Home > Consumer Reviews > VTech 5831 5.8 GHz DSS Expandable Cordless Speakerphone with Caller ID/Call Waiting

I recently moved to VoIP at my apartment, and wanted a phone system with expandable handsets so that I could leave the base station near the networking equipment, and put the handsets wherever I wanted. In addition, I liked the 5.8 Ghz because it would have less of an impact on my existing wireless network.

I bought this phone mainly for the price (it's cheaper than many 5.8Ghz competitors, probably because it lacks an answering system) but have been very surprised by it's features. The clock and caller ID functionality are nice and work great with the VoIP provider I have. My biggest surprise was that, even though I have voicemail through my provider, the base and handset both blink when I have a message. Pretty cool.

The base station has a fully functional speakerphone which I've mounted to my desk. Even the *handset* has a speakerphone capability which is kind of neat.

I haven't owned the phone long enough to comment on it's quality. All I can say is so far so good.

I bought this phone set 5 months ago and have been very happy with it. I wanted a wireless phone set with high clarity sound, was expandable (one handset for the home office and one other for general use), had caller ID waiting and speaker capability on handsets as well as the base, and could handle the range (for use outside). I did not want an answering machine because I have a smart fax that serves that purpose already. This phone set has exceeded my needs. I like having the capability of unique phone lists for each phone, too (numbers for customers on my office handset and family/friends on my general use handset). I can walk all the way to my back fence and the person on the other line says I am crystal clear even on the speakerphone (they are clear as well - clean sound). It would be nice if the caller ID didn't stack up with same name callers (vs. depicting one entry with the number of times they called). Overall, I highly recommend this product.

This is the 4th cordless phone I've owned and the best reception & transmission so far. I have the phone base station set up right next to an Apple Airport Base and there is absolutely no intereference whatsoever. The separate units for phone charger and base phone provides maximum flexibility. The memory is easy to set-up and access, although I do miss the one-touch speed dial feature (which seems to have been eliminated in this entire new generation of cordless phones...I searched everywhere). Battery life is better than the Panasonic I owned last...just charge as directed and there is no problem. The handset has a sleek design and a nice feel, along with a wonderful speakerphone built-in...this is a terrific feature. And it's expandable! This is the best-priced feature-packed 5.8 GHz cordless phone available, a TRUE VALUE.

This is a very good phone. In nearly a year I have not experienced one thing negative. Sure, you pratically have to have a PHd in EE if you want to delve into anything but the basic usage of this phone, but that is another story for another time. What needs to be said about this phone is this : IT IS NOT A 5.8 GHz PHONE!

RTFM, People! It is a 2.4/5.8 GHz phone. The base transmits 5.8 GHz, but the handset transmits at 2.4 GHz. So, people looking for a phone that won't screw up their 802.11x wireless home networks better look elsewhere.

What goes unsung about this phone is the speakerphone built into the handset and the base station. For the money, it is doubtful you are going to find better. Yes, people can still tell you are on a speakerphone, but I have yet to have someone complain about the sound quality. A go-nearly-anywhere speakerphone with an almost-never-say die battery? Fuhgedaboudit!

Oh, one other unsung feature of the this phone. The charger for a spare battery (and if you have teen girls you know of whence I speak!) is built into the base station. Now that is a cool touch. Push the button, out pops the tray, slap in the battery, slide it closed, and you are chargin', man!

Bottom line : Great value, unsung features, and solid performance. It is NOT a true 5.8 GHz phone, however.

This by far the best cordless phone we have ever purchased. I read a lot of reviews before buying it and was concerned about range and quality, but we have had no problems - I think the folks that experienced problems had interference issues because the sound quality is crystal clear and the handset speakerphone quality is excellent as well. We initially set the base unit in our home office near the computer and experienced some noise issues - once we relocated the base in other room and put the handset and charger in the home office the sound quality has been near perfect. The menu is easy to understand without having to read the entire owners manual. The touch buttons work well - not like our old Panasonic 900MHz that gave us problems from the start. I highly recommend this phone.