Home > Consumer Reviews > Motorola MA361 2.4 GHz Cordless Phone with Caller ID and Digital Answering System

I am reviewing this phone because I hav owned it for the past 3-4 years. I needed a cordless phone in a computer room on one end of our 4000 sq. ft CBS (concrete, block and steel) home. Needless to say I needed one with a decent range. I had already been to the stores and had purchased a GE, VTech, AT&T, and Uniden, all in about the same price range, and they were crap in the reception department.

When I first started using this I liked it because at least I had a phone to use (and my home has plaster walls, which, without going into a lot of detail, kills range area for cordless phones). This one at least allowed us to roam around that half of the house with decent reception, so we kept it. (plus I was sick of going to the stores exchanging phones)

It just hasn't lasted though. We hardly ever use it, so it just sat there for all these years, but now when I DO need to use a phone in this part of the house, it barely works. The rubber on the sides has buckled and is starting to separate from the handset. The buttons won't dial out unless you press super hard, which my 12 year old has mastered, but I hav not. The caller ID doesn't duplicate numbers, so if you don't know the number by heart you hav to scroll through the long list to find it. The answering machine does hav a 'tinny' sound, but all of this was secondary to being able to use it (dial out). If I had to rely on this phone as a regular source it would hav been maddening and this unit would hav been gone long ago. The caller ID info doesn't show up anymore on a regular basis, plus if I go to answer the phone when it rings with this, more than half the time I can't. It just won't pick up.

The phone still sounds very clear when you do get to talk on it, but if I need to go to the master bedroom (other end of the house) I get interrupted reception long before I get there, but this I know about my home, so that's not really an issue for me. I just wish it had lasted as it's more like a 'spare', but it hasn't. Bought for the 2.4 GHz so it doesn't interrupt hubby's ga-zillion gaming/computer/wireless/tech toys nearby, (and it hasn't interfered at all) but I just wish I could talk on it, oh, yea, and dial out. The battery is constantly on 'low' even though it remains in the base 24/7, so something is up.

I am currently looking for a replacement, so happened upon this and thought I would add. I am giving 2 stars only because it did last in a normal, functioning capacity for about a year. I am dis-heartened to find so many negative reviews of different brands of cordless phones..I had an old AT&T (all AT&T is made by vTech now, so don't bother...vTech made great toys for toddlers, but that's about it) but the old AT&T huge base and handset phone with the retractable rubber antenna lasted me FOREVER (and finally died when we dropped it in the pool) and was the ONLY phone to get reception throughout our entire house. I wish they would just make phones like that again. I hav looked for a used one like it even on eBay, etc, but can't find one, it's so old. I am getting ready to purchase a Panasonic, wish me luck.

If you hav a regular sized area, or small apartment (1500 sq. ft or less) I bet this would work great, but the question is, for how long? Don't look for it to operate fully without problems for over 18 months, max. 2 stars.

I bought this phone for my mom when her VTech died. She likes a phone that has balance. This phone is well balanced and has user friendly features. She didn't need the answering part and we were able to shut it off. After a couple days I called her to see how it was working. She absolutely loves it. She said she hasn't noticed any of the noise problems I had told her other people wrote about. For the money this phone cost less than my standard model of the same phone I had bought several years ago. I'm tempted to get one for myself and put it away in the event that mine dies.

I have already had a phone exactly like this for several years, and I love it. So I bought two more of these to have in other rooms in my home. I am very pleased with their quality and performance.

I bought this phone with our wedding money. We now have two kids: age 2 and 3, and it has lasted these 4.5 years as our only phone (we don't even have cells) with all the abuse from our kids. Its only been these past couple weeks its finally given us sticky numbers so we must retire it and purchase something new.

Pros:
Reception was good distance
Suprisingly did well with wireless router sitting inches below the base
Battery life decent
answering machine from handset
access to answering machine from calling in (when I was out of town I could call my house and get my messages)
lasted us a long time!

Cons:
rubber on sides started coming off after 2 years (first kid)
ringer kinda quiet

Hi
I have recently bought my second 2.4 ghz motorola phone. The reason I want to gift it back home. I have used the first one for almost 1 year now. The quality is good. my kids have thrown it arround and it is still working great. Looks definately appealing. The rubber covering at the side really makes the handling easy and comfortable. The only limitation I can think off is the size of the handset.
overall I would definately recommend it