The VTech VT2960 cordless telephone offers 900 MHz ADPCM digital transmission and security for clarity and privacy. With a two-line speakerphone, answering system, and call waiting/caller ID, it's a complete telephone solution in a striking, modern-looking package. Setting up the phone for basic operation was easy--we just inserted the battery pack, plugged in the AC adapter/recharger, and connected the phone cables to two standard RJ-11 jacks. (At your site, you may have two lines in a single RJ-14 jack.) You control the features through the base unit's 19 front-mounted buttons; there are also two switches on the side and one on the bottom. The handset has an LCD display and 11 buttons in addition to the usual 0-9, #, and *.
We had more difficulty operating the advanced features of the VTech VT2960. Although an audio menu guides you through the steps, using the advanced-feature set (conference calling, memory dialing, caller ID, and setting up the answering machine), was not entirely intuitive without the 45-page instruction manual.
To test the range of this cordless phone, we placed the unit on the fourth floor of an urban office building, subject to many sources of interference. The handset functioned flawlessly over two floors--to about 100 feet. Beyond that, the signal began to cut in and out. The handset automatically searched for the best channel and switched channels as necessary. Long distance and local calls sounded as clear as most corded phones.
With its full suite of features, built-in answering and caller-ID system, and clear sound, this two-line phone would make an impressive addition to a small business or home office.
Pros:
- Very clear sound
- Nonvolatile memory, not susceptible to power failures
Cons:
- 15-minute maximum record time
- Instruction manual required for many features
