Customer Reviews

Siemens 4200 Gigaset 2.4 GHz Supplementary Handset (Silver and Black)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Purchased this phone to use as an additional handset to the Siemens 4215. For those not familar with the Siemens system - up to three of the 4200 series handsets can be used to expand the 4215 base system. You can have phones (4 total)all over the house without the cost of adding wiring and new jacks.

I am able to walk to a neighbors home on the two acres next to mine & make/receieve calls with prefect clarity - even inside!

One more thing - this phone takes two regular AA rechargeable batteries, so no more expensive batteries that sometimes can cost more than the original phone.

Having owned the 4215 base station for about 1 year, I decided to shell out some $$$ and get the 4200 "extension" handset.

My review will focus on the negative - since the other reviews have already pointed out the strong points of the 4200.

It seemed simple - put the batteries in the 4200 handset, turn it off, put it in the base station and it automatically registers with the master base station. At least this is what the 1 page quick start pamphlet said (the only documnentaiton that comes with the 4200). Unfortunately, this did not work for me. After searching for 30 minutes for the big user manual to the 4215, I finally found it. These instructions indicate that the 4200 can be registered with the base station manually. This is when I discovered the undocumented solution to my problem through 30 minutes of trial and error...back when I first registered the 4215 base station, I changed the system from its default factory '0000' setting to my own setting for security reasons as the manual suggested. When you try to register the 4200 base station, it assumes that your default pin number is still being used on the master base station. After I did the manual handset registration and entered my "altered" pin number, the additional handset was recognized immediately! Thanks for documenting that one, Siemens!

My other gripe with the 4200 phone is the low batery life as some other reviewers mentioned. The solution here is simple..ditch those el-cheapo factory batteries that come with the 4200 and get yourself some quality *rechargable* NiMH batteries. I use the Energizer NH15-AA batteries which are rated for 1850mAh. My "stock" batteries (which may differ from yours) are rated for 700mAh. After swaping out the batteries, I have not had a single problem with the batteries dying too soon.

Other than the poor documentation and steep learning curve associated with learning how to use all the docunmented and undocumented features, this is a great extension phone. The small footprint is nice.

I wish the keys were more "responsive" -- they have to be pressed and held slightly to hang up or to delete messages -- or hit multiple times. I wish the message indicator would only flash when there were voice mails - not just missed calls where no voice mail was left.

The 4200 series handset is way too expensive. ... The design could be more ergonomic. This thing is kind of bulky and square -- not something you want to chat on for hours unless you like ear pain.

Despite all my negative comments, this is a solid phone. The range is incredibly good for me. The ring tones are a nice touch as well as the evening volume lowering feature that someone mentioned in another review. I give it 3 out of 5 stars. Here is my breakdown: Minus 1 star for poor documentation. Minus 1 star for all the pesky little things that bug me about the phone (only some of which are mentioned here for space reasons). Maybe these little bugs will be ironed out when they come out with a 5 Ghz model.

The Siemens Gigaset 4200, 4210, and 4215 units are powerful telephones, but be FOREWARNED....

Customers residing in the 14-state Qwest (formerly US West) service area may NOT be able to utilize some of the advanced telephone features.

Siemens claims that the 4200-series provides support for "Advanced Caller ID on Call Waiting" (aka "Caller ID 2.5") when the service is obtained from the local telephone company. The Siemens 4215 User's Manual states, "The Gigaset 4215 fully supports this convenient telephone company feature."

Don't believe it!!!!

Siemens provides support for "Caller ID 2.5" and claims it is a "standard".

[Local Company] provides "Call Waiting Deluxe" which requires Type 3 (aka ADSI or Analog Display Service Interface) CPE (Customer Premises Equipment). Type 3 CPE can be programmed (by calling a [local company]-provided 800 number) for use in the [local] service area with the "Call Waiting Deluxe" service. Siemens' Gigaset 4200-series CANNOT be programmed to work with the [local] "Call Waiting Deluxe" service.

How Siemens can sell a brand new telephone boldly claiming support for features that require support from, but are not provided by, one of the major national telephone companies (serving 14 states and millions of consumers) is absolutely beyond me!

Siemens customer support is rather unknowledgeable regarding these matters. They're good at making excuses and claiming that "2.5 is the current standard", but absolutely of no assistance in making this customer happy.

I won't be buying any more of these telephones and can't recommend them to anyone.

This phone has some nice features, such as voice dialing and copying phonebook to other handsets, but it is missing two very important feature in my book:
1. No headset jack. I really miss using a headset for long conference calls or talking and typing.
2. No easy muting for attending conference calls and not adding your background noise to the call. I regularly participate in or listen to conference calls and do not find the lack of mute very helpful.

I would have seriously reconsidered this phone if I had realized these two features where missing.

If you have a 4010 or 4015 base station you can't use voice dialing. The Screen is harder to read than the 4000 because they chose to use white characters on black background for some of the text. It doesn't have a headset jack. The buttons are smaller.

The only reason to buy this handset for a 4000 series base station is if you need a compatible speaker phone. Otherwise save some money and stick with the 4000.

I was a former developer of this product line. The development was moved from the USA to Germany. As far as the term "Caller ID 2.5", in order to enable the feature, you need to ask for "Caller ID Deluxe" service with the phone companies.

Caller ID 2.5 is a compromise between 2.0 and 3.0. Since the phone didn't have the display required for 3.0, the feature was implemented in the buttons on the 8825 base and the menus of the handsets like in other Caller ID boxes, but it is not a standard term recognized by phone companies.

I purchased the phone for its speakerphone capabilities.

I purchased the 4215 about a year ago based on a recommendation from my sister who checked out several multi function cordless phones, and thought the Seimen's had the best quality. I was impressed by the product line and the features as well as the compact size. I soon bought a 4200 and am about to purchase a third.
I needed tech support(I rate excellent)because I could not figure out(among many other things) how to "flash". This is NOT an "easy" machine!
About ten months ago, quite unexpectedly the main unit accidently got mixed up in the towels and went through an entire hot laundry cycle. When I found it at the bottom of the tub, I took out the batteries and wrapped the phone in a small towel then put it in an oven of 200 degrees for an hour or so,then I put it on the charger and I got a dial tone! It works perfectly as it did a year ago. The design also hold up to the test of time as they look new with very little effort. Exellent speaker phone, and voice recognition. No headphone jack and a weird caller ID system that is easy to forgive. If you want quality, loaded with features on a cordless multi handset phone this is the one. I have learned to love it.

This new technology where you only need one phone line to run many phones is great. I bought the Siemens, hoping it is the best.
It looks very nice, works well, etc, etc....
The feature for calling between handsets is pretty cool, like an intercom but much better.

The only negatives may apply to all these:
- There is a slight delay before it starts ringing. Probably something to do with the radio part.
- Like a cell phone, you can choose from many different ring tones, but NONE of them sound like a regular phone ring.

This handset is extraordinary. The built-in speakerphone is very convenient. It has more features than the 4000-series handset (extensive menu, speakerphone, etc.), but it basically does the same in terms of sound quality and range. I have never had battery problems. It uses two standard AA Ni-Cd batteries that last forever. Quite impressive! I give this product 5 stars for quality and excellent features.

You can use this handset on the Gigaset 4010, 4015, 4200 and 4215 base stations.

My family has owned this system for over five years and have experienced little to no problems with any of the handsets or the base. The biggest plus of these phones is their durability. In five years they have been dropped hundreds of times, chewed on by a large dog, had coffee spilled on them - you name it and this phone has been through it. Initially, we did have some problems with low battery life, but we switched to newer Energizer rechargeables and all is now fine. My absolute favorite feature is the intercom feature. Our home is three stories so it is a hassle to try to get the attention of someone on the first floor if you are on the third. Since we have a handset in the middle of each floor, I can just press a button and chat rather than treking down two flights of stairs. This has proven to be an indisposable feature and I have tried to no avail to find another expandable system that has this feature. One negative feature that is a bit annoying is the lack of a flash button. To answer call waiting calls you must push the memory button. If you hold it too long you will enter the memory menu and then you have missed the incoming call. The other negative is that these phones are not readily available at local stores. We lost a handset recently (literally lost the handset, no fault of Siemens) and had to order the phone online rather than running out to big box mart for a replacement - a minor inconvenience. In fact, both of the negative comments are minor inconveniences, not deal breakers. From reading the posts, others have had technical support issues, but in our five years of experience with these phones under the most severe conditions (small children, large dog, clumsy owners) we have only had to contact technical support once when one of the handsets wasn't charging properly. We reached technical support right away and they suggested cleaning the contacts with alcohol. We did and it worked. And no, there is no interferene with our wireles home network.