Home Phone Wireless: is it any good? supported hardware?

Forums › One New Zealand (including Vodafone, WxC, Farmside) › Home Phone Wireless: is it any good? supported hardware?

deadlyllama

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#73101 9-Dec-2010 13:04

Three questions about home phone wireless:

* What's it like to use? How reliable? Voice quality?

* What's the charge for NZ national / cellular calls? It's very hard to find on the site.

* Can you use the service without buying their base station if you e.g. just use an old cellphone as a cordless phone, or a cheap fixed GSM terminal from ebay? Has anyone tried this?

thanks!

donald

richms

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#414994 9-Dec-2010 13:14

Have to use their base since the sim is locekd to it.

Many stores know nothing about it and will only want to sell you the whole kit and not just a sim if you have got the white box off trademe.

The white box sucks compared to the panasonic phone, but the panasonic phone sucks as a cordless phone for range and features. White box has echo sometimes.

Sometimes calls just go to voicemail just like a cellphone, some callers think you are ignoring them or something stupid.

If you are flatting etc and cant get another PSTN line into the place, its brilliant if you need another number for work etc, and its a lot cheaper than a telecom line once you add all the features. If you are thinking of getting it and a naked dsl connection, do the sums, its not really any cheaper.

Richard rich.ms

johnr

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#415049 9-Dec-2010 14:22

Echo on the white box (T2) should be all sorted now

John

deadlyllama

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#415096 9-Dec-2010 15:35

Hadn't thought of looking for the white boxes on trademe. Are they simlocked or could I put e.g. an ordinary vodafone or 2degrees prepaid sim in one and have a landline that was expensive to call?

johnr

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#415098 9-Dec-2010 15:38

No devices Vodafone NZ sell are SIM locked

richms

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#415102 9-Dec-2010 15:44

johnr: No devices Vodafone NZ sell are SIM locked

yeah, you can thank the busybody commerce commision for that one.

Ive bought 2 off trademe - $20 and $10 I think. They work fine for 2 degrees sims, and normal VF ones, not XT of course since they are only GSM devices.

If you do get the white box, watch check it comes with the external antenna. That was the only way i could get no GSM noise in the attached phone, with the stubby one it was always there nomatter where the phone was. I didnt try to put ferite beads on the RJ12 cable or anything to see if that helped, which it may have, but you should get the seperate antenna since it came with the box when new.

Richard rich.ms

kewefella

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#415986 11-Dec-2010 21:59

I have the panasonic setup after the white boxes kept blowing up on me, not sure on the reason, would turn it off for some reason and when I went to turn it on it would never light up again.

I find the panasonics brillant, very little echo but I think that is a reception issue as its only intermittant, and its nothing compared to what the white boxes used to do.

Another great feature I like is that they run off 2xAAA not some brand specific battery that you pay a fortune for, so if they stop holding charge its easy to get some replacements.

Overall to be paying $40 for line rental and all toll calls nationwide you can't beat it, I love it when the telemarketers ring up and go we can save you on your tolls calls and I go no you can't and tell them, more than one of them has gone, "oh you do have a good deal, bye", Oh and caller ID is free to.....

I would rate this as one of the best things vodafone offers...

kewefella

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#415990 11-Dec-2010 22:06

cellular calls are 31+gst, national call included in the national plan so don't know exactly.

works just like a cell phone, only looks like a homephone. Always seems reliable, I live in the country and my neighbours have had more phone cables cut, power surges down the lines and electric fences issues than I've had time without my phone, and the only time I've been without the phone is when the power is off or the white boxes have died so not really anthing to do with the cellular network.