Vtech I5871 - Expandable System w/ digital Answering Device, Color Handset Display & Dual Caller ID

by VTech

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 11 x 6 x 5 inches ; 1.3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0009J4X14
• Item model number: 80-5596-00
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (102 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2001

Product Description

Amazon.com

The I5871 is an expandable system offering the convenience of having one base station that uses one phone jack and allows you to add seven additional handsets. Each handset added simply needs an electrical outlet to plug into. You can transfer calls and use the intercom function between phones to aid communications. The large lighted handset display with graphics allows for easy navigation of phone's features using the icon driven menu. You can also personalize your phone's display using any of the preset wallpaper images, or have fun with picture caller ID that associates caller ID information with preset images when your friends or family call you. Both the handset and base display the name and number of the last 100 callers. (Caller ID services require subscription through your provider.) 5.8 GHz technology offers you the best available performance when it comes to clarity and security. To be on the 5.8 GHz wavelength means you're on a much less trafficked area of the bandwidth than both the 2.4 GHz and 900 MHz products occupy. The base also includes a digital answering system, to answer the call when you can't. Tapeless operation ensures reliable performance, the ability to selectively save and delete messages and remote access to retrieve messages when you're away from home. You can also listen, delete and save your messages from any of the accessory handsets. The handset includes a standard headset jack for hands-free operation, and easy to use volume controls so you can adjust the level to your preference. A spare battery charger in the base ensures you always have a fully-charged spare on hand (batteries available separately). Vtech provides a one-year warranty covering parts and service. What's in the Box: Base unit, handset, base power adapter, belt clip, handset battery, VTech phonebook manager CD, USB cable, audio patch cable, telephone line cord, user's manual, quick start guide, special features guide, warranty card

Product Description

Vtech I5871 - Expandable System w/ digital Answering Device, Color Handset Display & Dual Caller ID

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

141 of 144 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Took three times but I found a winner!, May 29, 2005

By 

Stephen B. Daniels "curly" (Overland Park, KS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vtech I5871 - Expandable System w/ digital Answering Device, Color Handset Display & Dual Caller ID (Office Product)

I'll jump right in and say what I didn't like about this phone. The handset speakerphone is extremely bad, constantly cutting in and out made the phone unusable in this mode. I called Vtech customer service and they told me to unplug the phone for a couple of minutes and then plug it back in and try it, but that didn't help either. Figuring I got a bad one I went back up to Office Depot to get another and guess what, this one did the exact same thing. Vtech has a problem with these phones.

Aside from the speakerphone in the handset problem the phone worked great. The software which installs on your PC and allows you do download ringtones and photos worked very good. The screen on the phone was very sharp.

By the way the speakerphone on the base worked very very good, to bad they couldn't have done a better job on the handset's speakerphone.

If it wasn't for the terrible speakerphone on the handset I would have given this phone 5 stars and would still own it.

Update:6-11-05

After using the Vtech phone I tried the color models that Uniden and Panasonic had to offer. The Panasonic had a very good screen but lacked the volume I needed. The Uniden's flip phone was nice but the screen was way below the quality of the Vtech and Panasonic and Unidens software was not good at all. Sending info to and from the phone was very slow.

After taking the Panasonic back I decided to try the Vtech again but this time I went to another Office Depot. This new phone has worked flawlessly and didn't exibit the same handset speakerphone problems as the first two.

It's my opinion now that of the three color screen phones the Vtech is much better than Panasonic and Uniden. I'd now give it a full 5 stars.

Highly Recommended!

79 of 84 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Stylish, but with some flaws..., August 22, 2005

By 

Spaceguppy (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vtech I5871 - Expandable System w/ digital Answering Device, Color Handset Display & Dual Caller ID (Office Product)

We purchased this phone primarily for its styling, but from the reviews it seemed like this phone did everything. From a styling perspective, it was everything we hoped for. It is very elegant in its simplicity. The base units all have metal feet (not just plastic). The handsets are very simple, yet look good in their base units and are well designed to stand upright on a flat surface.

The base units have a lighted ring on them that shows the handsets are charging, and helps you to find the bases in the dark. It is a nice touch. When you pick up the handset from the base, and press a key, the keypad lights up and the LCD display lights as well. The number keys, the speaker phone key and the send/end buttons are well-sized and easy to press. The design is very comfortable to use.

Although others have complained about the speakerphone, we found it to work quite well--better than our older Vtech phones. The sound is good on both the handset and the speaker phone--it was easy to hear and voices were clear.

There are a lot of selectable ring tones. You can also download pictures onto the handsets using the supplied USB cable. The phonebook software is easy to use and it is possible to export a full phone book onto the handsets.

The digital answering machine is easy to use, and the recordings were very clear. We were very impressed with the sound clarity.

The nice features are more than offset by some issues, however. First of all, the handset is uncomfortable to hold against the ear. If you will be using the phone for long periods I recommend buying a headset or planning to use the speaker phone a lot.

The LCD screen is very small in reality. The screen color accuracy is also mediocre. One of the four handsets had good color accuracy, whereas the others ranged from decent to poor. There is a brightness adjustment possible, but that is the only color improvement I could find.

The digits are also small, and the caller ID would be very difficult to read if you needed glasses. It is easy to see the numbers when dialing the phone, but the incoming numbers are difficult to read.

One of the most frustrating elements of the phone was the phone book. Although the software is easy to use, it is not very good. It is easy to create phone book entries, but the number of characters you can use for names is limited. For each entry it is also possible to select a ring tone and a picture that come up when the number is received, but it is not possible to program these custom ringers or photos in the phone book software, so each of these combinations must be programmed on EACH handset. To do this for more than a couple of entries is a pain. Also, if you load new phone numbers onto the phone, using the software, it is very easy to overwrite all this programming--you have to do it all over again. In concept it is very functional, but in reality it is difficult and time consuming to use.

Also, each phone must be loaded with each photo, the phone book, and then you must program the photos and custom ringers for each number. If you add a number to one handset, it is NOT shared with the other handsets. If you have multiple handsets, it takes a lot of time to sync the phone books--and if you're programming custom photos and ringers, plan to spend a LOT of time doing it.

When loading photos, it is easy to select photos and load them onto the phones, but the amount of memory is limited. The problem here is that there are about a dozen images that are permanent on the phones--they cannot be deleted. It is only possible to load about a dozen of your own images.

If you're buying a phone to look good in a setting, and you don't use it for hours at a time, this is an excellent choice. It is extremely stylish. If, however, you are a technophile you will find this phone somewhat frustrating. It has a lot of good features, and with some software upgrades would be a great phone, but as it is there are probably better options.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sleek, svelte, sexy...and it works great!, November 21, 2005

By 

R. van Bakel (Maine, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vtech I5871 - Expandable System w/ digital Answering Device, Color Handset Display & Dual Caller ID (Office Product)

Vtech's phones were always a bit clunky and inelegant, but this one's a sleek, svelte, sexy winner. It looks great in any contemporary interior.

The handsets (I have five) feel like remote controls -- long and fairly thin -- but that doesn't affect how easy and pleasant they are to handle. The keys are more responsive than on Vtech's previous phones, and more thought went into the user interface and the electronic menus -- it's all pretty easy to figure out, and operating the phones becomes second nature in a brief span of time. The displays are crisp and easy to read, but some of the smaller type is going to make most people squint a bit.

The phones have a good range and are clear; even the speakerphone quality (each handset has its own speakerphone, a great convenience) is a cut above, according to people on the other end of the line (I've asked a few). The phones are quite sturdy too. I dropped my desk handset at least three times onto my hardwoord floor already (the base on which the handset leans is not quite stable enough for such a tall object, and it takes a second to find the right cradle position when you put the handset down to recharge it), but there's no visible or audible damage.

The amber backlighting on the base display doesn't exactly scream "modern" to me, and so it looks a bit out of place. That said, there's a lit half circle (also amber) under each handset when you put it in the cradle, so it's easy to find the phone even in the pitch dark.

Two points of caution: Programming a phone book into one handset does not lead to other handsets automatically copying the same names and numbers. In fact, there's no way to transfer the data, over the air or otherwise. It's mind-numbingly tedious to program each handset, because every letter in a person's name takes up to eight key presses. This is a big oversight on Vtech's part that the company should address in the second generation of this model.

For such a pricey phone, it also strikes me as a nasty case of nickle-and-diming that Vtech doesn't supply a battery that keeps the phone up and running during a power outage. That's an important feature, especially if you live out in the country. You'll need a proprietary battery that is hard to get ahold of from retail shops, so you're probably going to have to call Vtech and buy one directly from them. It's kind of a cheap trick, if you ask me.

Despite the criticism, I like these phones better than any I've owned.