Can you plug this phone into a normal ethernet router, or does it have to be wifi enabled?

Hi Ed,
Yes I checked with Philips and this can indeed be plugged straight into an Ethernet router. According to Philips "There is a RJ45 that you plug in your router and the handset connects to the Base via DECT which gives you 300meters range and 12hours talk time." Hope that helps....

Do I presume correctly that you can also RJ45 into an Ethernet Switch?

Any news on when this is out in the UK and how much it'll be?

Also can it connect to a router using Wifi instead of RJ45?

I'm thinking of getting one for my folks for xmas, but their phone sockets are some distance away from the router (cable broadband). Otherwise I was thinking the SMC with FON router bundle. But merging landline and Skype would really convice my mum in particular.

Hi there Dan. To confirm: the Philips phone will not connect via wifi, it connects via RJ45 from the phone's basestation (the same basestation that the phone lead goes into). So if you want to avoid cabling, I would suggest checking out the SMC bundle (if they don't already have wifi), or if they do already have wifi consider the Belkin or Netgear wifi phones as well. Hope that helps.

But where can I buy it???

BTW I can see that RTX is already there with a similar phone on the market. I don't know whether you have seen or tried that yet? http://www.skypestyle.com/rtx_dualphone_3088.htm

I heard that it should be very cool and it also looks nice.

hum, dumb question maybe, but is it possible to make free skype to skype phone calls ?

that would help preserving the phone bill indeed ... and also to spread this type of phones quickly.

thakn you for your answer

Sebanez - yes you can make Skype-to-Skype calls for free on this phone in the same way you would using Skype on desktop.

What type of a battery does the Philips VOIP841 use? Would you please post pictures of it?

Does this phone or any similar DECT phone communicate with the basestation during stand-by as well? How does the strength of the electromagnetic radiation compare to a WIFI phone, during stand-by (if any) and during a call?

To follow the comment of john.rigel upper:

Where is it possible to buy that Philips VOIP841 ???????????????????

If someone find any information about any sellers of that phone please post here!!

HI all - regarding buying the Philips VOIP841 - please see my other post on availability:

http://share.skype.com/sites/skypegear/2006/11/philips_voip841_planned_for_de.html

Hope that helps. Steve

Thank you very much Steve!

Seems that your link corresponds exactly to what I've been looking for!:)
Especially the link leading to the test of the DUALPhone 3088:
http://share.skype.com/sites/skypegear/2006/11/skypegear_roadtest_dualphone_3.html

Thanks again.

Is this phone MAC compatible? Thanks

Houston,

The VOIP841 doesn't need a computer at all so yes! As long as you have a router to plug it into that's connected to the internet, you should be fine.

Hi it's me again!

I actually bought the RTX 3088 in "Bilka" shop in Denmark this week for approx 110£ and it is really cool. The MMI is close to the description given for the Philips, but I guess that this has been a requirement from Skype.

The range of RTX 3088 is actually better than my Beocom 6000 in suburban environment! Speech quality is also nice (Wideband audio?) compared my earlier DECT phones. Of course if the Skype connection is not the best quality this will be reflected to the sound quality in the RTX 3088.

Until now I am fully satisfied with my RTX 3088

it's almost Christmas. is that phone available anywhere?

I have tested both the Dualphone 3088 and the Philips VOIP 841.
Here are some of the areas where the VOIP841 is superior to the 3088:
1. Higher quality buttons. The buttons on the 3088 are small, hard and remote like.
2. A ringtone you can actually hear and a better selection of ringtones. I had a hard time hearing the 3088 at its highest setting when across the house and with background noise.
3. Better sound quality. The 3088 sounded like in a tunnel.
4. Different ringtones between landline, skype in, skype & Int.
5. One thing that bugged me about the 3088 was that if you selected landline as the default it wasn't possible to call somebody via skypeout. I wanted to be able to call via landline if pressing the green button, but still be able to choose Skypeout via the options menu. This is possible on VOIP3088, but not on the 3088.

Comparing the VOIP841 and 3088 manuals before i buy, and am wondering if anyone can answer the following:

1) How do you sign into Skype the first time you power up the phone?

2) Does VOIP841 autmatically download one's Contacts list from the server or do you have to add them one by one all over again? (3088 seems to do that automatically, VOIP841's manual is not clear on that)

3) The 841's manual states "Your phone will not store any call history if you are not signed in to Skype."
Does that mean that if you're out and your router is switched off (thus you're not on Skype), you will not even see the list of missed LANDLINE calls when you get home??

Thanks!

Hello,

People in Europe or abroad who can`t wait until the official release in EU, please see my post on: http://share.skype.com/sites/skypegear/2006/11/philips_voip841_planned

There is a shop in Denmark where you can order it from EU countries and myabe other countries...

Cheers
Geert

Sorry,

Link was cut-off... http://share.skype.com/sites/skypegear/2006/11/philips_voip841_planned_for_de.html

is the correct link...
Geert

jnikjnik,
Good questions. I'll try and answer although it was a while since I had my hands on a VOIP841
1) You sign in by typing in your user name and password using the keypad like you would a mobile phone - it's pretty straightforward, so long as you remember that your user name and password are case sensitive
2) It automatically downloads your contacts. Bear in mind that, as with all Skype phones, once you get beyond 100 contacts the phones do seem to slow down a bit in use
3) As far as I remember you will see missed landline calls, but not Skype calls. I may be wrong on this; it's been a while...

I don't want a land line as I use aa phone very seldom and the land line cost is expensive for a few calls so can I just use it as a skype phone through my ethenet connection

Jonathon,
Yes no reason why you can't just plug this into your ethernet router and leave the phone jack unplugged as far as I can see...

As mentioned elsewhere, I got my phone just before christmas, and am generally happy with it, although it does have its flaws.
For those interested, I have put together a review at http://reviews.rander.dk/voip841/ in danish - there is a link to the english version on top of the page...
Would anyone care to comment?

hello,
what if distance between ethernet router (with RJ45 socket) and landline phone socket is approx. 12 meters ? how long are cables supplied ? what distances are allowed ? do I need a second router close to the phone line ? which router can I use for this ?
thanks

Without knowing about VOIP841 I went and bought the Dualphone 3088 which I've been testing for a week now. But it has a serious flaw in that it displays intermittent "Network connection lost" for a second, sometimes every 10 secs or so. And each time it (of course) turns on the backlight, so the batteries run dry in no time. Have to keep it on the base all the time for recharge. I'll return it tomorrow. The VOIP841 spec looks very good compared to the Dualphone so I know what I will choose if I decide to buy again.

Albert - you should be able to use the VOIP841 with these distances, but may just need to purchase a longer telephone cable which should only cost you a few pounds/dollars/whatever your currency is.
Because both leads go into the basestation, you will be able to put the actual phone itself in its holder wherever you want (within range)..hope that helps.

Is it possible to be signed in to skype on both a PC and using this phone at the same time? Reason I ask is if using this phone as a "landline replacement" similar to Vonage I would want it to be on all the time but at the same time sign in to a PC and use the video calling options and chat. Thanks.

Lars Rander!!

Thanks for the great review!
Opened my eyes to the fact that there is no inbuilt phone book in this phone. This pretty much renders it useless in my eyes i would've liked the skype and landline functionalities to be independent of each other)
Cheers again

FYI, Skype now shows this as available 05/03 - foolishly optimistic as I am, I read that as the fifth of March, European-style. We can only hope..

Does anyone know if you can use multiple VOIP841s? I need a base station + handset and at least four more handsets to cover my very spread-out house. At present I have a standard Panasonic DECT system that does that job - could I replace them with multiple VOIP841s?

The Phillips VOIP321 was at least sold in pairs (and is splendid, but two handsets is not enough). Anyone know? Thanks.

The world's first full review of the Philips VOIP841 is now live over on HEXUS.lifestyle at:
http://lifestyle.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=8009

In contrast with some other products I've tested, this one really is very special - and hugely desirable.

The review concludes by saying:

If you like Skype, want to take full advantage of it at home (or in the office) and don't want to have yet another phone cluttering up the place in addition to a DECT handset, then we'd be deeply shocked if you splashed out on a Philips VOIP841 and then ended up being any less delighted than we are with the phone.

Mine arrived this morning, and I can only recommend it. It ain't cheap, but it's a very nice DECT phone with Skype on top. Made landline and Skype calls, all sounded great. Unit looks and feels good, and is pretty easy to use.

Two little issues found so far:

(a) Only a small number of settings can be changed via the web browser; for convenience it would be great if the entire configuration menu structure was available there.

(b) Not sure if the Skype status is synchronized between the VOIP841 and the Skype soft phone. I set one to Do Not Disturb and the other continues signalling Available.

These are just cosmetics of course.

This is a great phone but has a couple of problems that I find annoying. Firstly, the speakerphone appears not to have any feedback squelch, which means people at the other end of the line get a slightly delayed echo of themselves fed back back down the link. If you have ever tried to talk through this effect you'll know what a crippling problem this is. Second, when an incoming call arrives via my SkypeIn link, there is no attempt to match up the caller's number with my contacts list. This means that unless you can memorise all your contacts' numbers (those call you from landlines) there is no way to know who's calling. This is plain stupid and means you have to have the Skype software running on your PC, if you want or need know who the caller is before you answer, which defeats the claim that you don't have to have your PC running in order to use the phone. I mean, strictly, the no-PC claim is true but practically it's a nonsense. Come on Philips, the first issue is a physical design problem, but the caller-id match must be fixable via a software patch - get on it now please! Finally (and this is not a Philips problem but a Skype one) when, when, when are we going to get our SkypeIn numbers presented to people we call via SkypeOut? This is the single most critical issue for business users of Skype and must be addressed soon if I and many others like me are to stay with Skype, medium to long term.

The one feature that I hope to see in the 2.0 versions of these Skype-embedded ("PC-free") phones is the ability to initiate/host a 3-way conference call. Their current ability to 'conference' between multiple handsets might be handy for some, but it's really not a '3-way conference call' in my opinion.

I also agree with other comments re: the placement of the headset jack where it collides with the docking cradle. But otherwise I'm quite pleased with my purchase (~$140 through Buy.com—it appears the exclusive contract with Sharper Image has expired as it available through other retailers, including Amazon.com).

I bought the VOIP841 and I think it is a great (and great-looking) SKYPE phone. But as a (DECT) phone for use with landlines it has its shortcomings. One thing already mentioned above is that one only has a phone book when connected to SKYPE. But more important, when one is called over the landline, the VOIP841 shows the number of the caller, but it does not try and get the name of that caller from your SKYPE contacts for use in the display. This is pretty much standard for ordinary phones I would say. In the menu under contacts, one can see all contacts (name and number) so it should not be a problem for Philips to make the VOIP841 a good landline phone too.
I do not have the 3088, but I asked the manufacturer and he claims that the 3088 does display the caller name when being called on the landline. Can somebody confirm this?

It seems, but I can't check since I do not have SKYPE IN, that the VOIP841 also does not show the name of the caller when being called over SKYPE IN.

We have the Philips VoIP841 in stock and ready to ship here in the US:

http://www.nycommsdirect.com/Philips-DECT-Skype-Phone-System-VOIP841-p/3-0039.htm

http://www.NYCommsDirect.com

I am having one major problem with my VOIP841 which renders it unusable for many calls in the U.S. using SKYPE. The tones it generates are too short to control my work voice mail, AT&T conference call lines, and many other auto-attendants. In other words, when I call a business and get an auto-attendant "press 1 for this, press 2 for that" the VOIP841 tones are not received properly by many systems (many, not all). Customer Support has been worthless; their only advice: "return the phone."

Chinese characters (or UNICODE) on the display... 无法显示中国字
I bought this phone, but I am a bit disappointed coz it does not show Chinese characters as is done on my computer (half of my friends live in China). Does anyone know whether there is a Chinese model? Or do I nee dsoftware. Can I just buy a new phone. Skype could not helpt me. Neither could Philips.

I have two of these phone connected to a wireless router (two different Skype accounts) Incoming calls to a SkypeIn number work great and my home landline (the number the 841s plug into) is functional. The home landline does NOT work when using the 841 to place outgoing calls to a landline. Is there anyway to call OUT using the SkypeIn number so the landline stays functional? Ultimately, we want these two phones and the landline to all function similtaneously, making or receiving calls - is this possible?

If I use this phone without a landline, how does calling normal landline numbers work? Can I pick up the phone, enter a number, and then push the call button? Or do I need to navigate a set of menus to get to a SkypeOut option?

Rourkem, you can just type in a phone number and hit the green 'call' button. The phone then asks if you want to route the call via Skype or via your regular landline. You can also set it to do one or the other by default if you prefer.

Aha! My home landline was not functioning on an outgoing call to another landline because the Preferred Line setting was on "landline" - I now have it set to SkypeOut and all is well. I have two phones with different SkypeIn numbers (and accounts) connected to my router and everything works perfectly.

I would like to ask if the power adaptors that come with the phone support voltage of other countries? I would like to give this phone to someone in Asia and the voltage there is 220V. Do the adaptors support 100V~240V? Thanks in advance!

Just tried to install the VOIP841 for shared use for two different Skype accounts. It was unsuccessfull and during the fiddeling I tried to "reset to factory standards but keep the network". This was not working as expected as I lost all network information (fast IP nr, DNS server IP nr etc.) Without this information the gadget is useless, please be careful with this option. I found the manual setup option, but I need these data. Afterwords it is easy to be clever, I should have started the installation with writing down all these critical data (Menu, Settings, Network) on a piece of paper. Now every function on my menus are "Unavailable". How can I get these data back or at least a fresh set? There was nothing about it in the manuals, no reference on the invoice 07116421 from GSI Commerce Barcelona, the FAQ doesn't gives any hint. Please help! Regards: Ankyra

Ankyra,
All of the data you need for the phone is actually about your wireless router and network rather than the phone itself. The easiest way would be to consult the user manual for your router, to find out how to access the settings.

Hello Slaymakerpinches, thanks for the comment, but it is not helping me. As I mentioned practically all menu options are "Unavailable". I have a TV net modem cable connected to a switch, from the swith goes one cable to the PC, the other one to the base unit. Got DHCP dynamic IP, but I can not set up the phone accordingly because I don't come into the menu option. Don't find any hard reset beside the one which caused me this trouble. The local Philips support is not helping at all, trying to talk me into trivial error causes which aren't existing. Very irritating. Hope it will be solved in some way. Regards: Ankyra

Ankyra,
This sounds very strange. When you say "practically" all menu options are unavailable, there should be under 'Advanced' a section called 'network settings'. Is this one of the ones that is unavailable? If it is available, this is where you would put all of the settings which you get from your router/network switch. I've passed this on to the relevant person at Skype to investigate, but other than that I would suggest raising a support request with Skype, and also keeping plugging away with Philips. If I hear any more I'll let you know.

This is probably a silly question, but I am not technologically that savvy. My cable internet modem only seems to have one LAN port, as does my imac. So my question is, how exactly am I going to connect this phone? Does the basestation connect directly to the modem, and then on the other end to the computer's LAN?
thanks

Dimitris - perfectly valid question - you connect the basestation directly to your modem. If it doesn't have a spare LAN port, you'll need to buy a router, and tehn plug the basestation into that. You don't need to plug anything into your computer at all, as this phone doesn't need a computer to run (Skype is built into the phone itself). Hope that helps.

Caller ID from LANLine only displays the number and not Name.

e.g.when my wife calls me it displays 123456790 instead of "Susan"

Why is this ? is it a fault or does Phillips expect me to be able to remember all the numbers of my contacts ?

Can we check voicemail on this phone?
Thanks in advance

i would like to use my webcam (Image eCam attached to a USB 2.0 port on my Mac mini) with my Philips VOIP841. is this possible at all? i cannot find any settings for video. maybe someone tried this before?

krishnadilip,
you can check voicemail - you just need to get settings right (menu > settings > call settings > voicemail)

I'm having a problem charging my 841. Charging the phone for 48 hours and it's not even @ 20%. Does anyone has the same problem? Does the phone shows 100% ever? Does it say "Charge completed" or something similar?

P.S. When phone putted in the cradle it makes connection beep and batteries charging animation start playing on the phone's screen. Also, the same batteries charging fine in external charger (MAHA). When charged by external charger then used with the phone, the talk time is acceptable and phone's battery meter shows 80% charge...

I Ordered the phone with additional handset (840). It shows the same behavior. Also tried different batts. (GP 850 mA.) They are of the same type (NiMH). No change. Same problem...

Thank you.
Alex Z.

I have already 3 DECT phones at home If I use the Phillis VOIP841 (base station), can I still use the other DECT phones to make Skypeout calls or receive SkypeIn calls ?
- assume no POT line ( traditional phone)

I believe the tag price for additional cordless handsets is too much (same as a whole regular DECT 3 handsets system with voice mail recorder )
All I need is more cheap low quality handsets for other rooms
Or more simple, is there anywhere else a cheap skype MTA? I mean
RJ-45 ethernet to plug to the broadband connection and an RJ-11 to just connect to a simple phone e.g. my whole DECT system and to skypeOut/skypeIn calls - It will not have skype to skype calls (unles ##Key-numbers could be mapped into the skype directory
-> at expense to require to log into the base station to configure the skype account.

Get a great deals for Philips VOIP 841 system Or an additional Handset on ebay.com search for Philips VOIP 841

This is going to be a dumb question but does this phone come with a jack for a headset?

I'm torn between getting the Philips VOIP841 and the Dualphone 3088. What would help me to decide are these two points:
1. I need the longest operating range possible. These two phones give the same figures, but is one better than the other?
2. I have two DECT Philips landline phones at home. I wish to dedicate the VOIP phone to ethernet, no landline connection. What happens if I receive a landline call to my old DECT phones - will the VOIP phone ring? I hope not...in other words, I want to get sure that the two systems are completely independent.
3. I don't understand why these phones don't have built-in adress books. Does that mean [in the case that the VOIP phone is plugged to RJ11] that I won't be able to place a call from the skype's address book in landline mode?
I'm completely puzzled and don't know what to get.

This seems to be just what I am looking for. Two questions though:

1. Does it work with Macs? - I presume that it should as it only needs the router...
2. Can it be connected by cable to an Airport Express unit that is itsself connected to the router via the WLAN in my house?

My phone socket is quite a way from my router but I have an Airport Express that I could use...

Any ideas?

Iain

I cant seem to be able to just make a call by entering the phone number. Do I have to put the number in my contacts list? I just want to enter a phone number and call. Is seems I can enter the number but there is no way to hit a button to start dialing/calling. I'm not refering to landline use.

Thanks

I am looking for a system with one base stations and up to 4 or 5 DECT phones giving access to one land line (POT) and two or more skype accounts as I do want to assign different skype accounts to different phones. Can the philips VOIP841 do that ? or do you know any device who can do that ? could I use a Siemens Gigaset S450 IP with its multi SIP accounts to connect to skype accounts ?

http://gigaset.siemens.com/shc/0,1935,hq_en_0_123868_rArNrNrNrN,00.html

Thank you

Hi
I would like to say that this is a good phone, but after getting mine from the Skype shop in June 07 I have still not been able to get mine working and it's now Sept 07.
The phone rings when called via landline, but that's it - you answer and the phone shows that it's connected/you are in a conversation, but the caller at the other end still hears it ringing - it does not connect. Similarily I've tried to make a landline call out - it calls the number and immediatly shows that a conversation has started, however I hear/get nothing.
I've gone through the manual for hours, gone through the setup numerous times and even updated the firmwire - nothing!
So far really dissapointed in my purchase and also the terrible customer service from Skype - after contacting months ago and then following up I have still had nothing from them in over 3 months.
Very poor!

This is a great phone but i have one issue and I wonder if anyone can help me with it?
I can't seem to synch my status between phone and PC. Changing one does not seem to have any impact on the other. Does anyone have any ideas about how to synch these status indicators?

Hi, I bought a Philips VOIP841 some days ago. My problem: I can't log in. I made the ethernet and the phone connection as needed. What could be wrong?
Volkan

FWIW...

The owner's manual description for pairing, err... registering a second (or third or fourth) 8410 handset with a 8411 system is COMPLETELY wrong. To bind the two together do the following:

1) Make sure the system is idle;
2) Press/Hold the Page button (on the base station) for ~4 seconds.

NOTE: The activity LEDs will begin to flash.

3) Press the Reg (i.e., register) hot key on the handset.

As an owner of Linksys' USB Skype phone and Netgear's WiFi Skype phone (wbtw is crap) I can say with authority that the Philips voip841 is FAR AND AWAY the best Skype phone yet. It exhibits Apple-like build quality and user experience.

> Hi, I bought a Philips VOIP841 some days ago. My problem: I can't log in. I made the ethernet and the phone connection as needed. What could be wrong?

Do you have a firewall or are you blocking traffic (at the router level)? Is your service provider blocking Skype? Can your Skype install on a computer log-in (or otherwise work) when connected to your network at (or behind) the same point (as the base station)?

Did you use a web browser from a computer to check the settings of your base station? It has a web server service that displays and lets you configure many aspects of the system.

I've encountered no networking problems whatsoever. My network looks like this:

0) Cable broadband service;
1) Cable modem;
2) NAT router (happens to propogate DHCP and WiFi too);
3) Unmanaged switch (optional ... I have multiple hard-line only devices behind the NAT ...if you do you'll need a hub/switch too).
4) Philips 841 and networked printers;
5) Computers also connected via WiFi (and hard-lines).

My 841 happens to be using a static IP at present but it was working fine during initial setup (when it got its address via DHCP);

The only problem I've had related to an inability to pair a second handset to my base. Since rectified (see above).

Range, call quality, battery life and features have been great. The handset UI is just as intuitive as Skype itself. Speaker phone and headset functions both work fine (given the product focus).

Firmware updated to 1.0.80

More news/feedback for those wondering about multiple base stations and systems with more than 4 handsets. I now have two systems and can confirm that they are essentially independent. That is, if configured with the *same* Skype log-in both systems will respond as one. Just like if you had two computers with Skype installed. A SkypeIn call will cause *all* of the endpoints of a given Skype account to ring (more or less) in unison.

This behavior explains why the one fellow (above) was having difficulty getting his VoIP841 to synchronize with his computer (e.g., missed call on system B even though he answered it on system A, etc.). They are for all intents and purposes independent systems responding to the same traffic.

If you need two SkypeIn numbers you'd (obviously) need to a) have two VoIP841 systems (or similar) logged in via two different Skype accounts.

2 Questions:
Does the phone work in Ireland?
If you have multiple handsets, can you make a POTS call on one and a SKYPE one on the other?

Thanks!

Hi,
I have recently bought the Philips VOIP841 phone.Its great except for the fact that the caller id function does not work!.If my skypeout contact or any landline number calls there is no number/name displayed.It simply rings showing an icon.Is there anyway to enable the caller id function?

Thanks
AJM

hi am new to all this can some one please tell me with this phone VOIP841 do you need a land line i live in the middle of know where and have no pone at all ...so please can you tell me if this phone needs to be pluged into a phone line ....hope you can help many thanks shaun

@shakyshaun, you can use this phone without a phone line--then it just needs to be plugged into your router so Skype can connect to the internet.

can this be used without the user seeing the balance or billing info ?
for example in a hotel business center offering intenational calls ?

Australia0110@yahoo.com

Hi - I am having the same problem as an earlier blogger. I have not been able to log in to Skype with my Philips cordless phone. I have tried plugging it in directly to my cable modem and to my wireless router. I use a MacBook so there is no firewall set up. I have been in touch with Philips customer service to no avail. I have tried to enter the static IP address into my web browser, but it never finds anything. Also, I am signed out of Skype on my computer when I try to log in via the phone. I am at my wits end and out GBP 99. Help!
Thanks,
staci

I have this philips voip841 phone, so far I am happy, every working OK and call quality good. However when the voice mail is activated on the phone it go's straight to voice mail after 2 rings which is not enough time to get to the phone. Anyone Know how to set it to longer before it goes to voice mail???

can you make a skype call from another phone once you plug base in to house line

Can you make a skype call from any phone in house once you plug in base station to house lines and you have no land line service ?

A few things.... if I have the computer on, does it log out on the phone? If it does, (I'd rather use the PC if AT the PC) Can I set the phone to log back in automatically?

Can I say to the phone 'Do not accept skype calls after Xpm or before Yam' - perhaps with some exceptions allowed. After all, for an 'always on' solution, getting a skype call from someone who doesn't know I'm on the other side of the world might be annoying.

I have the Phillips cordless VOIP841. It has been working really well, very happy with it. However recently it is just giving me the message "unavailable" on the screen whenever I try to access the menus or make a call. I have made sure that Skype is Quit on the laptop, restarted the computer, unplugged the connections (I have DSL) and replugged then but still get the same message.

Any ideas that would help me out please?

Thanks,

I just received the Phillips 841VoIP phone and am quite happy with the ease of setup and the phone quality, but have one question? Have the webpage default passwords been changed? When I first went to access the page the defaults did not work. I suppose I can reset the box to gain access or has an update blocked access?

Thanks

I'm unable to use this phone with any number that requires the subsequent entry of codes (e.g., a conference call service, entering an extension, etc.). I'm in the US, I have dial-mode set to Tone. I experience this while trying to make Skype Out calls, I've yet to test the phone on the land line.

Anyone else experience this? Any workaround? I searched the philips site to no avail.

Can you please help me? My phone sometimes rings with incoming skype calls without problems, but too often it does not do so and when i return to my desk, i see the message '2 missed calls', despite having the phone beside me whilst downstairs. If I dock the phone for 15 minutes, it will recalibrate and deliver incoming skype calls occasionally again. This phone is not land line connected, is new and was bought to free me from my desk, but it is not doing this due to so many missed calls!

After doing a lot of research, this phone seemed the best choice. It worked fine out of the box, no installation problems. It does everything it is supposed to ... except it DOES NOT display caller ID for incoming landline calls. Now I don't want to have two phones, one for my landline and one for Skype, and the manual says it displays caller ID. In fact, the solution for not displaying caller ID is, according to the manual, "Caller ID service may not be activated. Check with your service provider". Needless to say, the service is activated. I contacted Philips and all they had to offer was to unplug the base station and remove the batteries and wait for a while – which of course did not change a thing. I find this totally frustrating. Some users seem to have the function workings, for some it doesn't. Philips seems not to care. Does anybody have any suggestions, ideas how to get this to work?

There seem to be lots of questions here...not so many answers.

Is there another forum where people who know the answers go???

I just received the VOIP841 today and so far, so good. I saw ajrippo's comment above about the tones being too short for accessing other voicemail, phone system menus, extensions, conference calls, etc. and I initially had the same experience. I dialed my work voicemail and conference call systems and no luck... Those systems just didn't recognize any of the numbers I pressed.

I was ready to pack up the phone and return it but I decided to give it one more go.

This time, I pressed the number keys for about one-half to one second each and lo and behold... THE TONES WERE LONG ENOUGH AND REGISTERED JUST FINE!!! I tried it again on a couple of other phone systems/conference call lines that I use regularly and THE TONES WERE LONG ENOUGH EVERY TIME. Actually, I found that if I held the first number key down for about 1 second, I could just press the rest of the numbers quickly/normally.

This phone stays for now! I hope this helps someone else.

PS> The incoming caller ID works fine for me. I dialed my SkypeIn number from my home phone number and the Philips phone displayed my home phone number just fine (I generally dial *82 before placing a call to make sure that my caller ID info is transmitted). I also called from my cell phone and that number displayed just fine too. My home number/landline is with Cox Communications in Orange County, California; my cell service is with AT&T Wireless.

hi,

how can i stop this phone, Philips 8411, from hijacking my mood message? i keep typing new ones, and it keeps changing to "Using Skype without my computer. Find out more." and the "find out more" is a hyper link to the skype page to buy the skype phones. i really would like control of my mood message back, instead of advertising for Skype!

The Caller ID function on my landline (with AT&T) doesn't work. When a call comes in, it just shows a generic icon ,but no Caller ID information.

I have a Siemens Gigaset base connected, and Caller ID shows fine on it.

Phillips tech support is reading from a script, and tells me it should work. I did exchange the base, as per their suggestion, but the new set doesn't show Caller ID info either.

Anyone with any suggestions?

Following up on my Feb 23 comment: I got so frustrated with Philips' non-help that I sent the phone back and I got the GE28310. Styling-wise, it is a disaster, but it works and the caller ID works! I don't know what Philips' problem is, but there seem to be quite a few comments about the caller ID issue here and in other forums. It's a telco function, not rocket science.

Hello -does any one know how to use this VOIP 841 for conferencing two or more people onto a single conversation? Thx.

Hi- Not sure if anyone is noticing this strange behaviour. When I call my landline number connected to the voip841 from my mobile and disconnect it, I don't see a missed call. That's still ok, but the entire phone goes for a toss and none of the options including contact, history, network works. I have to power off the base to get these fucntions to work again.

Hello.

I see that some one has already asked if this phone is Mac compatible and the answer was yes becaus you don't need a computer.

While technically that is true, but what about when it come to doing software and firmware up dates, etc. Dose Philips support Mac for this?

That is the problem I have now. I am using the Netgear SPH 101 skype phone. and like the Philips it does not require a computer. The problem is it stopped working properly and I can not update the firm wear because I am on a Mac and Netgear doesn't support Mac (I will never buy another Netgear product incidentally)!

So I want to know if this will be a problem with Philips as well.

No new software updates since June 2007? No reply to email from Philips support? Hello? Philips? Are you there? Anyone?

> While technically that is true, but what about when it come to doing software and firmware up dates, etc. Dose Philips support Mac for this?

Again, yes. The firmware updates are just dumped to the system via a web browser, any web browser. There is NOTHING "platform specific" about this phone.

After the first few months of flawless performance I was running into problems with the phone dropping calls. Symptoms: after a few minutes, phone goes silent (my end ... other party said they could still hear me) and then about 10 seconds after that the phone would hang up.

To fix it I did the normal Skype/NAT things...

I forwarded inbound UDP access to the port specified in the phone's Settings/Advanced/App Port/Port UI (my router allows the phone full outbound access both TCP/UDP). I also disabled alternate ports. The phone has a static IP (behind NAT).

> Hello -does any one know how to use this VOIP 841 for conferencing two or more people onto a single conversation?

Unlike the computer-based form of Skype you cannot use the voip8411 to conference. It will not coalesce calls from landline/skype nor will it establish/manage multi-skype conferences.

I suppose you could go old school and use a third-party conference call manager to perform such thing but that can be expensive. Skype on a computer, of course, does it all (not sure about Skype on a computer conferencing multiple SkypeIn connections since I've only used Skype to conference amongst other Skype users).

> I'm unable to use this phone with any number that requires the subsequent entry of codes (e.g., a conference call service, entering an extension, etc.). I'm in the US, I have dial-mode set to Tone.

Did you try the alternate tone length options?

Settings/Advanced/Land Line/Flash .../Pause

> However when the voice mail is activated on the phone it go's straight to voice mail after 2 rings which is not enough time to get to the phone. Anyone Know how to set it to longer before it goes to voice mail???

You have to use Skype on a computer to access this setting (it will migrate to the phone a few hours after you set/save it on the computer). Now that I think of it you DO want to have Skype installed on a computer (to manage certain account attributes and settings). Managing one's contacts list is also MUCH easier on the computer.

This, of course, is free. You can get it here:

http://www.skype.com/download/skype/

> I just received the Phillips 841VoIP phone and am quite happy with the ease of setup and the phone quality, but have one question? Have the webpage default passwords been changed? When I first went to access the page the defaults did not work. I suppose I can reset the box to gain access or has an update blocked access?

No. They are the same as the manual says (until you change the password, which you ABSOLUTELY should). FWIW: If you allow internet traffic into this box DO NOT allow :80 (Port 80, TCP) or external parties will be free to attempt to take over the system.

I have had one of these phones for 3 months. Today, it started showing a message that says: "system is starting up" but it never starts. I did reset the router, the phone, all I know but it is still giving me the same message. Anyone can help? Thanks.

I have had one of these phones for 3 months. Today, it started showing a message that says: "system is starting up" but it never starts. I did reset the router, the phone, all I know but it is still giving me the same message. Anyone can help? Thanks.

Hi,

I just bought the Phillips 841VoIP. I only want to use it for skype calls (Skype-to-Skype, Skype-In & Skype-Out). The installation was straight forward. I plugged it into my Linksys WRT54G. Connecting and signing in to skype was not a problem. All my contacts are downloaded just fine.

When I make a call (Skype-Out) or get called (Skype-In), I do get connected (including number recognition etc). However, I cannot hear the other end and vice versa! Does anyone have a similar experience and know a cause / solution for this problem.

A simple power-off/on solved my problem!

Hello Curveto: Thanks for your response on April 13. I dont know what you mean by "go old school and use a third-party conference call manager to perform such things". Is there something (brandname) you can recommend? How does one acquire the software?

My own view is that Philips should have built this functionality into the phone, so that we could select one user, dial, then see one or more other users to conference in, use a soft "conference" feature built into the phone and select and highlight other users. Then press "conference " again. Wonder why they dont do that. Thanks.

Hello Curveto: Thanks for your response on April 13. I dont know what you mean by "go old school and use a third-party conference call manager to perform such things". Is there something (brandname) you can recommend? How does one acquire the software?

My own view is that Philips should have built this functionality into the phone, so that we could select one user, dial, then see one or more other users to conference in, use a soft "conference" feature built into the phone and select and highlight other users. Then press "conference " again. Wonder why they dont do that. Thanks.

Voicemail works for incoming calls to my Skype number but how do I set the phone so that unanswered calls to my landline number also go to voicemail?

Thanks KT

Hi any one let me know whether Philips VOIP841 Cordless Phone supports Proxy authentication.

Hi,
I have just purchased the VOIP841.
It rings and picks up, but thereafter no sound.
i.e. its as if mute is switched on at both ends of the call
I have checked the mute and the volume and no joy,
In case the batteries are ow, I have operated while the phone is in the charger cradle - still no joy.
Can anyone help.
Sorry if this is not the correct forum - if not, does anyone know the correct forum for support?
Thank you for listening

p.s. i am liing in ireland.
i have not yet plugged in the landline because i want to test the internet capability before i checkout the landline call capability...

update
oops - i just saw that i need to charge it for 14 hours before use. lets see if that does the trick.

i have the same problem no sound any ideas any one!

> I have had one of these phones for 3 months. Today, it started showing a message that says: "system is starting up" but it never starts.

That's the message the handsets present when they know a base station is alive but haven't yet brought up Skype. You must have problems with your network or perhaps your base station died for some reason (lightning? maybe your base station is publicly visible and has been hi-jacked?). It's probably the former, I'd double check your connectivity with Skype using a computer on the same network. It probably can't establish any Skype connections either.

> Voicemail works for incoming calls to my Skype number but how do I set the phone so that unanswered calls to my landline number also go to voicemail?

The phone uses the same account information as your PC. It can take a while for them to synchronize though. Set the setting the way you want it on your PC version of Skype. Then wait a day or so. The phone should start acting like the PC.

...or at least that's the way mine works. I have multiple PCs and multiple Philips VoIP systems (2 in total /w 8 handsets). They all can be used to set some setting and they do, over time (via some method I'm not completely conversant with) tend to synchronize/unify to one "system wide" state. I suppose if you continuously change the Skype settings across various machines in rapid succession (and do so in conflict) they might act a little bizarre for a while. That said, I've changed settings across all of my varied systems from time to time and within a few days they tend to all act as the latest settings indicate.

Remember that each of these systems (computer A, phone, computer B, etc.) are independent entities. The only thing they really understand is that they are using a common set of credentials (and thereby associate with a common state/account via those credentials). When they all ring (and in my case they do just that, usually in a simultaneous or near simultaneous fashion) none of them know that any of their peers exist. The first one to pick up the call just makes things so that the call has a route (so implicitly none of the others need to ring, etc.).

> i have the same problem no sound any ideas any one!

If you have no sound you probably have some terrible network throughput conditions (possibly exacerbated by NAT, network address translation). NAT is a great thing but it does block some levels of connectivity (for good reason) and that can interfere with best possible Skype performance. Go google something like Skype and NAT, etc. There you should find some pages about how best to set things up (in your router to let Skype make the most of your connection).

Steve Gibson's site has some interesting commentary on this topic (buried deep inside it somewhere). http://www.grc.com

> go old school and use a third-party conference call manager to perform such things

In the US there are various third party companies that make a business of collecting/routing conference calls. You call them (just like any other POTS phone), set up a conference and then the conference company gives you a ID you can send to your conference mates. They use that ID and call the number (again, everyone is just calling what "looks like" some POTS phone), they enter the ID into a automated attendant and bingo you have a conference. They used to be VERY expensive but I haven't set one up in over a decade.

I noticed a nice Polycom USB speakerphone the other day that acts just like a really nice microphone (just like any other Polycom phone you might see in a business conference room). I suppose you could use something like that with Skype on a PC to place a free Skype conference (and, if memory serves me, you can conference in POTS lines to Skype on the PCs just like you can Skype to Skype to Skype). I could be mistaken though. That said, conferencing is a standard feature of the PC flavors of Skype.

It's not a feature available on the VoIP 810 phone though.

Hey! Look-ee there! My Philips phones are stuck in so much "system starting up" Zombie-ness. The power went off today (or it sure seems that way since a bunch of stuff was powered down when I came home from work). I checked my phones just now and they were all waiting for the base station. It had crashed. I power cycled it. Everyone is happy now. So there you go!

Can my numerous Skype contacts [both Skype and Skype-Out] be easily imported from either my computer or from Skype's web site onto the Philips 841 voip phone?

thanks for your help
WW

Can my numerous Skype contacts [both Skype and Skype-Out] be easily imported from either my computer or from Skype's web site onto the Philips 841 voip phone?

thanks for your help
WW

Ok each 841 base station can handle up to 4 handsets, does that mean that you can have a different person signed in on each phone which is connected to one base station and have 4 calls going on at the same time?

Hi,

So I just bought one of these phones this week and am having a lot of trouble connecting it. I've followed all the directions and my base station led lights won't light up. Obviously, I can't sign in to skype--it always says connection fails. I've tried reseting it several times. There is no IP address.

I'm not really great with technology and am at a complete loss as to how to correct this. I've even called the philips customer service hotline but they couldn't help me. Anyone who can? I'd really appreciate it!

Thanks!

the Phillips 841 VOIP has a major issue if you need to dial other country codes via skype or landline..... each time you dial another country code it needs to be programmed into the phone via settings..... and when attempting to dial numbers outside your country code it defaults and adds your original country code....

ie. if my country code listed in phone is +1 it will add this to all numbers called including incoming calls that are returned. So if you attempt to dial another country code like +49 for germany.... it will add +1 before the country code.... this is a major issue if you need to dial international numbers and this phone has just ended up being a waste.

Hi Can you please tell me if this phones supports browser-based authentication?
My server makes me sign in with a password.

Thanks Deanna

> Can my numerous Skype contacts [both Skype and Skype-Out] be easily imported from either my computer or from Skype's web site onto the Philips 841 voip phone?

You just install Skype on a PC/Mac/Whatever and whatever you add to your account there will show up on the phone. They use the same account and, as previously mentioned, will act as one.

You can add contacts to the phone without the aid of a computer but, like any phone, it can be a hassle (the old 10 key shuffle, etc.).

> Ok each 841 base station can handle up to 4 handsets, does that mean that you can have a different person signed in on each phone which is connected to one base station and have 4 calls going on at the same time?

No. The base station is where Skype runs, not the handsets. They all use one account. It's not a business phone system, it's a 4 station home system that has Skype and single line (POTS) support.

> Hi Can you please tell me if this phones supports browser-based authentication?
My server makes me sign in with a password.

...as in a proxy? Yes.

> So if you attempt to dial another country code like +49 for germany.... it will add +1 before the country code.

Mine doesn't do that. You must have Skype settings/preferences associated with your Skype account (via Skype on a PC/Mac) set to add +1 automatically. Turn that off and add the appropriate dialing sequence to each contact (instead).

> I'm not really great with technology and am at a complete loss as to how to correct this.

If you reset the base station (or its fresh from the box, etc.) and it's not getting an IP address you must not have a DHCP service available on your network.

There is a previous post (above) that describes basic network configuration.

You CANNOT connect multiple devices to a consumer grade cable modem or dsl modem alone. You MUST add a router (and enable Network Address Translation / NAT) to work with most home environments.

Cable Signal -> Cable Modem -> Router -> Device(s)

NOT

Cable Signal -> Cable Modem -> Hub/Switch -> Device(s)

I've had this phone for about a month, and aside from the common gripes about caller id & landline voicemail alerts (or lack thereof), I'm pretty happy with it.

With one HUGE exception.

I have a SkypeIn number, and 99% of my calls are using that (not Skype-to-Skype).

When someone calls me on that number and I'm logged onto Skype both through the phone and on my Mac, no matter which way I answer it (computer or phone), the call cuts off after exactly 2 minutes and the caller is sent to my Skye voicemail.

I really don't want to have to stop using Skype on my computer. Is there any other way to solve this?

> When someone calls me on that number and I'm logged onto Skype both through the phone and on my Mac, no matter which way I answer it (computer or phone), the call cuts off after exactly 2 minutes and the caller is sent to my Skye voicemail.

I have that same setup (Mac Mini -> WiFi -> Router -> Cable and Philips -> Router -> Cable) and don't see your symptoms. If you haven't already you might try opening ports (aka. port forwarding) on your router so the phone can directly receive inbound requests. My phone is on a DMZ port on my router so it's fully visible to the internet. The Mac is behind a firewalled router port but I have opened the router so that Skype on the Mac can act equivalently. The later is best (I really should remove my phone from the DMZ or lock down the DMZ with a second firewall).

Search for port forwarding and Skype for details (or scroll up). Here's one sample:

http://creativebits.org/mac_os_x/improve_skype_sound_quality_0

When you do this, make sure the two systems (phone and Mac) are NOT setup to use the same port number. As that page (above) noted you also should not leave them at the default port number provided by Skype. The phone has this information in it's handset UI (can't recall where but I know it's there). It may also be available via the phone's web interface (it will respond just like your router will when you hit it with a web browser, btw).

i have been using the 841 for 3 months at first it worked well. than i used it in another location and it work but after 5 min it would cut off. after about 2 weeks i corrected the problem. this may help someone else, the fix was to buy a router and plug it in to the client bridge.(it was pluged to the client bridge) the signal coming in on the client bridge was not fast enough do to the distance between antennas, about 400 ft. i'm very happy with it and may get another one

If you find caller id in anyway useful, don't get this phone.

No caller id is shown for landline numbers. Just a generic icon.

All my other phones show caller id (so it's set up correctly with Virgin my provider). This one is the only phone that doesn't.

I'm very disappointed. Like another poster said - caller id is a standard telephone function, not rocket science.

It also hijacks my skype mood. Grr.

Does ANYONE have an answer / solution for these issues?

Have Phillips even READ this post? Do they care? Come on Phillips, please give us some solutions!

:(

The Thomson RCA GE 2 in 1 Skype Cordless Phone shows caller id when skype lets it - especially if someone calls your Skype In number the caller ID almost always works but not always but I'd say 90% of the time.

This phone is available at http://www.shop.telephonemanofamerica.com and more specifically at http://www.shop.telephonemanofamerica.com/product.sc?categoryId=24&productId=169.

see below for more information on it:

Thomson RCA GE 28310EE1 2 in 1 Skype Cordless Phone
----- New Thomson RCA GE 2 in 1 Skype Cordless Phone - Unlimited calls for only $29.50/yr! - - 12 mo. Warranty - $95.00 ----- -- In stock and Ready to Ship whil supplies last! - This phone has been discontinued but it was the best Skype dual 2 in 1 cordless NO PC required cordless phone - The department that made this phone and the other like Skype cordless were closed due to the world wide economic climate - Too bad because saves a lot of money!! -- For manuals, datasheets, brochures, inventory instructions, technician requests etc please go to www.SkypeMyPbx.com or contact the Telephone Man of America at 1-866-770-4930 or telephoneman@telephonemanofamerica.com or Skype me at TelephoneManOfAmerica -- Make unlimited landline and cell phone calls with a Skype USA/Canada subscription of $29.50/yr (That's about $2.45/mo!!) with the Thomson/RCA/GE 28310EE1 Cordless Phone for $95.00. Receive and make Skype VOIP and regular landline calls without a computer! Comes with Call Waiting Caller ID. Product Features: Skype Certified Skype software allows you to talk to people around the world for free. Call-Waiting Caller ID1, Display shows name and number of incoming call even if you're on the phone with another caller. No PC Required!! Use your broadband internet connection for Skype calls or use with your phone line for standard calls. Handset Speakerphone provides convenience of hands-free communications. Expandable Up to 4 Handsets - Thompson RCA GE 28310EE1 is the model number of the expandable handsets. Use up to 4 handsets with base system and place in multiple rooms. Just plug extra handsets into power outlets. Only 1 phone jack needed. Color LCD with graphic color display allows easy navigation through menus and personalization of the handset's wallpaper and color scheme. DECT 6.0 Interference Free Technology digital wireless technology providing interference free, encrypted security. Specifications: Frequency DECT 6.0 Digital / Analog Digital Number of Lines 2 (Skype and PSTN) Number of Handsets (Included) 1 Expandable Handsets 3 total Digital Security System Handset speakerphone Backlit color LCD display Best of Innovations 2007 -- For manuals, datasheets, brochures, inventory instructions, technician requests etc please go to www.SkypeMyPbx.com or contact the Telephone Man of America at 1-866-770-4930 or telephoneman@telephonemanofamerica.com or Skype me at TelephoneManOfAmerica -- ----- New Thomson RCA GE 2 in 1 Skype Cordless Phone - Unlimited calls for only $29.50/yr! - - 12 mo. Warranty - $95.00 -----

I have a Siemens S685IP and would like to set this up for SKYPE
Could you help me with configurqtion settings?

The phone allows for hte following entries:

General Provider Data
Domain:
Proxy server address:
Proxy server port:
Registrar server:
Registrar server port:
Registration refresh time: sec
Network
STUN enabled: Yes No
STUN server:
STUN port:
STUN refresh time: sec
NAT refresh time: sec
Outbound proxy mode: Always Auto Never
Outbound proxy:
Outbound proxy port:

Hi there I am a new Skype user and useless at anything vaguely techno, however I have managed to get Skype up and running and have purchased a Skype number and a Philips VOIP321 (best available in Spain) and can use the phone to make calls out but when you ring the number in the phone does not ring. I do not have a landline and therefore have not plugged into a landline, just the desktop.
Can you help/advise as to why I am not receiving calls - my PC shoes that I have rec'd a call but does not ring. I have set my priovacy settings to receieve calls from anyone as suggested on the forum but still nothing, thanks Carole

Hi there I am a new Skype user and useless at anything vaguely techno, however I have managed to get Skype up and running and have purchased a Skype number and a Philips VOIP321 (best available in Spain) and can use the phone to make calls out but when you ring the number in the phone does not ring. I do not have a landline and therefore have not plugged into a landline, just the desktop.
Can you help/advise as to why I am not receiving calls - my PC shoes that I have rec'd a call but does not ring. I have set my priovacy settings to receieve calls from anyone as suggested on the forum but still nothing, thanks Carole

I have noiw discovered that my laptop recognises my incoming call but I want my phone to ring please help me....................ahhhhhhaaa