Customer Reviews

Uniden TRU8866 5.8 GHz Digital Expandable 2-Line Cordless Speakerphone with Dual Keypads (Black)

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

Excellent TWO line unit that accepts up to ten handsets. THE TWO LINES CAN BE USED AT THE SAME TIME BY DIFFERENT HANDSETS or multiple people can be on the same line !!!. TRUE 5.8ghz used for both transmit and receive (unlike others) so it won't interfere with 2.4ghz wireless lans. Handsets can be used offsite without the base to talk from handset to handset or as a room monitor, speakerphone in handsets. All sorts of great features check out the manual link for the detals.

http://www.uniden.com/pdf/TRU8866om.pdf

Handsome professional looking unit, handsets have solid feel and use Nickel Metal Hydride batteries. Corded phone audio quality. Keep in mind that almost none of the phones in the consumer marketplace have great range but this unit works well around the house, front porch and most of your backyard (if its not to big), the fewer walls and obstructions the better. Better range is afforded by commercial units with external antennas and lower frequencies but these units are either way to expensive or do not afford the feature set that this unit offers.

HEADSET: I've tested many with this unit. The best I found is the Panasonic KX-TCA86 which is only about $14. I tried two Plantronics and Uniden's own neither of which had adequate microphone volume.

Best phone I've ever used

I've never gotten so excited over a phone before. I keep discovering neat design features which makes me say "wow - they really put some thought into this phone." First, the quality is phenomenal. This wireless actually sounds better than the AT&T corded phone it replaced. It has much better range is and less susceptible to noise than my Vtech 900mhz - in fact, I don't hear any noise or static at all. My biggest concern was that I would not be able to pick up a line which was already "in use." On this phone, you can pick up any line like an analog phone, but can easily lock out the other extensions with a privacy feature.

It's not just a phone, but a phone system, for which you can buy additional extensions and add them anywhere without installing additional phone jacks. You can transfer calls to a different extension, as well as intercom or conference with other extensions. You can take your wireless phones with you when you travel and use them as walkie-talkies! You can use one extension like a room/baby monitor, or perhaps just find out what's going on downstairs. The base doubles as an independent speaker phone, so it's like getting two phones for the price of one - with a convenient handset finder. Expandable to up to 10 handsets, each extension has its own speaker phone, which blew me away. Each extension, as well as the base, has its own searchable phonebook of 100 numbers plus speed dial - and, the entries of the phonebook can be sent from one handset to another. The list of features goes on, but what really blows me away is the quality and clarity of this phone. It's also a lot smaller than it looks in the photo. You can almost put one of these handsets into your shirt pocket, making them very "cellular-phone like," including the many ringer tone options, including off. When a call comes in, the Caller-ID display lights up bright and an LED flashes, so you don't need to have every extension ring - for those "quiet rooms." Each extension has a headpiece jack so you can walk around hands-free.

Complaints / Suggestions for improvements? I honestly can't think of any. This phone is perfection.

PROS: No external antenna, reception, wireless network friendly and very good incoming sound through the earpiece.

CONS: CallerID lists not synchronized and feedback from voice.

I purchased the Uniden TRU8866 2-line 5.8GHz phone system, including a base and two handsets, after returning a Panasonic KX-TG6500B set that would consistently drop out even when in the same room with the base. This turned out to be a fortunate misfortune, however, because I like the Uniden better.

My recent phone purchases replace a five-year old Siemens Gigaset 2420 that was beginning to fizzle. I liked the Siemens very much, and my only complaint until recently was the lack of a speakerphone on the handsets. I would have purchased a new Gigaset, but it cost more than the Uniden and Panasonic combined, and reviews of the newest 8825 model were not promising.

The Uniden comes with a base and one handset, and up to nine additional optional handsets can be added. The system incorporates two lines, wireless network-friendly 5.8GHz operation, Voice Mail indicators and expandability into a very nice, compact package (perhaps too compact for some).

One small setup issue I encountered is that the auto pickup line for outgoing calls cannot be set to prefer line two. On the Siemens I had it set so calls would come in on line one and go out on line two. To make the auto settings work on the Uniden (and Panasonic), which can only be set to prefer line one, I had to switch the phone cords around so the old line two became the new line one and the old line one became the new line two. Also, neither the Uniden nor Panasonic have a FAX/MODEM-PORT, which was conveniently available on the Siemens (though for some reason has been removed from their newer model).

The Uniden is very stylish while the designs of the Panasonic and Siemens are more geometric. Some will have problems with the small buttons on the Uniden, and the base is so small and crowded with buttons that it is difficult to use. Luckily I prefer to use the handsets, which can handle everything except base setup.

The LCD on the Uniden base is very large, much larger than the Panasonic which is primarily used to provide a message waiting count. The Uniden base LCD, conversely, is very informative. In standby mode the left third of the LCD indicates what ringers are on, and the right two-thirds has soft menus at the bottom, day and time at the top and CID information in the middle. Of course the LCD provides the necessary status indicators and soft menu items when the phone is in use. It is tilted at an angle and is easy to read, especially when the bright orange light is on.

The Uniden calls a lot of attention to itself. It lights up very brightly, and the default volume and ringer levels are very very loud. I adjust everything but the speakerphone down to the lowest level and it is fine, except the base ringer low setting is still earsplitting, just less earsplitting that at the higher levels. I turn the base ringers off and listen for the handsets.

NOTE: I will provide more information on the handsets in a forthcoming review.

The reception on the Uniden is very good, the range adequate (about 75% of what I got the Siemens) and the incoming sound is the best I have heard from a cordless so far. But the best feature of the Uniden is the lack of an external antenna (like the Siemens). I tend to lean into a high-backed chair when I talk on the phone, so this is a major plus for me.

Less satisfactory, the microphones on the base and handsets leave something to be desired. When I listen to messages I recorded on Voice Mail it sounds a little cellphone-like (but not terrible). There is also more feedback of my voice compared to most phones, but nothing I can't get used to. (I think the Siemens corded base phone has the same problem.)

Perhaps the biggest grief with the Uniden (and the Panasonic) is the CallerID list which is independent among handsets and the base. Calls picked up on one handset or the base will be listed in the New CID count of the others, and CID records deleted from one handset or the base will not be deleted from the others. Siemens synchronizes the CallerID list, but apparently Uniden and Panasonic do not use their phones--otherwise they would know what a pain this is.

My workaround is relatively easy because I am the only one using the system. I designate one handset as the master CallerID list and check for new listing and do CID maintenance there exclusively. For the base and other handset, I will just leave their CallerID lists alone except for an occasional full delete of the contents. It is still a pain, but I can live with it. Nevertheless I can see real problems for families and multi-person offices trying to keep their calls straight--perhaps it will aid with family/office communication.

Unlike the Panasonic and Siemens, the Uniden does not have an internal answering system. Instead it is set up for phone company Voice Mail with indicators on the base and handsets along with quick-access Voice Mail keys. Occasionally the Uniden does not clear the message waiting indicators after messages are retrieved. The user guide provides a quick fix for this involving holding down the base FLASH/FIND-HS button for five seconds.

Both the Panasonic and Uniden have speakerphones on the base and handsets (as does the newer Siemens model). I think the Panasonic speakerphone is somewhat better than the Uniden, but both are adequate. You may find the Uniden handsets annoying though when hitting the quick-access Voice Mail key on the handsets and having to wait until dialing is complete, including the programmed password, before switching to speakerphone. A plus for the Panasonic, it launches the speakerphone from the start when accessing its answering system.

All three have phonebooks, but the Uniden is easiest to access. And it has a nice speeddial system for up to ten numbers. There is no phonebook number chaining, unlike the Panasonic, which is a minor inconvenience for me, but pauses can be added to phonebook, speeddial and Voice Mail numbers for passwords and the like--but I wish it would allow for more than 20 characters.

I still prefer the feature set of the Siemens phones which are better thought out and more businesslike. But at current costs I can replace a Uniden every two years for the same price of a new Siemens every five years. And the Uniden TRU8866 is a very good, usable phone system that is only one or two steps down from the Siemens. I highly recommend the Uniden TRU8866 with the caveats noted herein.

I have only used the Uniden for a few weeks. If there are any updates warranting posting, I will post them.

A QUICK UPDATE: I noticed the feedback of my voice was much greater on Line 1, even after I switched the phone cords around. I decided to exchange the system for another TRU8866, and the problem was solved. Another improvement. Before when a call came in, the handsets would light up but not make the first ring. Now they ring straight away.

There is a glaring problem with this phone from a business/home-office standpoint:

When you are on one of the lines (speaking to a client for instance) and a call comes in on the other line, the line you are currently on gets constantly interrupted with "bleeps" that let you know a call is ringing on the other line. This wouldn't be too bad if it only bleeped to you in your ear, but what is unforgivable is that it momentarily mutes your voice so that the other party on the call hears your voice cutting out during each bleep!! I can't tell you how many times I've been on a conference call when this is going on and the other people on the call start saying things like "What did you say? You're cutting out" or "Something is wrong with your phone, your voice is getting muted every couple seconds".

What happens on one line should not in any way affect the status of the call on the other line! I called Uniden to see if there was any way to disable this "feature" and they said no and claimed that it was a privacy issue. How the heck is that a privacy issue? I still haven't figured that one out... The Uniden representative was unapologetic and unhelpful.

This problem makes this phone practically unusable for business purposes and I am now shopping for a replacement.

Finding an expandable 2-line system is difficult because the 2-line requirement really limits your choices. I'd been using a 2-year old Panasonic 2.4 GHz system in a home with a wireless network and the sound quality was good enough but people would ocassionally complain they couldn't hear us very well. So I decided to wait for 2-line 5.8 GHz models to appear.

The Uniden TRU-8866 gets mixed reviews and I quickly found out why. First, we don't need a built in answering machine, voicemail works fine and people can get messages while on the phone, so the lack of a built-in answering machine was not a negative. One feature that is a big plus is an indicator if you have voice mail messages. Uniden pretty much thought of every feature you could possibly want in an expandable 2-line system. This phone is really designed well. The only feature it is missing is, unlike the Panasonics, the screen does not automatically light up when you remove it from the base. You have to press a button. Only a minor drawback. The feel of the phone is a little cheap, but nice a compact without those big attennas Panasonic has been using in the past.

There is one major drawback on this phone that forced me to take it back. (I really didn't want to as I loved the well thought-out feature set and the huge expandability.) One of the lines (line 2 in our case) had an extremely enoying echo when you talk in it. You can actually hear your own voice louder than the person you are talking to!

I contacted Uniden Support by phone and they were quick to answer and provide recommendations (don't use e-mail support unless you want to wait days for a response) including moving the base unit to various areas in the house and allowing at least 30 minutes for the 'phone to adjust.' Making sure it is directly plugged into the wall outlet. Making sure the phone line is plugged directly into the jack. None of this worked. I swapped line 1 and line 2 on the jacks to see if it was a phone wiring problem. It wasn't. Line 2 still had the annoying echo. I even went to the store (as some others have done) and purchased another base unit hoping I just got a bad one. It had the same problem.

I suspect reviewers that are not complaining about this flaw either don't use Line 2 very often (if at all), or, had a crummy enough system prior to this one, the echo doesn't bother them that much. That's just my guess.

I got fed up and decided to just go buy all other 2-line expandable systems both 2.4 Ghz and 5.8 Ghz. There are really only 3 other choices. The Panasonic 6500 5.8 Ghz, the AT&T E2562 2.4 Ghz system, and the Vtech VT20-2431 2.4 Ghz system. There are a few others out there from Siemens and Motorola but the reviews were so terrible I steered clear. Vtech makes phones for AT&T so I think the internal components of the AT&T and Vtech models are near identical but for some reason the Vtech sounded a little better.

To make a long story short, the AT&T and VTech systems did not sound as good as the Uniden. They had a bit of hiss and a little static. The both felt cheap to. The AT&T is really uncomfortable on the ear too. The Panasonic filled the bill. The sound quality is just about the best I've heard on a cordless phone. The only drawback of the Panasonic is that because it has a built-in answering machine, it doesn't have a voice mail message waiting indicator, and, the Panasonic can only be expanded to 4 phones total.

As a side note. I'm curious why everyone moved away from 900 MHz digital phones. The didital ones prevent evesdropping and the range and clarity surpasses all the 2.4 and 5.8 GHz phones! Was the 900 bandwidth getting too crowded? Note the higher the frequency the shorter the range as lower frequencies have a better ability to go through walls. That's why you always see people saying 'my 900 Mhz phone sure sounded a lot better."

Hope this helps. Have fun. If the Uniden didn't have the echo, it would be hands down my number one choice for a 2-line expandable cordless system.

After reading all the reviews on various 5.8 GHz phones, I decided upon the TRU8866 and two additional handsets. I am very happy with the quality of these phones, but more importantly the sound quality is excellent. It is very clear and no more interference from my 802.11g data network. It also has a do-not-disturb (DND) feature which is great if you want uninterrupted sleep during the day or night. This model does not have a built in answering system. I did not need a answering system because I use my phones in combination with an Asterisk PBX that hosts my voicemail. When a voicemail message is left on the Asterisk system it triggers the Message Waiting Indicator (MWI) on these Uniden TRU8866 phones. The MWI also works with voicemail services offered by most Telco's

OK .... this phone system rates 5 solid stars as being a very functional, aesthetic, compact and crystal clear phone for a 2 line house or office. I have been using the 2.4 GHz Panasonic phone for some years and this phone compares very favourably with that older system. The range is better; sound is excellend and does not start to break up after talking on a handset for more than 15 minutes (big problem in Panasonic); THE HANDSETS HAVE GREAT SPEAKERPHONES ... WOW ... what a benefit; the base uniot does not occupy half of your desk; phones work PERFECT with a VOIP system; handsets are very cheap compared to Panasonic; greater choice of ringer tones.... also a GREAT addition is the global setting optiuon that allows you to change phone settings and address books etc etc from one of the units (in other phoes you MUST go to every handset and make changes ) last but no least its super easy to synch the additional handsets with the base unit...


No answering machine in the unit means you have to have a phone service with that option (prcatically everyone has) ...


Now here's the ODD things that really bugged me but may not bother other people since, my son tells me it's my own strange experience .....


- My top grief with this sytem is that when you pick the handset up out of the cradle the keys and face DO NOT light up! To get keys to light one has to push any button .. hey thats CRAZY ... I mean when you pick up the phone it's to make a call, and it's convenient in a dark room to have the keys light up .. C'mon UNIDEN why elese would I take the phone out of the cradle??????? If I would have known this beforehand it may have been a reason for me to nix the purchase .... so you new buyers beware ...


- Also, when you pick up you MUST push a privacy button or else you can easily have three people answering the same call... pretty primitive and I can't see myself pushing a privacy button for EVERY call ... Another aggravation for me ...

- Hanging up can be tedious if you put the line on hold ... it will stay on hold even though you hang up unless you push the call end button ... you wont ever looose a hold call but what a pain ..

- On the base unit to switch from handset to base unit speakerphone you have to (1) put call on hold (2) hang up unit (3) push the specific line on the base unit .... on units that I used before all one had to do was puch 1 button for speaker and then hang up the unit ...


All in all though, if you can live with the foibles, and dollar for dollar one of the best high quality 2 line units out today !!!!

Yes, it is true the phone does not save a "1" in front of the CID area code. However, all you need to do when you pull up the CID number you want to dial is press "*". That will force a "1" before the area code. Presto!

I extensively tested multiple phones including this TRU8866 and the Panasonic KX-TG6502B which seem to be the 2 leading products on the market and the main difference is that the Panasonic is capable of making announcements to all the phones (e.g. a call to dinner which is broadcasted to all sets without them needing to pick up the set) but other then that the Uniden was just as good and is even more expandable. It also has the ability that you can take the set into the mall and use them as walkie-talkie. I decided fot the Uniden because it cost almost half compared to the Panasonic and have to say that I am extremely pleased with the quality. The speakerphone on all sets and the base-station is superb, the user interface (buttons) are placed very well and logically, the range is great within the whole house, no conflict with my computer network, etc. In fact the quality of the base station speaker and microphone is even better then my expensive Polycom station which I will sell. As a 2 line phone with a nice size and form factor it is so far the best I have ever owned. I use it on my Voice over IP equipment and have 5 handsets throughout the whole house. Highly recommended.

Overall, I have been pleased with this phone, particularly on usability and build quality. The interface is intuitive and easy to use. The range has been fine, with signal degradation only on the back balcony (only 40 feet away from the base station, but separated by a cumulative 8-10 feet of solid brick walls). The handset speakerphone works very well and is a great feature. In short, I like this phone enough that I will buy an additional handset despite my minor complaints.

My three issues that keep me from recommending this phone unconditionally (5 stars instead of 4) are the following:

(1) as mentioned in a review I have read somewhere, the amount of your own voice that is fed back into your earpiece in the phone itself is higher than usual. This is very disconcerting, as you feel as though there is an echo even on a perfect quality line. Over time, I am getting used to this unusual phone behavior and I suspect at some point I will stop noticing it. Otherwise the voice quality of the handset is fine.

(2) People that I have called using the phone have commented that I sound like I am in a tunnel, which leads me to believe that the microphone part of the handset is not delivering the best performance. The other party does seem to notice a lower voice quality than when I am talking on my old Panasonic Gigarange Extreme 2.4 Ghz phone.

(3) The caller ID feature should be able to be (at least optionally) synchronized, so that clearing the caller ID list on one handset or the base does the same for the rest of the handsets or the base (as the case may be). Having to manually delete the list twice is annoying (and that's before investing in additional handsets...)

Pros:
Build Quality, Straightforward User Interface, Handset Speakerphone

Cons:
Minor voice quality issues: Voice feedback (see below) and microphone performance

The Bottom Line
I'd buy this phone again for its build quality, features and ease of use, despite a couple of voice performance issues.