Tonight I picked up the VTECH phone set that TMobile sells/recommends for use with the @Home service. Actually, each of the sales reps are quick to say you can use any modern wireless phone, and you can (I initially used an older 5.8ghz VTECH that I had sitting in a box of ‘old electronics’ and it worked fine, just like a regular phone).
The VTECH phone that TMobile sells is the DECT 6.0 model TM3111-2. It’s the same as the DS-3111 I believe, and probably some other variants. The price from TMobile is $59, which is a little pricier than I’m sure I could get it for online but I wanted to have it asap so I could test it for another day and make sure I want to keep the @Home service. Since there is only a 14 day return policy with the service/phones, and its ~10 days for the phone # porting to be completed, I am waiting one more day and, if all goes well tonight/tomorrow, I will call up TMobile customer service to initiate the process of porting over my landline phone #. Based on everything so far, I’m happy with the service.
So…on with it….why did I spend $59 for one DECT6.0 phone with one handset? Particularly a fairly cheap-feeling one like the one TMobile sells? Well…think about this:
The base has to be hooked up to either the TMobile router directly, or indirectly. I had no way to do that without spending an evening fishing phone wiring through my walls, and there was no way I was doing that. So here it is:
For now anyway. I’ll eventually get it situated in a better spot. The main reason I bought *this* particular model is because, after verifying with TMobile’s customer service (the phone # rep, as my local store rep was clueless), it turns out that this phone has a the little orange ‘voicemail’ indicator/button on the bottom left (you can see it in the pic I’m sure). Whenever someone leaves a voicemail for me/my wife, that button flashes not only on the base but on each handset. So, it doesn’t matter if the base is in my family room/basement. As soon as we walk in the front door (a floor above), we can glance over and see if there are any messages. I’m not aware of any other phone that does this and works with TMobile’s service, but I’m sure there may be others.
It was easy setting up the phone and the one separate handset it comes with. TMobile stores are NOT selling additional/optional handsets, which is terrible. They should be selling those. I know I need one. But fortunately VTECH is selling them direct at this link for $29.99.
The phones work good. It took me a while to figure out how the voicemail indicator worked. Turned out I just needed to be patient – it takes a few minutes before the voicemail flashing light goes on, after someone leaves a voicemail. Ideally it should be faster (the router’s flashing voicemail indicator (yes, it has a flashing blue light to tell you a vm was left) flashes almost instantly once a vm is left). It takes anywhere from 3 to 10 minutes for the light to come on, which is a bit long in my opinion. If I had just missed an important call, to have to wait 10 minutes before knowing a critical vm is left is kind of a drag. Hopefully this is improved or perhaps there is a setting on the phone/service/router I haven’t figured out yet?
So far….so good. The ringer options on the VTECH are nice, and it otherwise has the usual assortment of buttons like skipping to the next vm message, deleting, etc. It seems to work fairly flawlessly with TMobile’s vm service so far. The speakerphone, which is an option on the handsets as well, works well – nice and loud. I haven’t much explored all of the features of the phone itself yet, but those are the basics/important stuff I think. The handsets are very light. So light I’m concerned they may break easily if dropped. We’ll see.
UPDATE 01/07/2009: I’ve received many requests for a link to purchase the phone. You can order one here from Amazon:
Vtech DECT 6.0 2-Handset Cordless Phone With Caller ID & Speakerphone (DS3111-2)
If you just need an extra single handset, unfortunately at this time you still have to purchase directly from V-Tech.
13 Comments
Thanks for the posts. I am thinking about switching my landline to t-mobile’s @home plan and am very interested in your “tests”. Currently my landline service is bundled with my DSL so I need to see if I can even separately the 2 services feasibly and be left with just the DSL service from the telephone company.
I’ll check back.
Hi Colleen,
If you’ve followed my blog recently then you may have seen that I was in the same situation – I had DSL/landline service bundled. Fortunately for me (and to Verizon’s credit), once my landline number is ported over the DSL service would stay and automatically be made into ‘dry loop DSL’. However, the cost would go up significantly, on par with the rates for the much faster cable broadband, so I decided to go with cable broadband instead.
mark
I, too, have local phone service bundled with DSL though Bellsouth. They will let me drop the phone service and keep the DSL as a stand-alone service with only a $5 montly rate increase. The only problem is logistically coordinating the porting of my home phone number while keeping the line open so a new phone number can be assigned. Very tricky so I just decided to get a new “home phone” number. Your post about the handset is very helpful. Thanks!
Interesting post! The things we can do with phones now is just amazing. I have had some similar bundling issues. Now I am fighting with wireless… neverending!
Great article, thanks. I just got the service, and want to buy an additional phone to go with this, but where you said there was a link, I didn’t see it. I tried looking at the VTech site, and didn’t see which phone I needed. Can you help?
Hi Dawn,
I added a link to purchase via Amazon. It’s at the top of the post/page.
Thanks,
mark
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Dawn,
Just re-read and you were asking to buy the single handset. Here is the link to that on the Vtech site:
http://www.vtechphones.com/vtechui/store/dsp_product.cfm?itemID=3744&parent=23560
Marks last blog post..Router Update Pushed Down from T-Mobile?
Hi there, I have been using that kind of phone but I have no clue how to check my voicemails so can anyone help me please?
David,
Just press the orange voicemail button.
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I have the VTech Dect 3111 phone. When I talk it cuts off the callers voice. It’s Almost as if it was half duplex, CB radio style. The phone also seems to have a backround static or white noise sound that get’s louder when nobody is talking, kinda like an atomatic gain control. Maybe I just got a bad phone?
Mark, u seem very knowleadgeable about the phones and stuff so can u tell me if this Tmobile HotSpot Vtech phone can work with the landline service provided by Cablevision? i mean if i bought one of those Vtech phones in a Tmobile store and want to use it with my existing Cablevision landline service.
I’m not very knowledgeable about phone stuff really. I just happened to be one of the first folks in the country to sign up for the @Home service : )
I can’t imagine why the V-Tech phones *wouldn’t* work with a landline. They are regular phones and not specifically designed for VOIP like the Vonage phones I’ve seen. But if you’re not using them with the T-Mobile service then there really isn’t a need to buy one – there are tons of phones with the same features.
Does anyone know how to check your @Home voicemail remotely? I followed the directions from T-Mobile…to press * during your outgoing message and then enter my PIN, but that didn’t work. Thanks.