Customer Reviews

Panasonic Link-to-Cell Expandable Bluetooth-Enabled DECT 6.0 Phone System with 2 Handsets

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(57)

 

 

Due to the mixed reviews, I purchased this from Best Buy so returning it would not be a hassle. After several months, I have never had a dropped call or disconnected handset, so I've kept it and ordered 4 additional handsets.

As far as I know, the only handsets that work are the ones that are exactly the same as it comes with -- the KX-TGA930T, and the splash/drop resistant KX-TGA935B. I got one of the 935's so my wife can take it outside/gardening/etc. It is noticeably bulkier and heavier and so I only ordered the one, and it lives on the kitchen counter when it isn't travelling outdoors.

With the base unit on the ground floor and not really near any windows, in fact it's right next to the fridge, I can go about 2 to 3 houses away before it cuts out. There is a jogging track across the next street over, so through two yards and a street, in the direction that the fridge doesn't block, and it does go further in that direction. Place the base station with windows and desired distant coverage in mind and you should be pleased with the results.

A big Pro for me is the batteries are rechargeable AAA's, 2 per handset. You'll never have to buy an expensive proprietary battery. And, when you do replace the AAA's it comes with, you can use your choice of higher mAh ones like Eneloop or Duracell. I like the shared phonebook, as opposed to having to program numbers on each handset. If you prefer the latter, then this system may not be for you. You can set Night Ring mode for different times on different handsets, but you can't name the handset. We just have to remember that the "Bedroom" phone is #1 and that's the one that doesn't ring after 10pm. It's a handy feature.

I have a Blackberry Storm and my wife has an LG Chocolate 2. As soon as I turn OFF my Jawbone Prime, the base can connect to it. After I drive away from the house, I can turn on the Jawbone and it can find the Storm. The Storm seems to only talk to one BT device at once. I don't know if any of the negative reviewers are contributing some difficulties to concurrent BT headset use. The BlueTooth range is MUCH farther with the base than my headset. I was shocked that it works just fine without any BT static when I take my phone clear upstairs into the bedroom where my charging cradle lets the Storm double as a bedside clock. I have been so used BT headset range being limited even to where I keep my phone on the same side of my body as the earpiece. Occasionally, perhaps once a month, the base doesn't connect back up to one of our cell phones after a call. After unplugging the base station power for a couple seconds it comes back up just fine. We have NOT had any dropped calls using cell or landline (well, technically it's VOIP but same thing to the base).

Being used to the ability to pass calls to and from the BT headset, I found that the Panasonic cannot do this exactly. Of course, I can "steal" a call-in-progress from the Panasonic to talk on the cell, but I can't send a call to the Panasonic the way I can by turning on my Jawbone and having the call-in-progress transfer to the headset from the cell. I tried everything, but the Panasonic only knows how to answer a ringing Cell call or dial out an outgoing Cell call. Fortunately, my wife's Chocolate is more user-friendly than the Storm, in that if she picks up the Chocolate and answers it, the Chocolate doesn't default to BT like the Storm does. If I have to answer my Storm, I have to hit Answer, then Menu, Activate Handset, while the caller is inevitably saying, "Hello? Hello???" Be aware of this, and be prepared to teach your wife/parents/whoever how to answer their own cell when it's paired to the Panasonic's BlueTooth, if needed.

The biggest con I have with this system is that it can ONLY do ONE thing at a time, with the exception of a two-handset phone call. ONE phone can be using the phonebook at a time. About all it does in tandem is that you can intercom two handsets at the same time as other handsets make a phone call (we use it as an ad-hoc baby monitor sometimes). You can talk on ONE line, either cell 1 or cell 2 or landline, but you can't use more than one line at once and certainly not conference them. However, the convenience of walking to any of the 6 handsets to answer a call rather than dash around the house trying to find where the cell phone got set down, or trip up or down the stairs because it's always sitting on the kitchen counter, far outweighs the occasional times we get two calls at once and someone has to use their cell phone. You can't look up phone book or caller-id logs while any other phone is doing so or is on a phone call.

I wish you could change the backlight time, cradle-backlight settings, and have a large screensaver "clock" option, but you can't.

Overall the system is a keeper for us. The only reason I might be disappointed is if the VTech LS6245 that finally seems to have come out recently, or another BlueTooth enabled system, turns out to be a killer system and overcome some of the limitations such as one line or intercom at once. My wife loves it and doesn't care that it only does one thing at once.

4 stars instead of 5 because I think that by supporting up to 6 handsets, it should allow at minimum one handset to be on one call while another handset is on another, and intercom from handset can only ring one other handset (by number since it doesn't "name" phones) -- if you want to "ring all" you have to go poke the "handset locator" button on the base.

It seems like a lot of people have had problems with this item but for me it has worked great. I have two Verizon phones connected (HTC XV6900 and a Samsung Alias)and have had no problems with them doing auto connect when in range and no dropped calls - yet. I'm amazed at how far my cell phones can be from the base and still connect. The base unit is on the first floor in the kitchen and my cell can be in a second floor bedroom and still work just fine.

The performance could have a lot to do with your cell service and how well the Bluetooth works on your pnone. A previous reviewer pointed out that the "B" version has been improved - I thought the "B" meant that it was the color black version as opposed the a "S" silver version but they may be right as I have the "B" version and it works great.

UPDATE - Several months later and this system is still working great for me. I'm convinced that people who have problems with this phone are really having more problems with their cell phone than the Panasonic system. On maybe two or three occasions there have been times where my cell phone (Verizon XV6900) didn't connect automatically upon entering the house but I've had more instances where the same cell phone won't automatically connect with my Bluetooth enabled Garmin GPS in the car. The KX-TH1212B seems to work much more reliably than the Garmin. My wife's Verizon Alias phone always connects without problem. Neither phone has experienced dropped calls when connected. I've expanded my system to include six handsets and no problems there either.

I have been waiting for this phone since it was announced at CES in January. Originally I tried the AT&T EP5632 but was disappointed by the bluetooth technology. On the AT&T my cell phone would never connect automatically when I came home for the day. The Panasonic works flawlessly every time. It has a setting the can control how frequently the cordless phone looks for the cell phone.

Other then the wonderful bluetooth feature everything else works as you'd expect. I can make or place calls, there is a phone book and customizable ringers. The talking caller id is a bonus. The sound comes out of the handset not the base unit so I can hear who is calling in each room I have a handset.

The only thing I have found to knock on the phone is that there does not appear to be a phonebook transfer feature. Transferring between handsets is something my old panasonic could do. Even better is if the phone could sync with the phonebook on my cell phone. Also, the only lighted keys are the numeric keys. Everything else is not lighted. It would be great if everything else where lighted.

PURCHASE THE XLINK BY XTREME TECHNOLOGIES CORP. INSTEAD !!!!!!
PANASONIC MAKES THE BEST CORDLESS PHONES, BUT THIS UNIT IS A FAILURE.
I ORIGINALLY GAVE THIS PRODUCT 5 STARS. I WOULD NOW GIVE IT 0 STARS. THIS PRODUCT WAS RELEASED WITH FIRMWARE FLAWS WHICH ARE CAUSING DROPOUTS BETWEEN THE BASE UNIT AND THE HANDSETS (READ THE OTHER REVIEWS). THIS IS NOT A BLUETOOTH COMPATIBILITY ISSUE. PANASONIC RELEASED THIS UNIT WITH INHERENT FLAWS. I AM AN ELECTRICAL ENGINEER; AND HAVE HAD EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE WITH CELLULAR/LANDLINE INTERFACE PRODUCTS. I RECOMMENDED THIS UNIT TO MY COLLEAGUES AND RELATIVES; THEY ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUES. I AM CONTEMPLATING A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT BECAUSE IT APPEARS PANASONIC WAS AWARE OF THESE PROBLEMS, BUT DECIDED TO RELEASE THE UNIT REGARDLESS. DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT PURCHASE THIS PRODUCT.

I really, really wanted this to work. Unfortunately, the link-to-cell feature is unreliable (likely due to bluetooth issues). But before I get into that, I will say, it has EXTREMELY limited cell phone support. Check their website. While they say it should work with most bluetooth 1.1, 1.2 and 2.0 phones, it will not work with my wife's Treo 650 (which is bluetooth 1.1). In fact, they only confirm the phone works with a couple dozen phones.

That disappointment aside, I was thrilled when I saw that it seemed to work flawlessly with my Treo 750 (which has a newer bluetooth stack). I've had the phone for several days, and each day, until today, it has automatically made a connection to my Treo 750 when I get home from work. (And my phone is only about 15 feet away.) So, what now? I'd need to reestablish the connection, which just isn't worth the effort every few days.

So, unfortunately, this slick little system is going back. Who knows -- you might have better luck.

UPDATE: Okay, I haven't returned the unit yet. But now I'm really going to. I was just on the phone with my father, and the phone just cut out. Then, there was a message on the handset saying it lost its connection with the base unit, and that I should unplug the base unit and replug it in. Well, I did that, and it's still not connecting. I know there's another procedure to go through to reestablish a connection, but come on, this is ridiculous. I should not have early-adopted this product, but I was too tempted by the link-to-cell feature. I'd say, wait until the next version.

Once installed this unit essentially gives you convenient access to 3 telephones lines - 1 Land-line + 2 cellphones - but you can still only use one line at a time. So if you are using a handset to make or take a call that came in via your cellphone, you will not be able use the system for making or receiving any calls on the other cellphone or via the land line.

For many people this will mean that instead of carrying on 2 or 3 conversations - very common here at my house - you will be limited to only 1. Kinda like having 3 bathrooms in your house but only 1 door to get to them, fine if you live alone, but if you have more than 1 person at home expect to have somebody asking how much longer you are going to be, or when you will be done, every 2 minutes.

5 stars for a great product so far.
0 stars for the line-blocking action.
2 stars for overall execution.

After 3 weeks of use I returned this product. The problems I noted above were irritating, but add in the dropped calls (not cellphone related), and the failure to pick up many of the incoming cell calls, and I was left feeling I could not rely on this unit. I was using it with 2 iPhones. Maybe that makes a difference.

I can NOT recommend this, and strongly recommend you to NOT get this unit. It drops calls via the handset all the time. Landline or cellphone, it doesn't seem to matter. It drops calls either way, which is very annoying when you are talking with someone.

I have done the suggested re-sync the handset with the base and that does not help the issue.

Very disappointed with this purchase.

Bluetooth DECT 6.0 wireless phones are innovative products. The KX-TH1212B works better than the original KX-TH1212 which frequently dropped calls. However, I finally gave up on the Panasonic KX-TH1212B Bluetooth system which also dropped a few calls. I replaced the Panasonic unit with the vTech DS6322. The vTech does not have as many nice features of the Panasonic, but it has the most important feature that it works with bluetooth without droppping calls. I gave the Panasonic system to a landline user which works well in that mode. I do not recommend using the Panasonic unit for a bluetooth application.

This phone does provide bluetooth connectivity with cell phones and it does provide marginally greater range than other cordless phones I've tried. Reliability, however, is very poor. I've had many dropped calls and often find any given handset having no connection to the base unit both when receiving and when trying to make calls. Often calls come in either through the landline or cell phone and while the phone rings and Caller ID works, all you get when you pick up is a series of beeps. The technology just isn't there in this product.

The Panasonic KX-TH1212B Telephone System was easy for me to set up after first reading and following the included instructions. Most people should be able to install and set up this system if they follow the instructions. I liked the feature where you only had to program one handset for your Address Book and any other handsets you have will automatically be programed when they are set to operate with this system. It was also easy to set up the Cell Phone feature and likewise your Address Book will automatically work with it once it is set to work with this system. Bottom line, it works as expected with no problems.