- DECT 6.0 Plus Technology
- 3 Handsets
- Single Line
- Cordless Phone
- All-Digital Answering System Included
- Dect 6.0 Plus Technology Cordless Phone
- Power Back-up Operation
- Talking Caller ID/Call Block/Silent Mode
- Dual Keypad on both Base and Handset
- Hands-Free Speakerphone on Base & Handset
Second, we have used Panasonic phones (with very few exceptions) since their old wired phones! This product is replacing an earlier generation wireless series with 4 phones. We had two batteries in the old units starting to fail, so rather than buy replacement batteries for 5 year old phones, I bought this and am not disappointed at all. Some of the key reasons this may be the best Panasonic phone system yet are:
> The screen is so much better to read. I wear reading glasses and the old screens were tough to read without them, but the high contrast, white backlit screens on these phones are so much easier to read!
> The menu systems seem much better. Much of what you want to do is handled by the soft-touch buttons with screen readouts so rather than searching the small text below some of the buttons, the choices are much easier to see on the screen.
> The reception is so much better and covers a longer distance than before. Our old phones (5.8mHz system) would get harder to hear on both ends if we walked to the other end of the house and walking a few steps outside was sure to cause a drop, but this new DECT 6 works anywhere in the home and far outside with no noticeable diminution in sound quality. (Pana makes a range extender optional piece you can add to the system, but I cant see any use we would need for it!)
> One of the best new features is the ability to use one of the handsets for temporary battery backup during a power outage! Most wireless systems go down entirely if there is no power, so if there is an emergency or even a short duration power failure, you cannot call out or receive calls. With this phone, if the power fails but your handset is charged, just putting it in the base station powers it and allows you to call out or receive calls. This feature alone is why I waited a few months for this version to ship. We have had a number of short power outages, but this feature eliminates most of that as an issue.
> We use the phone company's voicemail system so we do not need the recording function, but this phone includes the ability to speed-dial the external voicemail and, more importantly, if there is a message on that system, the Panasonic handsets still show a flashing light to alert you to a message and when you pick up any handset, the screen also shows you there is a voicemail.
There are a lot of other features that we do not use, like the Voice Caller ID that announces who is calling (we don't need the extra noise!) but they worked fine (until I turned this off). So I have to say that this is a great phone system overall. Light weight, easy to use, easy to read just excellent!
Buy Panasonic KX-TG6643B DECT 6.0 Cordless Phone with Answering System (Black) Now
This cordless phone and answerer are new for 2011 and the performance is outstanding.You can buy this phone/answerer in five configurations: KX-TG6632B (two cordless phones and answerer), KX-TG6633B (three cordless phones and answerer), KX-TG6643B (three cordless phones and answerer WITH keypad), KX-TG6644B (four cordless phones and answerer WITH keypad), KX-TG6645B (five cordless phones and answerer WITH keypad). All have the same handsets and the answerer differs only in that some come with a keypad and others without. None of the answering machines have a hard wired handset. Otherwise the features and performance remain the same.
Pluses:
Near perfect display: Readable with no back-light and with the back-light on (hit any key) there is a brilliant white background with purple text using very large characters. This is the best display I've ever seen. The fonts are near perfect and the text is huge!
Range outstanding: Past cordless phones have proven unreliable just outside my garage door. I had perfect reception there and decided to experiment. My driveway is 250 feet long and I had perfect reception 250 feet from my house! Stunning!
Voice quality outstanding (yet I do wish I could turn the volume up just a bit more from its highest setting). Also there is no hiss or other audio anomalies.
Battery life: the batteries are standard NIMH AAA which are easily replaced. After a few days the meter shows no discharge. However after 5 to 7 days these phones need to be recharged so I really doubt the claimed 11 days of stand-by as quoted in Panasonic's specifications.
Programming: Reasonably easy although I had to consult the manual a few times. Program one phone and the rest (including the base unit) automatically update. That is a very nice feature. Even if you don't wish to do any programming the default settings are wisely chosen.
Comfort: These phones are very light weight but comfortable if you like to cradle the phone between your ear and shoulder. A belt clip is included.
No interference: The dect standard (1.9 GHZ) is a new frequency that does not interfere or share the same spectrum with past cordless phones or other wireless devices like routers. The "plus" designation is simply Panasonic marketing meaning this is the second generation of Panasonic DECT phones.
Tone control: Three settings normal, high frequency boost and low frequency boost.
Power outages: Keep one handset in the base and the system will function for about two hours during a power outage. The handset powers the base in this case.
Features: Too many to list but every feature offered seems to provide a great deal of flexibility. For example talking caller ID can be turned on or off at either the answerer or handset respectively. Three groups of favorite numbers are offered so three people can have separate lists and each group can be given a unique name.
Minuses:
Volume: The ringer, speaker phone and handset are all just a bit low on volume, at least, to my ear. At their highest settings I find the volume acceptable but I wish they all could go a bit louder.
Answerer: Limited and rather basic. You can answer the phone there only by hitting the speaker phone button. You can't dial out except for three buttons which you can program. More flexibility is offered on the TG6643B which has a keypad but it still has no hardwired handset. You can only record or check your announcement at a handset but you can play back or erase messages at the answerer.
Battery life: the batteries are standard NIMH AAA which can be easily replaced. After the first few days of no usage the meter shows no discharge. However within 5 to 7 days these phones need to be recharged so I really doubt the claimed 11 days of stand-by use as quoted in Panasonic's specifications. ALSO ----if you actually spend some time TALKING on these phones within a few hours usage they will need to be charged! To be clear these phones are a bit weak on battery power.
Conclusion:
This is a near perfect cordless phone offering clarity, great range, no interference with existing cordless appliances, a wonderful display and a number of other features. It shows the maturity of the technology brought to us in 2011
Overall I highly recommend this phone. I'd strongly recommend you purchase one more handset than you think you'll need given the low cost of an additional handset when purchasing a package. Purchasing separate handsets at a later date is much more costly.
Keep in mind if it does not say dect PLUS you are looking at an older model Panasonic ---many of which are still offered for sale on Amazon
BEST DEAL: As of May, 2011 the five handset version with answerer is only $10.00 more than the three handset version. The four handset version is priced higher than either of those. Go figure. Having an extra handset or two you'll never regret!
UPDATE: November 2012. I just purchased the newer 2012 Panasonic KX-TG4745B for my parents. Prior to installing the system for them, I used it in my home for a week. It is even better than this fine system. It has much bigger keys, it is louder, has a dedicated rocker switch on the side of the phone to adjust volume and has the same excellent range and sound quality. The only thing missing is the ability to power the base unit with a handset during a power outage. I'd recommend this newer model over this one.
Read Best Reviews of Panasonic KX-TG6643B DECT 6.0 Cordless Phone with Answering System (Black) Here
Gone are the days of needing phone wires throughout your house. I had one old cordless phone as well as several corded phones around the house and out in my shop, all of them wired to the wall. I decided to upgrade to this system. It was a good move.The set up was simple. An hour with the directions to get all my settings the way I wanted them and punch in all my stored numbers and I was in business. Now the only wired connection is to the base unit which sits on my desk. I can put the others handsets anywhere.
The sound clarity is fantastic and equal to any corded phone. The range is way beyond what I need, so even the phone out in my shop works great. The display is easy to read and the menu very intuitive even if you don't have the owners manual handy. I really like the intercom feature where you can transfer a call to someone else in the house without having to yell for them to pick up the phone. It will ring what ever handset you want. I also like the feature that lets you silence the ringer according to a preset schedule, so now the phone in my bedroom won't ring between 8pm and 8am. I can still hear the one in the kitchen ring and don't need to get blasted out of my sleep by the one by my bed. Caller ID shows up on all the handsets and you can retrieve messages from any handset. Once you store a name and number it is available on all handsets. Very cool. You can also block any callers that you don't want to hear from again or any callers without caller ID (which is most of the telemarketers)
The only thing I don't like (or need) is the voice that announces the callers ID. It's a mechanical sounding voice and rarely pronounces the names right. Fortunately this is an option that's easy to switch off on any or all of the handsets and the base unit.
I am very happy with this purchase and wish I had done it years ago. You can't go wrong with this system.
Want Panasonic KX-TG6643B DECT 6.0 Cordless Phone with Answering System (Black) Discount?
For me, buying a new phone system is about as enjoyable as buying a GPS for my car. It's a mind-boggling experience with so many makers and models that it just gives me a headache. Thankfully I only have to go through this ordeal every 5-6 years or so.I did not have any problem with my previous phone system, a Uniden TRU8885-2 5.8 GHz Digital Cordless Phone with Dual Handsets and Answering System base station with additional Uniden TCX800 Accessory Handset for TRU8800 Expandable Phones (Silver/Black). The Uniden was not missing any features. In fact, I am not looking forward to getting rid of it at all. I love it. The sound quality is the best I've ever heard in a phone. It has great range, it works as an intercom and as a room monitor. It has great ring tones and a great variety of them and the list of features and why I like it so much goes on and on.
The only "problem" is that the rechargeable batteries need to be replaced in all five of my handsets and that represents an expense of nearly $100 which just so happens to just about be the cost of an entirely new phone system. There's something wrong with that scenario but unfortunately that's out of my control. So I was faced with the dilemma of putting new, expensive batteries in my 6 year old phone system or buying a new phone system for about the same cost. That's a dilemma right?
The Panasonic KX-TG6645B is quite a capable phone system and it does have some very strong qualities.
What I really like about the Panasonic phone system.
1. The ring loudness can be set to be quite loud and each handset can have a different ring volume and ring tone.
2. The ability to have a shared phonebook available to all phones is awesome. And the ability to put phone numbers in the phonebook into different groups is also great since each group can be assigned a different ring tone should you desire to do that.
3. I really like the idea of having Ni-MH AAA batteries in the handsets instead of proprietary battery packs. AAA Ni-MH batteries are MUCH cheaper to replace when they need to be replaced and do away with getting ripped off then the time comes to replace batteries.
4. The ECO mode, which helps lengthen the time a handset can operate before the battery needs to be recharged is great. ECO mode reduces the power level a handset uses based on how far away it is from the base station.
5. The handsets have a very large, very legible display. Numbers and names are very easy to read and the back-lighting of the display on the handset is bright which is awesome in the dark.
6. The range of this phone is fantastic. With my Uniden, I could barely make it to my mailbox before losing a call. With the Panasonic I was able to walk six or seven times that distance down my street before losing the call. Impressive.
7. The ability to have a cordless phone that can still work, at least for a short time, during a power outage is a very good feature.
8. The ability to set an Alarm on the handset is a cool feature that can come in handy. It could be viewed as a backup alarm clock or just a handy way to set an alarm, either once, or a recurring daily alarm.
9. It's great that you can change the handset name although you are limited to 10 characters.
Features that I have mixed feelings about
1. The phone uses caller ID info to speak who is calling after the 2nd ring. That's an OK feature that I'm still not sure if I like a lot or not at all. Unfortunately a lot of calls coming through are "private" or simply contain forged or bogus Caller ID information..
Features that I dislike about the phone system
1. The default sound of the earpiece is very tinny and sharp. It is not a pleasant sound to my ear and is fatiguing to listen to. It is to me simply unpleasant. My Uniden phone had a vastly superior sound quality in the earpiece. There is an Equalizer control that you can invoke that emphasizes either High Tones or Low Tones and switching to Low tones is better, but still not as good sounding as the Uniden in my opinion
2. The sound quality of the answering machine is not nearly as crisp and legible as what I was accustomed to with the Uniden phone.
3. Remote message retrieval has some dangerous menu choices with no fail-safe mode. For instance, to delete a message while it is being played or immediately after it has played, you enter *4 to delete that particular message. However if you accidentally enter *5, you just deleted ALL MESSAGES whether or not you listened to them. Can you imagine the consequences if you accidentally do this when traveling and accidentally wipe out 23 un-listened to messages? That is a ridiculous option to have at the top-level of operation when accessing your mesages. And there should at least be a prompt to ask if you are sure you want to delete all messages. Similarly, it is just too easy to accidentally chose to delete all messages on the base station.
4. The ring tone/melody selection is entirely deficient. The few melodies that are in the phone are poor. There should be better and more melodies from which to choose. My Uniden phone had quite a few melodies that were great.
5. I dislike that fact that the answering machine does not have an audible alert to indicate that there are new/un-played messages on the machine. The machine only displays a small flashing arrow on the play button which means you have to look at the phone in order to realize that you have messages. My Uniden phone had a flashing indication as well as an audible beep. Much better to have the choice to have one, the other or both.
6. There is no ability to fast-forward through a lengthy message to get to a specific part of the message, like to hear the caller leave a return phone number which is normally about the last thing a person would say when leaving a message. You can't go backwards through a message either.
7. The menu system seems too deep. It's not that easy to quickly find what you need to find. For instance, the Intercom feature should be a single button push but instead you need to push Menu, then 3 more clicks to select Intercom, then a copule more clicks to choose which handset you want to connect to. The Uniden phone had a dedicated Intercom button, then a simple scroll and click to choose the handset you want to connect to.
8. The handsets themselves are quite light in weight and feel kind of flimsy in my hand. They are not sculpted to any degree and do not feel comfortable in my hand. The Uniden handset had a significantly more substantive feel and was sculpted in a pleasing way that made griping it more secure.
I realize that not everyone will have the same needs or expectations in a phone. My views are based on what I've become accustomed to in using my Uniden phone system. I just feel that the negatives for this phone outweight its positives... and it does have a lot of positives.
As I said before the Uniden is one of the best phones I've had the pleasure of using. I'm honestly re-evaluating whether I'll keep the Panasonic or just return it and buy the new batteries for my Uniden. If you've never had a Uniden or a phone with this much power and features, you'll probably love it completely. My complaints about the phone are simply because I became attached to my Uniden and this phone lacks some features and quality that I came to appreciate in the Uniden.
UPDATE: 10/27/2011 After using these phones for a few days I've decided to return them. The sound quality just isn't as good as my Uniden phone. I dislike the lightness and shape of the handset. I also do not care for the menu system nor the difficulty in programming certain functions which are not easy to find at all unless you look in the owners manual.
The phone just doesn't stack up as well to what I was accustomed to with the Uniden phone and in spite of the things the phone does right, it does too many things poorly or not as well as the Uniden. Back it goes.
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I purchased this Panasonic phone recently to replace an older cordless phone, also Panasonic, which was suffering from battery degradation.These phones are quite good, better in features, range and audio quality than my older set. The 5 handsets are more than we need so essentially we have a couple of backups if there is any problem with one. This set was on sale at the time which is why I decided to go with more handsets than we require.
Features are as good as most DECT 6.0 phones (Panasonic refers to these models as DECT 6.0 Plus and claims better range and sound quality): storage of numbers, Caller ID, intercom capability, and so forth. The batteries are Ni-MH which is a plus and I do not know that any Panasonic phones have Li-Ion batteries which would probably be the only better alternative currently available. These were released 2011 and at the time of this review they are Panasonic's latest models.
This phone will not sync up with your cell phone. For those features you need one of the "Link-to-cell" models, see below.
One VERY NICE feature is power outage backup the phone will operate using power from one of the remote handsets even if you have a full power outage. This is the first cordless phone I have seen with this feature, and we have had one power outage since we received the phone, and it did indeed work as advertised. One of the cordless handsets must be kept in the base station in order for this to work, and the display changes to tell you that it is powering the phone so that you don't accidentally remove it. Very nicely done!
You can get this same phone packaged with different quantities of handsets and different base stations, so you don't have to pay for more handsets than you require. It is somewhat complicated to study the various Panasonic models in order to determine which are equivalent and which are newer models. I ended up going to the Panasonic website and concluded that the following models are in the same "family":
* KX-TG6641B, 43B, 44B and 45B include a base that docks one of the cordless handsets and has full dialing and speakerphone capability, and is packaged with either 1, 3, 4, or 5 total cordless handsets included.
* KX-TG6632B, 33B is very similar, with a different base (no dial or speakerphone on base), the same identical handsets. These include 2 and 3 total handsets respectively.
* KX-TG6671B, 72B are the models with corded base stations, with 1 or 2 cordless handsets included
* KX-TG7642M, 43M, 44M and 45M are the same plus the "Link-to-cell" capability, with 2, 3, 4 and 5 handsets
* KX-TGA660B is the accessory handset for any of the above phones
Overall I feel that this is a very good phone system and I do not hesitate to recommend it.
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