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37 of 38 people found the following review helpful.
Still has basic usability issues
By Fjords
I have been using these hybrid systems for more than 18 months now. Everyone seems to be praising these system at first blush. But, you have to really use them for a while to discover their quirks. You can read my review for the previous version of the product - the S675 IP. That version was completely flawed. They have fixed many of the issues in the new C610A IP. However, a few basic issues still remain. They are as below:1. The built-in answering machine continues to be messed up. Whenever you play back a message on the answering machine, the date displayed is in the European format: DD-MM-YY while the voice over is in American format: MM-DD. So, if you get a message on Oct 8th, the playback says - message received on August 10th. And guess what, starting with the 13th day of the month, the answering machine stops working (given that the internal software knows that months can only go as far as 12). When you try to play back a message that was recorded after the 12th of a given month, the system locks up, the base reboots, and you are not able to either play the message or delete it. The only way to delete these messages is to reset the base. Thankfully, the firmware for this model comes with a restore option that allows you to reapply your previous settings quickly.2. If you are using a corded phone in your house (for your POTS or traditional phone line) in addition to this phone, it will not be recognized by the C610A IP. In other words, if you start a conversation on your corded phone, there is no way for you to pick up the conversation on the C610A IP - short of having the caller call you back or you making a new call on the C610A IP.3. Support and customer service continue to be non-existent. They cannot fix these issues beyond telling you to reboot the system. And in case, you have an issue with your product after the warranty period, Siemens Gigaset asks you to fix it on your own since their support vendor is not contracted to repair out of warranty products. I have experienced this myself with the S675 IP and have it in writing from them. The irony is that no one else outside of Siemens Gigaset can fix these advanced products.If you can live with all of the above issues, this is a good product.
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful.
Great for families or small business due to unique features
By E. Thomas
UPDATE: 12/01/2011My family is really loving these phones. I recently got 2 more handsets for my kids' rooms. They are only 3 and 4, so we have the external lines turned off on their handsets. In other words, we use those 2 handsets only as intercoms and room monitors. Our 3 year old learned how to use the intercom in about 10 seconds, and is able to call us instead of shouting or crying for help. Lots of fun too.I have a handset next to my own bed, and I often use it at night to quickly check the weather reports and news headlines before I go to sleep. Just text, but still very handy.And finally, the handset in my home office has an extra SIP account registered to voiSip PBX system at my office. So I can make calls out from my office number, and receive calls as though I was at my office extension.These phones are harbingers of even greater things to come. I love having home phones again, instead of just a cell phone.[back to original post]I recommend this phone quite often to go with voiSip VoIP phone service. It has some really neat features for small businesses and families.PROS:Two simultaneous VOIP calls, plus an optional 3rd call using a land line.Gigaset.net has really neat apps for this phone, like weather, stocks, email, facebook, encyclopaedia and more.The day/night mode is nice, so calls don't wake your family at night. And the phones can be used as a room monitor, which is popular with moms, dads, bosses, etc. (feature can be disabled as well).Phone can connect directly to some VoIP providers, like voiSip, without requiring a separate adapter such as required with Vonage and most other VOIP companies. Very easy to setup and saves a bunch of money!CONS:It only support 2 VoIP calls + 1 analog call. So really that's just 2 VoIP calls for most users who get rid of their analog lines.Other than that, nothing to pick at, other than wishing for even more on future models.ALTERNATIVES: (for a bit more money)The SNOM m9 is also very easy to setup with voiSip, but supports 4 simultaneous VOIP calls, and up to 9 handsets. It is a trade off though, since it doesn't have all the family friendly features of the C610A.Another alternative is the Panasonic KX-TGP500. It does 3 simultaneous VOIP calls (up to 6 handsets), and has a really nice "feel" that is well suited to small office use.
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful.
Good cordless VOIP phone
By crazyk
LOOK AND FEELThe color LCD does not have as high of a resolution as I was expecting, but it is very readable. The color scheme can be adjusted so there is a white or black background. I prefer the black background.The handset is small and light, but feels solid. It is about 1/2 inch shorter than my Panasonic DECT cordless phone. The black plastic has a glossy finish. It does pick up fingerprints (not sure about scratches).SETUPI wanted to assign it a static IP address via its MAC address, but I could not find its MAC anywhere on the device. I had to allow my router issue it an address via DHCP to find its MAC address.To configure it, I typed the device's IP address in my browser and it prompted me for a PIN. I don't believe the quick start guide provided me this information. However a quick Google search found it to be "0000".There are a list of 'common' voip providers that you can choose (I assume these are easier to set up). Neither of my two voip providers were on the list. However, it was not hard to find the appropriate settings and input them.SOUNDWow. Yes, it is exactly what I was missing from my previous setup! I have only used ATAs before with an analog cordless telephone connected to it. It always seemed to me that there was something that was not quite right. There would be an annoying delay, or the call clarity was only moderately better than a cell phone.After placing a few test calls, there is not an annoying delay anymore. Also the calls sound much better (and this is using the PSTN with the G.711 codec).RANGEThis was a big disappointment. These phones have a feature called 'ecomode' that cuts the power that each handset can transmit. I have the transmitting base at one end of the house. With ecomode on, I was not able to use the phone from the other end of the house without the audio breaking up (this is only a single story 1200 sq ft house).With the ecomode turned off, I am able to talk inside the house without the audio breaking up. However, as soon as I step a few feet outside the house, the audio breaks up.The DECT panasonic phones that I have will turn off eco mode (and boost the power automagically) when needed. With these phones, I was able to talk 200' away from the base!**I moved the base to about 8' up on the wall. This improved range a little bit, but I am still not able to turn on ecomode and use the phone in the house without the sound breaking up a little.OTHER THOUGHTSAmazon incorrectly lists the phones as using 'AA' batteries. They use NiMH 'AAA' batteries. This is good since it makes the handset smaller and lighter.Although I am using this in a residential setting, it does seem that that each handset is designed to operate independently, in a business environment, as if they were wired SIP phones on different people's desks.**For example, if I want to add a second handset to the conversation, I must 'conference' them in (They can't just pick up their handset and start talking).Each handset's phonebook is private to that handset and entries are not shared. However, you can clone one handset's phonebook to another handset.
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