VTech 9151 900MHz Black Cordless Phone
With three mailboxes, the VTech VT9151 can record calls for you and two associates or family members. This phone also offers 900 MHz cordless convenience and makes an attractive desktop statement. To set up the phone, we inserted the battery pack, plugged in the AC power, and connected the RJ-11 telephone-line cord. We recommend that you charge the battery overnight before using the phone for the first time. Voice-guided menus help you set the outgoing message, security code, day and time, audible message alert, announce-only mode, base ringer status, and number of rings (two, four, six, or toll-saver). We followed the menus, and after much trial and error, we were able to set these options without consulting the owner's manual; however, we recommend that you follow the manual for the easiest setup and for a proper introduction to the phone's many features. In our tests of the VT9151, we placed the base unit in a downstairs area, where walls, floors, and obstructions might interfere with signal quality. We made several calls, and the phone sounded only slightly softer than our corded desk phone, with only occasional, minor static when the handset was close to the base. When the handset was about 50 feet from the base, reception started to get fuzzy. At about 100 feet from the base, interference greatly increased; the handset completely lost contact with the base at about 450 feet. The VT9151's answering machine can store messages for three people (or for three different purposes) and callers can specify which person they would like to leave their message for. In our tests of the answering system, the sound quality was very good with few compression artifacts. Maximum recording time for one message was exactly four minutes, with a total recording time of 25 minutes and 35 seconds. Overall, with its 900 MHz operation, three message boxes, more than 25 minutes recording time, voice-guided menu operation, and fun color, the VTech 9151 makes an enjoyable, practical, and flexible telephone system for your desk. Pros:
- Modern, attractive styling
- 900 MHz operation for better sound and range
- 3 mailboxes in answering system
Cons:
- 4-minute limit per message
VTech 9151 900MHz Black Cordless Phone Accessories
VTech 9151 900MHz Black Cordless Phone Reviews
It's fine for a first answering machine and cordless phone on a budget. I got this phone when I went away to college. If you are looking for quality, look somewhere else. The outgoing message is very fuzzy and sometimes the handset wouldn't even turn on. But every once in a while it would start beeping very loudly and uncontrollably in the middle of the night. I would have to pull the battery out of the handset to get it to stop.
I wish there was a 0 star rating because I would give it that. Even in the silence of the early morning hours (you know how college students are with sleep schedules) there was still staticy shhhuhhhh noises in the phone, making it really hard to have any sort of intelligible conversation. I'm sure some of it was due to every other room having a cordless phone and all the signals intermingling, but this phone was by far the worst cordless phone I have ever used. I had this phone in my dorm room and it was absolutely horrible.
I would not recommend this product to anyone who doesn't want to have to buy another phone within 18 months. The only thing that I have yet to do is actually request a repair. Please note that I have followed all of the recommendations of the VTech website and telephone support lines. No doubt repairing this phone will be more arduous and just as expensive as buying a new phone. Less than 4 months after the warranty ran out on my phone, it died and has been unrevivable for the past three weeks.
Clear as a bell, can walk to the mailbox with it (500 feet), lasts for 2+ days under light use condition between charges. Answering machine is very functional, I very much enjoy this phone. I live in a suburban apartment complex, and for me, this phone is phone-omenal.
You could buy a better phone for less. I liked a friend of mine's VTECH 900 mhz phone years ago, so I bought one (the 9060i). Maybe it will work for you if you live on a farm (unless your livestock have cells, so to speak). Problem is: static and chatter sometimes, even when fully charged; even when I push the "channel" button. I live in a dense neighborhood, so maybe that's the problem.
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