[Snap] Compatible cordless phones with Fritzbox? (Bluetooth-enabled models)

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jonathan18

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#159735 10-Dec-2014 22:22

Hey there

We're contemplating replacing our cordless phones (Panasonic), the main unit of which is currently connected via the internal phone wiring to our Fritzbox 7390 (UFB connection).

Having read somewhere recently here on another thread (which I can't now find!) about cordless phones that allow mobiles to connect via Bluetooth, I'm keen on selecting one of these, but wanted to be sure of full compatibility with the Fritzbox prior to purchasing.

The models I'm looking at are:

Uniden 6135 (3 handsets)

Uniden 8155 plus additional 8115 handset

Panasonic KX-TG7872AZS

Panasonic KX-TG7652

We are really after three handsets, given we have a home theatre external to the house where we currently have a cordless phone (we didn't bother to run telephone cable out there) - of the models available it appears only Uniden sell packs of three or sell additional handsets with the full feature set (Bluetooth etc; Panasonic's prompt reply to my query was to suggest buying two sets of the phone!), so practically the Unidens make more sense, but I've read Panasonics tend to work best with the Fritzbox.

If anyone able to shed some light on the compatibility of these various models with the Fritzbox that would really appreciated.

Thanks
Jonathan

sir1963

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#1196932 13-Dec-2014 16:52

Don't Uniden have their own version of DECT and are incompatible with the fritzbox ?

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hio77

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#1196934 13-Dec-2014 16:53

im curious, Why look for bluetooth rather than using the fritzfon app?

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vexxxboy

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#1196949 13-Dec-2014 17:44

i could never get Uniden to work with the Fritzbox, things may have changed but i would always buy Panasonic because they have always worked. i also agree with hio77, why not just use the fon app i have my families 4 mobiles all hooked up so they are used as everyday phones, no need for multiple cordless phones.

Common sense is not as common as you think.

sbiddle

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#1197048 13-Dec-2014 20:33

Every analogue phone on the market will work with a Fritz!box - it just depends how you connect it. If the phone supports GAP it should be able to be paired using DECT. If it doesn't support GAP you use the FXS port.

I'm not sure if Uniden yet support GAP since they did an Apple and butchered a global standard (DECT) to suit their own requirements.

timmmay

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#1197062 13-Dec-2014 21:00

I've never heard of bluetooth support. I suspect you mean DECT. I have a cheap Panasonic I got from flybuys paired with my Fritzbox, works fine, call quality is 7/10.

sbiddle

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#1197065 13-Dec-2014 21:05

timmmay: I've never heard of bluetooth support. I suspect you mean DECT. I have a cheap Panasonic I got from flybuys paired with my Fritzbox, works fine, call quality is 7/10.

There are a lot of phones these days that support Bluetooth so you can use a Bluetooth headset rather than having to hold the phone.

timmmay

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#1197068 13-Dec-2014 21:14

So the phone does DECT to the Fritz and then bluetooth to a headset? Bluetooth is short range...

jonathan18

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#1197126 14-Dec-2014 06:09

timmmay: So the phone does DECT to the Fritz and then bluetooth to a headset? Bluetooth is short range...

No, the advantages are greater than enabling headset use. Bluetooth on the cordless phone's base unit also enables one to make and receive mobile calls on the cordless phone's handsets.

The fritz phon app will let us make and receive landline calls on the mobile, but I'm keen on the reverse, as when we're home we tend to leave the mobiles sitting somewhere on the kitchen bench so often miss calls when we don't hear the ringtone (my wife, like many women, would never carry a mobile in a pocket; our HT is also an external building to the main house).

I've ended up finding a triple pack of Panasonics that I'm likely to get from NL (currently on special).

https://www.noelleeming.co.nz/shop/communications/home-phones/panasonic-kxtg7873azs-triple-cordless-phone-pack/prod122509.html?ref=pricespy

While I too have realised that generally it won't matter which model we get given the way the current phone is connected to the Fritzbox, I have never particularly liked Uniden models, and don't appreciate their continued use of proprietary battery packs.

When I spoke to Snap about it yesterday (our damn line was down for nearly a day we discovered, with people unable to call us), the guy said there was no advantage to be had by connecting the base unit via DECT compared to selecting analogue (as current) - what's the truth to this?

timmmay

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#1197143 14-Dec-2014 08:39

I still don't understand how they're connected.

When you use DECT you pair the phones directly with the Fritz rather than the base station. If you go analogue you plus the base station into the fritz. I think you probably get better sound quality using the cable, mine doesn't sound great - but not bad either. I have cheaper phones than the ones you linked too.

Related thread here.

3g

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#1197166 14-Dec-2014 10:29

timmmay: I still don't understand how they're connected.

Like you, I was initially confused about this question. Whether the phone supports Bluetooth or not is irrelevant when talking about the 7390.
I understand the op's question however - in that knowing if there are issues with a particular brand and/or model with the 7390 is important.

From my experience with the 7390, there are 2 options for connecting the phones to the 7390.
You can either register each handset via DECT (requiring it to be GAP compatible), or plug the base direct into the 7390.

Advantage of DECT over direct into the 7390 is that you can locate the (charging) base(s) anywhere you want in the house.
Because each handset is individually registered, you can configure different options for each handset.
eg.
- Change what numbers it reacts to
- Change the outgoing number (I have a Chch and Dunedin number for example)
- Change the do-not-disturb settings

Because I've got the base for my dual handsets plugged directly into the 7390, both handsets have to have the same settings.

Another MAJOR plus of using DECT is that you can use the handsets to make multiple calls. But if you go direct into the 7390, you'll get a "line in use" message on the other handset(s).

Disadvantage of using DECT is that you do have to go through the registration process for each handset.

There's some interesting discussion at the link below:
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/2261598

And everything that I've read indicates that Panasonic is the way to go.

Nigel H.

timmmay

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#1197181 14-Dec-2014 11:23

That stuff all makes sense, I looked into it a while back. I just wasn't sure how bluetooth was involved.

jonathan18

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#1197221 14-Dec-2014 13:05

3g: Like you, I was initially confused about this question. Whether the phone supports Bluetooth or not is irrelevant when talking about the 7390.
I understand the op's question however - in that knowing if there are issues with a particular brand and/or model with the 7390 is important.

Thanks for the informative reply; some really useful stuff.

I am aware that whether the unit has bluetooth or not is irrelevant to whether it's compatible with the Fritzbox - I mentioned this to ensure any specific recommendations were limited to the scope of what I was looking at purchasing - I know that there'll be cheaper phones that would work fine but that's not helpful if such models don't have bluetooth.

3g: From my experience with the 7390, there are 2 options for connecting the phones to the 7390.
You can either register each handset via DECT (requiring it to be GAP compatible), or plug the base direct into the 7390.

Right, all this makes sense. My only question is how does it work if the base is itself a working phone? The Panasonic models (including our current one) have bases that tend to work as speaker phones - I'm assuming this, being 'wired', would need to be plugged directly into the router, but I could register the three handsets (including the one that charges on the base unit) directly with the router via DECT? (And I assume 'plugging directly into the router' would also be met by the current arrangement of the base unit connecting to the router via plugging into the internal wiring?).

Thanks once again for the helpful posts.