Customer Reviews

Uniden TRU5865 5.8 GHz Cordless Phone with Caller ID

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

5.8GHz is a *requirement* if you use WiFi (802.11a/b/g) in your house or if you have other wireless technologies that typically get garbled when the 900MHz or 2.4GHz phones are used. I have had absolutely NO reception troubles in my 3300 sqft house and the clarity is superb.

The phone's looks are top-notch. Black and silver is a very slick look for a modern household. Might look a little funny if you're style is country or traditional.

Caller ID works well and the 2-line display is very helpful. Voicemail indicator is also nice.

The biggest surprise feature for me was the speakerphone in the handset! I've used this several times (it's great when you're on hold somewhere or when you need several people to talk at once) and love it!

I was happy with the menu navigation, although I thought they could have offered more features (like... perhaps the ability to control the volume of that LOUD, annoying beeping every time you press a button). The menu seemed sparse to me.

My biggest two gripes with this phone are not petty and not trivial at all. They are showstoppers, in my opinion.

(1) The phone will NOT work well in states that require 10-digit dialing and a +1 in order to dial in-state. In Michigan, for example, I have to dial 1-248-555-1212 to call my neighbor (ok, so that's information, I digress).

Putting My Neighbor in the phone book as 248-555-1212 results in:
- The inbound works fine (caller ID shows up, custom rings sound if set)
- BUT you cannot dial using the phone book or caller ID redial. This is because both will try to dial 248-555-1212, which will not work! Our phone system requires 1-248-555-1212 to be dialed. There is NO setting for this on the phone.

If you think you can be sneaky (like I did) and set the phone book entry to be 1-248-555-1212, then:
- You can call with the phone book, BUT
- Inbound services don't work (no custom rings) and you STILL can't redial them from the caller ID.

In effect, if you live in a state that has converted to full 10-digit dialing and a 1 is required to dial 10 digits, don't bother with this phone. It's slick, but it's unforgiveable that the engineers missed that one considering the first phone I bought myself in 1985 had this capability. Yay, progress!

Basically, this phone seduced me into buying it with its looks. The thing looks downright awesome, even more so than the pictures can convey. The first one of my friends who saw it asked me if it really worked or if it was a prop from a movie :)
If impressing the friends is important to you, go for it.

The clarity is superb. Anyplace in my house it sounds indistinguishable from a corded telephone and better than my Nextel. The range with the new 5.8 GHz system is excellent, about the same as 2.4 GHz systems. While the 5.8 GHz signal has the potential to travel farther, the higher frequency a signal is, the more it is affected by obstacles. [I.e. Walls, trees, cars, other houses etc.] Nevertheless, I can use this thing from around the block from my house. The phone also uses DSS, a digital scrambling system that makes it near impossible for an eavesdropper to listen with a scanner.

The difference in range between 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz is debatable, so if price really matters, pick up a 900 MHz DSS with caller id and you're basically getting the same phone with less flashiness.

This phone comes with some melodic ringers, like Beethoven's 9th and so on, personally I find these irritating, but some may find these impressive. The standard ringers come in two volume settings, and with the provided assortment, finding a suitable ring should not be an issue.

The clarity on the speakerphones is also superb. [This phone features two, one on the base and one on the handset]. Caller Id works well, although it will not display information until the second ring, as seems to be the case with all Uniden phones.

The menu structure could be more intuitive; however the included instructions are detailed.

In short, if you're looking for a cutting edge phone, with an amazing performance and an amazing look, then get this phone. If price is an issue, you can get most of the features for less money on a 900 MHz model.

The new 5.8 gigahertz band has only been available for phone use very recently. The higher band means less interference from many household appliances and even other phones using the same band.

I bought this as a replacement phone for another brand of phone that died. I am very pleased with the sound and distance quality. Supposedly, you can be up to a mile away and still connect, but I have not tested this. I have been able to be in my backyard (my phone base is in a room at the front of the house) at a distance of over 50 feet (I know how far my garden hose will reach) without degredation of quality.

Not only does the base allow near full-duplexing quality speaker phone, the handset is also capable as a stand-alone speaker phone.

The new band means a shorter antenna length is needed, so the antenna is almost invisible.

There is an audio phono jack on the side to accommodate a 1/8" handsfree head/ear set, but such a device is sold separately.

My biggest gripe with this phone is the ridiculously short belt clip. It is literally only 1" long, which means all you have to do is bend over and the phone drops. If they provided at least a 2" long clip or one w/ a spring that would grab a belt or fabric, that would have been preferable.

Another gripe is the so-called "custom ring" feature. I enable the custom ring, but the regular ring is still just as loud, but rings in tandem with a little tune - quite annoying.

Also annoying is the 4-clicks to delete a record from the caller ID. The phone is feature-packed with menu buttons, but not too intuitive - you really need to read the manual thoroughly to know what does what.

The mute button on the base is great, and there is one on the handset as well.

You can save number in a "rocket dial" directory for speedy dialing.

The talk button is also the flash button, so there is a separate button labeled "end" for terminating a connection.

The unit will support one additional handset in tandem w/ one in the base station which is a nice feature that not all phones have. I'm saving up to get the additional handset so I can have one in my kitchen.

There is a light in the handset that is supposed to illuminate when you have new voice mail, but my light has never come on, even when I have voicemail waiting for me... also a bummer that gives this phone a less than perfect rating. All in all, though, I must say this is one of the best portable phones I have ever used.

I bought this phone for two reasons: it is the top of the line Uniden, and it looks professional. I bought it for work, so I needed the highest quality phone I could find, money was little object. I also bought it knowing no product is perfect, and some people have problems with every phone, no matter how good it is. Well, I returned the phone after three days as it had a lot of static, and the speaker phone was horrible. Everyone on the other end of the phone (handset, handset speakerphone, and base speakerphone) said they thought I was on a cell phone (by the way, my Nextel phone sounded better than this phone). I also know others complained of the same problem. Uniden should take this information and correct whatever the problem is before they lose too many customers. Anyway, after I returned the phone, I bought a Vtech VT5831....man what a difference. The Vtech outperforms this phone by three stars. Not only is the Vtech handset quality better, but the speakerphone is fantastic. The Vtech also has more, and better features than this phone. People, don't waste your money on this phone, just buy the Vtech.

The guy posting below MUST have gotten a lemon. This phone has great reception and sound quality. PLUS, this is THE ONLY TRUE 5.8GHz phone on the market. The VTech he loves and the AT&T ones transmit 5.8 GHz tothe handset, but the handset transmits back at 2.4GHz. You don't hear the clicks from a wireless network interfering, but your calling party does. And it still slows down the wifi connected computers.

I have had this phone for over six months and I think it is just terrific. The handsets with built-in speakerphones work great, although I have not used them often as I tend to think speakerphones are rude. In fact, I have been so happy that I purchased additional handsets and placed them all over the house. I have also purchased several sets as gifts and everyone that has received them have appreciated their clarity and ease of use.

While I understand a few others have been disappointed, my experience has been quite the opposite. I simply think this phone is simply great!

I bought this phone strictly because of the Uniden reputation. It was to replace my 6 year old Panasonic which was missing its antenna and still worked somewhat decent.

Within a 30 foot radius of the base the Uniden sounded excellent and it's features such as distinct ring and phone book were very impressive. But as soon as I walked beyond 30 feet the phone would completely cut out and I would have to run back to let the caller know I didn't hang up. I was shocked and disappointed that this happened to a 5.8 gigahertz Uniden and attempted to solve the problem by reading the instructions fully and relocating the base but nothing worked. (Yes I scanned all the channels manually and automatically without improvement.)

I decided to return it instead of an exchange because I felt with such clarity within 30 feet and such poor performance beyond that, that it was not a lemon but just a poorly made phone. Another reason I believed it to be a quality problem is because I had a similar experience with Panasonic. Their older phones worked spectacular but the new models are garbage too. I don't know if this is a sign that companies feel they can produce cheaper quality products and sell them due to their past reputation and get away with it or just a strange coincidence. For now it's back to the Panasonic without an antenna.

This was my experience, hopefully yours is different.

The handset was defective and the technology used in the phone was seven years old. Avoid this unit.

I read another review and heard that someone was dissatisfied with this phone. I was in shock! This phone is so clear, that sometimes I think the other person has hung up. I hear no static and the sound quality is excellent. The features of the phone such as being able to store numbers into a phonebook are great. It has features similar to that of a cell phone. I would recommend this phone to anyone.

No Words To Describe This
If U Have The Money Then Dont waste time reading reviews....Just Go Get IT