VTech's LS6245 Bluetooth cordless phone takes cell and landline calls
Vtech calls the LS6245 a virtual two-line phone system.
(Credit: Vtech)Vtech has released Bluetooth cordless phones in the past, but it says its new LS6245 is the "first system of its kind capable of connecting landline and cellular phone calls simultaneously."
Like most new cordless phones these days, the LS6245 is a DECT 6.0 model, but the key feature here is the capability to pair your Bluetooth cell phone with the unit and take calls on either the slim handset or via the built-in speakerphone. VTech is calling it "a virtual two-line phone system," and says you cannot only take a landline call and cell phone call at the same time, but you can actually connect two cell phones to the LS6245 at once (you can pair up to eight Bluetooth-enabled devices to it).The base system costs $79.95 and comes with a digital answering machine and a single handset. You can add up to 12 handsets (model LS6204) to the system and you can make cell calls from any of the handsets throughout your house, so long as your cell phone is paired with the base station. Additional handsets cost $39.95 each.
We have a review unit on the way and will let you know if it works as well as it's supposed to.
Comments? Anybody interested in this type of cell/cordless-phone-hybrid communication device?
Hunkered down in New York City, Executive Editor David Carnoy covers the gamut of gadgets and writes his Fully Equipped column, which carries the tag line "The electronics you lust for." He's also the author of "Knife Music," a novel. E-mail David. Follow David on Twitter. 
Now all I need is a phone like this that can also plug into my high-speed and tie directly into Google Voice too. Oh, and while I'm telling Santa what I want, how about handsets that connect through wifi (anywhere) and can automatically sync up with the home unit and Google Voice....and a firetruck.
Now all I need is a phone like this that can also plug into my high-speed and tie directly into Google Voice too. Oh, and while I'm telling Santa what I want, how about handsets that connect through wifi (anywhere) and can automatically sync up with the home unit and Google Voice....and a firetruck.
Also while I agree with one of the previous comments that land lines are a dying technology (for home use anyway), we do have a "land line" (we use TMobile's @Home service so it isn't really "land") for use by our building's concierge. Still most everyone we know calls our mobiles so we frequently missed calls when in the bathroom or watching a loud movie etc. Of course you need to keep your mobile near the base unit due to bluetooth distance restrictions which may be an issue for those who text a lot and need their phone by their side and also live in a large house. We live in a condo so its not an issue for us as BT works pretty much wherever we are so I can sit on the sofa texting and my iPhone stays connected to the VTech base unit in the other room.
I love this system because now I can have one of extra VTech handsets in every room of our condo (including bathrooms) and not worry about missing a call on any of our lines whether the mobile is charging or I left it in my briefcase. This works especially well for my partner who puts down his phone when he gets home, forgetting to take it off vibrate and then rarely picks it up again until he leaves so he was always missing calls for hours and even days at a time.
My only complaints so far are that earpiece volume could be a bit louder. Also the design which is awesome looking is prone to fingerprints (no biggie) and the angular front is not the most comfortable when pressed up against the ear; this can be mitigated with the speaker phone option which is plenty loud. The touch keypad is no problem for me as I'm used to touchscreen with the iphone but others may not like it. The menus are very easy to navigate, although I'm still confused on the ringer settings. You can set a different ringer for each line but I think each handset and the base can have different settings for these. I still need to double check this but if so that makes no sense. The phone book is shared among all handsets (awesome BTW) so why wouldn't ringer settings? Also I would have liked to see the talking caller ID feature available on the Panasonic, but again no big deal--side note I prefer the VTech's discrete and dim charging notification light on the handset vs the Panasonic's glaringly bright charging light which bothered me in a dark room. Otherwise the VTech LS6245 was an absolute breeze to set up and pair with both our phones (iPhone 3GS and Moto U9) and works great with our TMobile @Home line as well. Oh one more thing to note is that this system is not wall mountable so if that is a requirement for you don't buy it. Also someone asked if this system will work without a land line and YES IT WILL! I tested it with our mobiles before I ever hooked up the land line and it worked fine. Finally, to the person who asked about the red circle around the volume buttons, that is physically ON THE PHONE.
Looking forward to seeing your review David and make sure you get it on Molly Wood's CNET Tech TV Weekly ASAP because you know how she likes to profile hot and sexy new stuff!
1: can i check voicemails remotely?? i mean, from office by calling home number or other way?
2: touch screen is like ipod or like iphone or like blackberry ( pushing too much ).. how much is the error rate? ( entering wrong digit ), is there sufficient space between keys ?
3: there is no way to wall mout?
as far as the instruction manual says you can check voicemails remotely, but you would have to have a home line to do that...I haven't tested it.
I have no issues on the touchpad, no errors for me and I think the keys are spaced far enough apart but this will be a personal choice.
there is NO WAY to wall mount unless you want to build a shelf or something.
To answer some questions asked already here:
- there is no vibrate option.
- the telephone base unit is not backlit.(the lcd is, but nothing else) - the handset is completely backlit.
- yes you can check voicemail remotely on your "home line" (see "the bad" below)
-The red circle around the volume buttons are actually illuminated red on the phone.
The good,
-Bluetooth (headset) seems to work great, good quality sound and quickly found my bluetooth headset. -gets alot of static when you move farther then 20 or so feet away from base. The caller can hear you, but you cannot hear the person on the other end when you move too far from the base. I assume the call can disconnect if you move to far away. I guess quality will vary depending on the bluetooth headset you use.
-you can answer calls directly on the BT headset, and end calls directly on the BT headset.
-Speakerphone volume is excellent, both on the base and the handset.
-Handset seems to be of good quality construction, doesn't feel like cheap plastic.
-Bright LCD screen on both base and handset.
-Has a sensor to the touch screen disables automatically when you put the phone to your ear. (avoids accidental touching of keypad)
-Has a UNLOCK feature that prevents accidental touching of keypad buttons on handset. You have to press UNLOCK before you can dial out.
- Battery life claims in documentation seem good (have not confirmed)
- Ringer volume nice and loud if you want it loud.
The bad,
-Can't switch to bluetooth from the handset, must be at the base to switch from speakerphone or a call to a bluetooth headset.
-Touch screen design may be ackward for some. Yeah we all love Iphone, but is this really necessary?
-Screen and base gets "oiled up" from fingers very quicky. Comes with a cloth to clean the keypads!
-Very Small LCD on base. Could have improved on this!
-Base feels like cheap plastic construction.
-Options/keypads are not back-lit on the telephone base. (good luck dialing or retreiving voice mail in low lighting conditions from the base)
-16 hours to recharge a battery? Hmmm....
-Answering machine can only be set to answer in 2,4,and 6 rings. What????
-Only 11 minutes of answering machine time. (might not be a problem for most) geeesh add a dollar or two and put some more memory in there!
-Security code is limited from 00-99 (only 2 digits). So, anyone can guess your security code in 100 or less tries.
-It will answer the phone after 10 rings and will prompt you to enter an access code, regardless if you set the answering machine in on or off. So you can remotely turn on the answering machine incase you forgot to, or want to change your outgoing message remotely.
- Have to remember to press UNLOCK before you dial out, you can turn this off, but if you do, then you probably will accidently dial numbers on the keypad!
- Wasn't too impressed with the menu system. Was expecting more.
- Selection of Ring tones aren't that great.
- Flat surface handset might feel awkward to your ear for long periods of time.
- Feels more like a heavy remote control , then a telephone handset.
The whole 2 digit security code and limiting the number of rings for the answering machine really bothers me. I really don't understand how someone could come up with this reasoning. Other then that, I give the phone a 7 out of 10. (So Far)
on the handset, The caller id list (volume down button) is very close to the "Dial" button , so you're scrolling through your list of recent caller IDs and accidently "touch" the dial out button.... Oooops! another bad design.
and Scrolling through your directory on the base requires too many keypresses! The interface isn't consistant with the handset. I am not sure why.
- by jezzyjeff December 29, 2009 1:33 PM PST
- I've just purchased a VTECH LS6245 cordless phone on the net for use in France. But I'm not sure if the adapter can work on the 50Hz power supply because the frequency of the power supply is generally 60Hz in the USA and Canada. This information is not written even in the technical manual I've downloaded.
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(22 Comments)Can someone help me?
Thaks in advance.