Customer Reviews

Uniden TRU9466 2-Line Expandable Cordless System with Dual Keypad and Call Waiting/Caller ID

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

This is a very high quality telephone system at a fantastic price. Admittedly, some will wish that this phone had other features, but I bought it because it matched my needs exactly:

1. Handles two lines.
2. Expandable without needing a phone jack connection for each handset.
3. No answering machine capabilities (we have, and prefer, voice mail).
4. Able to mute all ringers (handsets and base) for a sleeping baby.

Beyond this, we just needed acceptable range and sound quality -- nothing extravagant.

I'm happy to report that these phones have excellent range, exceptional sound quality, and are a snap to set up. The expansion phones set themselves up by simply placing them in the base for a few seconds. It couldn't be easier. The menu system (on each handset and the base) is very intuitive (similar to cell phones), and offers many functions we will never use -- but they never get in the way of the simple things.

Plus, the price was right. This has turned out to be a very successful purchase.

System Design

I've never owned a Uniden multi-phone system before. I started with the old Siemens stuff (utter garbage) in the 1990's and really liked the panasonic multi line systems that I've used in a few locations since they released them. Enormous frustration with the user interfaces on the Panasonic Hybrid PBX system in my office lead me to flee from Panasonic to try another vendor with this system.

The low cost of the phones and the ease of registering new handsets are terrific. My favorite feature is the programmable banner on each phone. Once the banner is programmed in, you can use the intercom feature on any other handset to call another location by NAME, not handset number! Really brilliant! A great design, if only these things had the range or a way to switch like a cell system to another base location.

Reception and Range

I should have trusted my instinct when reading about the 5.8 GHZ systems. If you read carefully, you will note that they do not make a comparison to 2.4 GHZ systems EXCEPT to note that the 5.8 GHZ systems won't interfere with most 802.11x networks. Unforutnately, when I replaced my 5 year old panasonic 2 line system with this, I noticed a significatn decrease in transmission range especially through the old stone barn walls of our house. I suspect the higher frequency just can't penetrate the old thick walls like the 2.4 ghz systems can.

Even though this system is supposedly spread spectrum and frequency hopping, if i have a bad connection and move around the house, the connection stays bad, even if i move right next to the phone.

I would love to find a consumer version of the panasonic cordless system that offers multiple "cell" locations on an internal phone systems. The engenius systems still seem like they aren't ready for prime time.

If you buy this system, be prepared for a decrease in range versus 2.4 ghz systems.

If I could find an alternative that's as well designed, I'd repalce this system quickly.

First, a couple of things.

There seems to be questions about whether the handsets support two lines. This confusion is created by very poor sales documentation, and even the manuals are week. I can tell you that yes, the additional handsets not only support two line, but do it very well and intuitively.

Secondly, those that gig this phone a star for not having an answering machine. Well, that just doesn't make sense. It doesn't have an answering machine on purpose! If you want an answering machine, buy the next model up that has the answering system you need.

For those of us with multi-lines and voice mail, this is the perfect phone. In fact, after a month of research, I do believe this is the only phone on the market equipped like this (multi-line, VM support and NO answering machine). All the others have answering machines you have to pay for, then never use.

Setup is a snap. The interface is very clear. The displays are very clear. The two-line operation is excellent.

Range has not been an issue for me at all.

Voice is clear.

I purchased 3 additional handsets.

If I HAD to gig the phone for anything, it would be that you cannot change the ringer sound on the base station. You can set one of 20 to each line on the handsets, but the base is fixed. I do find that weird.

I have bought and tried many brands of wireless phone before, from Casio to Panasonic, from the cheap ones to the high end ones. But nothing can beat this phone. It is very easy to set up (especially to synchronize extra handsets), very clear reception and doesn't interfere with my network at home. This is exactly 2 line phone that I have been looking for all this time, believe me, I have searched many option and so far Uniden is the best choice.

I have tried so many and returned all of them, until trying this expandable phone system from Uniden.
RCA, Panasonic are really badly made and unreliable, ...this system is superior to them all.
Crystal clear reception, no interference in our high rise office building.
Plus the pricing is excellent if you shop around.
This is a purchase you won't live to regret.

I bought the Uniden TRU9466 system to replace my failing Siemens Gigaset. Whether technology in general has improved or, Uniden is just making better products, it was definitely a step up. The features are more intuitive and I haven't found any unworkable problems (the Gigaset, for example, won't let you choose which of two lines to use when calling out - it forces you to use the first available line).

Adding an extra handset is trivial and took only a couple minutes.

The available ring tones are not very different from each other. So, it is sometimes difficult to tell which line is ringing.

My only major complaint with the TRU9466 would be the range. Quality falls off rapidly after about 60 feet. I haven't experimented with changing base station location or height but, then, you pretty much want your phone where you want it, right? With central placement, the range is not a big problem for me. The normal use area is covered. It just keeps me from staying on the phone while taking out the trash.

My experience with (at least a dozen) cordless phones is that they tend to start flaking out after 12 to 18 months (even with replacing the batteries). Only time will tell if if the TRU9466 has that "feature."

I bought the Uniden TRU9466 2-line to replace my older Panasonic KX-TG6500 2-line. The reason was because my Panasonic would only allow up to three extra handsets plus the base station (4 total) which isn't enough.

The Uniden I bought allows up to 9 handsets plus base station (10 total). The Uniden also has a more intuitive phone book feature (you can access a person's name faster), and it has a one-button speed dial for up to 10 people which the Panasonic doesn't have. It also allows you to page all other stations simultaneously -- the Panasonic forces you to page one at a time.

However, the Panasonic had exceptional range. My base station sits in between my laptop and my desktop computers, with a 3rd computer nearby (and pretty soon a fourth), and an 802.11n wireless network hub about two feet away. The Panasonic had no problem with this at all. I could hear clearly on all handsets, even outside. The Uniden, however, not so good with the range. The base is in the same location, and the handsets in the same room or down the hall work okay, but downstairs the handsets have an irregular static noise, like what you might hear if you rubbed the microphone across your hair. Sometimes it goes away, but when you first start talking on the phone it's hard to hear anyone. If you walk upstairs the signal gets better.

The only way to solve this is put a separate Uniden base station downstairs and register the downstairs handsets to that. But I wish it had the range and clarity that the Panasonic did.

This Uniden model does not have a built-in answering machine; whereas the Panasonic did. I do not want an answering machine, and do not want to pay for the hardware, so this was good. I use my computer to answer the phone (PhoneValet on the Mac), which sends the voicemail as an email with a sound file attachment, and allows me to design "push 1 for so-and-so, push 2 for so-and-so."

One more drawback I just discovered with the Uniden: the clear plastic plate you look through for the LCD screen is very easily marred and scratched. One of my phones is badly chafed on just the clear plate, and I have no idea why. I thought it was goo, so I tried cleaning it, but it seems to have been lightly surface-damaged, so now the LCD is slightly fuzzy. Do yourself a favor and either keep the clear packing cellophane over the window to protect it, or apply clear packing tape or something over it so this doesn't happen.

Except for the range problem the Uniden is a beautiful little phone, and very well designed programatically. Registering a handset has never been easier. Just place the unregistered handset in the base for a few seconds, it beeps, your done.

My needs were pretty straightforward:
2 line
Caller ID
Speakerphone
Doesn't interfere with WI-FI
Good sound quality and coverage through all three floors of the house.

This phone met all those needs well. As a bonus, it also has a nice intercom feature so you can page either a specific handset or all handsets. (You can enter your own name for each handset.)

The only improvement I would like to see is more intelligence on the caller id dial capability. Trying to call someone back from the caller id usually doesn't work because it is missing the 1 for long distance and includes the area code for local.

I also felt the price ($121) was a little high - it seems like a very large premium compared to a single line phone.

This is a HIGHLY convenient phone system for us. We have been using it with VOIP too, which other than intermittant feedback (most likely due to the VOIP itself, and not the phone) is wonderful. We love the fact that we can have one base, and several connected handsets throughout the household. This is simply a jewel of a feature. The buttons are easy to use, easy to program, and the personal ring feature is spectacular! Very attractive phone too. We love it!!

This Uniden phone is the most highly rated cordless phone everywhere I looked, and had all the features I wanted - 2 lines, multiple handsets, no answering machine. However, when I set up the system - no matter how far away the base is from my 2Wire Home Portal - it crashed our wireless network. I have emailed both 2Wire and Uniden, and the answer is completely unacceptable. They said that a 5.8 phone could revert to 2.4 and thus interfere with a wireless connection. That is hogwash, considering my 2.4 cordless phones don't interfere with my wireless connection. I am completely frustrated with this and hope that someone might have a solution for me.