The Star Trek of cordless phones!
Written: Oct 24 '00 (Updated Mar 21 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Longest range, solid handset, expandable
Cons: No answering machine built in, 1 line only
The Bottom Line: I have used this phone for some time. It has great range, good voice clarity and is an excellent buy. You can't go wrong!
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| DennisM's Full Review: EnGenius SN-920 900 MHz 1-Line Cordless Phone |
It seems like every day there is another cordless phone, and new technology to go with it. Well, I have tried many cordless phones to evaluate for TV shows, and I have never encountered one that could be truly called long range, until the EnGenius 920!
To put it simply, every phone works as a transmitter & a receiver. The more powerful the transmitter, the better the signal. Typically, most 2.4 GHz. phones transmit at about 200 milliwatts, and the 900 MHz. phones transmit at about 100 milliwatts. The EnGenius transmits at 900 milliwatts, a more powerful signal.
As any engineer, or lawyer working for a consumer electronics manufacturer will tell you, different conditions can affect range of cordless phones. Terrain, humidity, temperature. All these things and more make a difference in how a signal travels.
Look, let's cut through all the mumbo jumbo here and put it in basic terms. I tried a Panasonic Gigaset and it went about 3/4 of a block away from my home. The Siemens cordless went about two houses. This EnGenius went about 3 full blocks, and the phone was not really set up the right way!
You can purchase an external antenna and mount it high up to avoid obstacles to get much greater range. I am in the process of doing that now, and when I have mounted the antenna and performed a full evaluation, I will update my review. Just the fact that the phone reached over 3 long blocks in a suburban area outside of NYC was impressive to me. This was utilizing the longer antenna on the handset which comes with it. You can use a short stubby antenna or the longer one for range. I advise just leaving the longer antenna on.
The 920 has no answering machine and is one line only. If you are looking for an answering machine combo, this is not for you. If you want a cordless phone with the best range, look no further. {Personally, I feel the US should have a system where you carry a phone with you that is an extension of your home phone and will work many miles! Apparently that is not "in the cards"!}
The handset is a Nokia clone. It looks and works like the Nokia cell phone. It is a solid piece of electronics, not light & skimpy like a Siemens handset. It has caller-id and a clear display. You can tell it is designed to be utilized by folks who know their electronics.
If you purchase another handset, they can be used as "walkie-talkies" and communicate directly with each other, without utilizing the base station. It is a neat feature if people need instant communication without being too far away from each other.
There are MANY things this phone can do, including put music on hold, vibrate the handset for incomming calls, call-hold, low battery alarm and many more. Let's face it, the most important thing is range and clarity, and this unit has it. I'll add to this review as I test more features such as the external antenna, second handset and really put this unit to the ultimate test. Stay tuned for more information.
In the meantime, my opinion is that you can't go wrong with this phone if long range is really what you need! By the way, if you have trouble finding this phone, I know Office Depot carries them all over the US.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
DennisM
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 - Top 1000 |
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Member: Dennis Meyers
Location: Wayne, NJ
Reviews written: 86
Trusted by: 14 members
About Me:
Began my career in broadcasting, retired from that after 38 years!
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