Customer Reviews

Panasonic KX-TG4500B 5.8 Ghz 4-Line FHSS Expandable Corded/Cordless Phone with Answering System, Black, 1 Handset

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

I have had the previous generation of this phone for 5 years and have just replaced it.

Pros:
1) If you need 4 lines, this is the only game in town. They used to make a 2 line one, but no longer.
2) There is a headset jack on the base unit, which is very rare, and which is the reason I was willing to pay for this unit. And you can switch among headset, handest and speaker phone with no switching noise - very unusual.
3) Excellent sound, and it's perfectly quiet going from one line to another - no transition noise.
4) Unlike some, there is no cross-talk between the 2 lines. If you have one person on hold and are talking to another, the first party won't hear the other conversation.
5) Obvious quality build.
6) Battery backup good for a while.

Cons:
1) Cordless range only so-so for a high-end unit.
2) BIG CON: The number pads on the cordless units are somewhat delicate and after a couple of years start being a bit harder to press or stop responding at all. The authorized repair place I used said that this isn't uncommon with these phones. Repair (including shipping) was going to be enough that I just bought a new/extra cordless unit to use with it.

There are 2 new features, the ablility to MUTE a call and the ability to record a call. The lack of a MUTE button on the base unit of the previous generation was strange in a unit of this type.

I have had this phone for about a month and I can't find anything to complain about. It addresses all of the problems of the previous model including:
More volume settings
Music on hold (provided or your own)
Mute
More ringers (7)
You can join a call in progress
Headsets can be named
Call Waiting ID
Indefinite hold (doesn't send to voicemail right away)
The ringer can be muted.
You can record a phone call.

I have not used the attendant. The range is fine for me and there is no interference with WiFI A/B, microwave, or other radio devices.

So far, so good. I reccomend it.

We have been using the Panasonic 4 -line wireless phone system to run our home businesses for over 5 years. The original KX-TG4000 -- 2.4 ghz system worked really well. The problem however was that our wireless router created an audible interference, static in the cordless units.

So we "Upgraded" to the new Panasonic KX-TG4500 - 5.8 Ghz system. The new frequency works well with NO interference no static with our wireless router. The audio signal is quiet and static free on the cordless units.

The answering machine on this upgraded unit is terrible. It cuts off voice mail messages of callers. Typically it cuts off the last second or two of the phone message while they are leaving a phone number. After two replacement machines, a dozen support calls, and numerous attempts at resetting the VOX SENSITIVITY, and the AUTO DISCONNECT settings (settings which are totally hidden and buried if it wasn't for support telling me where these settings were, I would not even know about them.) I am giving up, resigning myself to living with a piece of S#%* phone machine that cuts off messages. I will buy a new one, a different brand as soon as I can find one.

I would NOT recommend for anyone to buy this phone system. For the $1000 we have invested in the system for our home office, I am certain there is a better product out there. But it is not the Panasonic KX-TG4500 nor the cordless units KX-TGA450. Stay away from this one.

We used a previous version of this system for years. This much improved system handles even the tiny wishes we had from the old system. Music on hold, speaker phones, great range, etc. I actually bought multiple systems and tried them in my offices. I returned them all except the Panasonic.

With a few drawbacks, this is a well-designed 4-line telephone. On the plus side, the base and remote handsets work well. In particular, the remote handset buttons are much more sturdy than they were in earlier Panasonic design. Corded-handset and speakerphone quality are excellent. The major drawback is that the ring volume is the same for all 4 lines. Previous Panasonic designs had individual-line volume settings, but not this phone. This is important to me because only one of the 4 lines is for incoming calls, the others are for outgoing calls, and telemarketers call all lines indiscriminately. My solution was to turn off the overall ring volume and use in parallel a separate cheap phone on the one line I use for incoming calls. I do not use the answering system because I have voice mail, so I cannot comment on that feature.

To the best of my knowledge, this is the second generation of these Panasonic Cordless phones. I have used both. The improvements made from the first generation are dramatic. I can even play background music when my customers are on hold and, so far, the quality of this system is dramatically improved from the previous generation.

It does have some limitations:
(1) you can only have up to 8 handsets with this system. If you plan to grow beyond that in less than a year or two, it is probably not worth the investment. Spend the money on a professional business phone system. If, like me, you can live with only 8 extensions for the next year or two, this system is money well spent, and will keep you from the large outlay of cash that a pro system will cost you.

(2) Being cordless is really sweet unless you have employees who tend to leave their phones laying around, or as is the case with me, you have a secretary that "steals" your phone when she leaves hers at her desk, and then walks away with it - well you know what I mean.

(3) The system is limited to 4 phone lines. If you need more lines, this is not the system for you.

If you can live with these limitations, you will be very happy with this system.

Overall this 4-line phone system does most things that any small business would require with multiple options for messaging. Extreme clarity w/ no buzzes or popping noises that you might experience on other systems. A fully charged handset can last for days out of the cradle. I had a Siemans system before and with it's drawbacks I DO miss two features that it had that this system lacks: A) When you "register" the handsets to the system your phonebook entries in the base do not transmit to the handset(s). You have to enter each contact separately in the base and/or handset(s). Kind of a drag. My other system was able to transfer data from base to handsets & vise versa. This system does not do that and for the life of me, I don't know why. Seems such an obvious time saver & simple thing to have included. Go figure.
B) Although this is a very "messaging savvy" system, it is not built with a separate LED indicator to let you know that your providers voice mail has a message waiting. Not a big deal if you plan to use only the self contained voice mail features. (there IS, of course, an indicator for internal messages waiting) If you use, say, AT&T voice mail on any of the lines, you'll have to open the line to hear the stuttering dial tone as indicator. Not a big deal for most people, but I got used to the external light indicator on my other system. Overall I'm pleased with the purchase and would recommend it as a solid system with a couple of missing niceties.

Great unit. One of the few 4 line cordless phones. Easy to transfer calls between handets. Sound is great in terms of volume and clarity. A great feature is the speakerphone on each handset which allows you to set it down while waiting on hold. Has music on hold which is a nice feature. Don't have any complaints about this phone.

I had high hopes for this phone. I needed a 3 line phone, voice mail, etc. and I wanted a speakerphone in each handset. I thought this was the one. WRONG!

I can't believe after all these years since the last 4 line phone, this is all they could come up with!

PROBLEMS:
1. You can't adjust ringer volume per line on the base unit. All 4 lines have the same volume. What if you didn't want to hear lines 3&4 ring? Nope.
2. If someone picks up line 2 for example from a different phone in the house, you cannot pick it up too on the base. It says "BUSY".
3. The answering machine 'RECORDS' hang ups. I've never had a panasonic machine do this. You get all these 'false' messages that are just hangups, etc.
4. Everytime you check your messages remotely (from outside the house), you have to acknowledge: 'press 1 for english, 2 for spanish". Every time! I already set the phone to english. Why do I have to do this everytime i call for messages?
5. Sound quality of recording not as good as the last 4 line phone from Panasonic or even their 2 line systems.
6. Speakerphone could be louder and clearer
7. The menu/operating system is not so intuitive. To just shut off a particular line from the answering system you have to go through a zillion steps.

Why are there not any better options for 4 line phones out there? Panasonic has always been top notch for me.
I would avoid this one.

I have owned many Panasonic cordless phones so I didn't blink when I forked over $400 for this 4 line beauty.
You need to know 3 things about this phone.
1 My customers tell me my voice fades in and out from the corded base.
2 The range on the hand set varies from acceptable to pathetic from the same location.
3 The hand set stopped functioning after 13 months.