Panasonic KX-TG9344T Dect 6.0 Expandable Digital Cordless Phone with Answering System, Metallic Black, 4 Handsets by Panasonic
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Digital camera reviews of Panasonic KX-TG9344T Dect 6.0 Expandable Digital Cordless Phone with Answering System, Metallic Black, 4 Handsets
Digital camera Review: "No link to base" issue
Summary: 1 Stars
We purchased these phones from Amazon in July 2008. We were very impressed with the features - answering machine, voice caller ID, and the ability to use phones on multiple bases. We began having issues with the handsets going dead during calls and having "no link to base" on the handset. We called Panasonic to troubleshoot and had no luck. The phones had fully charged batteries. Eventually, we were able to determine 1 of the handsets that was most problematic and stopped using it. The issue still happens periodically with the other handsets. I purchased my parents a similar Panasonic system (w/o the answering machine) and one of their handsets has done this as well. When I read/searched the Amazon reviews, I realized the "no link to base" problem was reported by others. Another call to Panasonic provided little help except an offer for a discounted replacement handset. Rather disappointing as we love the other features of the phone, but I no longer use them when working from home due to the "no link to base" dropped call issue.Digital camera Review: $3 for a Wall Mount and "No Link to Base" issues
Summary: 1 Stars
We've had this system installed for a couple of days now. It replaced an older (malfunctioning) 2.4GHz system with two handsets.
The sound quality of the phones, so far, is fine. I was surprised at the extremely light weight of the hand-sets, and have to say it's slightly off-putting if you're used to a solid "heft" with your phones. I'm sure it's high quality, but it feels cheap.
My only complaint is that the Wall Mount isn't included and as far as I can tell, is not available on Amazon. Come on, Panasonic... it's a (...) (retail) piece of plastic. I don't feel like paying for the phone system, and shipping on it, and then having to shell out a few more bucks to mount the thing. I'll probably end up tossing a little DIY shelf up, but don't think I'm being unreasonable with expecting the mounting bracket to be in the box.
Review revisited February 2010:
We've had very spotty performance on the handsets over the last couple of months. Sometimes they work, but other times (mid-call or even mid-ANSWER), they shut off completely, and then come back with a "no link to base" error - then, 10-30 seconds or so later, I'm back up-and-running. This is not battery-related, as I keep all of them charged to capacity. Sometimes it happens when I switch to Speakerphone mode - very, very annoying in the middle of a conference call.
Here's a quick video that I made of the issue: (...)
Anyway, I'm thinking about replacing these phones just a bit over a year into my ownership, and so have updated my rating to 1 star. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect better performance and reliability than this.
Digital camera Review: A basically solid phone with a couple minor letdowns
Summary: 4 Stars
This 4-man army of Panasonic portables does everything it advertises and nails all the basics. First and foremost, voice quality is clear -- 95% as good as a corded phone and leagues better than even the best cell could dream of. The handset and base both look good and have logical menus, and the ringtones (including the standard ring) sound more pleasant than those on other brands I sampled. The features are all pretty cool: speakerphone on handsets, talking caller ID, answering machine, etc.
My disappointment stems from a number of things having been designed one notch less useful or user-friendly than they could have been:
1. Talking Caller ID is cool, but it takes two full rings before speaking up, then wastes another second saying "CALL FROM" before actually announcing the name. With an answering machine set to 4 rings, you've gotta run like hell to answer in time.
2. When scrolling through the Caller ID lists, it displays the name for a second or two, then the phone number afterwards. Wasted potential, considering the LCD screen is easily big enough to show both at once (as older Panasonics did).
3. Panasonic cheaply decided to remove the number display from their answering machine, which as you might imagine, causes problems in households with more than one person. Whoever checks the message first basically has to remember to tell other people about any messages waiting for them, since the machine's light only blinks when new messages are waiting.
Still, I suppose that I will be pleased with this phone overall until the day the buttons grow so stiff that the phone becomes unusable. Which, going by past experiences with Panasonic, should be in about five years.
Digital camera Review: A lot for the money
Summary: 3 Stars
How well one likes this telephone system depends upon his/her expectations. As many of the reviews here point out, there are a lot of things Panasonic could have done better; but I am impressed with the value of this system as a whole. Getting 4 handsets and a base as a standard part of the package is a pretty good deal, and I have no serious issues with quality.
I disagree with the 1-star reviews here, at least as far as my experience with the system goes up to this point, about six months after I started to use it. Reliability issues could still arise. Some of the problems described in the most negative reviews must be based on receiving defective units. I think the voice quality is quite good enough. See some of the more detailed 2-star reviews for a more realistic assessment of the product's shortcomings. One point with which I would especially like to concur is the unusually slow dialing speed; there's no fast-slow option in this system. Although it's a small thing, it's anachronistic for an otherwise sophisticated piece of electronics.
In my experience there are few cordless systems that work really well in all respects; and overall, especially for the money, this is one of the better systems. "System" is a key word because it points both to the strengths and annoyances of the product. This base-and-multiple-handset system seems to be geared toward a small office (very small--4 users), and it incorporates some controls that make sense in that environment; thus, once a call is in progress on one of the handsets or base, another person cannot pick up another handset and listen in as on an extension. There may be a way for the person who got to the phone first to conference-in another person on the same line, but I haven't had a need to check out whether that capability exists; even if it does exist, it would be annoyingly cumbersome if all one wanted was to pick up another handset to join a conversation, a feature that might be desirable if the system were primarily for family use, depending upon the family of course. The flip side is that it protects privacy. Now, it would really be nice if the system could be configured either way, but no such luck.
I find the handsets to have a bit longer range from the base than some other cordlesses I have used, aided by its automatic power boost when it senses a weak signal. The intercom features are useful, and it has proved a boon that the system came with so many handsets, as I have been able conveniently to scatter them throughout the house.
Many of the functions are independently configurable on each handset, including separate alarms, individualized rings, etc. Other functions, such as time settings can be set from any handset and apply throughout the system. Thus even though there are things about this system that have not been well thought out, others are not only just as I would like, but also improvements over other systems I have used.
I vacillated between 3 & 4 stars. I recommend the system and am not at all sorry that I bought it; but I am deducting 2 stars because Panasonic and all the cordless-phone manufacturers should be encouraged to do better.
Digital camera Review: A lot of excellent features for the price (4.5 stars)
Summary: 5 Stars
We got this system to eliminate interference with the wifi network in our home. It does this and more.
The feature I like best is the message feature. One of the issues I have had with using the phone company's voice mail system is that I never really stop to pick up the phone and notice I have a message. With a handset dial, you don't even hear the stuttered dial tone when you are calling people. This phone system provides a nice solution. Each handset flashes when you have a Voicemail message. That means if there's a message that is for my husband instead of me, I can clear my handset while leaving my husband's flashing.
The alarm on the phone is easier and quicker to set than my clock radio. This helps, too, if you are going to set an alarm for a single occasion.
The handset is lighted and easy to read, even at night without my glasses I can dial. That's great in an emergency.
The phone book is easy to update. It's handy and best of all, all four handsets have the information. This is a big improvement over previous models which only had the information on the handset where you programmed the number in.
The handsets are smaller and lighter than the previous models. They don't use an antenna, which was proving to be a cat toy in the previous models.
And, not only does the phone not interfere with our electronics, the reception just sounds better. My husband's cell phone didn't connect well with the previous system.
Synthetic speech on the Caller ID is also an improvement, though my Garmin Navigator has a lot better speech synthesis. I'm really hoping at some point, they will have voices that sound almost human.
Rebecca Kyle, September 2006