use the phone for outbound Skype calls, It would ring a couple of times and then drop the call. The person I was calling would hear the ring but never had enough time to pick up. I called about that problem too and went through a lengthy reset procedure, which was not described in the manual. That worked for about a day, and then the phones reverted to the same problem.

Although I contacted Netgear immediately, I believed that they would come up with a fix, and thus bore with them for about six weeks, by which time it was too late to return to Amazon, according to the purchase history in my account. I asked Netgear to take back the product, but they didn't reply. I appealed to Amazon, which sent a call tag, and issued a refund, less a 20% restocking charge and the cost of return shipping. I pointed out in a reply that the only reason I had waited more than 30 days to request a refund was that I was waiting for promised responses from Netgear. Fortunately I had several of their promises in writing from well before the 30 days were up and I forwarded them to Amazon, which refunded the rest of my money.

This review is entirely based on the Skype capability, which is the reason why you are planning to buy this phone, right?

If you already have a Skype account, then setup is a breeze. You need to connect the base and the handset to power outlets (you will need two). Connect the network cable to your router (wireless or not). Then the only things you really need to enter in the handset itself are the time zone (make sure you understand what GMT time is as this phone's software uses world standards and not US) and user ID + password. And start making calls. If you want more details on how to use the full range of services Skype offers, then go to their site and do some research.

Base unit looks reasonably sturdy for a piece of equipment that will not move very much or not at all. Handset on the other hand feels light and the buttons look cheap. For the looks of the buttons and the overall quality of the ink used to print the numbers on them, it's likely that very soon the printing will fade and hence the 4 stars. Need to mention the whole unit has a nice greenish backlight, so using the phone in dark rooms is no problem.

Sound quality and range equal the ones of a regular wireless phone. But now that extra handsets have been introduced by Netgear the range is a less important issue as you could have up to three additional sets distributed throughout your home with one base unit.

Make sure your broadband connection is really BROAD. As an old Skype user I know that unless you have a really fat pipe (1MB at least) then the use of your Internet connection is "either/or" meaning that your Skype call quality will be really bad while your kid, even maybe you, stream the latest video from YouTube. This speed issue is NOT related to this unit, but to the way your Internet connection is used. A 256kB connection should be enough if no one else uses the Internet connection at the same time you speak.

Last but no least, please remember that this unit CANNOT call call 911. If you are a wireless freak like me (meaning you don't even have a so called "land line" at home) and plan to use this unit as your primary phone line please make sure you at least get a pre-paid cell phone to make those emergency calls.

I bought the SPH200D a year ago to keep in touch with my family abroad. At the time, there weren't many options for Skype phones, and this one seemed to be the best on offer. I use the phone for both Skype and landline local calls. The setup and user interface on the phone were straight forward and simple enough. In addition, the phone provides a web page interface to set up preferences, which was really nice. However, I soon found that on all calls (both Skype and landline) the first 60 seconds were unclear and filled with static. I tried moving the phone to a different location, using different connection cables, testing the landline with another phone. All indicated a problem with the SPH200D. In addition, after about 3 months of use, the phone would unexpectedly be "Unavailable" for Skype calls, without any known reason. I would have to manually re-boot the phone in order to get it working again. So, as a great believer in customer support, I contacted Netgear with my issues. There e-mail support technicians obviously knew much less about the phone than I did, and were unable to help me. They instructed me to call into the support center, which I soon found was a toll number. Once I explained my issue, I was then put on hold for 20 minutes (at my cost) until the call was eventually disconnected. After several further exchanges with their email support, I gave up and decided to buy another phone. In short, don't waste your time or money on a product that is lacking in call clarity and a company that has the worst support I have experienced in recent memory.

I have the DTMF issues the user named "me" wrote about - I can call in on some systems and use touch tones (checking voice-mail with Verizon Wireless) but on other systems (conference calls hosted by Global Crossing, etc.) I can not. I purchased this phone specifically for use in conference calls as they eat up my cell phone minutes (I only have a cell phone). By the way, I _can_ call into my conference calls with the Skype software running on my computer and using the software's tones.

I wrote Netgear support about this DTMF issue and they "forwarded the Case to the Level 2 support" - I haven't heard anything more, but it's only been 48 hours. I'm going to have to return my SPH200D if there isn't a firmware or some kind of update to address this issue.

By the way, I wrote Skype about the "low balance" message I receive on this "Skype Approved" phone. I have SkypeOut (unlimited calling) and a crazy 1 cent balance in my "normal" Skype account. This 1 cent balance resulted in the phone warning me about my low balance on every single call. I wrote Skype about the issue and they gave me a ~$1 credit and which solved the phone's warning message issue - I really appreciated it.

Overall it's a great phone but this one issue with touch tones serverly impacts its practicality.