Customer Reviews

VTech 2431 2.4 GHz DSS Dual Keypad Speakerphone

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(21)
2 star:		(23)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

I bought the Vtech 2431 after researching numerous phones on the market. What attracted me was the convenience of having a multi-extension cordless system with paging/intercom capabilities as well as having speakerphones with every extension.

Let me start by saying that I am happy with this phone and will keep it, but I have a few nits to pick with the overall implementation.

Sound- Sound quality is good, even at extreme ranges. At the end of our block the sound quality is as good as it is in our house. There is a very low-level background noise (I am being extremely picky here) that I would rate to be about the same as my cell phone on a good day. (motorola startac). Overall the sound quality is better than my Vtech and Panasonic 900 Mhz digital phones and the range is much better.

Programming - The programming should be intuitive for most users. It is fairly straightforward but I found the lack of an insert function while editing to be a bit annoying. If you are going to edit an existing number stored in memory, there is no way to insert edit into that number. For instance in our area we recently had an area code change which forced dialing 1 prior to some area codes even when that area code is the same as our own. You couldn't simply go in and add the 1, you had to retype the whole number.

Clock - There is none. With all the electronics this phone does have, I don't know why they didn't add a clock.

Display - The display is sharp and readable in all but extreme lighting conditions. The backlit display is very easy to read at night.

Caller ID - Works well and supports call waiting caller id in our area. The problem with the caller id function is that it will not pick up a name out of the phone book (memory) when the numbers for an 'out of area' call obviously matches an entry in the phone book memory. Silly..

Memory - You can add numbers manually or you can add numbers from the caller id list, very straight forward except for the previously mentioned editing problem.

Speakerphone on base - Very good. As good as any phone I have used except for dedicated conference phones.

Base station - The spare battery charger is nice. I wish there were more quick access speed dial buttons (only 3 are available).

Speakerphone on extensions - Having a speakerphone on the cordless extension rocks. I really, really like this feature. Sound quality is fairly good for the size of the speaker.

Intercom feature - Straight forward and intuitive, works as advertised. Hit Intercom then # of the extension and you can call it directly. You can also put someone on hold, call an extension and use the intercom function to screen the call (honey, its work on the phone, are you here?)..

Overall it's a very nice phone. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a high end cordless phone.

Being a person who likes gadgets, I purchased the base and an extra extension, despite the previous reviews on Amazon. Of course, the first place I plugged it in, I got a buzzing sound on the line. I then noticed that the same buzz was there, regardless of using the cordless handset or the speakerphone on the base. It wasn't too difficult to figure out that this phone's base is sensitive to RF noise (I can't tell if it was from the electrical outlet or the phone line). I moved the base from the kitchen to the bedroom (based on an earlier review about noise when the microwave was on), and the sound quality is much better. If moving it to another room isn't an option, buy an RF filter at any electronics store. After that, it's a wonderful phone to have, both in terms of sound quality and features. Also, since the batteries are NiMh, and not NiCad, you can put the phone in the charger whenever you want to without worrying about memory effect. And in my humble opinion, an extremely lightweight phone (because it has an extremely lightweight battery) with a charge life of only 2 days is fine, as long as I can put it in the charger it nightly without worrying about memory effect. I say VTech continues to make the best cordless phones out there.

After reading the other reviews, I was skeptical but wanted to see for myself. I was tired of having 3 different 900 mhz brands in the house, each with it's own features, speed-dials, and so on. I followed the directions (charged overnight before connecting to the phone line, installed it upstairs away from applicances, etc.) to avoid previously mentioned pitfalls and absolutely love this phone.

My original order was for the base and 1 handset. I have since ordered the (max) additional 3 handsets. Although I thought the speakerphone built in to the handset was frivolous, my wife (currently nursing our daughter and often with her hands full) loves this feature. Audio quality is excellent and range is better than any of our 900 mhz phones. Memory storage is simple as are the other features.

Kudos to VTech. Only nit is that when you place the phone face down on a hard surface, it tends to turn the intercom on. If you stand it up, no problem.

After reading a number of other reviews, I wasn't sure that they were talking about the same phone I recently bought. Here's why I bought the phone and my take on the quality of the features that were most important to me:

-- Voicemail Waiting Notification: I use the voicemail service provided by my local phone company. With my old phone, I had to pick up and dial to find out if I had a voicemail waiting. This phone has a small red (LED) light on the top of the phone that will notify you when a message is waiting. Unlike the expereince of some other reviewers, this has worked great for me.

-- Speakerphone on the Base: I work from home from time to time and need a speakerphone for conference calls. This phone has a speakerphone on the base unit and also has a mute button. The quality is decent, not fantastic. But if you are just looking for a fantastic speaker phone, you're buying from Polycom, not VTech. I found that the microphone on the VTech is very sensitive (you don't need to speak loudly) and the quality of my voice actually improved by moving the phone a little further away from me while talking.

-- Ability to Add Additional Phone(s): In our house, the fact that you can walk around with a cordless means you leave it places that are inconvenient to get to when the phone rings. As a result, I wanted the ability to add a second or third phone WITHOUT needing another phone jack since we aren't wired in many rooms. The VTech is supposed to allow the addition of up to 3 additional phones, without needing additional phone jacks. (I recently ordered a second handset, but have not received it yet.)

-- Call Quality: I wouldn't notice if I couldn't hear a pin drop on the other end of the phone... I don't need that level of quality, I just want something that doesn't breakup or sound noticably bad. The VTech handset seems to have a quiet "hum" when I use it next to my computer, but otherwise it has been very clear in other areas of the house. Overall, the quality is fine.

The phone has some other standard features that you can read about in the product description like stored numbers, last number redial, call waiting caller id, multiple ring tones, etc, etc. The features are similar to what you might expect on a cell phone today, and all seem to work fine.

The battery life does seem a little short but if you are like me and tend to put it in the charger overnight at least once every two days, I don't think you'll have a problem.

Overall, I'd say the phone is good for the price if you're interested in the features that I mentioned. If you don't mind spending another $50 - 100$ for a similar system w/ 2 phones, check out the AT&T product.

I find myself a gadget guy when it comes to electronics. That is why when I first saw this phone I figured it was a must have. Overall the phone is very nice. It has a variety of features that are really nice on a cordless phone. The best feature is a speakerphone on BOTH the base and the handset. That means when you are waiting on hold or checking your voicemails, you don't have to have the phone stuck to your ear and you can be anywhere in the house just listening while it is sitting on the table. The other features are nice like the easy to follow screen steps for redialing, caller id etc.

The fact that I am writing is just to tell you this: When you are shopping for a cordless phone the 2 most important things are 1)Is it clear? and 2) How far will it reach? Bottom line, neither is really that impressive. The clarity is ok but sometimes you will really get some static. About 1/3 of the time when the phone rings, even when it is right next to the base, it will say "searching for base" and it will never find it. I end up having to get another phone to answer the call. Finally, the range really isn't that great. It does work around the house but a 2.4 ghz phone like this should at least be able to do ok at the mailbox.

When you see a phone loaded with features at a fraction of a cost of other similar products you think that something should be wrong. After you buy it, you realize that you like it's style, feature set which is one of the best I believe. However, the disappointment comes when you try to place your first call. The sound quality is average, there's constant noice on the background and if you move away from the base the sound starts to "break"; fortunately, the connection is not interrupted. If you can live with that another problem is short battery life. Expect about 2 days in standby mode and ~1 day if you talk more or less frequently. When I opened the phone there was a note in the battery compartment recommending charging it every night, so probably VTECH is aware of this problem. I replaced the phone but without luck - same problems. Others are happy, so, may be I was out of luck and the retailer I used had a box of defected phones but I really doubt it. Dissapointed, I got a Panasonic KX-TC1851 and happy with it so far. My 2 cents...

I just had to try this little techno-critter to see if it was any good as its features are the best available, and it fit my installation needs perfectly ('tho I wish the wall mounting bracket were more attractive). I got it locally (WMT) so that it would be an easy return if needed, and it was less $ than anywhere else I could find it. I really wanted to be able to add 2 or 3 extensions as well, but that is the end of my happy story. The features are easy to use, even intercom and paging, but the sound quality is rather poor, IMO. I wanted to use it in the kitchen/dinette area, so that I need not have a cord crossing the countertops and blocking the way of others. It would also be easier to pass around the corner to the living room than a corded phone. Unfortunately, it had a hiss no matter where I plugged it in (power and phonejack cords) and no matter where I was in relation to the base. The directions say to move it away from other electronics and off of circuits that are used by electronics too. I did that in my 90 minutes of experimenting, and no luck- all the same noise. Oh well... On the positive side, I did walk down the street (~300yds) with it, and the sound quality did not diminish, but that is little consolation (and I bet some others will do that no problem as well). It does feel like a small cell phone, for better or worse, and personally I'd rather have a bit more to hold on to, especially if I want to hold it with my ear and shoulder. At least WalMart has easy returns... I don't know if I want to spend the $ for the Siemens 2410 and its ext's. So for now, I think I will try the Sanyo 957a. T

I bought the phone 10 months ago for its incredibly cool look and for its selectable ringer. It's been a big improvement over the horrendous AT&T cordless 900MHz phone that I owned previously -- that phone made the simple task of answering a call troublesome.

The handsfree and speakerphone modes are great, as are the phone's easy programmability.

The handset has good range. Unfortunately, there's a very slight but noticeable buzz in the earpiece, and when I record outgoing messages on my voice mail, I can tell that the microphone has been adding background noise to my voice even in a quiet room; it sounds like I'm talking through a speakerphone. Furthermore, the earpiece is highly directional -- when I move my ear just a wee bit up or down the headset, I can't hear the caller anymore.

The earpiece problem was solved when I bought a headset. (I wasn't comfortable with a 2.4GHz transmitter parked next to my brain, and I like to have my hands free during long conversations.) The buzz vanished -- wahoo!

So now I have an incredibly cool-looking phone that also works acceptably well.

I would definitely agree with the reviews stating that the range is limited, but I have noticed similar opinions on other 2.4ghz phones also. In a direct comparison, the range seems to be just about identical to my old 900mhz analog AT&T cordless phone. However, clarity within that range seems to be slightly better on this phone. The range is AT LEAST 150 feet. Otherwise, it has just about every feature you could possibly imagine: caller ID & Call Waiting ID w/ name & number, excellent multi-line display, a log of redial numbers, six different ring options, supports 3 additional handsets (only needs to be hooked up at one phone jack), a fully duplexed speaker phone at the base, message indicator light (if you subscribe to the phone company voice mail), mute button (on each handset & the base), headphone jack on each handset, hold button & spare battery compartment/charger. However, the additional handsets run about $80 a piece (another $240 if you decide to add the maximum 3 additional). Overall, a very good product though.

so far i like the phone.. we got the base unit and one other handset ..

Likes: speakerphone on handsets as well as base .. voice mail light .. call waiting with caller id .. headset available (dont have yet but am getting) .. belt clip for handset .. base unit speakerphone can run off spare handset battery during powerfailure (so you dont need an eighties phone).. range is sufficient and clear enough for me (works upstairs in small house and out in a small yard).. handset page and intercom .. easy to add incoming caller id info into phone list (including "1" and area code if needed)..

Dislike: cant hold handset between shoulder and ear like larger phones (use speakerphone instead).. no caller id screen on the base unit (only on the handsets so you have to stop talking to see to the first person to see who is calling in).. only 4 volume adjustments that seem too spaced out

handsets are very small.. if most cell phones are too small for you to work and hold easily, you wont like this.. could be a problem if you have large hands