Home > Consumer Reviews > AT&T E5965C 5.8 GHz DSS Expandable Cordless Phone with Answering System

This is the second 5.8 we purchased and returned. It disconnects our wireless internet when the phone is in use. We have to turn the computer off and reboot to get it back once the call has ended. Funny, the label states this was developed just for wireless connections. We tried the Panasonic KX-TG5240M first which I commented on too.

The sound quality seemed to be good and battery life okay, just kills the internet... Really liked some of the features, but was a little complicated to program. You only have to do that once, though. So, if you are not worried about the wireles internet and can work your way through the first programing, this might be a good choice.

We are on our third brand, Radio Shack's 5.8. Funny, it cost a LOT less and so far no problems.

My handset just died (my kids kept dropping it for years!) and I was looking for a new and improved phone. I went back to this phone. Here's why

1) I can mount it on a wall vertically.
2) The Caller ID displays the name you entered in the phone book. So instead of NY WIRELESS for every cell phone call, I can get "Aunt Julie" etc. I can't for the life of me figure out why this feature is so damn hard to find!
3) The base unit can hold an extra set of batteries. So if you have need a hot spare for your handset, you can have one ready to go. *HOWEVER*, if you have a power outage, the spare batteries allow you to use the cordless phone during the blackout. Now *THAT* is a nice feature.
4) Speaker phone on the handset (and base) works just fine.
5) The handset has a 2.5mm plug so you can plug in any headset.
6) The handset can be used WHILE it is sitting in a cradle. So if your on marathon conference calls, you don't have to worry about your handset's batteries dying (this assumes you are using a headset connected to the handset)
7) To return a call, the phone allows you to use ten digit dialing, 7 digit dialing, or 1+10 digit dialing.
8) I have 802.11a, b, and g networks in my house (all three are active). No issues with interference.
9) You can assign polyphonic sounds and pictures to phone directory entries. However, you cannot create your own ringtones nor can you download custom pictures.

One negative is that it can only hold 50 entries in the phone book.

The AT&T E5862C seems to have most all of the same features: expandable, full-color, 5.8GHz, 25 minutes of record time, voice notification of caller, dual buttons, speakphone on handsets (works well), etc BUT with extra color handset
[...]
I am five-star happy with purchase. Phone seems studier (including buttons) than my failed Panasonic, Uniden, and GE phones, but only time will tell (my mother's 50-year old $20 phone still works - is it unfair to expect modern >$100 phones to last even a decade without wearing out?!?). I also wish voice mail included date (but my Panasonic did not as well) and recordings are not the best quality, but if I can still understand them in 5-7 years I'll be ahead of past purchases. Buttons are VERY easy to find and push, but again if they're still working in 5-7 years will be the real test (does the simple to replace batteries suggest THIS phone might outlast them?). You do not need to delete CIDs to remove "New Calls" from the display - only view them, which can be done as fast as you can press the next button.

UPDATE 55 Months later: My E582 handsets seem HUGE compared to ones from others BUT they're still working (replacable batteries have all died and been replaced). Sound quality is again not steller but they're all still good as new (which is better than any other phone I've owned over the past three decades). I'm not suggesting anyone buy this old model... I'm only posting an update concering the value of large AT&T phones. Perhaps, I'll post again in another 4-5 years. See ya' then (ha ha).

Ok, I bought this unit based on the reviews posted here.

Maybe I got a bad unit but I tend to doubt itas most of the flaws seem inherent to the design.

Anyway here goes:

The Good:

1 Nice looking unit, well laid out. The handset is a good size and feels solid in your hand.

That's about it folks...

The Bad:

1 The color screen is so cheesy it is almost embarressing

2 The menu driven setup on the handset is easy to read and follow but is not intuitive at all and makes you take extra (to me) steps to get where you want to be.

3 The handset has a sporatic but very annoying echo, does not seem to matter where you are in relation to the base either.

4 Callers sounded muffled and hard to understand.

5 The answering machine is absolutely terrible, from the tone and volume of the greeting (Sounds like you are talking through a scarf or something, has to be the mic.) to the quality of the incoming messages. (Extremely rough and low pitched.)

All in all one of the worst cordless phones I have ever tried out. No matter what settings I used I could not get it to achieve even a functional sound quality let alone a decent one.

I have already returned it and picked up a Panasonic KX-TG5571M.

I'll post a review on it after I have had it a couple of more days. (I can tell you right now it's going to score a 4+ though.)

I've had this phone for about two weeks, and so far I'm quite pleased with it.

There are a few things that could have been designed better in my opinion.

Many of the reviews complained that the phone book isn't integrated between the base and handset. If the phone is purchased for family use, this makes sense. Each person can have their numbers stored in their handset. A user option to have the base and handset integrated, or not, would be nice.

The clock should have the option of 24hr time, and also to be set manually. (time is set by the signal sent through caller ID, which at the moment is about a minute slow)!

Base will indicate if spare batteries are installed and charging, but won't tell you when they are fully charged! Many reviews complained of short battery life. I replaced the supplied batteries with 2100 mah ones that seem to last longer.

Wallpaper feature is nice, but would be better if you could download your own pictures. (probably would add to the price of the phone though).

Overall, great phone! The most important thing is that I can hear people clearly, and they can hear me!

If Amazon gave me the option, I'd give this phone 4 1/2 stars!