Gadget Review : Netgear SPH200D DualPhone for Skype

Last week we purchased a new phone system
for the house to replace our current cordless handset. We had been looking
to replace the current system for a little while as when the phone was
in use the wifi network would sometimes dissappear depending on what channel
the phone decided to use and because you couldn’t use the microwave oven
without causing massive interference on the phoneline either.

While we could have just replaced the
system with a DECT system that ran on a different wavelength we ended up
buying the Netgear
SPH200D DualPhone that works on
both your landline and your Skype account.  The system consists of
two parts, the base unit and the handset.  The base unit plugs into
your router and your landline and the handset goes where ever you want
in the house. The SPH200D runs at 1.9Ghz so no distruption to out wifi
network will occur.

Turning on the handset for the first
time prompts you to either log into an existing skype account or create
a new one and once your logged in you can see a list of all your skype
contacts and their current status, you can make skype-skype calls or if
you have SkypeOut credit you can make SkypeOut calls at much cheaper rates
then your ordinary landline, of course you can still make calls on the
landline if you need to or if you don’t have any SkypeOut credit. It also
supports SkypeIn and Skype Voicemail. One that that surprised me was that
it could also detect when there was voicemail on our landline and set a
notification on the handset’s screen.

If you decide to setup a new Skype account
for the phone then I would recommend using your computer to make the data
entry and setup of your contacts list easier, however setting up the SPH200D
itself does not require a computer in anyway, the only requirement is broadband
internet.

The handset is nice and light and is
charged by two recharable batteries that are supposed to give up to 12
hours talk time. The handset also has a mute button ( for when the dogs
start barking in the background when your on an important conference call
) and a speakerphone option.  There is also a headphone jack on the
side so you don’t need to hold the phone on long calls.  You can link
4 handsets to a single base unit so this really is a whole house phone
replacement system and while one person may be on a Skype or SkypeOut call
another handset could be used to make or take a landline call.

So far the DualPhone hasn’t had too
much use yet at home, i’ve made one SkypeOut call on it and we have received
on landline call, in both cases the call quality was perfect however the
SkypeOut call doesn’t have any sort of CallerID on the recipients phone
but this is something Skype needs to fix.

Overall I’d recommend this phone if
your looking to get a new system for your house or if you wantr to move
into the world of Skype at home.