Customer Reviews

Panasonic KX-TG2740S 2.4 GHz DSS 2-Line Expandable Cordless Speakerphone with Answering System and Caller ID

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(42)

 

 

...Yes, I love this phone. No, I don't have any connection to Panasonic. It's just that I've been waiting a long time for something like this at a price I could afford.

The KX-TG2740S is the top of Panasonic's new line of expandable cordless phone systems (expandable means you can buy and add more handsets - in this case up to 7 in addition to the one which comes included).

It has two lines, built-in digital answering machine with multiple mailboxes, keypad + speakerphone on the base station, caller-id, plus a great feature I couldn't find on any similar system, nor on Panasonic's more expensive KX-TG2000 and KX-TG4000 systems: a speakerphone in the handsets! This is invaluable when you call a voice-mail system or information service (like Moviefone) which requires you to push keys in response to voice prompts - or when you get put on hold by some customer service rep for 20 minutes.

One of the additional handset models you can buy (the KX-TGA272S) has a built-in alarm clock and lies horizontally in its charger with a handy speakerphone button showing -- perfect for bedside or computer-side use.

Range and voice quality are excellent; this is my first 2.5ghz phone and I was concerned that it might interfere with my wireless Airport network (or vice-versa), but that has not turned out to be the case, even with four handsets scattered around the house.

Panasonic has always made good cordless phones - but with the KX-TG2740s it has really hit the bullseye IMO.

(For those who don't need two lines and/or a built-in answering machine, the other models in this line [KX-TG2700s, KX-TG2720s, & KX-TG2730s] are also good bets).

I had a Siemens phone system that I dumped and replaced it with this one. I recommend reading the other reviews; here's some notes to fill in the gaps:

1. I haven't had any problems with battery life. It seems "normal" --i.e. I probably get several hours talk time and many hours standby, but I keep the phone in the charger at night and most of the day when I'm not using it, so it's not like it's ever far from being charged 100%.

2. The phone is solid and well-designed (unlike the Siemens). The base unit does not have a headset jack, but the handset does (as do the add-on handsets, a separate product).

3. The add-on handsets, BTW, are almost exactly the same as the handset that comes with the base station: slightly (very slightly) different form factor, but the same buttons and interface.

4. The directory on the hanset is a bit clunky to use, I agree, but it works.

5. The caller ID seems to work great for me. No problems.

6. The interface is very clear and easy to use, unlike the Siemens.

7. I can't comment on the answering machine as I don't use it.

8. In addition to the speakerphone in the base unit, the handset has a speakerphone! Yes, the HANDSET-- it's like a portable speakerphone. Kind of an odd feature but I find myself using it occasionally. Neat.

9. Anyone on an extension phone can join into a conversation (unlike the Siemens). So if I am on Line1 and want someone in the kitchen to join in the call, they can just pick up that phone and press Line1 and be there with me.

Hope this helps.

best
Eric

I needed a 2 line phone system with an extension out in my workshop, some 50' and several walls away. I tried this Panasonic despite the mixed reviews, and was ready to return it if it failed any of the tests. I am happy to report that so far I am very pleased with this system. It performs well and does all I want, and the extension in the workshop is a treat - I set a distinctive ring tone and the clarity is fine. I have had none of the problems mentioned in other reviews, and if battery issues show up in time I can always switch to NiMH batteries as someone recommended.

This is a complicated system with many features and options but despite this, it seems well thought-out. Perhaps I am used to the logic. The manual is clear and straightforward. There are a few idiosyncracies with the displays but it's almost impossible to provide a general solution that meets the style of everybody. I am preparing to switch all the house phones to this system.

I particularly appreciate the speakerphone on the handsets, where the sound quality is acceptable. I haven't exploited the intercom yet but I predict that this will be invaluable over time.

p.s. the photo on Amazon seems to be for the wrong model as the 2740 has two antennae for the two lines.

An excellent 2-line, answering machine and cordless phone system with many nice, useful features. I certainly recommend it.

I have the base + 3 additional expandable phones. Overall I'm very happy with the system. Phones are very clear and everything works as advertised. You can check your messages from any expandable phone - very convenient.

Speakerphones on the handsets are great - although I would like to have the volume a little louder than the maximum.

Never being satisfied with the status quo, I'd recommend the following enhancements and the phone system would be perfect:

- Can only record 15 minutes on answering machine. Up it to at least 30 minutes.

- While you can access your messages remotely, you can't change your outgoing message remotely. I like to use a feature like this to get a better outgoing message recorded instead of using the external microphone that is part of the base.

- Add a optional audible tone that beeps if you have new messages. My AT&T had this and I loved it!

- Display on unit should show number of messages, it only indicates this audibly after asking to play messages.

- The base should have a battery compartment to allow to use the system during a power outage and as a spare battery for a handset.

- Battery indicator on phones seems odd. After using any phone for about 30 minutes - it goes from full to almost empty. Takes many hours to show full again. Indicator never shows medium.

UPDATE: I'm updating this review about a month and a half after using the phone. I changed from 4 stars to 3 stars. A few times the phone just shuts down during a conversation. This happens when the battery goes down to one bar. There is no warning at all - you are just disconnected from the caller. This has happened about 4 times during the last month. As long as we watch the battery - we are okay -- very inconvenient.

Panasonic should not have used NiCad batteries which suffer severely from memory effect. If I weren't passed my return date - I'd consider going with something else because of this battery issue.

Another handset on my Siemens died (the original 2-line expandable with answering machine). I had had enough.

Here's my initial impression of the Panasonic compared to the Siemens:

1) I have not had problems with the battery. In fact, the battery life is much better than with Siemens, even when I replaced all the original rechargables. Now there was a handset that would drive you crazy. Because they are NiCDs, the Panasonic batteries do have to be conditioned properly. You really do have to let them charge for 15 hrs, though this can be very inconvenient to do.

UPDATE **** I have since replaced the original NiCDs with NiMH even though they are not spec'd for it. Still it works fine. I got the energizer from some site ****

2) As for the other features of the handset, I think these handsets are much better than Siemens. The Siemens win with cool factor and size, but have much worse key feel and are poorly integrated with answering machine functions. Also, the reliability was absolutely horrendous. I went through 4 different ones and the 4 that survived were flaky. Futhermore, the Panasonic's speaker phone on each handset is a great feature.

3) I think they unecessarily limited the size of the phone book and the answering machine on this phone because of their higher end models. There's only 50 avaiable numbers and 15 minutes of talk time on the AM. Although I have yet to exhaust the capacity of the answering machine - who wants messages more than 3 mintues anyway - the phone book is already filled. That kind of [edit]. The great thing about caller ID is how easily you can record a persons number. At least there's a 50 number record of callers.

4) One feature I miss on the Siemens is the ability to use the base as an intercom system. You can immediately broadcast you voice over the speaker phone on the base station. It's a great way to track someone down. On the Panasonic, you can set it up to immediately _hear_ the other side (its called room monitor) but you can't talk over the speaker. Also, as far as I can tell you can't page all the handsets from another handset, only from the base station. It's not clear why that's an acceptable limitation.

5) The Siemens can have two base stations though I have no use for that feature.

6) On the Siemens, you can identify each handset with a name instead of a number but it is very awkward to set that up.

Things I wish it could do:

- Handle memory free batteries (I believe this would have been a low-cost feature but they chose to leave it off to differentiate their product line)

- Have more handset flexibility in terms of being able to page other handsets or use the base station as an intercom.

- Have more directory entries.

I am very relieved to be done with the very flaky Siemens system. My firends got the same one at the time and also have done nothing but gripe about the handsets. It's too bad. The Panasonic have a quality that the Siemens does not. It's not perfect feature wise but I there was nothing that was. I would say it does 80% of what I want, and it does it clearly and consistently.

This is a great phone system with horrible batteries. Get the Energizer p-511 and put them in immediately. If your battery says Panasonic- dump them- they are no good- your phones will just go blank at some point. Buy the new batteries at Target for $10 each and the system is great.

I love it. I can put an extension in every room with 2 lines and never have to mess with jacks again. Good features and the whole system cost under $200 for 3 phones. Good deal and cheap for my business budget.

It's a bit complex, but the manuals are pretty well wirtten. It's a bit pricey, but the functionality is there. It's got some flaws, but they're minor, taken on balance. And I guess I'm lucky enough to have bought one after Panasonic solved the battery problem that numerous raters have complained about. Or at least I haven't seen the problem over a month of use with three remote handsets. The sound is great on the base unit and handsets alike.

It sets up easily enough and changes to the configuration via the menus are pretty easy to accomplish. I had previously used a phone company voice mail, and it took a few days to get them to stop intercepting my calls. In the meantime, it was easy to end-run the problem by simply setting the number of rings before answering down to a low number. My point is that, if you need a system this complex, your transition from a less integrated system will give you plenty to think about. Unfortunately, you're on your own (just you and the manual) to make your swithover, because Panasonic's customer support is no help. And I mean NO help. For a company that big, with that diverse a product mix, Panasonic should be flat ashemed.

A few complaints. The system could use at least one more mailbox. It should allow you to download a few more ring tones. Each handset should allow you to screen calls (the base unit does). The alarm clock handset needs a way to indicate in the dark that the alarm is on, and a way to reset the alarm (same time next day) with a few less keystrokes.

One small shortcoming in the documenation: There needs to be some sort of matrix that summarizes which features and capabilities can only be achieved via the base unit versus the handset. It's confusing at first, but don't worry -- after a short while, you'll still be confused.

One note. My spouse is somehwat technically challenged. In reality, she just won't read a manual. So if you're in the same boat as I, be prepared to spend about an hour teaching a little class in your new phone system. Now that she can use the intercom feature, we're both happy, 'cuz I can see it's her and let it go to voicemail!

after reading reviews re poor ni-cad battery performance and resulting handset-blank-screen artifacts, i simultaneously purchased this phone and an energizer er-p511 nimh battery (from vh1shop.vh1.com for $9.99). the result is an excellent phone. with the energizer nimh battery, talk time is hours and standby time is days. all you folks experiencing poor battery performance and blank screens or loss of signal between handset and base because your batteries are performing poorly, go get the energizer nimh battery and start enjoying your phone.

i also bought an additional white handset (kx-tga271w). this version of the separate handset comes with a nimh battery included -- go figure. i have no idea why panasonic ships the original phone with the garbage ni-cad battery.

i only looked at panasonic cordless phones with two antennas on the base unit when shopping this time because of my previous experience.

previous experience: about 5 years ago i tested about 10 cordless phones in my house, taking every one back because they all performed lousy, most with an annoying echo resulting from interference of signals between handset and base units. the panasonic two-antenna models transmit to the handset on one frequency and receive on a different frequency, thus avoiding interference effects. the result is the cleanest and clearest sound you will get with a cordless phone. so do like i did when shopping this time: don't look at any cordless phones except the panasonics with two antennas on the base unit.

i have noticed two weird things -- both may be quirks related to odd testing conditions, so i still give this phone 5 stars, as i'm not convinced these are real problems. i list them here only in case others encounter these oddities so they can see my solutions. hopefully they will work for you too.

1. echo on line 2: i noticed that every call from line 2 was echoing when i spoke. i unplugged line 2's telephone wire while speaking (to my office answering machine) on line 2. when plugging line 2 back in, i got a dial tone, and the echo is gone. i suspect the problem was faulty connection of the telephone-wire contacts. all clear now. no echo.

2. dropped answering-machine (short) messages: i have done tests leaving myself messages on the answering machine. i've noticed that every once in a while (very) short messages (like "test message", then hang up) are not saved. since i noticed this accidentally, i repeated my tests with very short messages. perhaps 10 to 20% never got recorded. i decided this was a stupid test, as how useful is a 2-second message? so i started leaving longer messages (of sensible length). every one of the longer messages has been recorded correctly.

it has been about 5 years since i bought my first panasonic two-antenna phone. back then i gave up on getting a speaker phone, as all the ones i tested (none panasonic) were terrible. this phone's speakerphone performance is excellent. absolutely superb.

bottom line: buy this phone (and the nimh battery from energizer) and don't look back.

I have had an an old Panasonic cordless for several years and it has been great. Now that I am in the market for a new phone I have been looking to them again. This phone really interests me except for the battery issue. With all the complaining by what I would call an internet savvy crowd (they did post opinions on Amazon) - I decided to due a battery search. Ten seconds on Google yielded an NiMH Battery for this phone at batteries.com. I have also read somewhere else that someone has used this succesfully (I think epinions - not sure). Anyway here it is - model number and all:

Energizer ER-P511 Nickel-Metal Hydride Cordless Phone Battery
for the Panasonic KX-TG2740S

Knowing this I think I am still interested in the phone. I believe most people are satisfied with it if they leave out the battery problems.

These phones seemed to be exactly what we needed, but it hasn't worked out well at all. Within days of purchase problems began...each handset recorded different incoming calls (some calls appeared on all handsets, other calls on only some, etc.) After other inconsistent problems, I tried to contact Panasonic, which I've discovered has about the worst customer support as any company I've come across. I tried their web site and found no troubleshooting information. I repeatedly called their customer support line (I mean for days) without getting through. When I finally reached someone, she took the information and said someone would call me back within 48 hours. EIGHT DAYS LATER, I finally got through again to say no one had contacted me and the problems were worse. Again, no response. So I took the base unit back to Circuit City and they gave me a new one (which helped for about a week, then the problems resurfaced and now are getting worse with time.
When brand new,the batteries seemed to hold a charge as advertised. But now I literally get a ten minute call in and the phone is dead and must completely recharge. To make it more frustrating, it shows three bars on the display and then blanks out (unusable) from one second to the next with no warning.
Yesterday, one of the eight handset's display went black and now won't even recharge at all.
The phones are less than a year old and the system is worthless. Unless Panasonic has done some major reworking of these phones, I would stay away.