Skypegear Roadtest: Linksys CIT400 iPhone

By Stephen Pinches on February 19, 2007 in Cordless phones, Linksys.

The Linksys CIT400 is designed to fit square in the centre of a family's telephone setup. Ultimately designed to take the place of your old DECT home phone, it can handle both your old-style normal telephone calls and also make and receive calls made via Skype: one handset does everything, you just choose how you want to make the call.

And to make it even easier, the CIT400 doesn't need to use a PC to operate: it just plugs straight into your router. It's this kind of flexibility we've already seen in phones such as the DUALphone 3088 and Philips VoIP841, but this is a first for Linksys, whose first forays into Skype phones were the CIT200 and 300, both of which had to be connected to a PC to work.

Not so the Linksys CIT400, which can be positioned anywhere (within reason) around the house, and which lets you make Skype calls from its colour display without the need for even having a PC at all. Skypegear got its hands on one which had already had a thorough bashing from the Skype product boys, but seemed none the worse for its rough handling...

Out of the box

Admittedly, the unit I looked at was a review unit so didn't include all instructions etc. However, the basic kit consists of:

1) A base unit, which connects to your wifi/Ethernet router or access point:

2) A handset, complete with charging cradle:

3) Leads:

An RJ45 lead to connect the basestation to the router
A power lead for the charging cradle for the handset
A power lead for the basestation
A standard telephone lead for the normal telephone connection

4) 2 AAA batteries for the handset

In my view, the last is important; like the VoIP841 from Philips, Linksys have opted for a happy compromise between the kind of non-standard battery packs some manufacturers use but which are recharged straight to the mains, and the more old-fashioned AAA and AA batteries commonly available in stores. Inevitably after a few charges batteries start to lose their va-va-voom, and this way, you can just pop down to your local hardware store and replace them with a pair of nice, shiny new ones for a few quid or dollars, depending on your location.

Setup

Setup is easy enough: plug phone cable between the phone connection in the wall and the phone's basestation, power cables into the respective power sockets, and the RJ45 internet cable between the phone's basestation and an available port on the router. Essentially with this setup (and at this point the usual disclaimers apply!), it's a case of 'if the cable doesn't fit in that hole, try another one'. It's pretty straightforward.

In use

Funnily enough I'd say the CIT400 follows more of a North American design aesthetic than other phones I've tested. Both the basestation and the phone itself are quite angular in design, and whilst quite functional in appearance, the handset has an attractive red glow which activates when the keys are pressed. The controls are clearly laid out, with a central button facilitating navigation around the phone's menus. There is a noticeably quicker response on key presses than on some of its rival phones, and once the keypad beep has been turned off (please, does anyone really like their keypad to beep every time you press a key?!), it really is a breeze to move through the menus and select the functions you need.

Interestingly, the CIT400 seems to keep the home screen lit up at a low level when the phone is in the charger and plugged in; for me this is excellent as you can quickly and easily see phone status and missed calls, but of course this is a matter of personal preference.

Call quality was generally very good. I didn't notice any significant echo on calls, and a SkypeOut call to a landline had an almost 'CD quality' feel to it. As with any DECT phone, battery life was not massive if the phone was left out of the charger, but the charging time was pretty speedy. Significantly, the phone (like all Linksys CIT phones) is Hearing Aid Compatible (HAC), something that isn't the case for all Skype phones.

The basestation has a ring on it which lights up when you are on a call, and also a button which, when pressed, will ring the handset. Perfect for when your girlfriend/son/daughter/pesky half-uncle has nicked the phone and left it in their bedroom. Also the phone makes a pleasant gurgling noise every time it is placed back in its charger, just so you know it's charging OK.

Unfortunately, Linksys have as yet not confirmed availability of additional handsets. Obviously (and I try to say this without a hint of bitterness ) our US cousins tend to have slightly larger houses than the shoeboxes we live in here in London, so additional handsets are more important. Fingers crossed Linksys come up with some soon, and I'll keep you posted.

Conclusions

When you make a call, you really want to type the number and away you go. The CIT400 is designed to do that. It politely asks whether you want to make the call via Skype or your normal phone carrier, but apart from that this phone is, as the Manic Street Preachers might have it, designed for life.

The unit I tested had already been thoroughly thrashed by the Skype product team, who are of course dedicated to making sure that their products get really put through their paces. Nonetheless, apart from a few scratches here and there, the phone I tested had a very resilient feel to it.

The CIT400 is perfect for people who still rely on their old-style phone network, but also want to make cheap Skype-to-Skype and Skype-to-other phone numbers calls. Additionally, the CIT400 offers access to Skype Voicemail, as well as being able to search for users, accept or decline incoming buddy requests, view the basic details of users' profiles and also quickly and easily see how much credit you have left.

A lot of ink has been spilt talking about the iPhone name which Linksys has given to these phones, and amongst the brouhaha it has perhaps not been asserted quite strongly enough that the Linksys phones offer a very solid and dependable way to make cheap calls via Skype. The CIT400 has an RRP of $179.99, but is available via Amazon for $149.99. Keep an eye on the US Skype Store for good deals on this phone as well. EU availability is as yet unconfirmed.

Technorati tags: CIT400, Linksys, VoIP, Internet calling, Internet telephony, US, Skype certified, Skype, CIT300, CIT200, iPhone

Add to: | del.cio.us | digg | furl

View blog reactions

Comments

Still no word from Steve P about the Netgear SPH200D?? we are wondering why?its not even on the shop floor

Ha - I write a long review of the CIT400 and you want to know all about the SPH200D!

It's a good point, to be honest godsquaddie the availability of the SPH200D slipped my mind so I will chase up with Netgear and see what I can find out...

I'm not sure where you're based but it is available from stores such as Expansys in the UK and Europe, ie http://www.expansys.ie/p.aspx?i=145268

It's also available in the US, for example from Buy.com:
http://www.buy.com/prod/netgear-sph200d-cordless-phone-with-skype/q/loc/101/204014482.html

Alas not available in the Skype Store quite yet, but soon!

Hope that helps?

I bought a CIT400 a few weeks ago (from amazon.com). When it works, it's the best thing since sliced bread, but it's been a royal pain getting it to that stage.

The phone frequently displayed "UNAVAILABLE" when trying to view contacts, and was unable to make a landline call. Linksys support was less than helpful; one agent said the phone was defective, another suggested that I contact my landline provider ("we have an agreement with them"), still another suggested that the phone was fine but the number I was calling was busy.

Others in the Linksys Community Forum have had similar issues and suggested "jiggling the cables" as a solution. I found that plugging the base station into a different electrical outlet solved my problem (which makes little sense)

I spoke too soon. It appears the problem isn't the electrical outlet, but proximity to a Linksys wireless access point (WAP54G). When the two are on the same table top (3-6 inches apart), the phone repeatedly fails. Pretty surprising, as the phone is 1.9GHz or so and the access point is 2.4GHz, but it certainly seems to be the case.

The Linksys CIT400 and the Hetgear SPH200D are effectively identical - down to the firmare level and idiosynchratic behavior (wifi interference, button presses "lost", etc). The only difference of significance is the form-factor - the Netger phone is slighty bulkier than the Linksys.

All the more entertaining - a Netgear handset is readily registered on a Linksys base station - usful should Linksys not come out with handsets in the near future.

Even after takeover by Cisco, Linksys customer service is down in the dumps. So unless you are buying something simple like an ethernet card / switch which require practically no setup procedures I would suggest staying away from the Brand.

Just to prove my point I have a 6 year old 4 port print server that never printed a single page right. Of course I bought it new.

I, too, had the very same problem with the phone disconnecting erratically and could not find a solution at all. I will try to distance the base station from the wireless router and see if that fixes the problem. My phone is a SPH200D but as another poster has stated, the firmware/internals are basically the same.

Can you confirm that the linksys models are hearing aid compatible? where did you find that out? because i called linksys and they said they don't know if it is because it has never been tested and it doesn't mention in in product specifications.

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!

I got the same problem , and the point is I don't have any wifi in my house.. so wifi is not the cause.

Might want to try changing the channel on your wireless router.

I have bought a CIT400 phone, it seems to work well with the wireless WiFi connection box that came with the phone, but when I take the phone to another Open WiFi wireless rounter (friends house) it will not connect ? What am I doing wrong ? HELP !

Does this CIT400 work on any Open WiFi networks ? or did I buy the wrong phone ? Seems this phone is not a WiFi phone at all, seems it runs like reg. cordless phone, not a WiFi at all. I think I will have to send this shit back and get a real WiFi phone ? I need a phone that I can connect to open WiFi networks.

Hi perry_s, unfortunately the system you have bought behaves like a normal DECT phone set up. The phone itself is NOT WIFI enabled. It uses normal DECT communication signals to the base station. The base station then decides whether to route the call over the normal PSTN, or via the ethernet cable connected to your broadband router, both which should be connected to your base station. This system is designed for those who want to make both types of calls (internet and PSTN). It does not provide you with a WIFI handset that allows you to connect to Wireless hotspots. You would need something like the Netgear SPH101 for that.

I purchased a CIT400 from Skype. The CIT400 and handset did not come with a CD or owners manual. I have been trying to get it up an running for a week now. The phone will not let me sign in; it reads "connection failed". Linksys will not help me, they do not provide the phone and told me to contact Skype. I have e-mailed them but have not received a response. Does anyone have a phone number I can call for assistance? Should I box it up and return it????

does the NetGear handset registered on CIT400 work? Soeone wrote that Skype account is not accesible

The handset is on and appears to be ready to work. It will not let me sign in. When I go to sign in it says, "connection failed".

I don't see where it says NetGear on the handset anywhere.

I've had the CIT400 for 6 months now. It works ok... Every 48 hours(exactly) the handset signs out from skype. The only fix I've found so far is to unplug the base station and plug it back in. I now have a outlet timer plugged into the base station that disconnects it at 3:00am and starts at 3:01am. The other problem I have is that during conference calls, the speech usually cuts out 4 or 5 times over a 3 hour conference. Also, the skype service is signed out and signed back in randomly. Finally, the volume is not loud enough for speaker phone. I've had 3 other skype (computer-less) phones and this is the best so far but still is bad enough that my wife won't use it.

Just got the CIT 400 yesterday. I plugged it into the wireless Linksys router and placed the base station on a shelf below to hide it from view. It was working perfectly 2 minutes after taking it out of the box. I cannot say if this is the reason I've had no problems. It was a pleasant surprise that I didn't have to configure my router at all for the phone to work - my wireless setup has all the security in the world so that was a fear but the phone only used about 30 seconds to detect all the settings and it was ready for use. I am impressed with this thing as is the whole family. My only small gripe is that the screen size could have been larger. We're now ready to dump our landline.
Highly recommended!

I had had this phone for a year now. It has worked okay for the most part in two different houses. However, just recently, I rearranged all my equipment and now I am seeing the dreaded 'Connection failed' message. I reset both the phone and the base station. I disconnected everything and reconnected it back again. I turned off the router and connected the base station to the modem directly. I moved the base station away from the router. I have tried everything. No luck whatsoever. Interface menus on this phone are terrible. Notices like 'Call failed' will time out before you have had a chance to read it. Overall, a product with potential but I would never buy this or any product from Linksys again.

I am having trouble getting skype voicemail to work with this phone. I have a skype in number and also have skype out but the voicemail never gets turned on during incoming calls. I checked on my computer and the voicemail is supposed to activate after 30s. Someone please help me out. Skype support has been useless as usual. thx,