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Chat => Tech Chat => Topic started by: Bowdon on February 05, 2021, 01:44:40 PM
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Does anyone have any experience with dect cordless phones?
I have 6 phones and one base. I think that is the maximum allowed.
One of the phones started to turn itself off after pressing a couple of buttons eg. if I wanted to check the phone book it would appear to lose power and turn off. It'll come back on if I either mess with the batteries a little (the battery level is always showing full), or I put it on one of the charge bases.
I bought a new phone but I can't link that phone in to the network without removing the faulty one.
So I have two questions...
1. If I can keep the power on the faulty phone on long enough, is there a hash code I can use to de-register it? I've watched a couple of videos and some of those codes don't work. I think its because I've only seen American videos about de-registering.
2. If I can't de-register the phone using its own keypad, is there a way I can use one of the other phones to select the faulty phone to de-register it? I know the faulty phone is handset 5.
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Does the Base Unit have an interface, for the Yealink Dect Units I sell I deregister handsets from the Base Web Interface
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Have you tried different batteries in the problem phone, as they may be the issue.
You should be able to deregister it from any handset, but how that's done depends on the model of phone.
:)
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I managed to figure out how to deregister them using a different handset. I had to select the top right button (the screen option looks like a domino with 6 dots on) then type #131 and it lists all the phones. Then I moved down the list and select the phone to deregister and it said 'Please Wait' and then beeped and the target phone got deregistered.
There as been another update though. Another of the phones ended up dead when I was checking all the phones before I started the deregister process.
I wish I knew what caused it. It's like its some short circuit. When I manage to get it back on it'll stay on until I start pressing the buttons. But they both show full battery power. It seems a shame to throw them out. Maybe it's an age thing as I have had the 2 phones since March 2014.
I was thinking of buying a new set of phones. But its difficult to tell which is the latest set out due to their overcomplicated naming system, and also it is difficult to find out how many phones each phone set allows.
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My BT handsets have what I'd consider a more annoying issue. They work perfectly but their LCDs have died so I can't ever register them to a new base station and I wanted to move them over to a VoIP enabled unit. :(
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I did have a BT dect phone but the only problem (major show stopper ???) was if you unplugged the phone line it wiped the saved contacts list... never buying BT one again >:D I have a Gigaset Go850 which covers both line line and Voip connections, oh and you don't lose all the contacts you slaved away putting in ;)
The only honest observation about Gigaset is the rechargeable battery life seems very short before memory effect kicks in i.e. not holding charge, current lot bought in July 2019.
I do have a Panasonic dect phone and still has the original Panasonic batteries in it!
I'm now hunting for Genuine Japanese Panasonic rechargable one's to swap out for these cheap eastern makes :-X
Max 6 phones per base, but I think you can have more than one base so more handsets.
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I got a cheap Gigaset base station (doesn't come with a handset itself) with the plan to re-use the handsets so kinda annoying it looks like I will also have to get handsets.
My main base unit is Panasonic but the frustrating thing there is the handset that came with that obviously needs to stay in its original base unit, or I'd have to find a plain charge base which likely costs as much as a new handset.
I'd just replace everything with Gigaset handsets for full compatibility, but at least one handset is hardly ever used, its just in the kitchen for when we cant reach the other handsets in time. I do kinda resent replacing them at all as its not like we use them a lot, but enough to still have them.
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As per "parkdale's" observations on Gigaset DECT's, I have also found that the NiMH batteries have a short life, have had to replace at not much greater than yearly intervals on all 3 handsets.
Always use good quality NiMH cells of various makes and replace as a pair, in this case standard "AA" size.
Can sometimes get a few extra months further usage out of the batteries before replacing by running through a conditioner.
Usual characteristic is handset "dying" on answering a call or trying to access stored calls.
My daughter uses a Gigaset DECT trio with "AAA" NiMH cells and they exibit exactly the same characteristics.
Handset battery indicators always read healthy even with bad cells.
Again, as per "parkdale", I have a very old Panasonic single DECT unit with it's original "AAA" format NiMH cells, never been replaced.
Can only conclude that the Gigaset battery charging system is less than perfect, pity, as otherwise the units perform very well.
Do try to periodically leave the handsets off the chargers to cycle the batteries whenever I remember!
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I solved all the above problems by simply doing away with the landline, wherever I am I always have my mobile with me. Of course having a good mobile signal is essential.
My wife still hasn't grasped the idea of keeping her mobile with her, so often misses calls as she doesn't hear hers ring as it's usually left in the kitchen.
We used to have a set of four Dect phones (probably still got them), and they were a pain, batteries giving up, contacts not shared between phones etc. It's nice not to have them any more.
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Again, as per "parkdale", I have a very old Panasonic single DECT unit with it's original "AAA" format NiMH cells, never been replaced.
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Ditto here, two old Panasonic phones still with their original Panasonic branded AAA NiMH cells and still working perfectly. I don't know exactly how old as both were bought second-hand back in about 2014.
Clearly Panasonic have their charging circuitry well sorted.
:)
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..... contacts not shared between phones etc.
Yes, this can be a real PITA, used to hate trying to keep 6 separate address books in sync. However, Gigaset have an app for that. The contactsPush app works quite well allowing you to sync your address book on phone or tablet to individual or all phones on the base station. Has basic filtering to stop inappropriate entries ending up on the handsets. Its works on the local network, so probably only of use with their VoIP base stations, N300A IP in my case.
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As an update to the thread. I managed to register the new handset.
But I went back to the Amazon page to order another handset only to find they are 'Currently unavailable'.
So it looks like I'm going to have to buy a new phone set in the near future.
The most annoying thing about these Panasonic phones is the letter/number system they have for the name. I don't know what the 3 letters mean. I can only assume the higher the number the more recent the phone? The naming system is over complicated. I'm surprised no one in the company have suggested making it more simple, for simple people like me.
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We've had four basic BT cordless handsets for about 8 years. They still have their original Kaifeng 550mAh AAA batteries.
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Yes, this can be a real PITA, used to hate trying to keep 6 separate address books in sync. However, Gigaset have an app for that. The contactsPush app works quite well allowing you to sync your address book on phone or tablet to individual or all phones on the base station. Has basic filtering to stop inappropriate entries ending up on the handsets. Its works on the local network, so probably only of use with their VoIP base stations, N300A IP in my case.
Its the N300 IP I picked up cheap, any recommendation for handsets for it? I really need a minimum of three, a huge bonus if one of them could be wall mounted.
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I use it with a set of SL78H handsets which I'm not sure are still available and a couple of C430HX handsets. They all inter-operate very nicely and decent sound quality, especially over VoIP. None wall mountable though. You can check handset compatibility with your base station here (https://www.gigaset.com/en_en/cms/service/compatibility/products.html).
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I think :fingers: the C430HX is wall mountable, There are two slots on the back.
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Ordered a couple of C430H off Amazon, hopefully they are the same.
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I have ordered a pair of these https://www.panasonic-eneloop.eu/en/eneloop-lite to replace the current https://uk.gpbatteries.com/products/recyko-aaa-650mah-rechargeable-battery-pack-of-4 :)
GP one's are on the Gigaset approved list
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GP are the manufacturer of a lot of the branded batteries, so that makes sense.
Eneloop are regarded as the best AFAIK but they too manufacture for some other companies too.
My DECT phones at the moment actually have Amazon Basics in them. The Panasonic seems to work great with them, even though its almost 100% of the time on charge. When I have used it and forgotten to put it back it lasts days, so clearly they are holding a good charge.
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Turns out they were C430HX and I already hit a snag. They work great but they don't seem to have the feature to auto-hangup when you put them back on charge which is tripping up my mum. She left an incoming call live for 4 hours, just hope she doesn't accidentally do it with an outgoing.
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That's strange. My handsets are the HX version too and when I replace the handset in the cradle mid-call the call is terminated. The current version of the handset firmware is 117.013.06.
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Odd indeed as the instructions (https://gse.gigaset.com/fileadmin/legacy-assets/CustomerCare/Manuals/C43x-C53x/C430HX_C530HX/A31008-M2765-L101-2-7619_en_IE-UK.pdf) say:
"Regardless of the Auto Answer setting, the connection ends as soon as you place the handset back in the charging cradle. Exception: Press and hold the handsfree key for a further 2 seconds while placing the handset in the charging cradle."
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"Regardless of the Auto Answer setting, the connection ends as soon as you place the handset back in the charging cradle. Exception: Press and hold the handsfree key for a further 2 seconds while placing the handset in the charging cradle."
I wonder if somehow she accidentally held the hands free key? She does have arthritis so could have been holding it oddly. Will have to see if it happens again, they are on the latest firmware.
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I solved the problem!!
After searching around the t'internet I found a video that not only explained what was happening. But why it was happening, and how to fix it.
The video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCKCGFnGdm0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCKCGFnGdm0)
But in my words it seems it is caused by overcharging the batteries causing memory loss.
According to the video when a battery keeps getting overcharged it loses the memory of how much power it has. So even though the battery was showing fully charged the memory thought it didn't have much charge so kept "blanking out".
The fix is to buy another rechargeable battery and not over charge them. He said its a common problem because most people finish using the phone and put it back on the charger.
So I bought new batteries and the phone started working again. During my tests a 3rd phone stopped working. But this time I had bought an extra set of batteries (got a 2 pack of 2), so I changed the batteries over and it started working again.
So the moral of the story is to stop putting the phone on the charger as much as probably most of us do.
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Have always been of the opinion that battery over charging is an issue with Gigaset DECT phones which is a pity as otherwise they are very reliable, have lots of features (depending on the model), good range and very good VOX quality.
Surely incorporating a "smart" charger should not be a big technical challange, Panasonic seems to have managed it as reported by a number of sources earlier in this post.
Yes, should really "cycle" the battery charge with frequent periods off charge but who is going to take the trouble or indeed remember to periodically leave the handsets out of their cradles?
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Not my experience with my SL78 handsets. When not in use on a call they are permanently in their charger and still retain their charge. Looking back I see they were purchased nearly 10 years ago!! They do use a flat type of battery though which presumably uses some sort of smart charging. Looking inside one of the handsets the battery is a Li-ION type (X445). I’m in shock, where have all those years gone. :o If asked I would have said the phones were only ~5 years old!!
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Our handsets are only ever not on charge when they are being used for calls!
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I solved the problem!!
That's a bit unfair, tubaman suggested replacing the batteries already in this thread.
The problem you described is a classic case of old batteries that still output full voltage (thus why they show full battery) but are no longer to output their rated current (thus they cut out when you try to use the phone).
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That's a bit unfair, tubaman suggested replacing the batteries already in this thread.
The problem you described is a classic case of old batteries that still output full voltage (thus why they show full battery) but are no longer to output their rated current (thus they cut out when you try to use the phone).
I meant I figured out why it was doing it.
I've heard of overcharging before. But I've never had the experience so didn't expect the battery to still be showing full power.
I think most people would assume the handset broke and bought another handset, or full setup.
In the video I linked he shows older manuals that tell the customer not to leave them on charge because of this problem. But the newer manuals don't for some reason.
I've had the setup since 2014, so getting my monies worth :)
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I just find it bit bizarre that people do not understand that batteries wear out regardless of if you discharge them or not, batteries start to degrade from the day they are manufactured. If you had constantly fully discharged/recharged them, the exact same thing would have happened, likely sooner as they only handle around 500 cycles.
The newer manuals wont bother to warn you because as above, they'll die anyway so why make it inconvenient for the end user?
Smartphones are much worse, they'll go bad in 2 years if you charge them constantly to 100% and the cheeky manufacturers make it near impossible to replace the batteries without paying them a fortune to do so.
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Turns out they were C430HX and I already hit a snag. They work great but they don't seem to have the feature to auto-hangup when you put them back on charge which is tripping up my mum. She left an incoming call live for 4 hours, just hope she doesn't accidentally do it with an outgoing.
Shouldn't be a problem since about 2015 (?), when exchanges were modified so that calls are cleared by the caller OR the called party hanging up.
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Shouldn't be a problem since about 2015 (?), when exchanges were modified so that calls are cleared by the caller OR the called party hanging up.
That's what I thought but it certainly at the very least holds the line open on the base station presumably blocking incoming calls. I'd have to try calling the landline next time to see if it ACTUALLY holds the line open or not.
I think I figured out the problem though, the base stations are a bit crap so mum with her arthritic hands isn't putting the handset back straight so it doesn't hit the charging contacts thus doesn't hang up. That's pretty poor, every other DECT handset I've had guide the handset into the dock so you know 100% its docked fully.
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So mums handset seems worse than the others, its managed to trash a pair of Eneloop Pros. One of the batteries the foil is even peeling, suggesting its trickle-charging at way too high a current and baked it.
Anyone have a recommendation of a handset that doesn't suck? I'd be tempted to go for the newer Gigaset using LiIon but honestly I don't trust this company any more, but then I like how I can sync contacts from one handset to another, it would suck to lose that.
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Yup, battery tester says one of the batteries is down to 43mAh capacity and the other 54mAh, just a slight drop from their rated 930mAh min.
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The various Panasonics I've had experience of seem to manage the batteries correctly in that they last for years. You can also transfer contacts between handsets quite easily.
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Yeah I had Panasonic before, the problem is a generic DECT handset wont expose the VoIP specific functionality and strangely its only my mums handset causing major issues. The reason this is important is usually its her who notices the error message when its lost the SIP connection.
I am considering replacing the whole 3x set + base with Yealink in the future, or in the meantime anyone know of their LiIon based handsets are more reliable and what is the cheapest model?