NETGEAR SPH200D Skype Phone Review

Netgear was one of the first companies to release a Skype phone with the SPH101D that offered a reasonable range of features, although we felt it had a few minor issues and was also quite expensive. Since then, a number of other vendors have launched remarkably similar products, but to date these have had some difficulty finding household acceptance. Netgear’s latest SPH200D aims to remove that reluctance by offering a dual-mode phone that can make and receive calls over both standard landlines and Skype.

Netgear has achieved this remarkable feat by combining a cordless DECT mobile phone with a dual-mode base station. The latter has an RJ-45 Ethernet port to connect to your home network and an RJ-11 port to connect to a standard landline. You can place the handset anywhere as long as it can receive a signal from the base station. The kit includes a handset, but the base station supports three other SPH150D models, although these were not yet commercially available at the time of review.

Setup is extremely easy as all you have to do is make sure the base station is on the same network as your internet router so it can get an IP address from its DHCP server. After initially charging the handset for the required number of hours, you turn it on, add details like your country code and preferred language, and then you’re ready to enter details about your Skype account. It only took a few minutes and then we were ready to start making calls over the internet.

The base station also has a web browser management interface and you can find the handset’s IP address by selecting ‘DHCP’ from the ‘Settings’ menu. Point a browser to this address and you can log into the base station, where you will be presented with a simple but informative interface. The home page provides general information about the system with details of your uptime, firmware version, and network addresses. The base station supports three types of Internet access and by default accepts a dynamic IP address, but you can use PPPoE or enter a static address if required. Note that you can access and change all of these settings directly from the handset.

Access to the Skype service is available through the web interface and you can create a new account from here, enter the credentials of an existing account and see if you are currently signed in. Again, the handset’s main page also provides information on the Skype sign-in status as well as showing how much credit you have in your account. The system page offers tools for updating the base station’s firmware, although it would have been nice if Netgear had provided an automatic checking feature, as they do with their draft 802.11n wireless routers. Last but not least comes the administration screen, where you can change the access password and reset the base station to factory settings.

Making calls with the handset couldn’t be easier as you enter your number using the chunky keypad and press the call button. The phone gives you a choice of Skype or landline, and once you’ve selected one, the call is made as usual. During testing, we found the SPH200D’s call quality to be good, with receivers not reporting any discernible difference between calls over Skype or landline. Curiously, from the caller’s perspective, we found that landline quality was superior, while Skype calls suffered from minor distortion.

On the SPH101, the choice of ringtones was just awkward, prompting us to turn them off and use vibrate mode. The latter isn’t supported here, but you can play with sixteen notes now, and while they’re not much better, at least you won’t be using the SPH200D in public. Conveniently, different tones can be set for incoming Skype and landline calls, the intercom function for multiple handsets and a confirmation tone when the handset is placed in the charging cradle.

To test what happens when Internet access goes down, we unplugged the Ethernet cable from the base station and the handset immediately confirmed that Skype access was down. However, provided there is electricity, you can still make landline calls.

As is usual with Skype services, contacts can be organized in the phone for quick access, and the history option provides a full view of incoming and outgoing calls, missed calls and voicemails. Searches for Skype users can be performed and, if allowed, added to your contact list. The Services option shows your credit status and remaining time and if you have purchased SkypeIn you can view your dialed number and subscription status.

“‘Verdict”‘

NETGEAR delivers an innovative communications product that seamlessly integrates Skype and PSTN functionality into a single solution. We were impressed with how easy it was to install and use, making it ideal for home users and small businesses who want the cost benefits of Skype plus access to landline calls from the same handset.