VTech DS6321-3 DECT 6.0 Cordless Phone, Silver/Black, 3 Handsets
by Vtech
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Category: CE
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: VtechFormat: CD
Model: DS6321-3
Product features:
- DECT 6.0 Ditigal Technology
- Interference free for crystal clear conversations
- Three handset system - requires only one phone jack
- Expandable up to 12 handsets
- Handset Speakerphone
- Panasonic KX-TCA94B Hands-Free Headset (Black)
- VTech DS6301 DECT 6.0 Cordless Phone Accessory Handset, Black/Silver, 1 Accessory Handset
- Panasonic KX-TCA86 Comfort-fit headset with travel fold design
- Warrantech Replacement Plan 1 Year Extension - Under $200
- Panasonic KX-TCA93 Wireless phone/Cellphone Headset
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of VTech DS6321-3 DECT 6.0 Cordless Phone, Silver/Black, 3 Handsets
Customer Review: Lots of useless features
Summary: 2 Stars
I bought this Vtech DS6321-3 phone at local wholesale club but am returning it after a little over a week of use. I am writing the review because I think this phone's high rating is unwarranted.
Why did I buy it?
I bought it almost impulsively when I saw the lengthy, seemingly innovative feature set. I paid about 79 dollars plus tax.
The feature set was actually more robust than what I was looking for. I wanted a well constructed phone that could sync with the address book on my computer and that would not interfere with my wireless router, a headphone jack was also a requirement. The phonebook syncing is handy for displaying cellphone caller's IDs who normally only show up as a phone number.
I was eyeing the Siemens Gigaset phone, but it seemed too expensive and the reviews here have been mediocre for it. Although this VTech phone will not sync with my computer, it will import the phonebook from my cellphone (with some nursing). And while this Vtech lacks a headphone jack, you can pair it with a bluetooth headset. The pairing and hosting of calls from my cell phone was a feature I had not considered but seemed intriguing.
Construction:
This phone is your standard indistinct plastic cordless phone. The plastic does not feel particularly rugged. If you drop it onto a hard enough surface from high enough, it will likely break. The battery case doors have very small plastic tabs to hold them in place. I was worried about breaking them as I installed the batteries. The handsets are lightweight and sit in their cradles fine. The finish on the face side of the phone is high gloss and picks up finger prints and facial oils quite easily. The backside of the phone (where you hold it) has a matte finish. The cradles are very lightweight and their plastic seems brittle.
The main base comes with a wall mount that looks really awful should you decide to use it as opposed to letting the base sit on a table or desk.
Cable management on the phones is almost non-existent, so you'll have to figure out how to coil up extra slack (if you have any) on your own... I used the twist ties it came with.
Setup
Setup of the phone went so so. Vtech really overpacks the device with tons of plastic bags and cardboard... so not so "green" in the packaging department but at least no blister packing.
The manual is thick and the type is small and dense so you cannot "skim" the instructions. That said, I figured most of the set up out without having to use the manual. I paired the device with my cell phone rather easily. I then tried importing my cell's directory. Surprisingly, the Vtech gave me the option to import from my SIM card directory AND my phone's microSD memory, (which has many more data fields) or BOTH! I tried importing the MicroSD memory but the vetch kept failing. So I made sure to sync my SIM and internal cell memory THEN import the SIM to the Vtech. It went slowly (I have a big phonebook) and gave me a failure message at the end, but it seemed like everything got imported off the SIM.
I also paired my work cell phone, and two separate bluetooth headsets. The Vtech even allowed me to differentiate the two phones with unique ringtones, neat, right?
Usage
Turning the phone on was nifty, the LCD has a cool dreamy blue glow and the keypad buttons are well lit. The talk and end buttons as well as the center navigation button are not backlit however and it's a chore to see them in dim lighting. The navigation pad only moves up and down, yet is round, fooling the user into thinking selections can also be made via a left or right press. Menus are mediocre and not completely intuitive, but not horrible either.
Call quality was decent for landline calls. The VTech relayed cellular calls quite well so long as my cellphone was close enough to the MAIN base station. I became enamored with this feature initially.
My home computer is set up to answer my land line phone and even emails me caller ID info and voicemail messages of incoming calls, so I did not bother testing the vtech's answering machine functions.
This phone seems to really be about the Bluetooth which initially seems really clever.
One annoyance I picked up early on however was, that when I got home, my cellphone would automatically pair up with the vtech. This might seem convenient but becomes problematic if you are not near a vtech handset and answer your cell directly. The cellular call is automatically routed to the Vtech and you have to either chase a vtech handset down, or tell your cellphone to disconnect from the vtech... all while the other party is wondering why the call picked up but no one is talking. Still, I ignored this annoyance and got in the habit of charging my cellphone next to the vtech's main base station and letting the vtech run the show.
I happily hopped round my kitchen and cooked dinner while I chit chatted on a stereo bluetooth headset... and got calls from one of my cells. The other Cell had to be disconnected in order to use one of my headsets. It turns out the vtech supports only two bluetooth devices at a time; Two phones or a phone and a headset, fair enough. I thought I could make this work.
My love affair completely ended tonight however. I again made a call with the Vtech, then transferred the call to my stereo bluetooth headset. (Note that the vtech does not allow you to place an initial call via a bluetooth headset. You have to place your call via the handset first, then transfer sound to your bluetooth headset). I then walked into the living room. I plunked down on the couch. I was about 20 feet and one thin wall with an open door from the vtech base, but I lost the bluetooth connection. Once the bluetooth disappeared, the call transferred to the vtech handset, but the bluetooth would not reconnect unless I walked back to the base in my kitchen.
I tried using the speakerphone. It worked, but sounded awful and the other party said I sounded far away. Now, this would not have been a problem if the vtech had a headphone jack (as other reviewers have pointed out). However, this seemingly minor omission makes all the nifty bluetooth features useless. Wireless does not count if you have to be close to your phone jack (the Vtech's base station). Heck, I can just get an old fashioned wired phone and get a rock solid connection for a whole lot less $.
If Vtech could figure out a way to implement the bluetooth on each of the 3 handsets to work as repeaters, or set up some kind of bluetooth mesh network, this might have worked. As it stands now the phone has a bunch of features that are for all intents and purposes ineffective.
I am sure this phone works fine for most folks. But I like headsets and the ability to roam about my smallish apartment which is not possible with this phone. The Bluetooth features add to the expense of this phone, but not to its value. the bluetooth's limited range makes this phone compete with cheaper dect phones and even wired phones which are cheaper.
Description of VTech DS6321-3 DECT 6.0 Cordless Phone, Silver/Black, 3 Handsets
VTech DS6321-3 DECT 6.0 Cordless Phone, Silver/Black, 3 HandsetsDigital Cameras & Photo Categories
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